Aa
Wet Blood Exposure
Drs. HHH/Hook,
You are both incredible men. Thank you for your help. It’s one of the few places I can turn to for comfort, and these days, comfort is what I seek. I am in desperate need of help.
I was picking up garden debris (paper, styrofoam, etc) and saw that some of the debris had a little wet blood on it. The debris had been on the grass for ~36 hours and no one can get to the lawn area except me (unless a thief got into our yard...yes I know this sounds so far-fetched). I picked up the debris being careful not to touch the blood, but who knows, I may have touched it a bit. My fingers are also with intact skin (no visible and actively bleeding cuts or scrapes). My question is, assuming it was actually human blood, and was HIV positive blood that had come on the debris 36 hours prior to my picking it up, and that I touched it,
1) am I at risk? I read that dry blood is not a risk, but again, this was not fully dry because it was in the garden and there was a lot of moisture in the air which helped keep the blood moist/wet. I also worry that maybe someone came into the yard at night (ie, within the 36 hours), and I know that I am assuming the blood was HIV infected.
2) Does it matter that I had peeled hangnails where you can see the redness underneath (I'd picked a hangnail 2 to
3 days prior).
3) should i test, not just for peace of mind, but for medical/clinical sake?
4) Can i have sex with my wife?
Thank you so much. I am so exhausted with HIV fears. I just can't handle this anymore. Please remember that the blood was moist/wet.
Gratefully yours.
-Scared Garden Guy
You are both incredible men. Thank you for your help. It’s one of the few places I can turn to for comfort, and these days, comfort is what I seek. I am in desperate need of help.
I was picking up garden debris (paper, styrofoam, etc) and saw that some of the debris had a little wet blood on it. The debris had been on the grass for ~36 hours and no one can get to the lawn area except me (unless a thief got into our yard...yes I know this sounds so far-fetched). I picked up the debris being careful not to touch the blood, but who knows, I may have touched it a bit. My fingers are also with intact skin (no visible and actively bleeding cuts or scrapes). My question is, assuming it was actually human blood, and was HIV positive blood that had come on the debris 36 hours prior to my picking it up, and that I touched it,
1) am I at risk? I read that dry blood is not a risk, but again, this was not fully dry because it was in the garden and there was a lot of moisture in the air which helped keep the blood moist/wet. I also worry that maybe someone came into the yard at night (ie, within the 36 hours), and I know that I am assuming the blood was HIV infected.
2) Does it matter that I had peeled hangnails where you can see the redness underneath (I'd picked a hangnail 2 to
3 days prior).
3) should i test, not just for peace of mind, but for medical/clinical sake?
4) Can i have sex with my wife?
Thank you so much. I am so exhausted with HIV fears. I just can't handle this anymore. Please remember that the blood was moist/wet.
Gratefully yours.
-Scared Garden Guy
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
