Is it anxiety or an infection?

[Triforce]

I'm very scared I have HIV. I am a straight male and had unprot. sex with a girlfriend between Dec. 23rd to Mar. 3rd '07.  We broke up and I had unprot. sex with another friend on March 17th. (I've been with 4 girls in my life.  I'm 27 and healthy, Canadian)  On Mar. 26th, 9 days after the "one night stand" I got very sick during some intense phys. testing for a new job.  I vomited and couldn't keep anything down for 3 days, passed out with fatigue later on.  I had a fever too and after it broke I developed an itchy rash that started on my trunk and spread all over. I woke up with my pillow SOAKING where my head and arm were. (I've had intermittent LIGHT night sweats to this day, but no fevers.  Sore underarms/tightening of the throat, my bowel movements go from loose with undigested stuff to hard pellet-like)  I called up the woman I was with on the 17th and she was actually dealing with the vomiting/fever herself! She thought I gave this "flu" to her.  She never dvlpd a rash.

I had an HIV test done on April 10th which came back negative.  I would have gone back for another HIV test but was told like others before finding this site that I had to wait for 12 weeks to be 100% sure.  I'm going tomorrow. I've barely slept.

To sum up. Neg. test 38 days after last enc. with 1st girl, but only 23 days after last and only time with another girl. (The Dr's. I've seen say that I shouldn't worry about that one because symps. came only 9 days after.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Before I even read your question, just from the title you chose for the thread:  If you have to ask whether it is anxiety or infection, almost certainly it is anxiety.  Whenver a person suspects his or her own symptoms are due to anxiety, s/he almost always is right.

Now, I will read the question itself....

Some of your symptoms could be due to infection (vomiting, diarrhea), but there is no reason to suspect HIV over a giant number of other, more common causes.  The absence of fever is, by itself, strong evidence of HIV, and you describe a low risk lifestyle and overall risk situation for HIV.  The doctors you spoke to are correct.

Feel free to get tested to relieve you anxieties.  But you describe nothing to make me think you have HIV.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[Triforce]

I should also add that the Dr's. that checked me out never felt any swollen lymph nodes.  They quite frankly dismissed my concerns as a little irrational.  I understand after reading this extremely informative and helpful forum that you should never judge based on symptoms alone, but I guess the combination of so many of the ARS symptoms, (As far as I've read) and the guilt of having the one night stand has overridden the plausibility of me contracting HIV.

Where I'm at now in the "convincing myself I'm ok" stage is that I had the HIV test at 5.5 weeks from the last encounter with the first girl.  That pretty much, (Or almost totally) puts me in the clear from what I've read of your knowledge, as far as girl #1 goes.

The 2nd girl I still feel I need to be concerned about.  Even though she had the same flu like virus that made her sick, and has said a girlfriend of hers was sick at the time as well (That's where she believes she caught the bug), she didn't develop a rash or have nightsweats.  Somehow although they say 9 days is too short a time to start showing symptoms I've convinced myself I could be an exception due to the rigorous physical activities I had to endure.

The other things that are contributing to my worry is just how crummy I've felt.  It's been just over 2 months now since I first got sick and I still have varying issues.  My underarm/triceps are really paining.  It almost feels like I've got a charliehorse.  The same thing was with my throat.  It made me think it was my lymphnodes, but from what I've read this all could be muscle tension caused by incredible anxiety...

Just thought I'd add that.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The additional information doesn't change my opinion or advice.