Should i be worried or expect good new!?!?!?

[dredeagle]

Hello, to start off i am a male in my early 20s who is circumcised and who has never had any serious health problems in my life.

3 1/2 weeks ago i had sex with a sex worker that i met in a bar in Bangkok Thailand.
We started off having protected oral and vaginal sex but the condom broke and i was in bare for about 5 to 6 minutes before i realized and pulled out then finished by my self and took a long shower. I had asked her before about her status and she said she only has sex on weekends and gets tested every month and that she came back neg on the last test. Any ways about 1 1/2 weeks later after i was masturbating my penis head began to tingle ever so slightly and i got slight testicular pain in my right nut. After this happened i looked up every thing on the internet and convinced my self i had HIV or and std and got really bad stomach pain. The tingle stopped the next day and the testicular pain came and went but it was a very slight pain but the stomach ache stayed. I called her at the 2 week mark and she told me that she had got tested the day before and was all clean and also told me i was the first one ever bare( i don't believe the only bare part) But any ways my stomach pain stayed so i went to the doctor at 20 day mark, the doctor told me my testicular pain was cause my heavy drinking that i did for my party week. I took a HIV and std test and as soon as i saw i was neg my stomach pain instantly went away and my apatite came right back and i also have begun laughing and being my normal self. The doctor told me i most likely had nothing because most people get the antibodies at 2 weeks or a little after that but that i should come back at 6 weeks and if i really want then 3 months. I would like to know from your professional opinion if i should be expecting good news or not? even if she was lying and had never been tested or even the off chance she had hiv?

PS when i had the sex i was so drunk so my erection was never full on and she wasn't very wet either, i don't know if that help or not 

[Andy Velez]

You did have a risk for  HIV with the broken condom, albeit a relatively low one. HIV is harder to transmit from female to male than the other way around. And it was a single, relatively brief incident with the broken condom. Plus the condom protected you until it broke.

Getting tested is a good idea. As your doctor mentioned, you can do it initially at 6 weeks. If you get the likely negative result then it is a good indication that you will continue to test negative for a conclusive result at 3 months.

A red flag in your comments is your having mixed excessive drinking with casual sex. That's a dangerous combination. You can have all the sex you want to. But do it more soberly and of course always using a condom for either vaginal or anal intercourse.

Good luck with your testing.

[dredeagle]

Thanks for getting back to me so soon, and i know it was a mistake that ill never do it again! When you say the drinking is not a good mixture are you saying that as it makes you make stupid decisions or that it help transfers Hiv better? And what about my 3 week neg test, is that also a good sign and do you think this is something i should worry about or i probably got away lucky with this one?

[dredeagle]

And also if I got a pcr test at 3  1/2 weeks could this be considered conclusive since it looks into the RNA for HIV it's self?

[Andy Velez]

No, a negative PCR at 3.5 weeks would not be conclusive. It was not designed to be a stand alone test for a conclusive result.

Your initial negative result is encouraging but again, not conclusive. The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. All but the smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will do so within 4-6 weeks after an exposure. So a negative at 6 weeks is a good sign that you will likely test negative again at 3 months for a conclusive result.

The reason heavy drinking mixed with casual sex is a bad idea is because it impairs your ability to make good choices in what you do and often prevents following safer sex practices.

[dredeagle]

Thank you very much, I feel as if most of my worry was just mental cause I felt so much better right after my 3 week test, I'm not scared of my test at 6 weeks cause I no that the odds are in my favor and if I got it off such a small chance then maybe it's gods plan for me. The last question I want to ask is that on average when is the latest the acue symptoms can appear?

[Andy Velez]

The important thing to note about symptoms is that often they don't appear or at least not in a particularly noticeable way. And even more importantly, symptoms are a very unreliable means of judging HIV status because the symptoms so often resemble those caused by other non-HIV problems.

Ultimately I expect you to come out of this ok.

[dredeagle]

I see a lot that Ann says she has never herd of the insertive partner contracting HIV from a condom break, am I considered a condom brake or just bare since I was in for about 5 min? And I'm really hoping your right that i come out of this one ok cause I to have a good feeling about it but odd chance I do get it, stuff happens, life goes on. Thanks for all your help

[Andy Velez]

When it comes to HIV risk, facts are much more important than feelings. And in your case that was a low level risk you had. And yes, I do still expect you to come out of this ok.

You do have the right idea about if on the odd chance you test positive, life will still go on. Because it will.

But nevertheless I am expecting you to test negative. Meantime while you are waiting to test you should make a real effort to focus on other things in your life. Doing that will make the waiting time to pass more easily than you may imagine is possible.

[dredeagle]

Ok thank you so much! I will go get tested in 2 weeks and then again in another 6 and in the mean time I'll try and stay off the Internet but I'll let u no my updated status.

[jkinatl2]

Staying off the internet is a healthy idea. In addition to the wealth of outdated, incomplete, or simply wrong information out there, there is really nothing you can find to replace a test at, say, the 25 day mark and again at the three month mark.

Symptoms of HIV are a wide-ranging as the human immune system (which is, well the entire spectrum). You will be best served to stay busy and take whatever comfort there is knowing that your risk was very low.

[Ann]

dred,

Don't waste time, money and resources by testing at two weeks. You only need to test at six weeks and then again at three months to confirm your negative result. And YES, I do fully expect you to test hiv negative.

Correctly used condoms rarely break. There are two main reasons for condom breakage.

One is not using enough lube. From what you've said (she wasn't very wet), I suspect this is what caused the break in your situation. You need to use plenty of water-based lube, even when having vaginal intercourse. Sometimes the lube a woman naturally produces isn't enough.

The second cause is having an air bubble in the tip of the condom. When putting a condom on, you need to pinch the tip with the finger and thumb of one hand, while rolling it down with the other hand.

Once it's on, give it a firm stroke from tip to base while watching the tip. If there's an air bubble, you'll see it. If there is a bubble, roll it back up and try again.

Once you're sure there is no air bubble, put plenty of water-based lube on and go for it.

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

[dredeagle]

Ann thank you very much for the advice it really does help and what you people are doing is such a great thing! When I said getting tested in 2 weeks that ment the 6 week point since I'm already about 4 weeks in, not 2 weeks after the inter course! And also of all the times to have it we had an doctor come in to my university and my health class and talk about all the stds HIV and many other things and offered free testing so I figured it couldn't hurt and took it! At the 25 day mark I am neg, but I will still be going in about 2 weeks and again at 12.

[dredeagle]

One more thing I would like to ask is that if you have symptoms and they are HIV that means You have the anti bodies already and will test positive? I don't have any I'm just curious and would really like to know?

[Ann]

dred,

The symptoms that sometimes accompany hiv seroconversion (not everyone gets symptoms) are not caused by the virus itself. They are caused by the process the body goes through while producing antibodies.

While creating antibodies, the body produces a chemical called interferon (amongst others) and interferon is what causes the flu-like illness. Your body produces interferon in reaction to other illnesses as well, which is one of the reasons hiv cannot be diagnosed going by symptoms alone.

A person whose symptoms are being caused by the process of hiv antibody creation will normally test positive or indeterminate within five days or so of the onset of the symptoms. Some people will take a little longer to produce enough antibodies to trigger a positive result.

Many people do not feel any symptoms at all of antibody creation/seroconversion, so feeling fine after a true risk is not a reason to assume you have not been infected. This is why I hate it when some sites put a lot of emphasis on hiv symptoms - people who have been at risk but never felt ill afterwards may be caused to think they're ok and do not need to test. This is one of the ways hiv infections go undiagnosed.

I still fully expect you to ultimately test conclusively hiv negative, but you do need to test to make certain. Your hiv status is never something to guess about.

Ann

[dredeagle]

Ok thank you, I was neg at the 3 1/2 week mark(25 days) but I have been getting these weird random white bumps that come after I eat something for the past couple of days and today I had sore muscles? I'm guessing food allergy and I was in A very long car ride but is it safe to say not HIV since I've read that if you are going to get symptoms you get them all at the same time correct?and I will be going to the clinic in 2 weeks with my friend!

[dredeagle]

I have also been getting minor head aches that really only come late at might and they last for about an hour, is this any thing related or is this generally not related to any acute HIV?

[Andy Velez]

Yes, if ARS symptoms are going to appear they come on all at once, not here and there or ceasing and then returning.

Unfortunately now you are busily misinterpreting everything that happens (or doesn't happen to you) through an HIV jitters mindset.

There is nothing even remotely suggestive of HIV in what you are reporting. Which is no surprise here since we continue you to ultimately test negative.

[dredeagle]

Ok even if my head aches and stiif neck did come at the same time this still doesnt concern you? and what about type E being way easier to pick up? testing in 2 days and no lymph nodes fever or anything else.

[Matty the Damned]

Ok even if my head aches and stiif neck did come at the same time this still doesnt concern you? and what about type E being way easier to pick up? testing in 2 days and no lymph nodes fever or anything else.

Type E is not "easier to pick up" -- no matter the type, clade or strain HIV is transmitted in the same way with the same degree of difficulty. Stop worrying about such things.

You have been told that symptoms are irrelevant. A headache and a stiff neck could be caused by almost anything. Sleeping in a funny position, dengue fever, bacterial meningitis but not by HIV. If you're feeling ill see a doctor.

Given that you tested negative at the 3.5 week mark I agree with my colleagues that you will almost certainly test negative at 12 weeks.

MtD

[dredeagle]

Neg antibody and antigen test at 6 weeks

[Matty the Damned]

Neg antibody and antigen test at 6 weeks

Then you're pretty much assured of a negative test result at 12 weeks.



MtD