POZ Community Forums

HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: pleasehelp on March 15, 2007, 05:59:19 pm

Title: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 15, 2007, 05:59:19 pm
Hello all,

First off, thank you for taking the time to read this.  My risk is as follows:

1. unprotected oral sex (me giving to a man) without ejaculation but precum
2. what you call "frottage" up and down the inner of my vagina (did not insert though but what about precum and any "cuts")

What is my risk?  I am frightened beyond belief and approx. 3 weeks post exposure I had a soar throat, fever...was this ars?

Thank you kindly.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Bucko on March 15, 2007, 06:06:49 pm
Pleasehelp-

The science is on your side regarding oral sex. In a study of long-term poz/neg relationships where condoms were used for anal activity but not oral, none of the neg participants seroconverted. And this study went on for years.

Frottage is not a risk, no matter how it's spun.

Use condoms for vaginal and/or anal sex, and don't forget the water-soluable lube.

Brent
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 15, 2007, 06:12:53 pm
Thanks for responding Bucko,

See, This happened quite some time ago and I know I can go get tested but I am so so so incredibly scared.  Ever since this incident, I have had many colds, soar throats, swollen lymphnodes, yeast infections (sorry!) and now I have some gastro problems.  I am convinced I have been infected and these are symptoms of HIV and well, just chicken shit to go get tested.  Although I will, I just wanted the facts.  So, oral carries a low risk and frottage is no risk?  What circumstances make oral low and not no risk? 

Thanks again.

 :'(
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Bucko on March 15, 2007, 06:20:05 pm
Saliva contains enzimes that inhibit viral reproduction. It's a marvelous piece of nature's technology to prevent bad things from making their way into your body  ;D

If you have ever had unprotected vag/anal sex, I'd suggest you get tested as a baseline. But we are still in cough/cold season and everyone, poz or neg, can get sick with the sniffles.

Brent
(Who says you're welcome)
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 15, 2007, 06:26:43 pm
Thanks again.

I have been tested for HIV before this incident and was negative.  This happened about a year ago so this is the only incident I am really frightened about (only b/c of all these symptoms!)  Do symptoms of HIV come on this quickly?  I read somewhere it could take years before symptoms occur.  Anyhow, I hope it's just the anxiety of it all, guess I'll have to wait and see.

What if the viral load was high (in the guy) at the time? WE were drinking..my mouth may have been dry and my gums aren't the best, my mind is going wild.....  has anybody been infected via frottage?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Bucko on March 15, 2007, 06:38:47 pm
Frottage remains worry-free.

"Symptoms" mean nothing with HIV, only a test can confirm or deny an infection. But if you've not had any unprotected vag/anal sex since your last test, then you're still neg (unless you're shooting up and sharing works...not clever).

It seems to me (but who am I?) that Pleasehelp might be feeling the slightest guilt and regret over this encounter. Relax, it's just sex, and you did everything right. So quit beating yourself up over a booze-fueled one-nighter and move on.

Brent
(Who cares)
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 16, 2007, 12:42:57 am
so, am I being irrational?  Has anybody seroconverted from giving oral to a man?  and are these symptoms HIV related this soon after a potential risk? 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on March 16, 2007, 10:01:48 am
Giving a blowjob is a theoretical risk ONLY.  There has been several studies which tend to prove that it does NOT happen in real life.  Listen to bucko, symptoms mean nothing.  And ARS usually comes on 2-4 weeks post exposure and only last for about a week at most.  They are not prolonged as you have indicated yours are.

I personally would not test over giving a blowjob.  It is a non risk.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 16, 2007, 10:54:56 am
There are varying opinions about the risk related to giving blowjobs. Considering how common a sexual act it is, if it was really a risk we would have known long before this. On the other hand there has been some anecdotal evidence when people have insisted that giving a blowjob was their only risk. And particularly when ejaculation took place orally. IF transmission occurs in this way it is very, very rare and factors such as very bad oral health and inaccurate reporting maybe involved.

However, there is much more documented evidence that it is not a risk, in particular from longterm studies of sero-discordant couples who had lots of unprotected oral sex and only protected anal/vaginal sex. The results were that not a single sero-negative partner became infected.

So it comes down finally to what level of risk you are comfortable with. In general we do recommend that anyone who's sexually active get a full STD panel done at least annually and every six months is even better.

Cheers,
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 16, 2007, 11:48:24 am
Thank you for your replies experts,

I am just very frightened particularly because of all these different symptoms that I never had before.  Just worried that they were symptoms of HIV.  Also, when does the body start producing detectable antibodies for testing?  I'm confused about the timeline.  I called my local Public Health unit and the nurse said 4 weeks past exposure it is 95% accurate but 3 months is 100%
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 16, 2007, 11:54:18 am
OK. Now read this carefully: Neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms is ever the way to accurately know your HIV status. The symptoms which worriers get upset about are ones which are not in any way HIV specific and yours are no different.

I suspect reassurances are not going to work with you. So go ahead and get tested if you must and collect what I expect will be the inevitable negative result. We recommend testing at 6 weeks since at that point all but the very smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will have done so.

As for your symptoms, I suggest you discuss them with your doctor. This is NOT an HIV situation.

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 16, 2007, 03:14:51 pm
so HIV transmission does not occur on the outside of the vagina?  even the inner part (without inserting) What if there was precum and a nick or something and some pre ejaculate got into a cut?  How does that not equal potential transmission?  Sorry to be a pain but I am very scared.  Thank you for your time everybody.. :'( :'(
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: RapidRod on March 16, 2007, 09:34:53 pm
Unless you had a laceration, then you were never at risk. You don't get HIV from nicks, scrapes, scratches or abrasions.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 16, 2007, 10:30:43 pm
The kind of rubbing or frottage which you have described is NOT a risk for transmission.

Please read our lesson  transmission. The link to is in the Welcome thread. It covers the basics. You are worrying needlessly. Really.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 18, 2007, 06:43:33 pm
After reading some posts and replies from experts, I was wondering about transmission via oral sex.  Are the cells that HIV can infect present at the back of the throat or all over the mouth? (more likely from deep throating?) And does  exposure to air kill the virus immidiately? How long does it take for the virus to infect? What kind of recent studies have been done for this potential route? I ask because my exposure was only for a few moments (but a LOT of precum)  and I have been feeling very ill for a while (over the past year...I know, get on with it and test! )  Also, I have two swollen lymphnodes in my neck; would they only be found in my neck or other areas of the body as well?

Thank you in advance everybody. 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 18, 2007, 07:09:29 pm
also, i forgot to mention that at the time I was on a no carb, no sugar diet.  Would this alter the state of my saliva which would make me more prone to infection?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 18, 2007, 07:54:19 pm
Your mind is working way overtime on what if scenarios and getting into totally unrelated matters like your diet and would THAT affect your saliva adversely in terms of  protecting you against transmission. No, it won't affect the way saliva protects you is the answer to that one. 

Discuss any ongoing symptoms you may have with your doctor. They are not in anyway HIV specific. As you've already been told, and I will say it just one time again, neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms is ever the way to know about your HIV status when there has been a real risk.

You've convinced me that you need to get tested. Not because you were really at risk, but simply because you're driving yourself crazy with all kinds of what ifs. I hope the inevitable negative test result will allow you to call it quits with this stuff. In the meantime before testing you need to get productively busy with other things in your life. You'll be amazed how waiting time can pass more comfortably if you do that. Really.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 20, 2007, 09:38:41 pm
I was just diagnosed with ulcerative colitis..OMG!  Does HIV infection cause this? 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 20, 2007, 10:15:36 pm
sorry to be a pain but I am so incredibly scared right now.  I read that ulcerative colitis is a immune system thing and I was wondering if you could tell me if possibly be infected a year ago would lead to this?  I feel so sick!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: milker on March 20, 2007, 10:32:43 pm
Hello,

what triggered that endoscopy in the first place? There is nothing in your posts that says you had any unprotected anal intercourse. "An immune thing" is not a medical diagnosis.

Milker.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 21, 2007, 09:13:15 am
Ulcerative colitis is absolutely NOT an HIV-specific occurence. It can happen with anyone whether HIV+ or not.

You STILL  weren't at risk for HIV in the frottage incident.

Good luck with getting your colitis treated successfully.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 21, 2007, 10:30:11 am
Thanks Andy.

I know I wasn't at risk with the frottage but I was with giving oral to a man.  So colitis is not an HIV symptom (possibly after 1 year of infection) And with testing...does it affect the time frame because my immune system is down? or would I still test + (if I were) after 6 weeks of exposure? 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 21, 2007, 10:35:04 am
Your having colitis would not affect the accuracy of your HIV test.

When we speak of a compromised immune system it is so obvious a condition there is no question about it because you'd be in a state of virtual or actual collapse. Which is very different from it being "down."
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 21, 2007, 01:31:56 pm
okay, understood.  Sorry to be a pain, my mind won't shut up and I am panicking!  Just to answer my question re: symptoms... do they come on this soon after infection?  Would my recent diagnosis with colitis send a red flag off? I am really scared to get the test done and I am so sure that my oral episode has resulted in HIV infection because colitis has to do with the immune system as well, isn't that the first place (gut) that shows symptoms with HIV?  ohhhhh goooddddnneeesss!  I'm am so so so so so scared!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on March 21, 2007, 01:58:16 pm
To answers your questions directly as possible:

1.  Symptoms are not a way to diagnose HIV.  Symptoms of HIV occure 2-4 weeks after exposure and continue for approximately a week IF THEY HAPPEN AT ALL.  They then disappear all at once.  They do not last for almost a year such as yours.

2.  Your recent diagnosis does NOT set off a red flag in relation to HIV.  Not it any way shape or form. 

3.  The gut is not the first place that shows symptoms of HIV.  HIV is different in every individual and reacts differently in everyone which is why symptoms mean nothing. 

See your doctor if you have concerns about symptoms.  Test if you need to test to ease your mind.  We can't help you any more on here.

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 21, 2007, 02:07:01 pm
Thank you all experts, I really do appreciate your replies.  I did take a test (with a routine pap incl. HIV) 4 weeks and 6 days after the exposure.  I called my doctors office to confirm that they did do an HIV test and they did but it was only 5 weeks post.  Is this result encouraging? Would the ELISA test pick antibodies up at this point?  I know you say 6 weeks but is 5 weeks a good indication?  Will having something like colitis postpone the window period? (being that it is effecting my immune system)
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on March 21, 2007, 02:10:00 pm
Being that you did not have a risk your results would be conclusive.  Colitis does NOT affect the window period.

You do NOT have a compromised or suppressed immune system.

Do try and move on.  I know its hard to imagine but you are HIV negative!  Period.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 21, 2007, 02:20:56 pm
Thank you AC and all of the other members for understanding that I am going out of my mind here!  Could anybody direct me to some RECENT articles on oral sex and possible HIV transmission (or not)  It's really difficult to find accurate info on the web and I trust you experts on here.  In other posts I noticed JK has a lot of information regarding this...has he done any research that I could look up?

Thank you so much for your time everybody, especially in my state.  You are wonderful people.

p.s. 5 weeks is a good indication than huh?  ;)
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on March 21, 2007, 02:26:07 pm
There are studies in JK's posts.  Google those and read all you like.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 22, 2007, 01:40:01 pm
has anybody tested neg at 5 weeks and than pos?  Sorry, last question before I go and do this test...yikes!  I'm so sure i have it.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: jkinatl2 on March 22, 2007, 02:47:35 pm
re: Your private message

The latest finding from both the page-shafer and Romero studies showed that receptive fellatio (to completion, i.e. swallowing ejaculate)without protection was unable to be quantified through 17 cumulative years and over 200 serodiscordant couples. I am responding here instead of PM because I fear my quantification will exceed the limitations of the PM .... also, I don't usually do private consults without a hefty fee <grin>

Does exceedingly low risk mean zero risk? Nothing in life, much less science carries a one hundred percent chance. But without being able to quantify in a controlled study a single case of HIV infection through receptive fellatio, one can reasonably assume (as Page-Shafer asserts in the quote below) that oral sex is safer sex. Aside from solitary masturbation, there IS no "safe" sex. The human organism is simply too complex to make a blanket statement like that. What this means to you is that you need to make your sexual decisions based (hopefully) on the hard data and your own level of comfort.

A quote from the Page- Shafer study presentation:

Oral Sex Poses Low HIV Risk / Study fails to find any infected people
Newsday - August 15, 2001 ?Laurie Garrett, Staff Correspondent

Atlanta - Oral sex poses an extremely low risk of HIV infection, according to a study released yesterday at the second National HIV Prevention Conference here.
Kimberly Page Schafer and her colleagues at the University of California at San Francisco have reached that conclusion after two years of searching for someone who has acquired HIV from oral sex. After two years and nearly 200 individuals closely studied, Schafer said in an interview, "Everyone has come up negative.
"Oral sex is safer," Schafer said. "You can get other sexually transmitted diseases from oral sex, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and herpes. But it appears that the risk from oral sex for HIV is an order of magnitude lower than for anal sex."
Schafer's group intended to put together a study comparing people who got HIV from oral sex to those who did not, and then search for factors that could explain the difference. For two years they combed sex clubs and HIV clinics from San Diego to San Francisco searching for men and women whose sole sexual activities are oral.
The 198 participants, 194 of whom are men, have a mean of three different sex partners in six months, engaging in multiple oral sex encounters. Statistically, they are far more sexually active than the average American. It is a group at high risk for HIV, since 20 percent of them report knowingly having sex with HIV-positive men, and many more admit to not knowing the HIV status of one or more partners.
Yet only one of the 198 individuals was HIV-positive, and a sophisticated test showed he had become infected years before, at a time when he practiced anal intercourse.
In a separate UCSF mathematical modeling study, Drs. Susan Buchbinder and Eric Vittinghoff calculated that the odds of acquiring HIV from any single act of oral sex with an infected partner are roughly four in 10,000, compared with odds of four in 1,000 for anal sex with a condom.
Schafer said, "Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."
As part of their study the UCSF team is collecting saliva from all study participants, which is being analyzed for factors that may control or destroy HIV. At least four types of chemicals found in human saliva destroy HIV, or render it immobile in test tube studies. Nobody knows whether any of these chemicals are active in real life.
It is possible that the group studied was skewed to people who are more health-conscious when it comes to testing for HIV. Schafer discovered that most of the 198 individuals in her study had undergone previous HIV tests, and came to the study in hopes of being tested again. They were also far more likely than the average individual to have seen a dentist within the last six months. Exactly how those attitudes may have influenced the results isn't clear.
?010815 ?ND010803
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 22, 2007, 03:09:41 pm
Hi Jk,

You are amazing!!!! Thank you so much for your reply, scientific data is what makes me feel better(you hear so much about ppl getting infected via oral) Are these studies with full ejaculation only?  Any specific ones I can research on precum and oral and are there various viral loads in the study?  (I know that can effect the likelyhood of transmission) Just wondering because I saw somewhere that circumstances can make it easier (and well, I don't have "tip top" gums)    :-\

Thanks again, you truly know what you are talking about!!!!!!!!! WOW!!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: jkinatl2 on March 22, 2007, 03:48:27 pm
Sadly, getting my hands on the full copies of the data would cost about a hundred bucks for the two pertinent studies. The HOT Study, a project completed in 2005, is awaiting publication after being presented at several conferences (including here in Atlanta). The Romero Study is more widely available on the web, but even then, you really have to hunt down anything past the abstract.

Here is a link to an extended summary of the Romero study:

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/2AF5DF5C-ECEF-4854-80BA-09F86B483A02.asp

To your specific query:

<< Amongst the HIV-positive men, 34% ejaculated into the mouths of their partners and vaginal infections were detected in two of the HIV-positive women who had cunnilingus performed on them by a HIV-negative partner.
>>

Not having access to the expanded or full abstract/paper in the Page-Shafer study, I do not know the percentage of partners who performed fellatio to completion. Given that the Page-Shafer study used gay men almost exclusively, I submit that it was probably significantly higher than the heterosexually-based Romero study. That's not scientific data so much as... well, I know guys.

At some point I submit it would be appropriate to compose a piece comparing/contrasting post-infection patient report and long term serodiscordant couple study. But I am late picking up a friend at the airport, and she's from Manchester, England, and you know how they get ;)

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 22, 2007, 04:12:03 pm
Thanks again Jk!

Your detailed response alleviates a little anxiety at this point and helps me to understand the statistics backed up by scientific data.  Your education, patience and research is so respected.  You're great! ;D ;D 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 22, 2007, 05:39:24 pm
SORRY everybody!  but I just read on thebody.com that a new diagnosis of colitis is a manifestation of HIV.  Oh my!  Does this happen only a year after infection?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 22, 2007, 09:34:39 pm
anybody, please help?!  Is this common in early infection?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: milker on March 22, 2007, 09:44:21 pm
I would imagine that you're talking about CMVC, not UC. Please do not try to read between the lines and gives yourself a diagnosis by reading other people's posts that are totally irrelevant in your case because you are not a doctor and can't make the difference between disease X and disease Y even though they sound the same.

Listen to what Andy and the other people that have lived with HIV for years have to say. They have done the research for you, trust them.

Milker.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 23, 2007, 10:06:06 am
Thank you,

Please understand, I am listening but I am just so so incredibly frightened!  This individual indulges in high risk behaviour and I am convinced!  Can somebody please tell me if a 5 week negative likely to change?  Has anybody seen this happen?  I am going out of my mind! (what is the difference between the two colitis?)

Thank you so much for helping me out so I can get on with my life..
 :'( :-[
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Andy Velez on March 23, 2007, 10:20:04 am
Whooooooaaaaa!

You've already gotten a lot of information and support here. You had a minimal risk and in all likelihood are going to test negative. No one can realistically promise you anymore than that.

You need to do some work now. Instead of indulging yourself in this orgy of anxiety and worry, you need to set about getting productively busy in your life. That means refocusing yourself on other matters with real intention. You'll be amazed at how much more quickly waiting time until testing can pass.

Personally, I'm not willing to get into any more what ifs and research for you. I decline that job and based on your continuing responses, after a very brief relief you come back with more of the same. That is why I say you have to do some work now.

Ultimately I expect you to come out of this ok as far as HIV is concerned. 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 29, 2007, 11:14:52 am
Well, I'm off today to get another HIV test but before I go can you guys and gals tell me if you have ever seen a negative 5 week test turn positive?  I just need some reassurance because I am very very freaked out right now.

Thank you so so so much!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on March 29, 2007, 11:29:54 am
HIGHLY HIGHLY unlikely.  Especially in your situation.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 29, 2007, 03:31:13 pm
Thanks AC,
Just need some courage and well, didn't know the big difference between the 5 week vs. 6 week mark and if anybody saw a 5week turn pos afterwards.

Thanks again.

Wish me luck. :-\
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 31, 2007, 05:59:59 pm
Hi experts,

So I went and got the test done but now of course, freaking out about little details.  I remember after I gave oral I rinsed my mouth out with cold water.  Would that make me more susceptible (swishing the virus around in my mouth) to infection? I am starting to think that i probably pushed in cut, a cell, whatever.  Can HIV survive in cold water?  Seriously, has anybody seen a 5 week neg on a second generation test turn pos?  I am so scared?  PLease help while i wait for the results.  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(  Just doesn't make sense that I have Ulcerative colitis now, constant colds, etc.  I was really healthy before.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Ann on March 31, 2007, 06:13:20 pm
please,

I'm fully expecting you to continue testing negative.

Ann
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 31, 2007, 06:36:33 pm
Thanks Ann,

So even those circumstances don't change your opinion?  Have you ever seen a 5 week neg turn pos?  Thanks so much!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Ann on March 31, 2007, 07:16:13 pm
please,

No and no. I'm fully expecting you to continue testing negative.

Ann
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on March 31, 2007, 07:26:49 pm
Thank you Ann, that's what I needed to hear!

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 01, 2007, 10:37:47 pm
Is this with any generation of test?  Do people usually test positive by 6 weeks even with 2nd generation tests?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Ann on April 02, 2007, 05:11:33 am
Do people usually test positive by 6 weeks even with 2nd generation tests?

please,

Yes. The three month window exists to catch the rare person who takes a little longer than six weeks to test positive.

Ann
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 02, 2007, 05:50:06 pm
okay, swishing precum with cold water in my mouth wouldn't increase my chances of infection would it?  I just talked to this guy and he said a couple of his ex girlfriends were dating guys that were bi sexual, indulging in risky behaviour (sex without a condom)  That made me freak out!!!!!!!!  I have had yeast infections, soar throat (that won't go away) colds and now diagnosed with colitis.  Just seems to much of a coincidence.

I know you experts get super annoyed with the "what ifs" but I can't help myself.  My mind won't shut up.  Sorry for annoying and also thank you for helping people like me out.  I hope the 5 week test was accurate.  Would my colitis cause me to take longer to produce antibodies?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 02, 2007, 06:49:27 pm
Swishing precum with cold water (which sounds like an odd choice of a drink) has an adverse effect on HIV it contaminates it and dilutes it even further.  Colitis will not delay your production of antibodies.

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 05, 2007, 01:00:01 pm
Hey everybody,

My results are not in yet!!  I'm freaking and I have had a persistant soar throat for god knows how long!  I seriously am convinced now!  I know oral carries low risk but I don't have the best oral health and I only had a 2nd generation test done at 5 weeks..and now I have colitis, soar throats, constant colds, yeast infections, weight loss..  it's just too much! 

What's the difference between 2nd generation and 3rd? and why does everybody keep telling me that it would probably be a false negative b/c antibodies don't show up in 5 weeks on an ELISA?

HELPPPPPPPP
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Ann on April 05, 2007, 01:56:18 pm
please,

A persistant sore throat after oral activities would be more indicative of gonorrhea or one of the other bacterial STIs. Get your throat swabbed for gonorrhea. Of course, it could be an ordinary sore throat. See your doctor about it and your other problems as well.

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. I do not expect your negative result to change.

Ann
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 05, 2007, 04:45:00 pm
Thanks Ann,

I did get my throat swabbed for all STI's and a syphillis test.  All negative.  This happened a year ago and I keep getting persistant soar throats.  Is this a sign of HIV?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 05, 2007, 04:52:24 pm
Persistent sore throats are not a sign of HIV.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: Ann on April 05, 2007, 04:55:39 pm
please,

It's nothing to do with hiv. Go get your conclusive negative hiv test so you can move on with your life.

Ann
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 12:21:19 pm
Hello experts,

My test results are still NOT IN!!  I'm pretty stressed out.  I read that colitis is caused by an infection and causes your immune system to go crazy.  I also read that it is common in HIV + individuals (especially early in infection)  Is this true?  I am scared beyond belief!  Also, I know you say symptoms do not mean anything but would I be experiencing all these symtoms a year in?  I'm scared that a 5 wk was a week too soon on a second generation.  The nurse said 2-8 weeks its 90% accurate and 3 months is 99.9% Please help ease my mind.  Again, I am sorry for being annoying...my head won't shut up!
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 09, 2007, 12:34:42 pm
Hello experts,

My test results are still NOT IN!!  I'm pretty stressed out.  I read that colitis is caused by an infection and causes your immune system to go crazy.  I also read that it is common in HIV + individuals (especially early in infection)  Is this true?  I am scared beyond belief!  Also, I know you say symptoms do not mean anything but would I be experiencing all these symtoms a year in?  I'm scared that a 5 wk was a week too soon on a second generation.  The nurse said 2-8 weeks its 90% accurate and 3 months is 99.9% Please help ease my mind.  Again, I am sorry for being annoying...my head won't shut up!

Your colitis has nothing to do with HIV, which we have told you time and time again.  I sense you next will be asking us if your 5 week negative test is accurate enough, so Im going to go ahead and answer that now.  For you YES.  If you want to test at 3 months for your own piece of mind then do it.  If HIV was wreaking this kind of havoc on your body there is no way you would test negative.  Which you will. 

Do try and move on.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 12:43:09 pm
Thanks for responding AC, but that's what I'm scared of.  Testing positive now b/c 5 weeks was too soon and when I had that test I didn't have colitis , yeast infections, etc...it only started afterwards.   I know you say for me it was conclusive but I could be that low risk chance so how can it be conclusive?  Doesn't the 12 week apply for everybody?  I know I sound crazy but I just can't stop thinking about it, especially with all this info about false negatives before 3 wks, reccuring yeast infections, colds, colitis, weight lose...I am convinced and scared beyond words.  Why does it state that colitis is a manifestation of HIV on the body?   :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 09, 2007, 01:05:27 pm
Why didnt you wait to take the test then?  Why even bother with the 5 week test if you are going to throw the results out the window?

It states that people that have HIV get colitis.  But people withOUT HIV get colitis too.  I am HIV+ and I get headaches, that doesnt mean that if you start getting headaches that you have HIV.  There are hundreds of reasons you get a headache and quite a few more than just one reason to have colitis.

You had a no risk event.  Blow jobs and frottage do NOT transmit HIV.  Do you realize how many people come on this board thinking they are the ONLY one that this type of transmission will ever happen to? It isnt you, just as it wasnt them!

You should be talking to your Dr about your symptoms.  They are NOT related to HIV.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: jkinatl2 on April 09, 2007, 01:22:41 pm
<< Why does it state that colitis is a manifestation of HIV on the body?>>

Well, since HIV causes a general meltdown of the immune system, sinusitis is also a manifestation. So is acne, dermatitis, certain cancers, et al. Given that an impaired immune system is more prone to ANY infections, it stands to reason that ANY infection *in an HIV infected person* might be caused, or at least exacerbated by, the depletion of the immune system.

Which is why it's never a good idea to try and diagnose through symptoms. Because they are as unique as the individuals who suffer them.

Your situation was not something that I would consider worth testing over, much less giving all the anxiety you seem to be having over it.

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 01:58:24 pm
would I be experiencing all these symptoms a year later?  Or are these later stages of HIV?  Manifestations...do they happen this soon after infection?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 02:00:12 pm
also...I took a test at 5 weeks because some ppl say that it will probably show detectable antibodies and now I hear more ppl state that the chance of getting a false neg is pretty high at 5 weeks after..  I'm just confused, that's all and very freaked out.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 09, 2007, 02:04:32 pm
A year later?  How can they be a year later if you are testing at 5 weeks post exposure?  This makes no sense, but then again Im not surprised. You are NEGATIVE.

Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 02:10:19 pm
My exposure was April 14, 2006..last year.  I took a test 5 weeks after that and it was negative.  The nurse told me that it was low risk and wouldn't even bother testing again at 3 months so I didn't.  However, I have not stopped thinking about it for a year now!!  Convinced that I am the small percentage and to be honest, chicken shit to get another test done.  So yes, I will be conclusive after this next test but that's why I am here asking for your advice and knowledge.  It's been a year since the oral episode, I tested 5 weeks after that..neg and scared shitless to get my final results.  A year later I have all these crazy symptoms. 
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 09, 2007, 02:15:53 pm
Gotcha.  So you are waiting on the results from this last one.

Well, all I can say to that is, nothing between now and the time you get the results will change those results.  I fully expect your test to be negative.  In the meantime while you wait for your results, try to stop with the what if scenarios and all the symptom questions.  It really won't affect your outcome one way or the other and does nothing but help to fuel your anxiety.

i hope that when you get this next negative result you will be able to put this issue to rest, and move on with your life.  If you find you are unable to do that I would suggest seeking the help of a therapist to help you with your anxiety.
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: pleasehelp on April 09, 2007, 04:48:27 pm
Thanks AC.  So, do you experts base your opinion on my risk (considered low) or my 5 wk neg?  Because he could have been newly infected with a high Viral load and I could have had cuts and bad gums and he had a lot of precum.  Also, we were drinking and my mouth was super dry.  Don't these factors make the risk higher combined with my "symptoms"  Are these specific cells even found in your mouth?
Title: Re: very scared
Post by: ACinKC on April 09, 2007, 05:33:45 pm
We base our opinion on 25 years of data.  That data combined with your encounter (which is EXCEEDINGLY low almost to the point of non-existent) AND your 5 week negative test all come together to give us a complete picture of your situation.  Your situation is like thousands that have come here before you, convinced they are one of the few to be infected in this manner and they never have been in my recollection. 

None of the factors you indicate make in any more likely or less likely that you have HIV.  Again, nothing at this point will change the result your about to get.  Which I again FULL EXPECT TO BE NEGATIVE.  I cant say that enough.