POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Nitebe on September 04, 2006, 06:55:14 pm
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Hi
I am 33 yrs old. i was recently involved in a high risk sex activity with a girl, but soon enough, i realized what i was doing was wrong and stopped. i immediately went the bathroom and washed myself of with a virucide solution. 3 days later i felt sore throat, a week later muscle ache. then i have had diarrhea/constipation off and on. i had lost like 5 pounds in the past 2 months. now i have digestive problems and loss of appetite.
Is this signs of ARS? does these symptoms come all at once or one by one.
I am so scared,... somebody please help.
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I don't know what you mean by "high risk." If it was anything other than unprotected intercourse then it wasn't high risk.
If you had unprotected intercourse then you need to get tested at 13 weeks past the most recent risky incident.
HIV is not an easy virus to transmit. It is much harder to accomplish from female to male. The likelihood of transmission during a single incident leave the odds very much in your favor against it occuring.
As for your symptoms there is nothing in anyway specifically suggestive of HIV in what you have described. You should be discussing them with your doctor.
Please clarify if I have missed something.
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thanks for replying....
yes it is unprotected sex. the girl looks healthy and big. in reference to what I've read online, is she not suppose to loss at lease some weight if she is infected?
my wife has now started losing weight (about 10 pounds) she is complaining of feeling weak and diarrhea. I don't feel that i have enlarge nymph nodes but i feel neck pain.
I was at the doctors office last month, and complained my about my problems. He said i look asymptomatic and the i may have only psychological problem.
right now i don't know what kind of doctor to go for help. how safe is it to choose a doctor in my community?
I am really scared of losing my only job.
I feel so irresponsible.
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How safe is it to choose a doctor in your community? About as safe as in any other community. Your records are safe from disclosure by the HIPPA ACT. As you have been advised by Andy you'll need to test at your 13 week mark.
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OK, you're mixing a whole bunch of things together here which is probably a reflection of how you're feeling these days.
If you had unprotected intercourse then you need to get tested at 13 weeks after most recent such incident.
You can never judge by someone's appearance as to what their HIV status is. Nor by any symptoms you have or don't have. The ONLY way to know your HIV status is by having a test at the appropriate time.
My impression is that you have guilt feelings about the incident and they are being reflected in (mis)interpreting some physical stuff your wife is experiencing as a sign that you have infected your wife with a virus I think it is highly unlikely you have. I say highly unlikely because HIV is not an easy virus to transmit. It is even more difficult to transmit from female to male. So the likelihood that you got it in a single and very brief incident is in my opinion very unlikely.
As to what kind of doctor for you to see....well, the most important thing is for you to have a standard HIV test at the appropriate time.
You have to decide if you want to follow up on the suggestion of your doctor about seeing a therapist or like professional for some support with the emotional aspects of this situation.
There are many professional organizations you can consult for a referral. I'm not sure what else you are looking for. I do expect when you test for HIV that you will get a negative result.
If your wife has persistent physical symptoms that are troubling her she should also see her own doctor to get a diagnosis. I don't see any reason to believe they are HIV-related. Certainly her symptoms are not in anyway HIV specific.
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thank you all for replying, i really appreciate it.
i have another question..
i know only testing can accurately confirm if i am infected, but i am just curious about the symptoms.
me and my wife had been having nusea, lack of appetite and sometimes diarrhea lately and we've both lost alot of weight and regained some.
is this typical symtoms of HIV exposure?
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Nite,
Symptoms or the lack of symptoms mean nothing when it comes to hiv infection. We don't discuss symptoms here for that reason. None of the symptoms you're reporting are specific - they could all be caused by anything.
How many weeks has it been since your incident? Test 12-13 weeks after - the odds are very much in your favour of testing negative.
Ann
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thanks Ann, its been about 8 weeks. i am gonna get tested and my wife too.
i am just scared because non of this sysmptom has never happened to me before atleast this for this long and on/off.