Haven't been feeling well since encounter...

[Greyghost]

Here's my situation....
late 20's straight male, ended up with a street prostitute(most likely hiv poz, most are injection drug users here). Anyways, received unprotected oral sex, then tried to have vaginal sex but from what I remember it didn't work to well and I'm pretty sure I didn't penetrate, but can't remember for the life of me if I had a condom on...hope I did. So we went back to oral and when it was over she told me I had made her mouth bleed. Not good, but from what I've read that isn't a hiv risk.

So this all happened 3 months ago now, my urethra was hurting and burning for the next few weeks, so I was hoping it was just chlamydia or gonorrhea and not hiv. Then my stomach started turning all the time, 24/7 and making really loud noises. Now I'm starting to burp and regurgitate kinda, with lots of gurgling in my throat too. Also I have dark circles under and around my eyes that have a little bit of a burning sensation. So to sum it up I look and sound like a wreck. I also just recently developed two rashes on the back of one of my hands, that happened around 9 or 10 weeks after, and I've had them for almost 3 weeks.

I went and got tested at a local clinic exactly 6 weeks to the day after this occurred, and to my surprise there were no results. Now the burning in my urethra is long gone, but the stomach, throat and eye problem is still ongoing and it's stressing me out. I have no idea what's wrong, the symptoms just aren't going away.

I went to my doctor and he gave me some tecta for my stomach but that didn't make a bit of a difference. So, what are your opinions? Have you ever heard of these symptoms for hiv? I'm obviously really hoping I don't have it, I have thought maybe I got a stomach parasite. There were alot of mosquito's biting me when this all happened.

I'll go for my 3 month test soon, just have to wait for the hours to line up with my schedule, but I'm really nervous of the results. Hope to hear from someone soon. And by the way this is a great website with lots of info, I've been reading quite a lot here

[Andy Velez]

Since you aren't sure whether or not you had intercourse and/or whether a condom was used, getting tested is a very good idea. That's the only way to know for sure about your HIV status.

There is certainly nothing HIV specific about any of your "symptoms." I can't help wondering if the reason you can't remember more clearly is that you were drunk. If that is so, that's a very big red flag. Mixing excessive drinking with casual sex is a dangerous combination. You can have intercourse with anyone you want to. But you need to do it the safer way. That means always using a condom for vaginal and anal intercourse. Those are the only two confirmed risks for the sexual transmission of HIV.

Other STDs are much easier to acquire than HIV. So we recommend that anyone who is sexually active ought to at least annually have a full STD panel done.

[Greyghost]

Thanks for the quick reply Andy,

You're right, I was quite drunk when this happened, hence I can't remember the whole episode, but I remember most and I'm pretty sure I didn't penetrate at all when I tried to...you know. I did get tested at six weeks and nothing showed up, so that's a good sign. I'm just worried about my health cause something is wrong, and none of this started untill after this incident.

So I'll just go to the clinic again and the doctor and see if I can get some help. I just hate having to wait for 2 weeks, it's an awful feeling. I'll keep you posted, hopefully it won't be bad news!

[Andy Velez]

A negative at 6 weeks on an HIV test is a very strong indication that you will continue to test negative at 3 months.

You should be discussing your symptoms with a doctor. At this point I don't see this as an HIV situation.

[Ann]

Grey,

The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point.

I do not expect your six week negative to change.

If you feel unwell, see a doctor. It's not likely at all to have anything to do with hiv.

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.

Anyone who is sexually active 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.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[Greyghost]

So I've been to the doctor and we did some blood tests, not for HIV but for some other stuff, and he phoned me today saying that my liver test came out a little high. He said it could be hepatitis....ugh. I haven't had another HIV blood test since the one at 6 weeks, I might be able to do one tomorrow night.

My symptoms are all the same as I described above but now I seem to be getting heartburn all the time. Any thoughts? I read one forum member saying he was diagnosed with GERD(heartburn) and then they found out he had HIV. I'm just so worried and scared to find out what's really wrong, hopefully whatever it is I'll be able to handle it emotionally.

[Andy Velez]

Keep working with your doctor to find out the real cause of your symptoms. Like Ann I don't expect your previous negative result to change when you test for a conclusive result at 3 months.