POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Drunken_Scot on September 16, 2006, 10:09:14 am
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Hi there. The other day I was getting a train home with a friend in London late at night, and we were pretty drunk and started fighting. I received a cut to my cheek and several on my lips. My friend then picked up a bagel that had been left by someone else - I'm not sure how long it had been lying there, possibly a few minutes at least. He then rubbed it in my face for about ten seconds. Note that this was after I had received cuts that were still bleeding. My question is what if, for some reason, there had been some HIV-infected blood or saliva on the bagel? Would saliva DEFINITELY not be a risk under any circumstances, and would there need to have been a substantial amount of blood (I didn't see any but I can't be sure) for there to have been any risk whatsoever? I am only concerned because there seems to be some discrepancy about how long HIV can survive outside the body.
I wouldn't normally have given this a second thought, but I am pretty edgy after a more common scare, and recently tested negative 8 weeks after about 30 seconds of protected sex with a prostitute in Prague. My secondary question is whether I can consider that result completely conclusive? I have refused to have unprotected sex with my girlfriend since that episode of stupidity and am wondering whether I can consider it safe to resume doing so - or whether I should wait till the three-month period is up and then retest.
Many thanks in advance - just seeking some reassurance and informed opinion after a very difficult time and with a lot of disinformation out there. Best wishes.
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Do the smart thing and get off of the very slippery slope of "what ifs" right now. No matter what your mind may continue to come up with, there's absolutely no basis in HIV science for your present concerns. Zero. Zip. Nada. Got it?
If you haven't already done so and even if you have, read the lesson on transmission of HIV on this site. There's a link to it in the first thread in this section. You will get all of the basics for protecting your health from HIV infection there.
I don't see any cause for concern nor for testing relation to this incident you are concerned about. No kidding.
Get on with your life and avoid drinking excessively. It never brings good to anyone concerned.
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Many thanks for your quick response. You must get pretty fed up with paranoid hypochondriacs on these forums.
However, I am still concerned about the incident 8 weeks ago, purely because the nurse I spoke to at my local GUM clinic said although the risk was low I should use condoms with my girlfriend until testing negative at 3 months, and that any test before that time would be inconclusive. In fact, she refused to test me for HIV and syphilis so I had it done privately, and the private nurse said I should consider it conclusive and there was no need to retest. Who is right, in your opinion?
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You do not get HIV from food. You didn't have a risk and you didn't need to test.
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Perhaps I haven't made myself clear - I haven't tested over this food incident. I tested 8 weeks after having protected sex with a sex worker - the private nurse told me I should consider this entirely conclusive, but the NHS nurse said there was low but NOT zero risk so I should wait the full three months and THEN test, and that any test before that - i.e. at 8 weeks - would not be considered conclusive. With whom do you agree? I also had a negative syphilis test at 8 weeks, as I am aware that syphilis is very common amongst eastern European prostitutes. Can I consider this test conclusive or not? Sorry if I'm asking daft questions, but the advice I've been given is conflicting.
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Scot,
You don't need to test for hiv after every protected incident of intercourse. Condoms have been proven to prevent hiv transmission. You don't need further testing over this incident.
Syphilis shares a three month window period with hiv. Saying that, I don't think you really need to worry about syph either. Although condoms don't always protect against syph (because unlike hiv, syph only requires coming into skin to skin contact with a lesion) you would likely have tested positive at eight weeks for syph if you did indeed become infected with it. Test again for syph only if you're really worried about it.
Here's some general info for you:
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 STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
Although you don't need to test again for hiv over this specific sex worker incident, 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 - please consider your latest check up as the beginning of a life-long habit. 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.
Ann
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Thanks for the reply. Out of interest, would such a lesion be clearly visible? Assume I had a good look and saw nothing - should I therefore conclude no lesion was present and that, since I have had no symptoms, a negative test at 8 weeks should be the end of my syphilis concerns?
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Scot,
As I've never come face to face with a syphilitic lesion myself, I'm not sure if one would necessarily be obvious. I suppose one could be hidden in a fold of skin.
The three month syphilis window is, like with hiv, used to determine a conclusive negative. However, also like hiv, if a person has actually been infected with syph, they're likely to test positive long before the end of that window period. For myself, considering there were no syphilis symptoms, I don't think I'd bother testing for syph again where this incident is concerned. You have to make your own mind up as to what you feel comfortable with.
Ann
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A while ago I had brief protected sex with a sex worker. What's worrying me is that I kissed her (only for a few seconds) and I may have had blood in my mouth because my wisdom tooth had come through earlier that day - there was definitely blood when it came through and there may still have been some sort of cavity or route into my bloodstream. I don't know if there was any blood in her mouth - would there be a risk of transmission if there was? Or would there be just from her saliva? I had a negative test 8 weeks after that, but I'm just looking for some reassurance on that point. I'd hugely appreciate an answer that explained in a bit more detail than "there was no risk" why there was no risk (if that was the case). Many thanks.
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Scot,
Testing was unnecessary in relation to this inciden't. Kissing is NOT a risk for HIV transmission, even taking into consideration the possibility of blood in your mouth or your partner's.
Even IF, (and that's a big if), your saliva has an inhiibotry element which neutralizes HIV.
There's no cause for concern nore for further testing.
Please read the lesson on Transmission on this site. There's a link to it in the Welcome thread which opens this section.
This is NOT an HIV situation.
Cheers,
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Andy, many thanks for your authoritative and reassuring answer. Much appreciated.
Keep up the good work on behalf of all of us hypochondriacs!