Low Risk, feeling the worst time of my life

[silsanto]

I had oral sex/woman. 24/48 hours later got 2 cold sore. I heard for sure she is HIV+. I start checking ARS symptoms every other hour. Temperature (36.8 to 37.2). Doctor prescribed acyclovir. Got an ear infection and start a round of Amoxilin(4 days), & Zithromax. 3 weeks of exposure I was diagnosed pneumonia and oral thrush. Doctor told me to finish the Z-Pack and gave 10 days extra Antibiotic. Tested 20 days (HIV 1/O/2 AB, HIV DNA/PCR, HSV1/2 and others). All negative (except HSV-1/2 AB +). WBC=9.5 Neutropils=77. Lost 10 pounds with liquid and dark diarrhea; following green stools, night sweats, body aching fever 37.6, no appetite, dry mouth, insomnia, shaking arms. Light disturbing me, blurring vision. Inside mouth skin was thinner/weaker. Therapist prescribed me Xanax/Seroquel to anxiety/sleep. 40 days exposure, start vomiting, and diarrhea was continuing not so heavy like a week before. I had a HIV 1/O/2 AB and it come back negative. When it completed 7 weeks, there come the rashes in the chest that last for 2 weeks. I notice I could not drive comfortable at night anymore. All car lights were so disturbing.  Well, at least I got my 10 pounds back.
With 9 weeks I had another HIV 1/O/2 AB test that come out negative as well, but HSV-1/2 was higher than the first one, showing that my body was creating a lot of HSV2/AB. I still can't get 3 hours of sleep and have some soft diarrhea every other day (not even close to that totally liquid and bloody one I had a month later). I fell tired all the time. Healthy history, I'm a 41 years old man, with chronic kidney stones/lower back pain (3 stones/year and take at least 1 tramadol a day), chronic migraine (take 1 Depakote once a day) and high BP. I don't drink and don't exercise. Right groin pain starts 5 days after exposure and got worst, and now when I'm getting to my 10th week of exposure is disappearing, but have some discomfort.

I will test again in 13 weeks.

Could the HSV-2 first exposure cause all that?

[silsanto]

Hi Dr Jose,

Thanks for your quick answer. I'm becoming more confortable after I got 9 weeks negativ Elisa. However, what is bothering me a lot is the insomnia. I heard Insomnia is HIV related, but not sure if it's related to the ARS. It's really uncomfortable going to bed tired by 11:00 and just get to sleep by 2:00 and sundnly wake at 3:30 or 4:00. I read a lot about Insomnia is HIV self-reported difficulty getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, waking up early. Is it just for late HIV late stages or can be an ARS sympton as well?
I know anxiety can cause that, and that oral sex is low risk, but just want to borrow your brain on that.

Thanks a lot!!!

[Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia, MD, MRCGP, PhD]

Hello,
Thak you very much for your post and welcome to our HIV forum.
Sorry to hear that you have not been feeling well all this time.  One thing for sure is that you do not have HIV.  At the end of the day you only had oral sex, whcih does not involve any significant risk at all of HIV infection, even if the lady was positive.  This has also been confirmed by all the negative tests that you have had so far.  I am sure that you do not need to have any further HIV tests.
However it does seem that you have contracted HSV-2 as it is evident with the positive rising antibody titre and some of the systemic symptoms can be certainly be cause by herpes, usually more severe during the first outbreak, whcih would affect the state of your immune system, increasing the chances of contracting other concomitant infections like pneumonia, etc, compounded with all the stress and anxiety you have been going through.
Best wishes,
Dr José