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HIV Health Anxiety and Stress
Hello
To get right into it, in November of 2015 I had protected vaginal sex, as well as unprotected oral sex (both receiving and giving, although neither finished), the whole ordeal only lasted one night and I never did anything with the guy again. In July 2016, I went hiking in a very humid area and began wheezing, nothing like that happened again until in September, I was treated for acute bronchitis and also given an inhaler for the first time in my life. Ever since the wheezing incident everything began to change. Fast forward to December 2016, I had gotten my well woman exam done (after starting birth control in october) and came back positive for gonorrhea and bacterial vaginosis (although not displaying any symptoms). I was treated the next day for the gonorrhea as well as my boyfriend I have been with since January 2016. After the gonorrhea medicine, I had a flare up of the BV. I thought it was a yeast infection and treated it as such. After no luck I saw a gynocologist who prescribed me flagyl, but little did I know the pill messes up your GI tract royally. I went to the doctor again and was told that flagyl is awful for my GI tract and was given pepcid and probiotics to take to help get regular again. I got a cold shortly after all of this ordeal. During the course of this short amount of time I had started the very wrong habit of googling my symptoms (being december up until now). When seeing the ones for HIV, I immediately began to panic, the symptoms began to start showing up on my body. My stomach is still very sensitive and very gurgly, although I've always had issues with acid reflux or GERD. Reading the symptoms has really put a great deal of stress in my life. During Jan 2017, I had a sore throat and was tested for strep (because it was going around my campus) it was negative. One of the HIV symptoms that stood out to me most was rashes on the shoulders, I have become hyper aware of my shoulders and every little bump or itch triggers panic. I have also lost weight and my appetite most recently. On top of all this I think I should mention as well my parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce and my dad got me and my brothers kicked out of our home, and I found out all the same week of being told I had gonorrhea. I now live with my grandparents (alone) when I am not at school. I only write to help settle the "what if's". My grandparents and boyfriend believe it is all in my head and I went to one therapist consultation as well just to start treating my anxiety. But the what if's and self body awareness after reading the symptoms of HIV has really gotten to me. I just want to know if it could be true or if my brain is really messing with me.
Thank you,
Birdie
To get right into it, in November of 2015 I had protected vaginal sex, as well as unprotected oral sex (both receiving and giving, although neither finished), the whole ordeal only lasted one night and I never did anything with the guy again. In July 2016, I went hiking in a very humid area and began wheezing, nothing like that happened again until in September, I was treated for acute bronchitis and also given an inhaler for the first time in my life. Ever since the wheezing incident everything began to change. Fast forward to December 2016, I had gotten my well woman exam done (after starting birth control in october) and came back positive for gonorrhea and bacterial vaginosis (although not displaying any symptoms). I was treated the next day for the gonorrhea as well as my boyfriend I have been with since January 2016. After the gonorrhea medicine, I had a flare up of the BV. I thought it was a yeast infection and treated it as such. After no luck I saw a gynocologist who prescribed me flagyl, but little did I know the pill messes up your GI tract royally. I went to the doctor again and was told that flagyl is awful for my GI tract and was given pepcid and probiotics to take to help get regular again. I got a cold shortly after all of this ordeal. During the course of this short amount of time I had started the very wrong habit of googling my symptoms (being december up until now). When seeing the ones for HIV, I immediately began to panic, the symptoms began to start showing up on my body. My stomach is still very sensitive and very gurgly, although I've always had issues with acid reflux or GERD. Reading the symptoms has really put a great deal of stress in my life. During Jan 2017, I had a sore throat and was tested for strep (because it was going around my campus) it was negative. One of the HIV symptoms that stood out to me most was rashes on the shoulders, I have become hyper aware of my shoulders and every little bump or itch triggers panic. I have also lost weight and my appetite most recently. On top of all this I think I should mention as well my parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce and my dad got me and my brothers kicked out of our home, and I found out all the same week of being told I had gonorrhea. I now live with my grandparents (alone) when I am not at school. I only write to help settle the "what if's". My grandparents and boyfriend believe it is all in my head and I went to one therapist consultation as well just to start treating my anxiety. But the what if's and self body awareness after reading the symptoms of HIV has really gotten to me. I just want to know if it could be true or if my brain is really messing with me.
Thank you,
Birdie
Only way to get HIV is unprotected vaginal or anal, so you had ZERO risk and wasted you time testing. HIV is inactivated in saliva so in 40 years of HIV science no one got it from oral. Condom is protecting you from HIV so no risk again.
Thanks for getting to the point in the beginning, as the rest describing your "symptoms " is irrelevant so I didn't read much of them. Googling when you have no medical experience is guaranteed to frighten you so until you stop that, you will not get the relief you hope for.
Everyone gets 3 colds per year and likely you did too, Over-analyzing your body in fear makes your imagination naturally get the better of your reasoning, so you need to accept the science I provided above and your symptoms will likely disappear.
If you still think the issues are real, then your doctor is needed for the proper diagnosis but it is guaranteed to not have anything to do with HIV. If you can't accept the science then therapy is the fastest way to help see it in a different way.
Thanks for getting to the point in the beginning, as the rest describing your "symptoms " is irrelevant so I didn't read much of them. Googling when you have no medical experience is guaranteed to frighten you so until you stop that, you will not get the relief you hope for.
Everyone gets 3 colds per year and likely you did too, Over-analyzing your body in fear makes your imagination naturally get the better of your reasoning, so you need to accept the science I provided above and your symptoms will likely disappear.
If you still think the issues are real, then your doctor is needed for the proper diagnosis but it is guaranteed to not have anything to do with HIV. If you can't accept the science then therapy is the fastest way to help see it in a different way.
5 Comments
Thank you so much for this quick response.
Hope you relax and enjoy your HIV free status.
I was wondering if you had any information on symptoms being created being based on anxiety, I found redness on my shoulder (no itching or anything) but my anxiety is really getting the best of me. Any tips?
The symptoms likely always existed but you ignored them because you knew you weren't dying. No one can diagnose you from here, but if you are sure there is an issue then see doctor. Everyone gets itches, ouches, twitches, inflamed spots etc but ignores them so keep that in mind when self-diagnosing.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with HIV.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with HIV.
Anxiety does not create symptoms although the fear makes you over-analyze, sweat and tense up so lots of anxiety sufferers end up in ER thinking their heart is hurting.
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