Aa
help please!
Dear Doc,
I had several vaginal sexes with CSW (I used their offered condums each time) on my trip in China, one was late last December and the other two were on 01/06/2008 (I am not sure if the condom was BROKEN this time) and on 01/17/2008. On the 18th of January, I developed a cough (no any other symptoms) and recovered in approximately 2 weeks.
Starting from 02/23/2008 (the 37th day after last exposure), I started coughing with productive thick dark yellow mucus, runny nose, sore throat. However there was no fever until 03/02 (the 44th day after last exposure).
Here are the descriptions of my symptions:
Day 1 ~ day 8: productive coughing, thick dark yellow mucus, runny nose, sore throat (No fever)
Day 9: fever with 102.8F maximum.
Day 10 ~ day 11: By using some antibiotics (roxithromycin) and tyleno, the temperature back to normal. However the coughing and mucus are still there. Muscle and joint pain.
Day 12: today, normal temperature, still feel light muscle and joint pain. Still produce some mucus.
No rash, dirrah etc.
This symptom also passed to my wife and other people. Counting my wife’s exposure time, she has the symptom (identical to mine) was on her 51st day after her exposure with me.
I had two HIV tests so far. HIV quick test (my 25th day of my last exposure) was negative. HIV ½ stat/pak test at 30th day of my last exposure was negative.
My questions:
1) Is the ARS symptom contagious? In another word, is it possible for one with ARS symptom flu to pass to others (flu only)? I think that I passed my flu symptom to the other four.
2) Considering my symptom with high temperature after 8 days coughing, thick yellow snot and runny nose, do you think if they are ARS symptoms?
3) How long does the symptom occur after exposure? I am confused by the number of 1~4 weeks and 2~6 weeks.
4) What is stat/pak HIV test? How does it compare to ELISA?
I had several vaginal sexes with CSW (I used their offered condums each time) on my trip in China, one was late last December and the other two were on 01/06/2008 (I am not sure if the condom was BROKEN this time) and on 01/17/2008. On the 18th of January, I developed a cough (no any other symptoms) and recovered in approximately 2 weeks.
Starting from 02/23/2008 (the 37th day after last exposure), I started coughing with productive thick dark yellow mucus, runny nose, sore throat. However there was no fever until 03/02 (the 44th day after last exposure).
Here are the descriptions of my symptions:
Day 1 ~ day 8: productive coughing, thick dark yellow mucus, runny nose, sore throat (No fever)
Day 9: fever with 102.8F maximum.
Day 10 ~ day 11: By using some antibiotics (roxithromycin) and tyleno, the temperature back to normal. However the coughing and mucus are still there. Muscle and joint pain.
Day 12: today, normal temperature, still feel light muscle and joint pain. Still produce some mucus.
No rash, dirrah etc.
This symptom also passed to my wife and other people. Counting my wife’s exposure time, she has the symptom (identical to mine) was on her 51st day after her exposure with me.
I had two HIV tests so far. HIV quick test (my 25th day of my last exposure) was negative. HIV ½ stat/pak test at 30th day of my last exposure was negative.
My questions:
1) Is the ARS symptom contagious? In another word, is it possible for one with ARS symptom flu to pass to others (flu only)? I think that I passed my flu symptom to the other four.
2) Considering my symptom with high temperature after 8 days coughing, thick yellow snot and runny nose, do you think if they are ARS symptoms?
3) How long does the symptom occur after exposure? I am confused by the number of 1~4 weeks and 2~6 weeks.
4) What is stat/pak HIV test? How does it compare to ELISA?
Dear Dr. HHH,
Thank you so much for your quick answer and great help!
Thank you so much for your quick answer and great help!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The chance you caught HIV is zero or close to it, since your sexual exposures were condom-protected. You would have known for sure if a condom had broken; it's not something you would not have noticed.
Symptoms never are a useful indicator of new HIV infection. The identical symptoms occur much more commonly with things other than ARS, i.e. common respiratory or gastrointestinal viruses, as well as other things. And ARS doesn't cause some of the symptoms you describe; for example, it doesn't cause runny nose or productive cough (generally no cough at all). You caught a respiratory virus, nothing more. And although testing for HIV at 25 is a bit soon, probably 80% of infected people have positive results by then.
1) Of course ARS is not contagious other than by sex. No HIV infection can be transmitted through the air, by coughing, etc. But your infection --i.e. your respiratory virus -- almost certainly is contagious (or was when it was new, maybe not now).
2) Those symptoms do not suggest ARS.
3) Doesn't matter. You don't have it. But ARS symptoms typically begin 10-20 days after exposure.
4) I'm not familiar with the stat/pak test. Sorry.
If you remain nervous, have another HIV test 6-8 weeks after your last sexual exposure. But you can be 100% certain the result will be negative. Of course see a health care provider about your symptoms if they continue or you remain concerned.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Symptoms never are a useful indicator of new HIV infection. The identical symptoms occur much more commonly with things other than ARS, i.e. common respiratory or gastrointestinal viruses, as well as other things. And ARS doesn't cause some of the symptoms you describe; for example, it doesn't cause runny nose or productive cough (generally no cough at all). You caught a respiratory virus, nothing more. And although testing for HIV at 25 is a bit soon, probably 80% of infected people have positive results by then.
1) Of course ARS is not contagious other than by sex. No HIV infection can be transmitted through the air, by coughing, etc. But your infection --i.e. your respiratory virus -- almost certainly is contagious (or was when it was new, maybe not now).
2) Those symptoms do not suggest ARS.
3) Doesn't matter. You don't have it. But ARS symptoms typically begin 10-20 days after exposure.
4) I'm not familiar with the stat/pak test. Sorry.
If you remain nervous, have another HIV test 6-8 weeks after your last sexual exposure. But you can be 100% certain the result will be negative. Of course see a health care provider about your symptoms if they continue or you remain concerned.
Regards-- HHH, MD
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