HIV Symptoms Horribly scared please help

[emt85]

Dear Dr. I posted a question recently on this forum where you said i was low risk for HIV but I believe you may have misread. I had a condom break during vaginal sex with an unknown woman. Since then i have tested negative for everything except herpes and HIV

My symptoms are as follows
Confirmed (by a MD) swollen lymph nodes in the neck and groin
Approx 3 weeks after the event i had a sinus infection that took a while to clear even on antibiotics
About 3 days ago I went to the Dr. due to the lymph nodes. He said i had slight weezes and an upper respitory infection. put me on zithromax
I have had pain in the tip of my penis since the event that comes and goes.

My questions are
is having a condom break during vaginal sex really low risk?

I know you are overwhelmed by lymph node questions but I just cant ignore the fact that at 6 weeks after the event now i have a swollen lymph nodes. I have gone to 3 different places looking for testing and none of them will offer it until 3 months. I am extremely nervous to the point that it is starting to disrupt my life. how at risk am i really for an infection?

also planned parenthood told me that HIV/Aids does not show symptoms for up to 10 years. from what i have read online this just does not seem true at all.  
please answer my questions thank you

[emt85]

thanks for the kind words, I hope you are correct. I have not had a 6 week test and cannot find anyone to give me one. 3 months is the best I can do

[ryn21]

Symptoms mean nothing.  Tests are the only indicator of an infection or lack there of.  Sinus infections are not a sign of HIV by the way.  This is cold and flu season, and I dont believe your symptoms suggest HIV.  Swollen lymph nodes are caused by so many other things, other than HIV.  To my understanding, HIV causes generalized swelling of nodes throughout the body (swelling to large size about the size of a walnut).  But again, swelling is caused by many other things, more common than HIV.  I really dont think you have anything to worry about, but im not a doctor so wait for HHH's response.  I will however say that the people at planned parenthood are wrong, or you misunderstood what they had stated.  In persons who are infected with HIV who dont know they are infected, HIV can become AIDS within about a 10 year period.  In US and most other countries around the globe, HIV tests are on the cutting edge of technology and almost 100% of persons will have a reliable test at 6 weeks, around 99%.  The only acception to this is people who have immunocompromised systems (IE. persons recieving chemo treatment, iv drug users, organ transplant recievers).  If you have had a test at 6 weeks, its reliable and you should put the worrying to rest.  If you havent, get one to put your anxiety to rest.  Its been 6 weeks so you can surely rely on an HIV test result at this point.  To add, symptoms of initial HIV infection, ARS, usually take place between 10-14 days after an encounter.  Put it this way, even if she did have HIV, the chances of transmission are 1 in 1000.  The odds are highly in your favor.  

Herpes Simplex Virus testing is somewhat reliable at 6 weeks, (maybe around 90%+, could be wrong).  Herpes usually takes 12 weeks for a 100% reliable result.  With the absence of lesions or sores, you really have nothing to worry about.  Symptoms of herpes usually occurs around 10 days past an exposure(ie lesions, sores).

You can rely on your tests at this point, so get tested.  I really dont think you have anything to worry about.  Quit trying to associate symptoms which probably have nothing to do with an STD with the thoughts that you have an std.  Tests are the determining factor.  Wait for the Docs response for clarification.  Good luck to you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I empathize with you, and I don't understand docs who won't test you before 3 months; you clearly have not seen providers who are very knowledgeable about HIV and its diagnosis.  The persons you spoke with at Planned Parenthood either didn't understand your question or is confused about the difference between overt AIDS and lab test results.  AIDS itself indeed can be delayed until 10 years or even 20 years after infection; but the blood test always is positive within 6 weeks.   (Few health care providers at most family planning clinics have ever provided ongoing health care to people with HIV, and few have even had a patient with a positive HIV test.)  Try your local health department STD clinic.

But in the meantime, it is very unlikely you have HIV.  Many conditions other than HIV cause enlarged lymph nodes; most are not serious.

I didn't misread anything about your risks.  Vaginal sex is pretty low risk, even without a condom, even if the woman is HIV infected, which she probably wasn't.  "Low risk" is relative, of course; vaginal sex is much higher risk than kissing or oral sex, for example.  But it's still true that even if she had HIV, the chance you got infected was on the order of 1 in 1000.

Good luck---  HHH, MD