CONFLICTING INFORMATION, NEED HELP, SCARED TO DEATH

[thinkingiampositive]

hi!
i know the only sure way to know about your hiv status is to get tested but i was hoping that you could answer some conflicting info that i have been reading about. part of me thinks i should have saved my $15 and just went and got tested but i am not too sure if I am ready for that as i think my test will be 100% positive, please help if possible.
About 5 months ago, i was dating this guy for a brief amount of time. I was highly intoxicated and had unprotected anal sex with him (in which i regret) . I do not know his status and have not talked to him since. I know that anal sex is a higher risk.
about a month after the exposure i started to get horrible swollen, bleeding gums and somewhat of a dry mouth, i have never had gum problems in my life but i didn't think much of . since then the mouth problems are coming and going to where sometimes it is so bad that i wake up and my gums are swollen over my teeth, with mouthwarsh, goes away in a few days,, the horrible dry sticky mouth come and goes too. my question is i read that bleeding gums are a sign of early hiv then some sites say it come later in the disease, dry mouth included and 5 months possibly infected would not have the gum reactions?!?
i have also developed thrush on my tounge and side of my cheeks. once again, something i read was in the later stages of the infection not 5 months, could these be due to my anxiety?
my lymphnodes under my armpits have seem to have been swollen for months, not really a certain point just really kinda itchy all up and down underside of arms, maybe not swollen?
i had a horrible flu about 9 weeks after exposure, once again too late for ars i read., so i am taking that as irrelevant?
basically my mouth is my major concern, with no mouth issues ever in my life to have them come on a month after then now 5 months later seems odd. what do you believe, bleeding, swollen gums , dry sticky mouth 5 months into a possible infection? or is my anxiety making me worse!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your fears are groundless.  Get tested and you will see.  EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

thank you dr. i can't sleep worth anything. viral infections, cronic congestion, rash on elbow.. could it be that my immunue system was already lower and upon infection these symptoms showed up earlier and have stayed constant for months since infection. has there been any cases where mouth issues would occur 5 months after infection? hiv is a viral infection correct? so this constant elbow rash and cronic congestion since could be related as my body cannot fight it off? you dont have to answer as i have taken up so much of your time already, i am just scared to death that all of these things have been going on since the possible exposure..

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Congratulations on your decision to get tested.  It is the right decision.  I look forward to hearing of your negative test results.

As for your symptoms, I don't deny that they are are there but they are not likely to be related in any way to HIV. For instance, sinus infections are viral infections, thus I'm not surprised that antibiotics did not help.  They don't.  As for the skin and lymph node problems, again, if they are troubling you, please see your health care provider to work them out and get them taken care of but do not consider HIV as the reason for them.

Again, congratulations on your decision to get tested.  i look forward to hearing of your result.  EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

basically, i am just freaked out because of the high risk, and all of these symptoms that i have never had in my life until after the exposure  that have been lingeing for months... crazy sinsus thing for months, elbow rash, crazy mouth issues, fatigue, weird itchy arm area for 4 months.. it just sacares me to see them all at once after the exposure, i will listen to you that all of these would be way later in the disease and this is just coinsidence... a creul coinsidence at that?:) isn't it weird that they are happening all at once, for months? i am praying that they have all been coincidences and i will post my negitive result later tomorrow!!

[thinkingiampositive]

hi dr!! ok so tomorrow is the day i am going to get tested, needless to say i am scared to death and wanted to see what you think on a few other concerns i have, i then promise to post my result and end this thread, you have calmed me down so much more than you know in deciding whether to get tested and i thank you.

i have had a horrible sinus infection since about a month after potential exposure, it still has not gone away with 2 rounds of antibiotics, it is lingering about 3 months now, i know people can get cronic sinus infections but is this normal after exposure for an illness to persist, congestion, sinsus pressure when touching nose, fatigue etc.... i am just getting used to the sinus issues now...

mouth issues still dry mouth and bleeding, swollen gums over teeth, almost itchy lymoh nodes on both sides of arm pits kinda by bra area for 4 months now
and a constant rash on one elbow for 4 months....

anyway, i guess i just need some reasurance of these issues that have been persistant.... i did have a horrible flu, fever about 8 weeks after exposure and since then it just seems like it has not gone away even with antibiotics and all of the other issues... would they be normal to persist the whole time after infection?

ok, well thanks for helping, if even by typing your expertise, i get tested tomorrow and will post my results, good or bad.. either way thank you again!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

As I've sadi before, unfortunately you can find anything you want to on the internet.  You have to choose what you believe.  It takes years for HIV to move to the advanced stages of the sorts you are mentioning.  Go see your dentist (or I suppose, a dermatologist).  EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

some websites say that mouth issues can some on as soon as you get infected or shrtly after as your body telling you that the disease is in your body? ARGHH.. i hte the internet!!!! :) my mouth symptoms are stress or are some of these websites relevant? THATS IT I WILL END THIS POST:) after the possiblity of these crazy mouth symptoms:) thanks...

[thinkingiampositive]

thanks doctor! i m just going to have to get tested it is making me sick. i have one more question, even if you have to reinterate which i am sorry. all the websites say something else and some even say that the disease can progress to advanced hiv within months of infection?? i am so worried because after the fact i found out that this guy sleeps around a lot, and if he had anal sex with me- anyways.....

ok so as far as the mouth, my mouth is CONSTANTLY dry, so dry that i can hardly speak, bleeding, swollen gums, bad thrush and purple spots on sides of cheeks, one on lip, small though.... ok so all of these symptoms will occur LATER in the DISEASE.. and they are not a symptom of a possible 5 month infection, no possible way? my stress is causing them, unless i the disease has advanced in me fast, it would not be possible for all these mouth issues, even purple spots, horrible constant dry mouth, bleeding, swollen gums and severe thrush- STRESS, no possible way of these symptoms in early hiv and when the websites say they are, it is conflicting info? thanks again, i promise this is my last question and i will post my result. i see so many people being concerned over non risk behaviors and i am just very worried because all of the mouth symptoms at once and the anal sex! thanks again for clariying all the crazy websites out there! ~

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I applaud your decision to get tested.  I think you will be glad you did.

The figures we give on this site reflect the average risk of infection with a sex act based upon the scientific literature.  Thus the risk estimates do incorporate variables such as the duration of sex, whether or not there is ejaculation, traumatic sex or not, etc.

For you, I think the most important fact for you to remember is that, to my knowledge, you have no reason to think that your partner was HIV infected.  This is the most important determinant of your risk- you cannot get infected without an infected partner and statistically the odds are that he was not infected.  

I look forward to hearing that your test was negative.  EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

thank you. i guess i just have to get tested, i will post my results. one more question, that's it:) when you say a less than 1 in 100 with unprotected anal sex, say he WAS infected. if i bleed or tear and his fluid gets in me, is that still the 1 in 100 chance? meaning what is the basis the 1 in 100, if he did indeed ejaculate in me, i was drunk and assuming he did and assuming there were abrasions. if he was infected, i would not necissarily get it even with abrasions and blood contact. i hope i am making sense. thank you for clearing this up and i will let you go answer the 5 million other people repeating themselves on here:)

[Edward W Hook, MD]

As I said, your risk is low.  I have describe why above.  Read my answer again.

As for your mouth, you need to see your dentist.  Oral lesions in HIV occur with advanced disease after years, not months of infection.  Unfortunately however, you can find just about anything you want to (or don't want to) on the internet.  That is both its strength and weakness.

Finally, about testing, in your situation to not get testing seems silly.  The problem is eating at you.  Getting tested will not change whether you are infected, just (most likely) prove that you are not.  In the unlikely situation that you are infected, then you would have valuable information to act upon with regard to your health.  EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

thank you doctor. yes, it is eating at me. i have never had mouth issues before and think that it is my body trying to tell me someting. why do a lot of the websites say that bleeding gums, gingivitus are a sign of hiv, are they meaning later, like years later? some say that some people progress faster than others, meaning my could be, but not likely. now i am looking at my mouth thinking i have linear gingivitus which is clearly stated later. i know i need to get tested but i feel like i may be better not knowing? i don't mean to sound like a lot of people on here repeating themselves, something is just not right in my mouth.. something like that would be years later even dependent on my immune system? thanks again! the stress is going to kill me before i even get tested. people get hiv from anal sex daily.. why would you say my risks were low:) thanks again!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You need to get tested.   By and large symptoms are a VERY unreliable indicator of HIV risk.  In addition let me comment on the specific symptoms you have mentioned:

1.  Bleeding gums, dry mouth - not related to early HIV
2.  thrush. common in many normal people.  Occurs in late, not early stage HIV, after years of infection.
3.  Swollen lymph nodes - non-specific.  While this can occur due to HIV, there are many, many causes of swollen nodes.  The presence of swollen nodes is not a major "clue" to early HIV infection
4.  Flu at 9 weeks - too late to be ARS

Finally, while you had anal sex, you do not know your partner was infected. Unless you know something in particular about hi, statistically the odds are that he was not infected, thus you were not at risk. If he was infected, the odds of infection for you are still less than 1 in 100.

Putting all of this together, as I said from the outset, you need a test.  While in my estimation, you likelihood of infection is VERY low, this is clearly eating at you.  At this time an HIV test will give you reliable results that you can count on.  There may be a local facility where you can get a rapid HIV test done and resolve your concerns quickly.  If so, that would be my advice (if you do not know where to get a rapid test, call your local health department of an HIV Clinic, they will be able to tell you).. EWH

[thinkingiampositive]

i also have small white bumps on my top gum only, the top gum is the dry gum, but they bleed when you touch them. could that be HPV on top gums, and once again would this be an early sign of hiv. at this point i am making my anxiety worse! i can almost not function in daily life, please help reagarding these early mouth symptoms.