Aa
worried for 11 years
yes 11 years, worry agony, i am on the edge of madness,,,,,exposure 11 year ago unprotected vag with csw
1-one month later developed all the classical symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome ((( ALL OF THEM except for rash))) for 2 weeks
2-three month post exposure weird diarrhea for 1 month( fatty diarrhea)
3-three month post exposure apthous ulcers ( small but recurrent for almost 1 year).
4-xerostomia
5-lymph node enlargement in various locations 6 month post exposure that remain untill this day!!
6-seborreheic dermatitis 1 years post exposure on and off till now ( not severe)
7-angular cheilitis 6 years post exposure on and off till now
8-elevated ESR on several occasions ( 21, 25 , 30)
9-borderline anemia several times..
10-feeling tired especially when waking up for as long as i can remember
11-coated tongue ( doctors disagreed as to wether it is thrush or not !!!!
12-did many tests spanning these 11 years found i have slightly elevated bilirubin, and trace protein in urine
13-for the past few months i suffered from on and off loose stools, to which i tested my stool several times , some labs reported nothing, some reported yeast, and one lab technician told my doctor that i have CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS!!!!!!!!
these are the main symptoms i suffered all these years which most of them continue to this day
now to my tests!! i should point out i dont live in the usa so bear with me
1- one and a half month test what i think was a rapid test ( told me come back in 30 minuites) negative
2-three month another test, same as above told me come back in 30 minuites negative
3-six month test also same as above negative,,,,,,
convinced i was negative forgot about the incident and moved on till two lymph nodes appeared from nowhere and i was diagnosed with seborreheic dermatitis, i concluded that my previous tests were false, but i was in complete fear of being infected so i didn't have the guts to do a regular elisa untill 5.5 years later
4- 5.5 years later did 2 elisas in two different hospitals....negative
5- 6 years later did 1 combo and one pcr rna detection limit 400; also negative and not detected.
saw an id specialist who shewed me away while holding the negative tests in my hands, puzzled with my enlarged lymph nodes i headed to an oncologist who did many tests and a ct scan, and i was told that i dont have cancer and that i am in good health...
happy with all these negatives,, i went on with my life got married and had a wonderfull child, to my sorrow when he was 1 month old he got a fever and we took him to hospital they did many tests and nothing showed, so they sent him home,,
the fever that my baby had fueled my previous fears about hiv coupled with 3 new emerging lymph nodes and neuropathy and chronic loose stools, i was terrified to the idea that i may have infected my wife and then my son, so i went through a very rough stage ( till now) that lasted 8 month which brought me to ground zero once again
so i decided to test once again, i headed to an hiv testing center where they do a rapid test ( fda approved) and they send a blood sample for a combo test in a govermental hospital,,,,both tests were negative
finally i did a cd4 cd8 tests out of hope that it will show something cd4 was 668 with a 57 % and cd8 was 338 with a 31 % and ratio was 1.95 which to my multiple readings i think it is normal
so guys,girls, doctors , nurses, anyone who reads this long story,, do you think with all these symptoms that HIV IS STILL A POSSIBILITY,, HIV TESTING IS NOT THAT EASY IN MY COUNTRY,, IT'S THE WORST STIGMA ANYONE CAN HAVE HERE, AND I DID MY BEST TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME ( IF ANYTHING IS WRONG) so please advise me what do you think,,i wish doctor hunter or edward would see this, i am truly sad that the expert forums don't accept new questions, please help me if anyone can...
many thanks
1-one month later developed all the classical symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome ((( ALL OF THEM except for rash))) for 2 weeks
2-three month post exposure weird diarrhea for 1 month( fatty diarrhea)
3-three month post exposure apthous ulcers ( small but recurrent for almost 1 year).
4-xerostomia
5-lymph node enlargement in various locations 6 month post exposure that remain untill this day!!
6-seborreheic dermatitis 1 years post exposure on and off till now ( not severe)
7-angular cheilitis 6 years post exposure on and off till now
8-elevated ESR on several occasions ( 21, 25 , 30)
9-borderline anemia several times..
10-feeling tired especially when waking up for as long as i can remember
11-coated tongue ( doctors disagreed as to wether it is thrush or not !!!!
12-did many tests spanning these 11 years found i have slightly elevated bilirubin, and trace protein in urine
13-for the past few months i suffered from on and off loose stools, to which i tested my stool several times , some labs reported nothing, some reported yeast, and one lab technician told my doctor that i have CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS!!!!!!!!
these are the main symptoms i suffered all these years which most of them continue to this day
now to my tests!! i should point out i dont live in the usa so bear with me
1- one and a half month test what i think was a rapid test ( told me come back in 30 minuites) negative
2-three month another test, same as above told me come back in 30 minuites negative
3-six month test also same as above negative,,,,,,
convinced i was negative forgot about the incident and moved on till two lymph nodes appeared from nowhere and i was diagnosed with seborreheic dermatitis, i concluded that my previous tests were false, but i was in complete fear of being infected so i didn't have the guts to do a regular elisa untill 5.5 years later
4- 5.5 years later did 2 elisas in two different hospitals....negative
5- 6 years later did 1 combo and one pcr rna detection limit 400; also negative and not detected.
saw an id specialist who shewed me away while holding the negative tests in my hands, puzzled with my enlarged lymph nodes i headed to an oncologist who did many tests and a ct scan, and i was told that i dont have cancer and that i am in good health...
happy with all these negatives,, i went on with my life got married and had a wonderfull child, to my sorrow when he was 1 month old he got a fever and we took him to hospital they did many tests and nothing showed, so they sent him home,,
the fever that my baby had fueled my previous fears about hiv coupled with 3 new emerging lymph nodes and neuropathy and chronic loose stools, i was terrified to the idea that i may have infected my wife and then my son, so i went through a very rough stage ( till now) that lasted 8 month which brought me to ground zero once again
so i decided to test once again, i headed to an hiv testing center where they do a rapid test ( fda approved) and they send a blood sample for a combo test in a govermental hospital,,,,both tests were negative
finally i did a cd4 cd8 tests out of hope that it will show something cd4 was 668 with a 57 % and cd8 was 338 with a 31 % and ratio was 1.95 which to my multiple readings i think it is normal
so guys,girls, doctors , nurses, anyone who reads this long story,, do you think with all these symptoms that HIV IS STILL A POSSIBILITY,, HIV TESTING IS NOT THAT EASY IN MY COUNTRY,, IT'S THE WORST STIGMA ANYONE CAN HAVE HERE, AND I DID MY BEST TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME ( IF ANYTHING IS WRONG) so please advise me what do you think,,i wish doctor hunter or edward would see this, i am truly sad that the expert forums don't accept new questions, please help me if anyone can...
many thanks
This thread is now closed. All questions have been answered, repeatedly, and scientifically.
We are not permitting any more posts.
Thanks,
Emily
We are not permitting any more posts.
Thanks,
Emily
Thanks dearest colleague for taking time to reply to my post,but as you may have read in my original post,my symptoms are't confined to sebo dermatitis, they are many,,,you know at the current moment i write this post,i have sebo dermatitis/ angular chelitis/ loose stools/ 3 confirmed enlarged lymph nodes/ multiple others that are not confirmed/ pus in my eyes in the morning and sometimes later throughout day/ floaters/ eczema on hands/ slight fatigue/ my most recent cbc shows i am slightly anemic,and my.mcv is on.the lower range,,,,, so do you think the 100 % still applies!!
I am a registered nurse and I 100% support everyone here in saying you are HIV negative. Incidentally I suffer with seborrhoeic dermatitis and I am HIV negative. Symptoms are worth next to nothing in diagnosing HIV. You are HIV negative so live your life to the full. If still worried I agree with RubyWitch you require pyschological/psychiatric help.
Well during these 10 years of reading about hiv,i didnt come across the phrase AIDS hospice,well today i searched and saw that it is a very difficult place to be,i think you working in such place is really a courageous act of human kindness and love,, i really hope that all my negative tests are true, i really do.
Well yes you said it,my story is interesting indeed and very sad to add, and it is the truth,i have been plagued by many symptoms after the exposure which some have left while others remain and new ones emerge,my latest worry is the ongoing loose stools, one lab reported cryptosporidiosis which wrecked havoc on my psyche,, well you asked about doctors,,let me explain to you that in my country their is no hiv specialist,maybe one or 2 ID specialist, and every doctor knows me in my city because i work in a health care facility, and whenever i see a doctor for anything they think i am being hypochondriac.they admit to symptoms,but they dissmiss it as something benign and not worth worrying about,,hiv is a rarity in my country,we have maybe 30 reported cases!! So you can imagine that hiv isnt on the mind of anyone
Hi Worried,
Your story is an interesting one.
You are most definitely HIV negative, as all your extensive testing shows. Furthermore, your CD4:CD8 results are perfect for a healthy person, there is no way someone with 11 years of HIV could have these results.
But, importantly, your story demonstrates that someone can experience many HIV-associated symptoms but still be HIV negative.
This is a lesson to all the worried wells out there - if they develop seb derm, or angular cheilitis (or other symptoms which google tells us are common in HIV people) after an exposure, they shouldnt get wrapped up in the idea of HIV! They should consider the possibility that these conditions can be caused by something else.
I have had many of the same symptoms as you - xerostomia, seb derm, and recently angular cheilitis - I am curious to know if you have showed these symptoms to doctors, and what they think may be causing your health issues?
Your story is an interesting one.
You are most definitely HIV negative, as all your extensive testing shows. Furthermore, your CD4:CD8 results are perfect for a healthy person, there is no way someone with 11 years of HIV could have these results.
But, importantly, your story demonstrates that someone can experience many HIV-associated symptoms but still be HIV negative.
This is a lesson to all the worried wells out there - if they develop seb derm, or angular cheilitis (or other symptoms which google tells us are common in HIV people) after an exposure, they shouldnt get wrapped up in the idea of HIV! They should consider the possibility that these conditions can be caused by something else.
I have had many of the same symptoms as you - xerostomia, seb derm, and recently angular cheilitis - I am curious to know if you have showed these symptoms to doctors, and what they think may be causing your health issues?
I'm simply going to cut to the chase and respond to your question "what should I do?"
Get yourself some psychiatric help.
And like everyone else on this forum, I am a volunteer. I am also a CNA. I am NOT an expert on HIV nor AIDS, but I spent 5 years working with doctors and nurses in an AIDS Hospice. Guess you could say I got my "training" there.
Get yourself some psychiatric help.
And like everyone else on this forum, I am a volunteer. I am also a CNA. I am NOT an expert on HIV nor AIDS, but I spent 5 years working with doctors and nurses in an AIDS Hospice. Guess you could say I got my "training" there.
one last question to anyone who might read it, is there anyway i can forward my question to doctor hook or doctor hunter? really there opinions matter for me a lot, and if any of you knows a doctor ( hiv doctor or ID doctor) and can forward him/her my post, i would be gratefull for the rest of my life,,
thanks all for your replies, i didn't mean to be rude, the problem is that i work in the medical field, and many many of my symptoms seems to correlate well with hiv, i can debate with any of symptoms and show you how it is directly related to hiv....
what can i do! every doctor that i was able to contact or see and hear my negative story almost instantly looks at me like i am some psycho, i am left hopeless,,,,i wish i lived in the us or europe it would have been much easier for me to sort out my problem without being afraid of the stigma of even mentioning hiv,,,,,,,,,,,,,again thanks all very much and i wish you health and joy in your lives...
thanks all for your replies, i didn't mean to be rude, the problem is that i work in the medical field, and many many of my symptoms seems to correlate well with hiv, i can debate with any of symptoms and show you how it is directly related to hiv....
what can i do! every doctor that i was able to contact or see and hear my negative story almost instantly looks at me like i am some psycho, i am left hopeless,,,,i wish i lived in the us or europe it would have been much easier for me to sort out my problem without being afraid of the stigma of even mentioning hiv,,,,,,,,,,,,,again thanks all very much and i wish you health and joy in your lives...
You are 100 % HIV negative , thats all we can say. Believe us and move on with your life. Better go to good clinic and check your self . I am sure you don't HIV , without treatment for HIV you cant live more than 10 years. educate yourself more dude.
a questio to o_mogh,,, regarding my first 3 tests which followed the ARS, they were done in private labs in amman jordan, at that time i had no idea what was elisa or pcr or anything,, i thought that going to any lab would be sufficient,, in a country like jordan and in such private labs what tests do you think they used in my inital 1.5 /3 / 6 months tests they were all done in different labs, with same procedure, took blood , come back in 30 minuites and negative, do you think they were rapid? and back in 2004 what kind of rapid tests do you think they used?
thanks maash for clarifying the info about crypto,, the problem is that doctors here in my country aren't familiar with hiv or any of its rare diseases, so most of them don't even know what crypto is,
in regard to you correct info about crypto, it says that a person has chronic diarrhea due to crypto he is most likely hiv infected...so if my loose stools that are ongoing for almost 6 months now are due to crypto, don't that make it a very likley case of hiv despite testing negative?
in regard to you correct info about crypto, it says that a person has chronic diarrhea due to crypto he is most likely hiv infected...so if my loose stools that are ongoing for almost 6 months now are due to crypto, don't that make it a very likley case of hiv despite testing negative?
HIV person will get cryptosporidiosis (possibly) but HIV is not only the cause.
You can get crypto by putting anything in your mouth that has touched the "stool" (bowel movement) of a person or animal with crypto. You can also get crypto by touching your mouth after touching the stool of infected persons or animals or touching soil or objects contaminated with stool. Drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food can also give you crypto. So No worries about HIV. If you still worried please consult with your doctor.
You can get crypto by putting anything in your mouth that has touched the "stool" (bowel movement) of a person or animal with crypto. You can also get crypto by touching your mouth after touching the stool of infected persons or animals or touching soil or objects contaminated with stool. Drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food can also give you crypto. So No worries about HIV. If you still worried please consult with your doctor.
mn wen enta o-mogh?
so as volunteers do you know what is cryptosporidiosis ? and how it is related to hiv?
We are all volunteers.
No we are not doctors/nurse/ blah blah. we are just volunteers. we are answering you because , we studied about HIV /science/ facts . where ever you check HIV will transmit VIA below
The risk factors for HIV are ...
Sharing IV drug needles immediately after use.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex.
Mother to child during or shortly after birth.
Very specific health care situations.
Also , any test is conclusive after 3 months ( 3 rd gen antibodies test)
Thats why we are commenting you to move on with your life.
You can take N number of test , your result wont change unless you dont have any other exposure.
The risk factors for HIV are ...
Sharing IV drug needles immediately after use.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex.
Mother to child during or shortly after birth.
Very specific health care situations.
Also , any test is conclusive after 3 months ( 3 rd gen antibodies test)
Thats why we are commenting you to move on with your life.
You can take N number of test , your result wont change unless you dont have any other exposure.
one question that always came to my mind about this forum, with all do respect to all people who reply to posts here, i really appreciate your time and effort to help out people. are ANY of you qualified in the field of hiv/AIDS?
are any of you a doctor? or a nurse? a pharmacist? or perhaps someone who volunteer in an hiv testing center? if not what drives you to answer to these forums regularly and to answer all of these worried people answers?
are any of you a doctor? or a nurse? a pharmacist? or perhaps someone who volunteer in an hiv testing center? if not what drives you to answer to these forums regularly and to answer all of these worried people answers?
NO HIV , There is no HIV symptoms , all symptoms are common to many disease , ANXIETY makes you to think and related with HIV. Dont ever think about HIV , you are free , just check with psychiatrist if you worry more.
hey i noticed you live in dubai, are you arabic?
i am arabic, so if you are that would be a great chance for you to understand my situation,, please reply
i am arabic, so if you are that would be a great chance for you to understand my situation,, please reply
AINT IT O-MOGH !! well i say the truth in every word i wrote, and i truly hope someone will help,, you say 100% conclusive! but what about the symptoms!! aren't they all related to hiv infection?? i am not here to question your answers which you build upon cdc recommendations and other trusted resources, beleive me, i read thousands and thousands of posts in this forum and thebody, poz, webmd, and others i can't recall.
but why on earth all these symptoms happened and still happen to me? i am asking anyone if IT IS STILL POSSIBLE THAT HIV IS THE CAUSE OF ALL MY PAST AND PRESENT SYMPTOMS??
but why on earth all these symptoms happened and still happen to me? i am asking anyone if IT IS STILL POSSIBLE THAT HIV IS THE CAUSE OF ALL MY PAST AND PRESENT SYMPTOMS??
thanks vance for your quick reply... but isn't the symptom list very worrisome? don't you think it's very weird for a 31 year old person to have all these symptoms?? i know you replied to thousands of questions on these forums, but don't you think that my case is ever so what more intersting?
You don't have HIV
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