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Very Concerned about HIV

Dear Dr.


Tested Neg for HIV 1.5 year ago.  Since then I have had multiple female partners, some were CSW's however I always used condoms and never had any issues with the condoms.  

Around the 1st of the year I woke up with a very stiff neck which seems to be mostly along the spine and the sides of my neck causing some pain when attempting to move my head and making impossible to get full range of motion.  This continues to this day although some days are much better than others.  

April 27th  I had sex with a female friend who is 24.   The condom broke and I have no idea how long it was broken before I noticed.   23 days later I noticed a sore spot on my penis after masturbation and observed a raised red area that seemed to have split open from the masturbation.  I assumed it was herpes and it eventually scaled over and started to heal however 5 months later it has never completely gone away.   About the same time as this outbreak   I started having a lot of stiffness and sore muscles in my buttocks, hamstrings and thighs.  I  what seems to be a very sore tendon on the inside back of my knee.   Pulls painfully and it is often sore to the touch, feeling bruised.  I developed a sore spot in my mid to lower back that causes my back to be  stiff and a spot right on my spine that feels very bruised to the touch.  I have a lot of pain along the bottom of my rib cage  like my diaphram is bruised.  This weekend  nausea and lost my appetite, When I wake up I often have to cough hard enough to almost throw up.   I have never had any fever, sore throat, the flu, any oral infections or rash on my torso or face.  

1.)  How concerned should I be about having contracted both HSV2 and HIV from this encounter?  

2.)  Could my symptoms be ARS or HIV related?

3.)  If I somehow had HIV after my last test 1.5 years ago and before this episode is it possible that getting herpes from this encounter would somehow put that into overdrive and cause my symptoms?
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
For the benefit of anyone else's who maybe worried like me.  Test results were negative 4.5 months post exposure and more than 6 weeks since I have had any sex whatever.  So its conclusive.  Dr Hook and these folks are awesome.  I hope my post and this conclusion helps a lot worried people.  End of thread.
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'm pleased I could help.  Please don't worry and take care.  EWH
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Avatar universal
Dr Hook,
thank you for your prompt response.  I posted about my stiff neck because i was worried it was stiff from sore lymphnodes indicating I might have had hiv going into the april episode.  

I add for the benefit of anyone reading this post,  I did some additional research and found that the Michigan dept of health estimates there are only 19300 people living with Hiv/aids in our state of 9.8 million and of that number 12600 of them are in the greater detriot area (over 300 miles from me.  Furthermore only 830 of the total are white females.  Im sure if I could break it down to our county and age it would be even more remote.  These numbers and the stats on rates of transmission are very encouraging.  

Thanks gain Dr Hook.  I sent my home access test in yesterday and your words will hopefully give the confidence to call for the results.
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
.Welcome to our Forum.  I'll try to help.  I presume your questions relate to events since your April condom mishap and thus am not sure why you mentioned the chronic stiff neck which has been present since January (which does not suggest HIV or other STD anyway).

As for your exposure in April, it was low risk.  Most women do not have HIV or, for that matter, other STDs and even when they do, the risk of transmission following a single exposure is low.  Your penile sore spot and split following masturbation are not particularly suggestive of HSV or any other STD either.  As for your specific questions:

1.)  How concerned should I be about having contracted both HSV2 and HIV from this encounter?  

Your risk for both is quite low and nothing that you have described particularly suggests HIV, HSV or any other STD.

2.)  Could my symptoms be ARS or HIV related?
No.  they are not characteristic of HIV and further, they have been present too long.  ARS symptoms typically resolve in less than two weeks.  

3.)  If I somehow had HIV after my last test 1.5 years ago and before this episode is it possible that getting herpes from this encounter would somehow put that into overdrive and cause my symptoms?

No, this does not seem at all likely.

I suggest you look for alternative explanations for your symptoms. They really in no way suggest an STD.  EWH
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