POZ Community Forums

HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: worriedguy997 on September 28, 2012, 08:56:23 am

Title: Should I stop worry?
Post by: worriedguy997 on September 28, 2012, 08:56:23 am

I am a male and had a protected vaginal intercourse with a sex worker. Condom looked intact after the intercourse. However, I have performed unprotected cunnilingus 2 times; not long and not really deep. Knowing that the risk of getting infected during cunnilingus is very low I have actually relaxed. However, 5 weeks later I got fever, swollen and sore glands under the corners of the jaw, very light throat pain and light pain in one of tonsils radiating into the ear, night sweats. I got really worked up. That time I was traveling in such places (Eastern Europe) where seeking a doctor advise was not possible. The symptoms more or less subsided after a week and I felt kind of OK (still swollen glands though). As soon as I got to the civilization I had myself tested and that was exactly 7 weeks and 5 days after the contact. No idea what generation the test was but it was not a fast test and it was done in a commercial lab in Belgium. The result was negative. My doctor told me that I can relax because after 7 -8 weeks the reliability of the test nears 100%. Still, he advised to repeat the test at 3 months after the contact for the peace of mind. This will be due in 2 weeks.
The problem, however, is that the symptoms came back (it is already 2.5 months after the contact), this time no fever but swollen and sore glands with itching all over the body and kind of rash in form of brown dots on my torso, arms and hands. I started to worry again. Now, the questions.

1)   Is this really so that the test is almost 100% reliable at 7-8 weeks after the contact?

2)   Should I still repeat the test at 3 month? I am very, very nervous that it might turn out positive.

3)   Could the symptoms that I have be related to the acute stage of HIV?

Title: Re: Should I stop worry?
Post by: jkinatl2 on September 28, 2012, 05:26:21 pm

Cunnilingus is considered to be safer sex, as you are most likely aware after reading this forum. Combined with your use of a condom for penetrative sex, there was absolutely no risk insofar as HIV is concerned.

Title: Re: Should I stop worry?
Post by: worriedguy997 on September 29, 2012, 06:49:26 am

Thank you very much for the reassuring reply! I think I can relax and go on with my life :)