I'm sorry, I do not have answes for you. You and your doctor need to address this. The problems that you describe are not HIV (or STD) as we've ben through before. This thread has to end now. There will be no further answers and additional unfounded quuestions will be deleted. Good luck. EWH
HI Doctor Hook,
I just have one more question regarding my symptoms.
After my throat soreness, and bacteria infection cleared up, my glands have swollen up under my jaw line though it seems to only be on the left side of my neck (including some 'rawness' in my left armpit ). I've also had a reoccuring headache since day 3.
I was given a tetanus shot in my left shoulder on day 10.
Day 12 is when my glands swelled up and it is now day 15 with still swollen glands (not sore to touch).
I'm going to get checked out again tomorrow for my swollen glands and was wondering what your thoughts were on this. I'm having anxiety attacks as a result of all this so I'm sure that is not helping the situation!
Thanks again for your patience,
J
You do not need testing. I will provide you with some figures however, before you do, I will once again urge you to minimize the waste of resources (yours or others) which will occur by you tesitng yourself, particularly if you do so repeatedly.
At 4 weeks 85-90% of infected persons will have positve tests, by 8 weeks the figure rises to 98-99% and at 12 weeks virtually all tests are positve. EWH
Thank you for your recent assessment. I have one other thing to mention, which I am unsure whether it is new, or always been:
I have tiny white dots and clusters of dots under the skin of my lips which are noticeable if I stretch my lip out, as well as in the corner of my upper and lower lip. I understand this is most likely nothing to be worried about but of course with my throat and glans being sore recently, and the scare of unprotected sex, I think everything is an ARS symptom (even though I don't even know what the symptoms of ARS are).
Thank-you again for your support.
Also, to ease my mind, I may take a rapid hiv test. Do you know when a good time to take this is? it's been 12 days since unsafe sex.
Regards,
J
I cannot explain what the lesions under your eye are however, they are in the wrong place and, as you point out,lack several of the characteristics of any STD, including HIV, or shingles. I would not worry about them. If they pesist and do worry you, please see your regular doctor for evaluation. They are most unlikely to be HIV, STD or shingles. EWH
Thank you for your help. I've taken comfort in your assessment. I do want to say that I've now come down with a cold, though my throat is starting to clear up.
The only 'strange' thing that I've noticed the past few days is a cluster of very small raised blister type marks on my cheekbone under my left eye. They actual resemble what I remember shingles to look like, or herpes however they're not itchy or burning at all and at this point they are very thin (not raised too much and no head on them).
Again, I feel more comfortable since your assessment, but am still uneasy about the whole situation.
Regards,
J
Even though you do not know much about your partner, your exposure is low risk for a number of reasons.
1. Most people do not have HIV.
2. If she had HIV, an unprotected exposure, on average, has a 1 in1000 chance of transmitting infection (0.01%) per exposure.
3. The brevity of your exposure makes your exposure even less likely than average.
Thus, just by numbers alone, your risk of infection is somewhat less than 1 in 100.000.
As for your symptoms, you have been examined by a health care provider who was not concerned. In addition, the symptoms you describe do not sound like the ARS either.
The one STD your description did sound like was herpes but, if you are taking antiviral medication to prevent shingles, I can promise you, this is not herpes either.
Sorry you are not feeling well. Please feel comfortable however that this is not HIV. I predict that hte tests you had taken will all be negative as well. EWH