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Really scared !!

Hi everyone,

   I've been extremely scared for the last 3 weeks.  I'll provide all of the background details here in order to give the full picture.  Around 6 months ago I had a throat infection.  I had the infection for about a week... once it became strep throat (approximately two weeks later) I went to see a doctor.  The doctor prescribed amoxycillin.  After taking amoxycillin for a few days (I think I took more than the prescribed dosage every time) the strep throat cleared up but all of a sudden I started getting hives all over my body and my throat became really dry (almost to the point where I couldn't breathe).  I went to my doctor who sent me to an allergist.  The allergist did a skin patch test and determined I'm allergic to dust (and he wrote that he strongly suspected I was allergic to penicillin, of which amoxycillin is a derivative).  The doctor prescribed benadryll as well as zantac.  I took benadryll religiously however I stopped taking zantac after a week as I seemed to be getting dizzy spells.  These allergies have not left to date.  About 1 month after the allergies started (5 months ago) I went to a massage parlor in new york city and stupidly accepted an offer of sex for money from what must have been a sex worker.  She put a condom on me and then gave me oral sex.  After the oral sex, using the same condom we had sex.  As far as I know the condom did not break.  I was extremely scared afterward as I have never done something so stupid ever before in my life.  In my panic I asked my doctor for an std test two weeks after the act.  The doctor obliged and the results were negative for hiv, chlamydia, hepatitis (I'm not sure which strains were tested for) and a few other stds.  After the std test I asked my doctor to do a blood test just incase.  He did one and determined that I had high liver enzymes (I think the ast count was upward of 200) which was his basis for diagnosing me with fatty liver and a thyroid (my mom has hyperthyroid).  For the next two weeks I drank no alcohol and had no fatty foods - I ate a strictly healthy diet.  At the end of the two weeks I had another blood test done.  The doctor specializing in the thyroid (at an endocrinology clinic) said there were no problems then and that the levels which caused suspicion were gone.  I should also mention that my doctor prescribed a ct scan of my intestine / bladder region.  The ct scan showed that I had horse shoe kidneys which was not known until that point (its something I was apparently born with ... the two kidneys are connected which increases the likelihood of kidney stones).  Two days later my urologist did a proper examination by sticking something metal into my penis and doing a scan of the surrounding area (I think it was a ct scan) - he said there didn't seem to be any problems.  Additionally, my family doctor said my liver enzymes were back to normal.  It appeared that all of the health problems miraculously disappeared.  The next week (around 3 months ago) I got a one year internship offer from a third world country that used to be part of the soviet union.  I accepted the job offer and found myself in a new land within a week.  As this was my first time in a third world country, I did not expect the lack of decent medical facilities - the rich locals fly to beijing for any infections while the poor are out of luck.  My salary is nowhere near enough to cover the cost of flying.  Approximately one month ago I was in a nightclub when a local girl approached me.  We talked for a bit in english and then she bit my tongue lightly.  I thought nothing of it, however later on in the evening she bit my tongue again and i tried moving away out of reflex - my tongue started bleeding heavily.  I purchased a bottle of vodka and the used it for gargling in an attempt to sterilize my mouth (I have ocd and I'm a bit obsessed about cleanliness).  When the nightclub was about to close (around 4am) she admitted that she used to be a prostitute for a hotel that is frequented by foreigners at which point I almost literally ran away (she seemed like a nice girl until that point).  A few days later I was brushing my teeth when I noticed my tongue had a light white coating on it and the back of my tongue has tons of larger raised white bumps which match the pictures of oral thrush (except they're MUCH smaller than any of the pictures I've found online of oral thrush in terms of size and texture - its like a thin layer of white hair over the back of my tongue.  I tried a tongue scraper and removing the white layer caused bleeding to the tongue).  I should mention that up to that point I had been drinking an average of a pint of beer everyday (in this country almost everyone drinks excessively).  As of that time (noticing the white tongue) I stopped my consumption of alcohol completely and ate healthy food exclusively, however I am extremely worried.  I read online that oral thrush is normally caused by HIV - how likely is it that I contracted HIV from either the earlier exposure at the massage parlor or the girl biting my tongue?  I've been extremely worried for the last two weeks - I've been getting no sleep and am almost at my breaking point.  I wanted to get an std test done but apparently they're unreliable in this country (instances where the needles used in "hospitals" weren't properly sterilized leading to infection of uninfected individuals - people also seem to be getting enteroviruses in this country ... I believe the one currently spreading was called hand and foot disease).  Please help!!  My prayers to all who do.  I can't take a proper std test (or any other diagnostic tests for that matter) for another 8 months.  Right now I've somehow managed to convince myself that I am infected with hiv and am unsure whether I can go on like this - waiting for 8 months is unbearable.  I'm literally going crazy and my health is deteriorating due to lack of sleep.
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755829 tn?1246919225
No worries, you relax and get yourself back on track!
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much Mitch and god bless!!
Helpful - 0
755829 tn?1246919225
Short and simple: You are not at risk of HIV from the incidents you have described above.  HIV does make one prone to oral thrush, but it is certainly not the main cause of it.
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Avatar universal
Sorry - I forgot to mention that my dad was diagnosed with lymphoma (which he survived).  Additionally, after the negative 2 week std test my doctor said there was nothing to worry about, however the occurence of the oral thrush has caused me to doubt the accuracy of his statement.  Its currently 4am in the morning here and I start work at 7am - all I can think about is me being infected with hiv.  If someone could tell me the likelihood of me being infected with hiv (the most common cause of oral thrush).  Also, are there any other diseases that could cause all of the symptoms I have?  Please help me.
Helpful - 0
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