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Worried About Possible Exposure
Dear Dr.,
I am a male in his early 20s. About 3 weeks ago I went to a strip club and while there a stripper bit me on my chest while she was giving me a dance. While there was no mark the next morning I do remember wiping a trace amount of blood away that did not reappear again. That same night I went to a massage parlor where I received a handjob and briefly kissed the woman with my tongue. No oral sex or penetration occurred and the woman did not use her saliva as lubricant. All the above seems very low to no risk whatsoever, however, it has now been 2.5 weeks and I am beginning to notice 2 white lines along the side of my tongue and am worried that I may be showing leukoplakia. Please address the following question if you don't mind:
1)What risk am I at for contracting HIV from the above encounter?
2)Should I get tested and when?
3)Does leukoplakia usually present as a symptom of ARS or is it later on in HIV infection?
I have never done anything like what was mentioned above and am very worried. Please get back to me as soon as possible.
Thank You
I am a male in his early 20s. About 3 weeks ago I went to a strip club and while there a stripper bit me on my chest while she was giving me a dance. While there was no mark the next morning I do remember wiping a trace amount of blood away that did not reappear again. That same night I went to a massage parlor where I received a handjob and briefly kissed the woman with my tongue. No oral sex or penetration occurred and the woman did not use her saliva as lubricant. All the above seems very low to no risk whatsoever, however, it has now been 2.5 weeks and I am beginning to notice 2 white lines along the side of my tongue and am worried that I may be showing leukoplakia. Please address the following question if you don't mind:
1)What risk am I at for contracting HIV from the above encounter?
2)Should I get tested and when?
3)Does leukoplakia usually present as a symptom of ARS or is it later on in HIV infection?
I have never done anything like what was mentioned above and am very worried. Please get back to me as soon as possible.
Thank You
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No, not by itself.
Don't overthink it. The facts are the facts. You had no realistic possibility of catching HIV -- and therefore any symptoms you may have cannot be due to HIV. It doesn't matter what the symptoms are.
Don't overthink it. The facts are the facts. You had no realistic possibility of catching HIV -- and therefore any symptoms you may have cannot be due to HIV. It doesn't matter what the symptoms are.
Thank you again for you response. This will be my last question as you are probably busy. I am noticing enlarged tonsils as well. Can this be a symptom of acute HIV infection?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Definitive results are available at 6-8 weeks (not 3 months) for the HIV antibody tests and 4 weeks for the duo test (both antibody and p24 antigen).
Thank you for the response. While I know there was little to no risk of HIV I will still take a text just to relieve some anxiety over the issue. However, I can only find sites that use OraQuick. I know the suggested window is 3 months but what is the earliest I can take it with close to reliable results?
Thanks
Thanks
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
It is impossible to have a bite that caused bleeding and not have an obvious wound the next day; that's nonsense. Nobody ever caught HIV from the sorts of events you describe, and your partner was unlikely to be infected anyway. HIV cannot be sexually transmitted without penetration of an unprotected penis (i.e. no condom) into another person's vagina, anus, or mouth. So I agree with your self assessment ("very low to no risk whatsoever") -- with emphasis on NO risk.
That answers question 1. Since there was no risk of HIV, I do not recommend testing.
Presumably you have read about oral hairy leukoplakia and HIV. OHL is a sign of advanced HIV infection, i.e. overt aids -- not a new or early HIV infection. I very much doubt you have such a thing, but if you are concerned about an abnormal appearaince to your tongue, see a doctor or your dentist. Whatever you have, it is not related to the strip club events you describe.
Regards-- HHH, MD
It is impossible to have a bite that caused bleeding and not have an obvious wound the next day; that's nonsense. Nobody ever caught HIV from the sorts of events you describe, and your partner was unlikely to be infected anyway. HIV cannot be sexually transmitted without penetration of an unprotected penis (i.e. no condom) into another person's vagina, anus, or mouth. So I agree with your self assessment ("very low to no risk whatsoever") -- with emphasis on NO risk.
That answers question 1. Since there was no risk of HIV, I do not recommend testing.
Presumably you have read about oral hairy leukoplakia and HIV. OHL is a sign of advanced HIV infection, i.e. overt aids -- not a new or early HIV infection. I very much doubt you have such a thing, but if you are concerned about an abnormal appearaince to your tongue, see a doctor or your dentist. Whatever you have, it is not related to the strip club events you describe.
Regards-- HHH, MD
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