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HIV Scare in Houston
To Forum Doctor,
I am writing to get advice on potential HIV exposure that I may have had. I am in my first year of college in Houston, Texas. And I feel that I have done something which may cost me my life. I can
I am writing to get advice on potential HIV exposure that I may have had. I am in my first year of college in Houston, Texas. And I feel that I have done something which may cost me my life. I can
JohnnyV - You mentioned that you knew people living with HIV. Do you know if they started thier HAART medication right away. I haven't had a full exam, just the ELISA that confirmed my status. I have to have a viral load test done among other things. My main concern is the toxicity of the drug and the harm to my liver & kidneys.
collegeboy - Again, this is real and I hope you forgive me. I wasn't trying to scare anyone. You just be safe out there. And wear a condom no matter what....
collegeboy - Again, this is real and I hope you forgive me. I wasn't trying to scare anyone. You just be safe out there. And wear a condom no matter what....
Hi,
Mackia: I know people with HIV and they've lived a long time with no signs of mortality any time soon. The trick is that they've modified their behavior, taken their meds like clockwork, exercised, and managed their stress levels. It is my belief that a cure will come in 15-20 years, and you can make it until then. Best wishes.
College Boy: No need to apologize. I understand what stress can do to people.
J
Mackia: I know people with HIV and they've lived a long time with no signs of mortality any time soon. The trick is that they've modified their behavior, taken their meds like clockwork, exercised, and managed their stress levels. It is my belief that a cure will come in 15-20 years, and you can make it until then. Best wishes.
College Boy: No need to apologize. I understand what stress can do to people.
J
I apologize. I'm immature, and I allowed my intense fear of HIV to get the best of me. It matters not whether anyone else on this Forum is lying. I should be focusing on my concern, and let everyone be, and contribute in a good fashion when and if I can.
Regards,
CB
Regards,
CB
Doctor,
What about my one swollen groin node TWO days after my experience, which lasted a few days? Does that change any of your advice? Or the fact that 12 days (give or take a few) afterward, I'm experiencing slight discomfort ONLY on my left groin area (maybe there's swelling there).
What about my one swollen groin node TWO days after my experience, which lasted a few days? Does that change any of your advice? Or the fact that 12 days (give or take a few) afterward, I'm experiencing slight discomfort ONLY on my left groin area (maybe there's swelling there).
I appreciate your intelligent commentary. I of course had to post this comment here, because the other thread would'nt allow any further comments.
I do not have Malice in my heart, (unlike the person that infected me if she knew she was POZ), so I would never lie about anything like this. You sound very intelligent, and maybe if I had involved myself in more extra-curricular activities such as yourself, than maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament. But it is real unfortunatly. I am a good person who made a bed decision with the wrong person, and I am the one that has to pay for my indiscretion.
Again, I thank you.
I do not have Malice in my heart, (unlike the person that infected me if she knew she was POZ), so I would never lie about anything like this. You sound very intelligent, and maybe if I had involved myself in more extra-curricular activities such as yourself, than maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament. But it is real unfortunatly. I am a good person who made a bed decision with the wrong person, and I am the one that has to pay for my indiscretion.
Again, I thank you.
Hi,
You're right, expert opinions in the US tend to implode on each other sometimes. When something serious is at stake, like HIV, my philosophy is to weigh at least a few different sources and go with the most conservative but grounded option; for me, for instance, that's a 3-month guideline, even though some people feel OK about 6 weeks. My gut tells me Dr. Handsfield is right and 6 weeks is enough, but since the two other online sources I trust almost as much as Dr. H -- Dr. Bob and Dr. K -- both nix any talk of the 6 week timeframe, I just go with 12 weeks to be sure. Especially since I've never seen Dr. H tell a gay male -- the highest risk scenario -- to rely on a test 6 weeks after unprotected sex (oral or anal).
About thebody.com, have you taken a look at the date on the webpage you found with the 6-month time frame? I think that website tends not to retire old pages. I remember finding one page on thebody.com from a Dr. Sowadzky that advised 6 months, but then I realized it was posted in 1998. Check the dates on things. Definitely, in the last couple years, nobody on there has advised 6 months.
In their defense, it WAS 6 months for a long, long time, and I"m just getting used to 3 months as a timeline, so it took a lot for me to trust it. I remember vividly my first time getting tested in the Bronx in the summer of 1992. I had to wait 6 months from the time I was exposed to the time I called to make an appointment. I had to wait 5 weeks for an appointment. Then it took 5 weeks to get the results. The counselor told me they were only about 95% reliable and I might have to wait a year. Back then, if you got HIV you got AIDs quickly and most people with AIDs died. It was scary and in the Bronx it almost felt apocalyptic. Many black and Latino men like myself were bisexual but knew nothing about how to prevent infection, and had no way of getting info on it.
I don't want to sound bitchy, but when you think of that, waiting 3 months is a cake walk, especially now that HIV is a manageable disease and people can live 20 years with it.
About being from South Africa and constantly attracting suspicion, I understand your frustration. Remember that these online experts are thinking in large panoramic terms, like epidemiologists. They plug you into statistical models that make sense for global demographics but don't necessarily reflect you. Once in a while I get a little irritated by the fact that an expert will tell a straight guy, "don't worry, you'll never get it" even if he had unprotected vaginal sex; and then in the next breath, tell a gay or bisexual male, "oh my God, you got a blowjob from someone you met at a night club, get tested today, get tested 90 days from now, get tested forever!!!!!" But then I have to step back and remember, doctors who do that are, in their own way, trying to care about men who have sex with men, and there's a tenderness underneath it that they aren't showing to straight men -- maybe the straight guys should feel slighted, not me. Maybe the guys on thebody.com are favoring African forum members by showing them more attention. Just don't let yourself feel stigmatized and live in fear.
J
You're right, expert opinions in the US tend to implode on each other sometimes. When something serious is at stake, like HIV, my philosophy is to weigh at least a few different sources and go with the most conservative but grounded option; for me, for instance, that's a 3-month guideline, even though some people feel OK about 6 weeks. My gut tells me Dr. Handsfield is right and 6 weeks is enough, but since the two other online sources I trust almost as much as Dr. H -- Dr. Bob and Dr. K -- both nix any talk of the 6 week timeframe, I just go with 12 weeks to be sure. Especially since I've never seen Dr. H tell a gay male -- the highest risk scenario -- to rely on a test 6 weeks after unprotected sex (oral or anal).
About thebody.com, have you taken a look at the date on the webpage you found with the 6-month time frame? I think that website tends not to retire old pages. I remember finding one page on thebody.com from a Dr. Sowadzky that advised 6 months, but then I realized it was posted in 1998. Check the dates on things. Definitely, in the last couple years, nobody on there has advised 6 months.
In their defense, it WAS 6 months for a long, long time, and I"m just getting used to 3 months as a timeline, so it took a lot for me to trust it. I remember vividly my first time getting tested in the Bronx in the summer of 1992. I had to wait 6 months from the time I was exposed to the time I called to make an appointment. I had to wait 5 weeks for an appointment. Then it took 5 weeks to get the results. The counselor told me they were only about 95% reliable and I might have to wait a year. Back then, if you got HIV you got AIDs quickly and most people with AIDs died. It was scary and in the Bronx it almost felt apocalyptic. Many black and Latino men like myself were bisexual but knew nothing about how to prevent infection, and had no way of getting info on it.
I don't want to sound bitchy, but when you think of that, waiting 3 months is a cake walk, especially now that HIV is a manageable disease and people can live 20 years with it.
About being from South Africa and constantly attracting suspicion, I understand your frustration. Remember that these online experts are thinking in large panoramic terms, like epidemiologists. They plug you into statistical models that make sense for global demographics but don't necessarily reflect you. Once in a while I get a little irritated by the fact that an expert will tell a straight guy, "don't worry, you'll never get it" even if he had unprotected vaginal sex; and then in the next breath, tell a gay or bisexual male, "oh my God, you got a blowjob from someone you met at a night club, get tested today, get tested 90 days from now, get tested forever!!!!!" But then I have to step back and remember, doctors who do that are, in their own way, trying to care about men who have sex with men, and there's a tenderness underneath it that they aren't showing to straight men -- maybe the straight guys should feel slighted, not me. Maybe the guys on thebody.com are favoring African forum members by showing them more attention. Just don't let yourself feel stigmatized and live in fear.
J
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
