Aa
Finger exposure w/ cut, girlfriend and I have symptoms
I appreciate any and all insight into this matter. My guilt and fear are so tremendous right now and I'm looking for any ray of hope in explaining these symptoms away given the facts.
Exactly 13 weeks ago, I deeply fingered a promiscuous (so the locals tell me) 42 year old woman with a cut/tear on my finger from biting my nails. 8.5 weeks later my girlfriend, who I had had unprotected sex with 3 or 4 times during the 8.5-week period between weeks 4 and 8, began to complain of a sore throat and headache and nausea. What's very strange is that she had a non-raised, continuous, red blotch on the center of her soft palate that looked like someone had taken a paintbrush w/ red paint and dabbed it to about the size of two pencil erasers. She did not have a fever and, when asked, said she did not have swollen lymph nodes or muscle aches but later complained of fatigue and loss of appetitie (though we were going through some serious relationship troubles). She went to an ENT for the throat and she saw half of the remaining blotch and said, "I've seen that before. It's probably a virus." The red blotch was visible for about one week. I haven't told my girlfriend about the lady I fingered, so she has not had a reason to go in for testing. Incidentally, my girlfriend is now my ex-girlfriend for reasons unrelated to illness and I don't want to trouble her with this if it is nothing.
When I saw my girlfriend's unusual red blotch, I immediately became very, very worried after a quick internet search of possible causes, including HIV, and thinking about how crazy this lady was whom I fingered (she said she wanted to have unprotected sex - after I fingered her - which I refused causing her to explore the possibility with my friends). So, I went in for testing that Friday, which would have been exactly 9.0 weeks after the fingering. The blood was drawn and sent to a lab where the Bayer Centaur HIV 1/O/2 ELISA was performed and returned a negative result - got the result after an agonizing wait of 6 days. Over the weekend I experienced diarrhea and later that weekend and early the next week I began to develop a sore throat. Towards the middle of that week I had a very bad headache with congestion, which felt like a bad sinus infection, so I called the doctor and he ordered me some Zithromax. The Zithromax, I believe, helped the sinus infection over it's five-day course. However I still had less-intense pressure around my eyes and a headache all over my head. I also felt like my lymph nodes - particularly in my neck - were pressurized while I was having the continuous headahce. In addition, I still had a sore, scratchy throat with points of heightened pain. By the way, the headache has been less in the morning getting worse throughout the day. The sore throat - which my doctors said was from allergies - seems to have lessened to basically nothing as I type this at 13.0 weeks since the fingering (did take one Allegra 24hr a day and a half ago). However, there is still some slight headache and my armpit and groin lymph nodes feel pressurized. What really scares me is that over the past 3 days I've developed joint pain and tingling in the fingers of both of my hands and lesser pain in the wrists. My knuckles on my right middle finger feel like they've been jammed. I've also experienced tightness in my left Achilles' tendon and lower abdomen.
Additional info: I did have unprotected sex with my girlfriend about 2 weeks ago, 11 weeks post fingering.
I'm curious to see what any of you think about these set of facts and what they mean. I'm aboslutely terrified and guilt-ridden at the possibility that I have mortally infected my girlfriend without giving her the choice to make a healthy decision for herself. I would like to believe that all my symptoms are related to anxiety over HIV. But I know that anxiety cannot explain my ex-girlfriend's symptoms.
Thanks so much for your guidance.
Exactly 13 weeks ago, I deeply fingered a promiscuous (so the locals tell me) 42 year old woman with a cut/tear on my finger from biting my nails. 8.5 weeks later my girlfriend, who I had had unprotected sex with 3 or 4 times during the 8.5-week period between weeks 4 and 8, began to complain of a sore throat and headache and nausea. What's very strange is that she had a non-raised, continuous, red blotch on the center of her soft palate that looked like someone had taken a paintbrush w/ red paint and dabbed it to about the size of two pencil erasers. She did not have a fever and, when asked, said she did not have swollen lymph nodes or muscle aches but later complained of fatigue and loss of appetitie (though we were going through some serious relationship troubles). She went to an ENT for the throat and she saw half of the remaining blotch and said, "I've seen that before. It's probably a virus." The red blotch was visible for about one week. I haven't told my girlfriend about the lady I fingered, so she has not had a reason to go in for testing. Incidentally, my girlfriend is now my ex-girlfriend for reasons unrelated to illness and I don't want to trouble her with this if it is nothing.
When I saw my girlfriend's unusual red blotch, I immediately became very, very worried after a quick internet search of possible causes, including HIV, and thinking about how crazy this lady was whom I fingered (she said she wanted to have unprotected sex - after I fingered her - which I refused causing her to explore the possibility with my friends). So, I went in for testing that Friday, which would have been exactly 9.0 weeks after the fingering. The blood was drawn and sent to a lab where the Bayer Centaur HIV 1/O/2 ELISA was performed and returned a negative result - got the result after an agonizing wait of 6 days. Over the weekend I experienced diarrhea and later that weekend and early the next week I began to develop a sore throat. Towards the middle of that week I had a very bad headache with congestion, which felt like a bad sinus infection, so I called the doctor and he ordered me some Zithromax. The Zithromax, I believe, helped the sinus infection over it's five-day course. However I still had less-intense pressure around my eyes and a headache all over my head. I also felt like my lymph nodes - particularly in my neck - were pressurized while I was having the continuous headahce. In addition, I still had a sore, scratchy throat with points of heightened pain. By the way, the headache has been less in the morning getting worse throughout the day. The sore throat - which my doctors said was from allergies - seems to have lessened to basically nothing as I type this at 13.0 weeks since the fingering (did take one Allegra 24hr a day and a half ago). However, there is still some slight headache and my armpit and groin lymph nodes feel pressurized. What really scares me is that over the past 3 days I've developed joint pain and tingling in the fingers of both of my hands and lesser pain in the wrists. My knuckles on my right middle finger feel like they've been jammed. I've also experienced tightness in my left Achilles' tendon and lower abdomen.
Additional info: I did have unprotected sex with my girlfriend about 2 weeks ago, 11 weeks post fingering.
I'm curious to see what any of you think about these set of facts and what they mean. I'm aboslutely terrified and guilt-ridden at the possibility that I have mortally infected my girlfriend without giving her the choice to make a healthy decision for herself. I would like to believe that all my symptoms are related to anxiety over HIV. But I know that anxiety cannot explain my ex-girlfriend's symptoms.
Thanks so much for your guidance.
Whatever floats your boat, but don't be stressing out on this forum for a non risk issue.
Well, I'm going in for a test today, 13 weeks post-exposure, and I'll post my result. I hope that I have not killed an innocent person. Thanks for your responses and God bless.
You can have all the symptoms your mind wants to come up with but they are not related to HIV. This is not an HIV concern.
So you guys think even with an open skin tear, though minor in size, I didn't get HIV from fingering this lady?
I wish I could somehow explain my symptoms, especially the feeling of having a jammed finger that I didn't jam.
I wish I could somehow explain my symptoms, especially the feeling of having a jammed finger that I didn't jam.
there is no risk here i think its funny when people go off of others symptoms the only way to know ones status is to take a test 3 months post exposure which you are now there
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
