Those diagnosed after exposure to those who are negative, who did not get it

[GuardComeIn]

Hi All,

I am a gay male with a gay male friend who recently was diagnosed HIV+. We are great friends, but have never had sex. However, we have kissed (deeply made out, cheeks, neck) many times and engaged in casual touch (holding hands, etc.) on many occasions.

Now, I understand these are what would likely be considered no risk events, especially by the HIV experts on this site. However I remain a bit concerned because the two of us have a fair amount of acne, and I know for a fact we've held and touched hands when we've both had essentially fresh cuts on them.

I also know that the above scenario would be likely be considered no risk by the experts, but my paranoia has gotten the best of me. Therefore, I would love to hear from those who found out they were positive after being intimate with others who were negative (in a similar way to this, or in other ways) where the negative person stayed negative and did not contract the virus. The existence of a rather large viral load during the exposure is what interests me.

Thank you to all and any who answer. You're are all beautiful and brave souls.

[52Mag92]

Kissing is risk-free.
Regarding your hand cuts and the hand holding...That too is considered no-risk, assuming you both didn't hold hand while BOTH of your hands were bleeding at the same exact time.

However, it's strongly recommended to take regular STD tests if you have a lot of partners, or if you experience a notable risk such as unprotected anal/vaginal or condom failure.

Best wishes.