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Are pain muscle and joints the early symptoms of HIV?
Dear Doc Handsfield,
First of all, I
First of all, I
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
wwarrier (below) has it right. There is essentially no risk of HIV from the exposure you describe, even if your sex worker partner had HIV.
1) Most people with ARS have many of the listed symptoms (fever, sore throat, lymph node enlargement, rash, muscle aches, and others), not just one or two of them. Fever is nearly universal; absence of fever is strong evidence against ARS. And I have never seen someone with ARS who had ONLY rash, node enlargement, muscle aches, etc.
2) ARS virtually never begins more than 2-3 weeks after infection. Your symptoms almost certainly are coincidental with your non-exposure event, i.e. irrelevant. And they don't sound like HIV anyway.
3) Nine weeks is plenty with OraQuick or any other standard antibody test. But if you are nervous because of all the websites and other sources that advise 3 month testing, it's fine with me. The result will be negative.
Thanks for the confidence. Good luck-- HHH, MD
1) Most people with ARS have many of the listed symptoms (fever, sore throat, lymph node enlargement, rash, muscle aches, and others), not just one or two of them. Fever is nearly universal; absence of fever is strong evidence against ARS. And I have never seen someone with ARS who had ONLY rash, node enlargement, muscle aches, etc.
2) ARS virtually never begins more than 2-3 weeks after infection. Your symptoms almost certainly are coincidental with your non-exposure event, i.e. irrelevant. And they don't sound like HIV anyway.
3) Nine weeks is plenty with OraQuick or any other standard antibody test. But if you are nervous because of all the websites and other sources that advise 3 month testing, it's fine with me. The result will be negative.
Thanks for the confidence. Good luck-- HHH, MD
Having unprotected vaginal sex with a person of unkown HIV status is risky business. Having a 9 week negative test result is money in the bank. But only Dr. HHH can give you that kind of assesment.
If you think of ordering online (I'm asuming you are in the USA) the only FDA approved test is Home Access. You can "google it" for suppliers or go directly to their website.
Take care & good luck
If you think of ordering online (I'm asuming you are in the USA) the only FDA approved test is Home Access. You can "google it" for suppliers or go directly to their website.
Take care & good luck
A related discussion, what are the early symptoms of hiv was started.
A related discussion, Follow up question.. was started.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
