Needles, piercings?

[Denzel]

I won't be a cliche and beat around the bush: I've done some self-piercing at home several times since before a few years ago. Usually more or less sterile sewing needles. I am not sexually active, and this has been the only possible contact with someone else's blood besides one time I had had my ear pierced at a salon (the pierced spot got infected afterwards).

Lately my immune system has been experiencing more downs than ups, which is odd, because I have rarely gotten sick.
Nausea is a common thing for me, so is pale skin.
I've had swollen lymph nodes in the groin area for years, but I haven't paid attention to it until now.
Around the time I started self-piercing and some usual self-cutting I also started losing weight. Of course that can also be explained by exercising and puberty.

I am planning to have an HIV test done next week just to be sure, but some solace would be good.

[Ann]

Denzel,

The only time you need to worry about hiv transmission from needles is if you share drug injecting equipment where the needles are hollow-bore and the blood is on the INSIDE of the needle.

Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus that is primarily transmitted INSIDE the human body, as in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse where the virus never leave the confines of the two bodies.

Once outside the body, small changes in temperature, and pH and moisture levels all quickly damage the virus and render it unable to infect. For this reason, sewing needles cannot transmit hiv.

However, if you've been sharing these needles with other people, you have put yourself at risk for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. These are also viruses, but they CAN survive outside the body, unlike hiv. If you have been sharing these piercing needles, you'd be wise to test for hep B and C. 

For future reference, here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

Once you are sexually active, you should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently (and don't share drug injecting equipment), and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[Denzel]

Thanks. I will cross HIV out of my possible complications list.