I know the stats about oral/hiv but this is scares me

[concerned8]

I just got back from a 2 week vacation to south asia.  On the first night, I received unprotected oral sex from a sex worker.  Probably lasted 30 seconds before i put a condom on.  There was also deep kissing and I used my finger to masterbate her.  About 10 days after the contact I started to feel something coming on.  I felt exhausted and had sore gums and a sore throat only on the right side but I was also traveling back so I blamed it on that.  On Tuesday (12 days after) I started to get a severe sore throat just on the right side.  My neck felt really sensitive to touch on the right side It was my glands in my neck.  I also noticed a lot of white patches on my right tonsil in my mouth, right by the back of the tongue.  I went to the doc the next morning, in the meantime I noticed a white pimple looking dot right by my uvula on the top of my throat (still on the right side).
The doc didnt think it was strep.  He gave me Azithromycin and some nasal spray.  I didnt have a fever at that time(99.something). After a day, I am now feeling better but all the stuff in my mouth remains. What scares me is that I have never gotten **** in my throat like that.  This looks just like mono or tonsilitis.  Not sure if a fever was ever present, i was fatigued and worn done for a day. I have been reading that symptoms of mono and acute hiv are very similar.  Just so happens I get this 10 days after an encounter with a high risk individual.  Usually during seroconversion, would both sides of my throat get infected instead of only one side?  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

War zone or not, symptoms never are a reliable indicator of new HIV infection and the risk you describe is too low to realistically worry about HIV.  Your symptoms are almost certainly due to some garden variety respiratory virus; there is nothing in your symptoms that particularly suggests HIV.  The rash due to HIV is painless, not itchy, cannot be felt at all--just non-irritated faint red spots, often so mild that the patient never even notices it.  What you describe cannot be due to HIV.

The Home Access tests detect all HIV types.

You don't have HIV. Your home access test will be negative.

I won't have any other comments, except thanks for doing your war zone work, whether as civilian or military.

HHH, MD

[concerned8]

So a little update.  I know most of you will disregard this because unprotected oral is not a real risk but I just cant get over the symptoms i had/have right at the 10 day mark.

Day 10 - Extreme sore throat, white spots on right tonsil.  Very tender glands on right side of throat. Felt very run down, fever
Day 11 - Went to doc, didnt test me for anything.  Just gave me Zithromax.  Sore throat was so bad i couldnt eat or drink anything until I took 800mg ibuprofen.  Didnt have temp at time of doc visit.
Day 12 - sore throat didnt hurt as bad, but infection started moving over the left side.
Day 13 - white patches on both tonsils, glands on left side of neck swollen.  Pain isnt as bad.  Started to notice red spots on back of throat that were painful.
Day 15,16,17 - White stuff cleared up.  Still fatigued but that could be due from anxiety.  Went into the gym, started sweating and noticed a small red rash on back of left shoulder blade.  It burned but did not itch.  It is more of an oval shape,localized, little red spots.  

I am currenty working in the middle of a warzone so I dont have an std clinic i can go to.  I order the Home Access Express HIV test.  I hope it tests for all strains since my possible exposure was in Thailand.  If I am feeling better would the seroconversion ahve taken place and I can test now accurately?  Also, with regards to rashes, are ARS ones usually itchy, painless, or more of a burning sensation?  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The severity of your symptoms is irrelevant to the likelihood you do or don't have HIV.

[concerned8]

I probably wouldnt normally test for this if the symptoms werent so bad and obvious.  Especially compared to the ARS timetable.  I get colds all the time, but this isnt a cold.  I was praying it was strep but the doc didnt even do a culture.  I am now praying its mono, at least I can deal with that.  I am always safe and I dont know why I even messed around like this.  Plus, to make things worse I am at a location where I dont have access to much medical attention.  I know there isnt any documented cases of receiving HIV from unprotected oral but I think I have a shot at it.  Who knows, maybe she had sores in her mouth.  

[concerned8]

I guess what I was looking for was if I came into a doctors office and described all of this and my encounter would they say an HIV test needs to be performed.

Also, according to seroconversion, can or does it attack usually one side of the throat?  I know severe, hard to swallow, white patch, sore throats are common among seroconversion.  Just wondering why it is happening just on one side of the throat for me.

[dobber21]

Your risk is negligible at BEST.
I wouldn't even test over this incident.Honestly.
But if you do test, which you probably will, the result will undoubtedly be negative:)

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

What do you expect me to say?  That I have changed my mind and no longer agree with the answers I have given to a very large number of essentially idential questions?  That all of a sudden I now agree that fingering and receiving oral sex are significant risks for HIV?  Not one thing you describe, in terms of symptoms or the nature of your non-exposure event, make me concerned that you have HIV.  Innumerable other medical conditions beside HIV cause every one of your symptoms, and almost all those causes are much more common than HIV.

But see a health care provider if you remain concerned, and have an HIV test if you will sleep better knowing you have a negative test result.