Aa
Looking for some guidance
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice. Apologies in advance for the lengthy post, but I want to lay it all out there.
I am a 32 year old white male, uncircumcised. A little over three months ago I had sexual contact with a woman of unknown health status. I was intoxicated at the time (to the point where I do not think I was able to really consent to sexual contact) and do not remember the entire encounter, but I know we had unprotected oral sex and did not have anal or vaginal sex. I also fingered her and she sucked on her fingers intermittently, so it's possible some vaginal fluid was in her mouth when she was performing fellatio on me. I called my girlfriend in a panic the next day and told her everything. I know from all of the various forums that this is a "low"/"no" risk event for HIV, but like about 90% of the people here, it was my first thought for the reasons stated below.
About 2.5 days after the incident, I felt like I had a fever coming on. I measured my temp and it was about 100, it may have gotten a little higher that night. A couple nights during that week I had night sweats. The following week my temperature remained elevated (in the low 99s), and I began to feel nauseated in the mornings and sometimes during the middle of the day. My face also became very flushed, along with my chest. I felt hot during the day and more prone to sweating. For the next month plus I felt hot/lightly sweaty in bed, and I experienced a couple more night sweats. I also felt like I was getting a sore throat one evening, but it never fully developed. I also experienced some headaches, joint/muscle pain, muscle spasms, and noticed more "flushed" skin/rash on my trunk, arms, and legs (easier to see in some places than others). In some places where the skin was flushed, I noticed small red pinprick or pinhead sized spots (I asked doc at ID clinic if they were Petechiae and was told no, but go figure - they could be cherry angiomas too). Also, sometimes there are small collections of brighter red spots on the back of my hand/wrist. My stomach also started rumbling and my stools became loose, but I never had diarrhea. My left foot also felt painful for about a week or two (like I had a sprain), and my left hand did a couple of times for a few hours here and there. I also occasionally had some eye pain or sinus pressure - hard to tell. I felt like I was seeing more floaters (I had floaters before this) and that my eyes were sensitive to light.
Not all of these symptoms came on at once, some came and went and came again, and some continue in more milder form today (I'll detail below). I haven't had a normal nights sleep for three months, ranging from nothing to restlessness. Had some strange bruises, wounds not healing as quickly as normal. Oh, and I developed a white coated tongue and had a couple of other strange oral symptoms (some things I'd had before and others that seemed new) - I should note that prior to this incident my dental hygienist told me I had too much bacteria on my tongue.
About 10 days into this, when my primary symptoms were the flushed skin, the nausea in the morning, and slightly raised temp, I went to an urgent care worried about STDs, including HIV. The doc informed me that HIV was very, very unlikely and I did a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia. I also submitted a blood test for HIV (not quite sure what it was, I think an ELISA, but I now know that was way too early). My symptoms continued/progressed and at 4 and 4.5 weeks (28 and 33 days), I had rapid fingerstick HIV tests (Clearview Complete) - negative. I went to the ER at 5 weeks (35 days) - just not feeling well and wanting better testing - and had a venipuncture HIV blood test (Abbott Architect HIV AG/AB COMBO) - negative. They also did a test for syphilis at that time - negative. Over the course of the next two months some symptoms subsided, became less pronounced, more infrequent, etc. At 12 weeks (87 days) I had another finger stick HIV test (Clearview Complete) - negative. I also had a negative oral swab (Oraquick home test) at 13/14 weeks - this does not take into account the several other Oraquicks I had throughout this period. Because I was/am still feeling abnormal and wanted added assurance, I ordered a venipunture 4th Generation AG/AB COMBO test from LabCorp (either Abbott or BioRad, don't know) at ~14 weeks (95 days) - negative.
The doctor in the ER told me he thought some of my symptoms were somatic, and I agree with that to some extent. I do have anxiety and think some things could have been cause/exacerbated by my anxiety (I was relentlessly reading all the forums about HIV, etc.). I also know that I've been zeroed in on my body more than ever before because of this, but all of these cannot be caused by anxiety, so I am looking for some guidance. I have an appointment with a new doctor (moved to a new city) in about 10 days and want to be informed about what to ask him. I feel like HIV has been excluded by the low risk nature of the incident and the negative 4th Generation tests at 5 weeks and 14 weeks, though I plan on testing at 6 months just for peace of mind.
My main symptoms right now are feeling a bit hot at times, sweating at night if I have a heavy blanket on, the skin "rash," the white tongue, and the occasional muscle twitch. There are probably others I'm forgetting. I'm still not sleeping well, but that could just be worry. I should mention that a couple days after coming into contact with me after this happened, my girlfriend had a week long sore throat, slightly elevated temperature, and sinus symptoms. I've also noticed some similar skin conditions on her ("rash" like spots and some red dots as well), but they are fewer and not as pronounced as mine. She does seem to have been feeling hot like me for a number of weeks at night and has had trouble sleeping too. I haven't asked her if she has any other symptoms, but this is what I've observed. I mention this because we didn't have any form of sexual contact since this happened other than kisses out of my fear of passing something to her. After the negative HIV 4th Generation test at 14 weeks, she finally convinced/begged me to have condom protected sex with her.
If it's not HIV, what could be the culprit here? What tests should I ask the doctor to run? Should I retest any other STDs?
Thanks for your help!
I am a 32 year old white male, uncircumcised. A little over three months ago I had sexual contact with a woman of unknown health status. I was intoxicated at the time (to the point where I do not think I was able to really consent to sexual contact) and do not remember the entire encounter, but I know we had unprotected oral sex and did not have anal or vaginal sex. I also fingered her and she sucked on her fingers intermittently, so it's possible some vaginal fluid was in her mouth when she was performing fellatio on me. I called my girlfriend in a panic the next day and told her everything. I know from all of the various forums that this is a "low"/"no" risk event for HIV, but like about 90% of the people here, it was my first thought for the reasons stated below.
About 2.5 days after the incident, I felt like I had a fever coming on. I measured my temp and it was about 100, it may have gotten a little higher that night. A couple nights during that week I had night sweats. The following week my temperature remained elevated (in the low 99s), and I began to feel nauseated in the mornings and sometimes during the middle of the day. My face also became very flushed, along with my chest. I felt hot during the day and more prone to sweating. For the next month plus I felt hot/lightly sweaty in bed, and I experienced a couple more night sweats. I also felt like I was getting a sore throat one evening, but it never fully developed. I also experienced some headaches, joint/muscle pain, muscle spasms, and noticed more "flushed" skin/rash on my trunk, arms, and legs (easier to see in some places than others). In some places where the skin was flushed, I noticed small red pinprick or pinhead sized spots (I asked doc at ID clinic if they were Petechiae and was told no, but go figure - they could be cherry angiomas too). Also, sometimes there are small collections of brighter red spots on the back of my hand/wrist. My stomach also started rumbling and my stools became loose, but I never had diarrhea. My left foot also felt painful for about a week or two (like I had a sprain), and my left hand did a couple of times for a few hours here and there. I also occasionally had some eye pain or sinus pressure - hard to tell. I felt like I was seeing more floaters (I had floaters before this) and that my eyes were sensitive to light.
Not all of these symptoms came on at once, some came and went and came again, and some continue in more milder form today (I'll detail below). I haven't had a normal nights sleep for three months, ranging from nothing to restlessness. Had some strange bruises, wounds not healing as quickly as normal. Oh, and I developed a white coated tongue and had a couple of other strange oral symptoms (some things I'd had before and others that seemed new) - I should note that prior to this incident my dental hygienist told me I had too much bacteria on my tongue.
About 10 days into this, when my primary symptoms were the flushed skin, the nausea in the morning, and slightly raised temp, I went to an urgent care worried about STDs, including HIV. The doc informed me that HIV was very, very unlikely and I did a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia. I also submitted a blood test for HIV (not quite sure what it was, I think an ELISA, but I now know that was way too early). My symptoms continued/progressed and at 4 and 4.5 weeks (28 and 33 days), I had rapid fingerstick HIV tests (Clearview Complete) - negative. I went to the ER at 5 weeks (35 days) - just not feeling well and wanting better testing - and had a venipuncture HIV blood test (Abbott Architect HIV AG/AB COMBO) - negative. They also did a test for syphilis at that time - negative. Over the course of the next two months some symptoms subsided, became less pronounced, more infrequent, etc. At 12 weeks (87 days) I had another finger stick HIV test (Clearview Complete) - negative. I also had a negative oral swab (Oraquick home test) at 13/14 weeks - this does not take into account the several other Oraquicks I had throughout this period. Because I was/am still feeling abnormal and wanted added assurance, I ordered a venipunture 4th Generation AG/AB COMBO test from LabCorp (either Abbott or BioRad, don't know) at ~14 weeks (95 days) - negative.
The doctor in the ER told me he thought some of my symptoms were somatic, and I agree with that to some extent. I do have anxiety and think some things could have been cause/exacerbated by my anxiety (I was relentlessly reading all the forums about HIV, etc.). I also know that I've been zeroed in on my body more than ever before because of this, but all of these cannot be caused by anxiety, so I am looking for some guidance. I have an appointment with a new doctor (moved to a new city) in about 10 days and want to be informed about what to ask him. I feel like HIV has been excluded by the low risk nature of the incident and the negative 4th Generation tests at 5 weeks and 14 weeks, though I plan on testing at 6 months just for peace of mind.
My main symptoms right now are feeling a bit hot at times, sweating at night if I have a heavy blanket on, the skin "rash," the white tongue, and the occasional muscle twitch. There are probably others I'm forgetting. I'm still not sleeping well, but that could just be worry. I should mention that a couple days after coming into contact with me after this happened, my girlfriend had a week long sore throat, slightly elevated temperature, and sinus symptoms. I've also noticed some similar skin conditions on her ("rash" like spots and some red dots as well), but they are fewer and not as pronounced as mine. She does seem to have been feeling hot like me for a number of weeks at night and has had trouble sleeping too. I haven't asked her if she has any other symptoms, but this is what I've observed. I mention this because we didn't have any form of sexual contact since this happened other than kisses out of my fear of passing something to her. After the negative HIV 4th Generation test at 14 weeks, she finally convinced/begged me to have condom protected sex with her.
If it's not HIV, what could be the culprit here? What tests should I ask the doctor to run? Should I retest any other STDs?
Thanks for your help!
Forgot to add that I have also experienced some chest pain, first more pronounced and now less perceptible. The pain seems to be slightly left of center toward the top of my chest - I guess where your heart might be. Have also had some episodes of a racing heart/palpitations.
I also think I have some balanitis on my glans.
If it is important, I started taking probiotics a couple days ago which I think has helped a lot with my intestinal issues/gas. I did have some reflux issues a few times and when I drank hot liquids I felt a burn.
Sorry for adding more.
I also think I have some balanitis on my glans.
If it is important, I started taking probiotics a couple days ago which I think has helped a lot with my intestinal issues/gas. I did have some reflux issues a few times and when I drank hot liquids I felt a burn.
Sorry for adding more.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Firstly, we are not doctors on these forums. I am a microbiologist and can give you some advice. Firstly you can forget about HIV as you took the recommended gold standard test according to the American Society for Clinical Pathology at the perfect time for the antigen to be at its peak and antibody for the duo 4th generation test so you are clear of HIV. Also, so you have done GC and Chlamydia. You could test yourself for Syphilis even though it is unlikely if she had sores in her mouth perhaps it is possible. Other than that it doesn't sound like an STD. It could be a virus. Does the rash itch? I'm sure that a lot of these symptoms like the chest pain are due to anxiety. But you can really relax about HIV now.
So I hope you start to let that go. Perhaps some meditation or biofeedback breathing exercises to get the fight or flight feeling back to normal. I think there is some guilt here too. Everyone makes mistakes.
The other symptoms do sound like a virus that will pass.
mkh9
So I hope you start to let that go. Perhaps some meditation or biofeedback breathing exercises to get the fight or flight feeling back to normal. I think there is some guilt here too. Everyone makes mistakes.
The other symptoms do sound like a virus that will pass.
mkh9
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