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Author Topic: Am I infected?  (Read 3523 times)

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Offline JohnnyR

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Am I infected?
« on: June 04, 2013, 08:40:34 pm »
Hello All

I just want to share this experience as it will help me clear my mind a bit.
3 weeks ago, I went into a gay club and got half drunk, this is something I would normally not do, but the club was more grungy, meaning that there were darker places were people could perform sexual activities.

I have received oral sex from a guy, and while doing that, I inserted my penis in another man's ass for 10-20 seconds, and quickly realized this was so stupid.
At the end I ejaculated after the first gay was sucking and massaging my dick.
After this I put my pants on, and I was idiot enough later on to receive an oral sex from a third guy, though it was a short act.

The morning after, on Saturday, realized I have a small tear on my penis head.
It is gone now, but in that moment I realized I need to take PEP.
I started the treatment on Monday, that means 2 days after that Friday night around 2-3 am when I had my sexual encounters.

Now the only concern is, how effective PEP will be after this time, and how serious my exposure was? Since I don't know the person's HIV status.
I know this is not something new, but I would appreciate an honest help from you guys.

Thank you and respectfully!

Offline Jeff G

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Re: Am I infected?
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2013, 08:59:38 pm »
Hi Johnny , dipping or inserting for a brief period is low risk but that doesn't equal no risk . Getting your dick sucked isn't a risk because saliva isn't infections for HIV , in fact it has property's that inhibit and damage HIV rendering it unable to infect .

I personally haven't seen a case where the top tested positive for HIV after a brief dipping episode so I think PEP is overkill for the situation . PEP is very effective if taken within 72 hours after an exposure , so you were well within that time frame . I would expect a negative result from a dipping episode like the one you had and doubly so since you are on PEP .

You will have to wait and test 6 weeks post PEP to test and again at 3 months to confirm the results .   
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline JohnnyR

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Re: Am I infected?
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2013, 09:23:55 pm »
Dear Jeff

I appreciate your kind and prompt reply.
I am on my 16th day of PEP, had some side effects but nothing to serious so far, to stop me from working.
I am a 25 years old bisexual, had only 2 stable partners, one girl for 6 years, and one Asian guy for one year almost.
The sexual night has happen only once in my life. I am usually top, tried bottom only once, but not feeling comfortable with it, so far. I guess is part of my change and self discovery as a bisexual young man.

The combination of PEP for me is right now the following: ZIDOVUDINE (taken every 12 hours), VIREAD and LAMIVUDINE.
I had never skipped any pills, and always put the alarm to make sure I will take that 2ice a day and the other ones once a day, usually during breakfast.
I am trying to be optimistic and follow the treatment in an organized manner.

Thank you again and all the best to all of you! :)





Offline Ann

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Re: Am I infected?
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2013, 06:54:48 am »
Johnny,

I agree with Jeff that in your case, PEP is overkill but as you're more than half-way through it, you may as well carry on with it. I would have expected you to test negative in this situation, PEP or no PEP.

If you're interested in reading about the meds you're taking, you can find info pages here.

I'd like to stress what Jeff already told you - taking PEP increases your window period by the same time-period you take the meds. You can test at six weeks post-PEP, and again at three months post-PEP. Keep in mind that a six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point.

Your only risk was the dipping, and hiv is MUCH more difficult to transmit from a bottom to a top. True, it's not NO risk, but it is LOW risk. Please don't take this low risk assessment as a get-out-of-hiv-free card in future. Dipping can all too easily lead to full on intercourse in the heat of the moment and that's where the main danger lies.

I hope you're using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse in any/all of your relationships. It's not just gay men who may become hiv positive and I'm living proof of that.

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. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

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

Ann
« Last Edit: June 05, 2013, 06:57:00 am by Ann »
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline JohnnyR

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Re: Am I infected?
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2013, 01:39:18 pm »
Dear Ann

You are extremely nice and I value all your detailed feedback.
I am grateful for your honest and detailed answer. Will check all the links, regarding medication info and sexual protection related info.
 
Since I never experienced a night like that, I was scared and wise enough I guess, to read about PEP. So far, as mentioned in my 17th day, the side effects are minimal, and I really hope they will stay like this till the end.
I guess maybe is because of my system, I don't drink or smoke, and try and leave healthy. I assume that PEP may have been smooth so far because of that also.

Will wait till the end, and to follow-ups, and back again after 6 weeks and 3 months. I am really scared right now, and I will read in a depth view about all of these to avoid in the future.

Thank you again for the details, and I wish you all the best!

Respectfully,
JR

Offline Ann

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Re: Am I infected?
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2013, 07:52:26 am »
JR,

You have no need to be "really scared". Given your very low risk and taking (pretty much unnecessary) PEP, testing negative is as close to a foregone conclusion as you can get.

Regarding side-effects, they often have little or nothing to do with your life-style. I've known people who were health nuts before they ever took hiv meds and experienced loads of side-effects, and I've known people who drank, smoked and took recreational drugs and experienced none. And everything in between as well. It's often just the luck of the draw, so to speak, regarding your own body chemistry and how it reacts to the meds.

As you've gone over two weeks with no side-effects, you're unlikely to develop any in the short time you have left on them. So calm down, relax, and get on with your life.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


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