PLEASE HELP PAINFUL LYMPH NODES, TOUNGUE LESSIONS

[danielr]

Hello,
I am 20 yr man who had unprotected anal and oral sex with an other man. It was one of the biggest mistakes but now I cant do anything about it but worry about symptoms I have had recently.
I will be in the 3 month period in the following weeks and I have schedule an HIV test to be done but I want to get your opinion on this to see if you have seen this symptoms before and it was more than likely HIV or something else you are familiar with.

please bear with me the following is not a complicated description but as simple and quickly i can explain.
thank you

7/2/10 Unprotected sex.
-Following the next week my throat felt funny and really dry like I couldn't pass saliva or something was stuck.
4 Weeks after I saw a doctor and at the time did not have any other symptoms other than the same extreme feeling like something was wrong in my throat. The doctor prescribed Antibiotic (Z-Max) for possibly gonorrhea and chlamydia.

I took the medicine but no results showed (so I'm ruling out these two STDS out)

---About 1 month and a half I started feeling pain in my neck lymph nodes, I checked and there was no swelling just faces of pain that was not constant during the whole day but definitely multiple times during the day. Dry mouth still happening

---Towards the 2nd month after exposure I saw this lesion on top of my tongue, I have looked up endless pictures to compare and see and i have come to the conclusion that it looked like closest to "Geographic tongue"
-It did not hurt
-It was a patch (circle) was white coating after 3 days it went away changing from white to light red to pinkish to gone, again no pain.
---My dry mouth came down a little
---And PAINFUL LYMPH NODES WERE NOT PRESENT ANYMORE


---After 2 weeks I noticed again 2 lesions (Smaller but 2 of them) this time ON THE SIDE OF MY TONGUE
the same process after a few days they went away again no pain but this led me to believe it was more conclusive like HAIRY LEUKOPLAKIA because i have had total of 2 more lesions again on side of the tongue (total of 4 on side and only 1 on top of the tongue overall) although when I searched for Hairy leukoplakia the pictures I see are in the correct location but my lesions are not rugged or 'folded" as they describe this disease moreover they are not as big that they cover my whole side of tongue THEY ARE SMALLER AND FLAT

--- Also I noticed a lot of little bumps on the back of my throat and back side of my tongue they do not hurt but i looked up some stuff and found out they look like FOLIATE PAPILLAE look similar and in the right location BUT I ALSO HAVE THE BACK OF MY THROAT COVERED WITH THESE LITTLE RED BUMPS
which led me to believe they might not be normal since they are in the back of my throat.

So far this are all the symptoms I have noticed are out of normal to me.
I know like you guys say sometimes a person looks for signs to be sick, but trust me this is not in my imagination

I have always had muscle and joint pain since I work a labor job so I don't know if this will add but sometimes I get random pains in my muscles not constant but present. Also as far a rash; nothing out of the ordinary like a full rash.. I did see maybe few pimple-like red litte bumps that did not crust itch or hurt in my FOREARM that were out of the normal.....NO WHERE ELSE IN THE BODY I HAVE  SEEN ANY RASH.. still they went away but were DEFINITELY ODD

I am sorry for keep on going on with this but I really feel like my life is done for and that when i go in to get tested It will show up positive.

Anyway I have been extremely stressed out and again like you say many times that can add to your symptoms but anyway here is my final thought:

1. I have never had geographic tongue in my life and I heard that is more of a hereditary trait (from which nobody in my family has it) So I'm thinking the reoccurring lesions are most likley Hairy Leukoplakia (which i heard is present almost 90% of people with HIV initial infection.

2. The bumps in back of my throat I do'nt know what to make of them, they are not painful, and only on back of my throat and tongue no discharge not crust not in my cheeks not pain no color change.

3. my constant dry mouth is not imaginary I  sometimes have to drink a lot of water to make it feel better., I heard it is constant  for hiv infection to show this. This has been constant and does not go away

4. painful lymph nodes in neck were not present  right after exposure but 1 month after and went away then appeared for a little and went away ( have heard this can be sign of infection getting worst) Also recently I felt slight pain in one of my armpits ( maybe other lymph node)


After reading this I want to ask you please;

Based on the symptoms I have described, would you say it might appear to be HIV? Have you seen these symptoms alone before?
I had an HIV test around 4/15/10 and it was negative and since then I only have had 1 unprotected anal and oral exposure on 7/2/10

I have not had any night sweats, diarrhea, or fever  but I also know HIV is different for every person
I can out rule chlamydia and gonorrhea  so what else can be causing this?

Again thank you very much for your time and I hope you can give me a piece of thought.
I am going in to get tested but I want to get your opinion
Thank you for your time
-Daniel

[matt397]

Hi Daniel I asked the forum to give me advice I had all the symptoms that you have and convinced myself by reading things on the net that I had HIV. The good people on here told me I had not risked myself and I had no problem which made me feel a whole lot better!
But to settle my mind I went and got tested for everything and was dealing with it untill I read your post and it spooked me so much I went for a rapid test that day! Your symptoms were so close to mine but it was negative the doctor told me when I took the test he was not interested in what symptoms I had tests are the only proof.
My blood tests have also come back clear too and I am well over the window period so your problems tongue etc I have had to suffer too but I am ok so I hope you are too.
Take care hope this helps !

[flow1987]

Daniel, I took a photo of my geographic tongue in full bloom just a few minutes ago.

I have been tested for STDs and I am negative, and all test windows have closed. I do have HSV-1, but I have had HSV-1 since I was kid, and it presents itself in the form of cold-sores and fever blisters on my face.

http://www.medhelp.org/user_photos/show/159241?personal_page_id=1662026

[sonic91]

You should test at 3 months becuase unprotected just as course of principle. However if it was ARS then you symptoms would have probably started at weeks 1-3 and all your symptoms would have come at once so my guess is don't take much notice of those symptoms, they will only cause stress, probably leading to more symptoms.

[flow1987]

I get a stiff neck every now and then, and it does hurt below my jaw, but when my physician examines me, my lymph nodes are perfect. It could have to do with bad posture and the way you sit.

I began to be sexually active when I was 16, but my geographic tongue didn't pop up until the past few years or so, as the amount of stress and anxiety in my life has increased dramatically.

And that could be the answer for you right there...stress and anxiety. And worrying about being HIV positive doesn't help either, because believe me, I have been there. If you keep worrying and your stress levels go higher, your geographic tongue symptoms just might get worse. It may become more painful, and continue to be consistent.

I had a very stressful week and a half waiting on the confirmatory tests for HSV-2 (which was negative by the way), and my tongue is a mess right now from all of the stress.

You need to find ways to reduce stress, like reading a book, watching a movie, or going out with friends, and try your best to keep this worry off of your mind (yes, it is a bit difficult, I know). But it does help.

[danielr]

Hi thanks for your response,

What I meant to say is ask you if your geographic tongue has always been there?

Do u recall having it after maybe a sexual exposure?

also do you get lesions in the SIDE of your tongue?


do your lymph nodes in neck ( below ear by the jaw) hurt are in pain once in a while?

thaks a lot for your time
-daniel

[flow1987]

The lesions on my tongue are geographic tongue. It's also basically defined as necrosis of the tongue, which causes lesions. I get some inside my mouth on my cheek as well, usually just bite marks or injuries. When they begin, they sometimes seem like a little white spot, but then the white spot turns into a circle, and inside the circle area is red, where the tongue temporarily becoming necrotic. The tongue repairs itself quite rapidly, but it spreads to different areas when it reoccurs.

It's a confusing, trivial, and worry causing condition.

Has your doctor examined your tongue when these things have been going on with your mouth?

By the way, if you have any pain when you get geographic tongue, your doctor should be able to prescribe you something called "Magic Mouthwash". It relieves pain on the tongue and works wonders, but the downside is, it doesn't last long, for me anyways.

[danielr]

thanks for your advice, I wanted to ask if you had experience any lesions on your tongue or mouth?

thanks again for your advice

[flow1987]

Daniel, I'm not sure if I can help you out very well, but I can do my best.

I as well, have participated in male to male sexual contact, protected and unprotected oral and anal (but it's been quite a while since I have been at any risk). I'm actually a sufferer from constant geographic tongue. I can't remember how long it's been reoccurring in my mouth, but it has been a long time. I also have bumps in the back of my mouth and stuff of the sort as well. Sometimes my throat gets real dry and my neck will hurt as well. As for the neck thing, you might want to have a chiropractor check it out, because I had something like that, and I just had to change some of my posture and things got better.

I get weird stuff going on in my mouth and my body all the time. But I have been tested negative for HIV, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chlamydia. My testing window for all of the diseases have closed and I have confirmed them several times to keep myself and my other partners at peace.

While what is going on with you is scary indeed, I wouldn't go straight to HIV, even though you did have a rather risky encounter.

I can't really tell you what you have, because it's a lot like mine and not even I know what I have. I'm going through a similar medical confusion as well. But I can tell you that from personal experience, this is not HIV.

You should read over this, it may calm you down a bit until your results are returned to you. I hope (and expect) good news.

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/88524/HIV-THE-FACTS