POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Tabul Rasa on July 31, 2006, 05:51:11 pm
-
As many other (gozillion maybe ?!) readers of this forum I am worrying too much. I know that. However...this knowledge doest help to relief my anxiety at all !!!
To Whom Who Has Some Patience Left for this type of questions:
I had a "massage" at Asian massage parlor on May 10th... Protected oral...protected vaginal (15 seconds - I got embarrassed suddenly and stopped). Condom was intact - as far as I can tell - I took it off and left the establishment.
My concern is that when she put it on me she:
1) Had it already out of the packaging (I did not see her open the condom pack at all)
2) Probably (actually most definitely) had some of her vaginal secretions on her fingers that touched my penis.
Good Stuff: When I took the condom off she was scared because she thought that I was going to continue without it... I guess it was a good sign that she was not infected with HIV and was HIV aware (well as much as one can expect from a pro).
My anxiety began when I read online that swallen lymth noded are indicators of early HIV... (I had one neck lymph swallen PRIOR (I beleive) the encounter because of sudden cold weather in my city (was driving twith open windows).
I tested on the 5th week (OraSure swab) - negative
I tested on the 8th week (OraSure swab) - negative. The councelor at AIDS center looked at me and said: " What the hell are you doing here again? son ?". - Well... I dont know...I just cant sleep...Every single minute of my existance I calculate the odds of me being infected with HIV...Every single minute I am scared shitless that my beautiful wife is infected too. That I killed her and our future. I cant escape the feeling.
Being a medical student doesnt help me at all... So many conroversal opinions over reliability of 8 week test results...
www.medhelp.org - Dude !!! there is NO chance that you have HIV. No WAY !
CDC: get tested at 3 and 6 months from the exposure
www.thebody.com - get tested at 12th week from the exposure...and so on...
Where is the truth ? What is the statistics of people tested positive after 8 week negative ?
Guy I really expect EXPLAINED opinitions...with reasoning and such...
I you can, of course...
I am REALLY scared before my final 12th week test. R E A L L Y !
I palpated my neck and found 2 shotty lymth nodes on the back of it (one from May). I found 2 shotty lymph nodes in clavicular area...Never looked for stuff like this before so... not really sure...if it something new or old... But EVERY WHERE YOU go ANY website suggests HIV if you have palpatible lymth nodes on your neck... That fuels my anxiety...
Any opinions ? Advise ?
What are my chances ?
Thank you for reading all this.... A LOT !
-
Being a medical student you know that symptoms or lack of symptoms is no indicator of HIV infection. Keep your fingers off your nodes and they won't swell. You had a no risk situation and I wouldn't have tested to begin with. See your doctor and get his advice for your symptoms.
-
As i said...knowledge doesn't help me here at all...
Just imagining that everything that I worked on will be a waste and my dear will be sentenced to death because of me makes every hour of my life a nightmare.
-
Of course I learned my lesson. Of course I will stay away from situation like this in the future.
I am just trying to estimate the possible exposure that I had:
1) Unknown quality of the condom
2) Possible exposure to prostitutes vaginal fluids
3) Palpable lymph nodes on the neck and clavicle.
(Sorry for errors - English is not my native language)
-
knowledge doesn't help me here at all
And this is why aidsmeds.com can't help you either.
You know you had no risk, by our standards.
But believing that is entirely up to you. As is your anxiety.
-
Thank you for honest response !
Basically the only question I have left is: FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE (experience - not CDC statistics!), guys, how many people do you know or heard of that seroconverted later after 8 week neg test ?
this is my 11th week from encounter...and I really want to put the whole issue behind and move on.
-
How was the OraSure test, if you don't mind me asking?
How long did it take and were results immediately given? My college says I have to wait a full week before I can know whether I'm POS or NEG.
-
OraSure, correct.
Your friend is wrong - OraSure is a 20 minute test (worst 20 minutes of your life ;D)
it is very accurate (99.99) regarding false negative results, but is known for giving some false positives.
-
Follow up question:
If cervical secretions are the source of HIV if female is infected, and they are usually stay at cervix area, so why circumcised males have way less chance of getting infected ? ???
Are the odds the same (speaking of risks of infection) if vaginal fluids have contact with uncircumcised penis outside the female body ? Target cells are present as far as I understand.
Thank You !
-
Tabul,
You posted the above post in someone else's thread, I think by mistake. Please try to make sure you are posting in your own thread. It's easy to do if you have more than one window open.
The fact that circumcision MIGHT offer some protection against hiv transmission has nothing to do with the cervix. Nothing.
The inner foreskin has cells that are receptive to hiv. It's as simple as that. Take away the foreskin, and there are fewer of the correct type of cell that hiv needs to bump into in order to infect.
Being circumcised is no guarantee of not becoming infected, and having a foreskin does not automatically mean transmission will happen.
You must wear condoms whether you have a foreskin or not.
Ann
-
Understood...
That question was diffrent though:
If a women touched her genitals and then put the condom on for you...what are the odds that vaginal fluids from her fingers will infect the HIV receptible cell of foreskin ?
-
Tabul,
You, a medical student, are asking these questions? If you have read anything about hiv, you will know what a fragile virus it is and you should also be able to understand the science behind it. I suggest you read the Transmission Lesson again, or do a little reading here in this forum.
Ann
-
Will do ! ;D
Tks Anna !
-
Tabul
From a fellow student (biomedical sciences), chill the heck out! You had absolutley no risk, your head is playing games with you, it happens to the best of us sometime. Think logically about your situation - ie do your own risk assessment.
1) you had absolutley no risk for infection from what you describe. 2) 95% of people seroconvert by 8 weeks.
So multiply the two numbers to come up with your risk of being postive. 0 X 5% = ahhh yes that's 0....
My advice - get off the internet and hit the books - no offense man but your virology could use some work!
-
Thanks, man !
Appreciate the support !
And yes, my head is playing games with me, especially that I had never been in such situation before...and yeahh...palpable shotty nodes in the neck.
Never paid any attention until I read about it...knowledge is a dangerous power !
-
Blank Slate,
Leave your nodes alone. Prodding them makes them swell. Seek the assistance of a mental health professional regarding your fears about HIV.
MtD
-
Good perception ! (about the translation)
And yes - I will let it go.
Very soon.
The first time in my life I actually started thinking about consequences...
A lot to think about.