Oral Sex STD?

[Sparty1]

About 7 weeks ago, I performed unprotected cunnilingus on a massage/sex worker.   After 1 week from the incident, I started to feel sore and tender all around my neck particularily in the back of the neck and below the ear.  My doctor has confirmed w/ me twice now that they are not swollen.  I still feel the sore/neck glands after all this time.  I also had very dry hands for about two weeks and the skin would cut easily.  Different parts of the body occasionally feel sore but no type of pain.  I have a couple of areas of my body that have bruised easy.  The worst of the soreness is my heels which have turned red and I always feel them when I'm walking.

The only test I have taken is for Syphillis which turned out negative.  This was two weeks after the incident.  I have taken Azthromycin just in case I got Clamydia.  I do plan to take an HIV, Hep B & C test after 3 months from the incident.

What is the difference between having sore/tender glands to swollen ones in terms of STD?
What does it mean to have long periods of sore/tender glands?
Have you heard of anybody having an STD from long periods of sore heels?
What would you recommend in terms of additional tests?
Any this any chance I have HIV?


I know some of the other posts individuals have much worse conditions than me but I'm really concerned.  I have had anxiety from this but I'm convinced that my symptoms are not directly related to this.
  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your symptoms are not those of any known STD and do not suggest HIV, and performing cunnilingus is just about the safest sex there is, aside from mutual masturbation, and HIV is not known to be acquired that way.  Chlamydia was zero risk; it has never been known to be acquired by cunnilingus, and chlamydia rarely infects the mouth and throat anyway. Your doctor has reassured you, and the azithromycin would have cleared up any bacterial infection of significance.  Despite yourcallskepticism about anxiety as the cause, to me that sound by far the best bet. In any case, you can be sure you have no STD.

As far as 'sore heels', that is a potentially interesting symptom.  Some people with reactive arthritis (formerly called Reiter's syndrome) develop that symptom, and sometimes RA is triggered by chlamydia. However, it can be triggered by other infections, such as certain kinds of diarrhea. Anyway that symptom came on too soon; the back of your heels (where the achilles tendon meets the heel) would be very tender to touch; and the symptom generally is associated with arthritis involving other joints at the same time, as well as other symptoms that you don't describe.

Bottom line:  You clearly have no STD, and I doubt you have anything going on except anxiety-related symptoms.  But if you are uncertain, continue to follow up with your own health care provider(s).

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[Sparty1]

Dr HHH,

Thanks for your response.  I definitely have a greter comfort level now.  Can you please clarify as well the difference between having sore/tender neck glands versus swollen ones?  Can this mean an individual has some type infection?  Does sore/tender glands mean that it is not as severe as swollen ones?  I don't see many articles on this.  They seem to only mention swollen glands.