I feel so stupid!!!!!

[WorriedNLV]

Hello doctors, yes i am back again...lol. My concern this time is a accident at my job. I work with the elderly in a assisted living facility. A elderly man fell and he bursted his elbow open and he leaned his bloody arm on my pants and unfortunatly the blood went through to my skin of my leg.  After a couple minutes of getting him safe again i ran to the bathroom and took off the bloody pants and washed my leg with soap and water. I dont have any visible cuts or sores on my leg and none if any were open. I am very scared that his blood could have given me hiv or hepatitis...worst fear is hiv. Am I at risk or am I just paranoid? I hear that hiv dies when it hits the air? Hopefully I am safe? I just got out of a hiv scare with the broken condom, now this! ugh! Thank you.

[WorriedNLV]

last question..im sorry...are the polyisoprine condoms safe to use to protect from hiv? My ex and i used those and I worry they wernt effective. We used Durex Avanti Bare polyisoprene condoms.thank you for all your help!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Probably not.  The performance of PCR testing is not as well worked out as for the antibody tests.   the reason you don't need to worry is becasue your "exposure" was no risk.  EWH

[WorriedNLV]

Thank you. I guess what scared me is i read on the internet that recurring canker sores could be a early symptom of hiv? Obviously not if i have no viral load at 30 days right?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You are wasting your time and money doing expensive HIV tests.  Recurring sores in your mouth could have any of many causes among which HSV is unlikely.  they could be canker sores.  I would ask your doctor the next time they are present.  EWH

[WorriedNLV]

Thank you for your prompt response. I feel better about this exposure due to not having any open sores. What i am concerned with is my previous exposure..since it i have had recurring sores in my mouth in the back of throat for the last 2 months.Its driving me nutz! Are they maybe stress related or is it possible my hiv tests didnt catch hiv? i had a negative hiv rna pcr with antibody at 30 days. at 24 days i had hiv dna pcr negative also. wouldnt these tests be positive if my sores are related? are these sore possibly herpes or do those only occur outside the mouth? sorry for all the questions..just stressd. thanks!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

This possible exposure is no risk.  I will elaborate on this in a moment but, before I do, let me comment that in reviewing your past interaction with me, your recent posts on the HIV Prevention Community site and your post to the ENT Forum that you are overly concerned about HIV.  The infection is just not that common and is almost never transmitted other than through sex, through IV injection, or from infected mothers to their children at or around the time of birth.  

The concern you mention above is simply not founded in fact.  HIV does not live long outside the body, it is not transmitted by spilling blood on your clothing and the chances are miniscule that the person you were caring for (characterized as elderly) had HIV.  you do not need to worry and do not need testing. EWH