Worried sick about HIV symptoms

[zbraff]

Hi doc, I've not had any sort of sex without protection in over a year. However I've had sex with 3 girls in the last 3 months who are are of unknown status to me. I am very safe about sex and I even wear a condom for oral sex, however I am worried about the condom sliding up on my penis and vaginal fluids getting on the base of my penis where I might have a cut. Is it possible to transmit HIV through these fluids? During oral I had one of the girls suck on my testicles, is this a possible risk to exposure.

The reason I ask is about 6 days after my last encounter I had Diarrhea and ever since that I've been having dull muscle aches and joint stiffness all over my body, its not localized I feel dull pain in my shins, arms, back, even hands and feet. Can symptoms of HIV appear this fast? I'm so anxious over this I can't eat or sleep. I know I should just go tested but its only been about 2 weeks and the anxiety is killing me.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I cannot help but wonder if you feel that you answered your own questions as you were writing them to me.  As you point out, you are very, very low risk for infection.  In addition to the points that you have already made, let me remind you that, no matter who your recent partners were, they are unlikely to have HIV.  Then with the use of condoms, the 1 in 1000 chance that a person would get HIV from an infected partner is reduced to less than 1 in a million.  In persons who use condoms, it is not unusual for genital secretions to get on uncovered skin, nonetheless persons are protected against HIV. Similarly, there is no risk to you of having had your scrotum sucked in the course of your sexual activity.  You are not at risk.

As for your muscle aches and other symptoms, while I cannot say where you got it, I suspect you got a community acquired, non-STD/HIV viral infection.  Many people who get flu-like illnesses do not know where they get them from.  Besides the statistical very low probability that your symptoms due to HIV, I agree with you that 6 days is really too early for the ARS.

Bottom line, you really have nothing to worry about.  Try to stay calm until you are tested at around 4 weeks.  At that time when the test comes back negative as I am confident it will, you will know that you did not get HIV.  Take care.  EWH

[zbraff]

Oh also I can't figure out what else could be causing these muscle aches and joint stiffness, I get feelings of light headiness and get really weak feeling late at night. I know I am very very low risk but these symptoms have me freaking out.