Hi,
I have a few questions regarding some symptoms that I have been experiencing after what may have been a potential exposure some weeks back. I tested negative for HIV and all STDs in January, and that same day went out with some friends on a saturday night. I was blackout intoxicated and alone at night in London, and there are about 45 minutes that I cannot account for. While it is highly unlikely that I had the means, motive or opportunity to engage in a high risk sexual encounter at that time, my health and sexual orientation has given me some reason to be concerned.
3 days following the night out, I developed stiff and tender glands in my neck. These were less noticeable the more water I drank, and were not painful at all with a dose of ibuprofen. These were concerning, but as I had experienced swollen glands before with sore throats I wasn't too skeptical. The following weekend, I drank alcohol on the saturday night, and when I woke up the following Sunday, I had a large and painful swelling in my armpit. The swollen gland in my armpit went down after about 3 days, but I started to get really worried. I went to my GP and had tests for mono/EBV, CMV etc. and they all came back negative. The following weekend (2 weeks after possible exposure), I experienced the worst tonsilitis of my life, coupled with high fever, fatigue and headaches. I want to the Emergency Room and after being seen by a doctor, was told I had tonsilitis and was given a prescription of penicillin.
Over the next few days, the fever, sweats, fatigue all alleviated with the prescription of penicillin. However the glands in my neck were still raised and often painful, and I had started to feel aching in my groin as well.
At 30 days (potential) post-exposure, I had no sore throat/fever/night sweats anymore, but I felt generally tired and had some swelling in my neck. I had my blood drawn at the GP's office and had a HIV DUO test - which came back negative. My doctor had no concrete diagnosis for me, other than that he thought I may have had strep throat when I went to the ER.
At 53 days now, I feel much better but still have occasional muscle pain and sensitive glands in my neck. I know that a DUO test at 28 days is very reliable, but I am still concerned about my health and can't stop myself from stressing about what might have happened that night.
The odds are very low that I may have put myself at risk, but for the sake of my sanity, can someone please tell me what I should do? Are the symptoms that I have described consistent with a diagnosis of strep throat - would symptoms like swollen glands and neck pain still linger weeks after a course of antibiotics? If i was experiencing ARS, would my symptoms have shown up so quickly (3 days after) and still last this long?
Thank You.