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HIV Scared Please HELP!
Hello Doctors,
I am a young college student who made the worst mistake last month. I decided to have sex with an Escort. I wore a condom but I am not sure if it broke. I am pretty sure it didn't I just believe my mind is playing tricks on me. I am also uncircumcised which make my risk for STD's higher? Also during the Intercourse the girl offered the condom and made sure I had it on the whole time. I later found her number and asked her like an idiot if she had anything her reply was "no". I really have been freaking out for the past month, and cannot focus in school or my day to day activities. I have not developed any symptoms that I know of? I do feel that I can feel the lymph nodes in my groin area fairly well. I don't believe they are swollen because I feel no pain. Can these feel prominent because I am a skinny male about 140 lbs?
I also had an HIV and STD panel test 3 days after the event and also had a rapid HIV test from planned parent hood at 32 days is that enough testing, both turned out to be negative. I hear that the HIV DUO test is conclusive within 4-6 weeks? The test from planned parenthood was a rapid HIV test and I got my results within 15 mins. I'm not sure if it is a HIV DUO test?
I'm really scared and feel this is taking a huge impact on my life. Please help me.
I am a young college student who made the worst mistake last month. I decided to have sex with an Escort. I wore a condom but I am not sure if it broke. I am pretty sure it didn't I just believe my mind is playing tricks on me. I am also uncircumcised which make my risk for STD's higher? Also during the Intercourse the girl offered the condom and made sure I had it on the whole time. I later found her number and asked her like an idiot if she had anything her reply was "no". I really have been freaking out for the past month, and cannot focus in school or my day to day activities. I have not developed any symptoms that I know of? I do feel that I can feel the lymph nodes in my groin area fairly well. I don't believe they are swollen because I feel no pain. Can these feel prominent because I am a skinny male about 140 lbs?
I also had an HIV and STD panel test 3 days after the event and also had a rapid HIV test from planned parent hood at 32 days is that enough testing, both turned out to be negative. I hear that the HIV DUO test is conclusive within 4-6 weeks? The test from planned parenthood was a rapid HIV test and I got my results within 15 mins. I'm not sure if it is a HIV DUO test?
I'm really scared and feel this is taking a huge impact on my life. Please help me.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It could be any number of things. Even if you were to have seborrheic dermatitis, most persons with seborrheic dermatitis do not ahve HIV. You really should not be worried. EWH
Thank you for your help!
It has helped me a lot. The reason for my worries is that now I have noticed my skin flaking under my nose in the mustache area. I am really worried it might be Seborrheic Dermatitis or and HIV rash, although there is no discoloration and it could be due to my acne creams? Is there any other reason for this? It could be just dry skin. This will be my last worry question. I am now really worried to get tested knowing that this could be a symptom. I have been looking for a DUO test in town but cannot find one.
Thank you again.
It has helped me a lot. The reason for my worries is that now I have noticed my skin flaking under my nose in the mustache area. I am really worried it might be Seborrheic Dermatitis or and HIV rash, although there is no discoloration and it could be due to my acne creams? Is there any other reason for this? It could be just dry skin. This will be my last worry question. I am now really worried to get tested knowing that this could be a symptom. I have been looking for a DUO test in town but cannot find one.
Thank you again.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to our Forum. If this is really the worst mistake of your life, you really do not have much to worry about. this was a no risk exposure. Most commercial sex workers do not have HIV and they use condoms to protect themselves from their clients, not the other way around. You used a condom and it did not break. This means that your exposure, even in the unlikely situation that your partner had HIV, was no risk. In fact, given the circumstances of your exposure, I would say there was no medical reason for testing.
Please do not waste your time checking for swollen lymph nodes. Detection of swollen glands is a medical "art form". Clinicians train hard to detect subtle abnormalities and to try to detect them in yourself is fraught with error, both because you might miss them and, if they are present, interpretation of why they are present is difficult. This is because "glands" are lymph nodes which can swell due to any of a large number of infections both viral and bacterial, as well as due to allergic reactions, due to autoimmune disorders and other problems. For this reason we encourage clients who are concerned about swollen glands to check with their own health care providers rather than try to diagnose themselves and, if swollen lymph nodes are present, not to worry about them in relationship to HIV because they are such a non-specific problem.
You HIV test at 32 days was probably not an DUO test but a test only for antibodies. At 4 weeks such tests detect over 90% of HIV infections which in your situation provides a lot of additional confidence that you did not get HIV form the ne risk exposure you report.
My advice. Try not to worry. If you must, you can get tested again with a DUO test at any time or with another antibody test at 8 weeks. In either case, when the result comes back negative, please take that as evidence confirming what I am telling you now, that you did not get HIV from the exposure you describe. Take care. EWH
Please do not waste your time checking for swollen lymph nodes. Detection of swollen glands is a medical "art form". Clinicians train hard to detect subtle abnormalities and to try to detect them in yourself is fraught with error, both because you might miss them and, if they are present, interpretation of why they are present is difficult. This is because "glands" are lymph nodes which can swell due to any of a large number of infections both viral and bacterial, as well as due to allergic reactions, due to autoimmune disorders and other problems. For this reason we encourage clients who are concerned about swollen glands to check with their own health care providers rather than try to diagnose themselves and, if swollen lymph nodes are present, not to worry about them in relationship to HIV because they are such a non-specific problem.
You HIV test at 32 days was probably not an DUO test but a test only for antibodies. At 4 weeks such tests detect over 90% of HIV infections which in your situation provides a lot of additional confidence that you did not get HIV form the ne risk exposure you report.
My advice. Try not to worry. If you must, you can get tested again with a DUO test at any time or with another antibody test at 8 weeks. In either case, when the result comes back negative, please take that as evidence confirming what I am telling you now, that you did not get HIV from the exposure you describe. Take care. EWH
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