Aa
I think I have the answer, but just need confirmation
Hi Doctor,
You helped me a few weeks ago and I have a friend that has posed a question, so i said I would ask on her behalf. She is my husbands sister, so I really want to give her solid advice. Here is the situation, her husband had emergency back surgery due to an accident. Since it was emergency he was unable to bank blood and had to use the blood from the blood bank for the transfusions he required during surgery. Once recovered and back to normal life resumed as normal and they of course are sexually active in a monogamous relationship. I definetly can vouch for them, both are failtful, never leave each others side:) Anyway a few weeks after there first bot of sexual contact, which when lookin it up on the computer would be the same time as when ars kicks in, she had hives that were relieved with steroids, cortisone shot, and antihistamine.Along with the hives, the back of her neck was sore and her upper back, she said her neck lymph nodes were slightly swollen. She does not recall having a fever, stomach problems. She did have angiodema around her eyes. She has convinved herself this was ars and that her husband has infected her due to the blood transfusion. I am a worrier, but I felt this didn't sound like ars.She had found a website where they said hives were part of ars, I did not believe that to be true, I thought it was non itchy. The hives came and went badly for 4-5 days, relieved finally with a cortisone shot. For the next few weeks she would get them here and there in little areas. The sore neck and back is what scared her too, it lasted for 4-5 days. Is this even a concern at all?
You helped me a few weeks ago and I have a friend that has posed a question, so i said I would ask on her behalf. She is my husbands sister, so I really want to give her solid advice. Here is the situation, her husband had emergency back surgery due to an accident. Since it was emergency he was unable to bank blood and had to use the blood from the blood bank for the transfusions he required during surgery. Once recovered and back to normal life resumed as normal and they of course are sexually active in a monogamous relationship. I definetly can vouch for them, both are failtful, never leave each others side:) Anyway a few weeks after there first bot of sexual contact, which when lookin it up on the computer would be the same time as when ars kicks in, she had hives that were relieved with steroids, cortisone shot, and antihistamine.Along with the hives, the back of her neck was sore and her upper back, she said her neck lymph nodes were slightly swollen. She does not recall having a fever, stomach problems. She did have angiodema around her eyes. She has convinved herself this was ars and that her husband has infected her due to the blood transfusion. I am a worrier, but I felt this didn't sound like ars.She had found a website where they said hives were part of ars, I did not believe that to be true, I thought it was non itchy. The hives came and went badly for 4-5 days, relieved finally with a cortisone shot. For the next few weeks she would get them here and there in little areas. The sore neck and back is what scared her too, it lasted for 4-5 days. Is this even a concern at all?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
This will be your last answer. A test at three months will be conclusive. As nursegirl states, there is no need for further testing. Any further questions will be deleted without comment. EWH
You really need to let this go...you've gotten all of your answers.....and the stuff you repeatedly ask has been answered both here and on the community forum umpteen times.....do a simple search.
3 months is conclusive...yes, 6 months is overkill.
Time to move on.
3 months is conclusive...yes, 6 months is overkill.
Time to move on.
Dr Hook,
One last thing,ihad asked the question about twelve week confirmatory test of someone else before I asked you. She emailed me back and this is what it said:
1. Blood tests should be done in the first three weeks after a risky encounter, then at 3 months and 6 months. If the 3 month test is negative, very, very few people will test positive at 6 months, but some will. All the other tests he had are just a waste of time and money, and he'll still need to be tested again at 6 months. She can most likely rest easy, but I'd still insist on the 6 month test. That is the same schedule we use for health care workers and recommend for everyone else.
I trust you because you are a specialist in this field, I will take your word over hers. Is 6 months overkill?
One last thing,ihad asked the question about twelve week confirmatory test of someone else before I asked you. She emailed me back and this is what it said:
1. Blood tests should be done in the first three weeks after a risky encounter, then at 3 months and 6 months. If the 3 month test is negative, very, very few people will test positive at 6 months, but some will. All the other tests he had are just a waste of time and money, and he'll still need to be tested again at 6 months. She can most likely rest easy, but I'd still insist on the 6 month test. That is the same schedule we use for health care workers and recommend for everyone else.
I trust you because you are a specialist in this field, I will take your word over hers. Is 6 months overkill?
Dr Hook,
I thought you might be amused by what occured last night! I weas talking to my friend, the one who had the hives. I had told her everything you said and I said think about when it happened, what was going on in your life. You are going to laugh when you here what she revealed. One week to the day before she broke out in hives she was given an antibiotic(augmentin)by her Dr. She had called him on a holiday and described to him that here ears were clogged and she had vertigo. He immediatly suspected sinus infection and called in augmentin. She took it for one week, and on the seventh day of the ten day course is when she broke out in hives!!! She proceeded to tell me that they took 5 days to go away and that some who pop up here and there for a few weeks. The cortisone, steroid, and zyrtec halped to cure them, She also had angiodema around her eyes, the angiodema coupled with the hives responding to steroids and antihistmaines truly, to me, points to allergy. For god sakes, I would assume with a ARS rash it would not respond to anything, it would have to run its course!!! I am no Dr. but the sore neck/glands could go along with an allergic reaction, the sore neck was at the base of her skull which could have been angiodema or STRESS!! Anyay she failed to mention this to me because after it all cleared up the allergist did a RAST test for penicillin and it came back negative. In his next breath he said she had to still stay away from penicillin, because tests are not always accurate. I have now read up ion the rast and there are incidents of false negatives, so she probably is allergic. She also didn't mention it because her daughter had been aon amoxocillin weeks later and she would take the chewable pills out of the bottle for her daughter and never reacted form handling them. My thought on that was you might be allergic to eggs, milk, wheat, but if you just touch them and don't ingest them you might not react, wondered what you thought? She then said with one of the pills she broke a piece off and put some on a scratched area of her skin and it did nothing, I then explained that it was a child dose, probably not enough to cause a reaction, maybe it has to bve ingested and build up in your system. Also her daughter took amoxocillin and she had taken augmentin, I know they have some of the same components, but there could be differences. I had spken with an infectious disease DR. that said that classic penicillin allergy occurs after one week, he said classic case and the rast is not always reliable. I also said to her what are the chanced that (just for kicks and giggles) you have been sleeping with your husband for how long since the surgery and you develop ars the same time you are taking penicillin, really it is just ludicrous!!! Oh, and another interesting thing , the Dr. when looking at her a week after the meds said she never had a sinus infection to begi with, just congestion:) Just thought you might be interested, wondered your thoughts!!!
I thought you might be amused by what occured last night! I weas talking to my friend, the one who had the hives. I had told her everything you said and I said think about when it happened, what was going on in your life. You are going to laugh when you here what she revealed. One week to the day before she broke out in hives she was given an antibiotic(augmentin)by her Dr. She had called him on a holiday and described to him that here ears were clogged and she had vertigo. He immediatly suspected sinus infection and called in augmentin. She took it for one week, and on the seventh day of the ten day course is when she broke out in hives!!! She proceeded to tell me that they took 5 days to go away and that some who pop up here and there for a few weeks. The cortisone, steroid, and zyrtec halped to cure them, She also had angiodema around her eyes, the angiodema coupled with the hives responding to steroids and antihistmaines truly, to me, points to allergy. For god sakes, I would assume with a ARS rash it would not respond to anything, it would have to run its course!!! I am no Dr. but the sore neck/glands could go along with an allergic reaction, the sore neck was at the base of her skull which could have been angiodema or STRESS!! Anyay she failed to mention this to me because after it all cleared up the allergist did a RAST test for penicillin and it came back negative. In his next breath he said she had to still stay away from penicillin, because tests are not always accurate. I have now read up ion the rast and there are incidents of false negatives, so she probably is allergic. She also didn't mention it because her daughter had been aon amoxocillin weeks later and she would take the chewable pills out of the bottle for her daughter and never reacted form handling them. My thought on that was you might be allergic to eggs, milk, wheat, but if you just touch them and don't ingest them you might not react, wondered what you thought? She then said with one of the pills she broke a piece off and put some on a scratched area of her skin and it did nothing, I then explained that it was a child dose, probably not enough to cause a reaction, maybe it has to bve ingested and build up in your system. Also her daughter took amoxocillin and she had taken augmentin, I know they have some of the same components, but there could be differences. I had spken with an infectious disease DR. that said that classic penicillin allergy occurs after one week, he said classic case and the rast is not always reliable. I also said to her what are the chanced that (just for kicks and giggles) you have been sleeping with your husband for how long since the surgery and you develop ars the same time you are taking penicillin, really it is just ludicrous!!! Oh, and another interesting thing , the Dr. when looking at her a week after the meds said she never had a sinus infection to begi with, just congestion:) Just thought you might be interested, wondered your thoughts!!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
This question has also been answered. EWH
Dr Hook,
Thank you for taking the time to read my summary, I appreciate it. The only thing I want to make sure of is there no need for 6 month hiv test if the three was negative?
Thank you for taking the time to read my summary, I appreciate it. The only thing I want to make sure of is there no need for 6 month hiv test if the three was negative?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your summary is correct and I wilnot repeat myself. Please do not ask me to again. EWH
Dr., Thank you. I was just trying to not only tell her there was no risk, but also let her know that ARS is more than rash, swollen glands, and sore neck. I just thought if I could explain that it would put her in a better place:) She has been in such turmoil over this, it really ruined her holidays. She has kept it all in because she didn't want to upset her husband. So to sum it up:
1. She has had unprotected sex with her husband and has dealt with his blood due to some injuries, but because transfusions are safe she was not in any danger.
2.If, even though it isn't possible, she had experienced ars she would have had something other than hives, swollen glands, and sore neck.
3. The twelve week confirmatory test was for my sister in law, she slept witha married man, he got a test to prove to her he was fine at twleve weeks after there contact, it was negative. So she can rest easy that there was no problems since he tested negative?
4.Isn't ars just like the flu, meaning if everyone suspected they had hiv when they got a rash, sore throat, stomach problems, fever, wouldn't we all be running out for tests? I thought Hives were a pretty normal occurence? Also, am I right in saying while someone with ars might get hives, it usually is a non itchy faint colored rash? I ask this because I have a Dr. friend who said that with ars you are usually super sick and you have a faint pink rash that doesn't itch or hurt. He said he feels that the only reason that one might get hives with ars would be because they were presenting with something else along with it.Thanks so much, I am just trying to gain info to better understand all of this.
1. She has had unprotected sex with her husband and has dealt with his blood due to some injuries, but because transfusions are safe she was not in any danger.
2.If, even though it isn't possible, she had experienced ars she would have had something other than hives, swollen glands, and sore neck.
3. The twelve week confirmatory test was for my sister in law, she slept witha married man, he got a test to prove to her he was fine at twleve weeks after there contact, it was negative. So she can rest easy that there was no problems since he tested negative?
4.Isn't ars just like the flu, meaning if everyone suspected they had hiv when they got a rash, sore throat, stomach problems, fever, wouldn't we all be running out for tests? I thought Hives were a pretty normal occurence? Also, am I right in saying while someone with ars might get hives, it usually is a non itchy faint colored rash? I ask this because I have a Dr. friend who said that with ars you are usually super sick and you have a faint pink rash that doesn't itch or hurt. He said he feels that the only reason that one might get hives with ars would be because they were presenting with something else along with it.Thanks so much, I am just trying to gain info to better understand all of this.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Please re-read my answer.
She is not at risk for HIV and does not have ARS. Yes, there would be more symptoms than just a rash, sore neck and swollen glands. A negative HIV test at 12 weeks does prove that a person has not gotten HIV. In some (many) people, depending on the type of exposure, even earlier testing can be taken at conclusive. EWH
She is not at risk for HIV and does not have ARS. Yes, there would be more symptoms than just a rash, sore neck and swollen glands. A negative HIV test at 12 weeks does prove that a person has not gotten HIV. In some (many) people, depending on the type of exposure, even earlier testing can be taken at conclusive. EWH
Dr. Hook,
Thanks a million. This will be my last post, if you could just answer these last few things then we will be good to go:
1. Is it that is more common for a non itchy rash with ars then hives, the reason I ask is because so many sites and Drs. say it is non itchy? She is just still a bit freaked about the hives thing being related to ars, probably because I had showed her sites that said non itchy rash? She did have angiodema around eyes, that is not indicative of ars anyway, correct?
2.Wouldn't there be more symptoms with ares then sore neck, 2 swollen glands, and hives?
3. Also, purely for my knowledge,is twleve weeks a confirmatory answer to an hiv test?
Thanks a million. This will be my last post, if you could just answer these last few things then we will be good to go:
1. Is it that is more common for a non itchy rash with ars then hives, the reason I ask is because so many sites and Drs. say it is non itchy? She is just still a bit freaked about the hives thing being related to ars, probably because I had showed her sites that said non itchy rash? She did have angiodema around eyes, that is not indicative of ars anyway, correct?
2.Wouldn't there be more symptoms with ares then sore neck, 2 swollen glands, and hives?
3. Also, purely for my knowledge,is twleve weeks a confirmatory answer to an hiv test?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Both hives and a non-itchy rash are possible.
Yes, she could be unaware of the viral infection other than her soreness and rash.
No testing is needed. EWH
Yes, she could be unaware of the viral infection other than her soreness and rash.
No testing is needed. EWH
Doctor,
Thank you so much, Just a couple of things that I have been looking at regarding this. I had been answered by Teak that the ars rash was non itchy, and not hives. Can you clarify? Also, as far as it being from a respiratory thing, that could be somethignshe didn't even know she had, correct? So she truly does not need further testing, correct? The only thing I am confused about is the discrepancy of hives being related or not? Also, hives, sore neck and glands without any other issues truly does not sound like ars anyway, correct?
Thank you so much, Just a couple of things that I have been looking at regarding this. I had been answered by Teak that the ars rash was non itchy, and not hives. Can you clarify? Also, as far as it being from a respiratory thing, that could be somethignshe didn't even know she had, correct? So she truly does not need further testing, correct? The only thing I am confused about is the discrepancy of hives being related or not? Also, hives, sore neck and glands without any other issues truly does not sound like ars anyway, correct?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You are correct. Your friend is correct that hives can be part of the ARS but she does not have HIV transmitted by her husband who acquired it from transfused blood. The U.S. blood supply is absolutely safe and there is no one who has gotten HIV from banked blood in years. She has nothing to worry about. Her husband did not get HIV from transfused blood. It is far more likely that she just caught some sort of respiratory virus that was in your community and that this caused her illness.
While hives can be part of early HIV, the proportion of all persons who develop hives due to HIV is close to zero. There is no reason at all to be concerned about the scenario you describe. EWH
While hives can be part of early HIV, the proportion of all persons who develop hives due to HIV is close to zero. There is no reason at all to be concerned about the scenario you describe. EWH
Just want to calm her fears, is there any worry at all here?
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
