POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: RS on March 21, 2010, 02:52:17 am
-
Hi Everyone;
Thank you for this wonderful service that you all provide.
My situation is that I received unprotected oral sex fro a CSW in Dubai on 1/29/10. I got concerned about what had happened so I started surfing the web and found all kinds of information... over the next couple of weeks I started to experience some symptoms such as lymph node in my armpit etc... so on Monday, 2/22/10, (3 weeks and 2 days after the exposure) i went to see my doctor and per her suggestion had my blood drawn for HIV antibody test. The result came back negatively. Coincidently, the eve. of 2/22/10, i started to feel sore throat which got really bad over the next couple of days to the point that the rest of the week I was not able to get much sleep at night due to the unbearable pain. During this time I also developed cough with heavy phlegm and severe conjunctivitis in both eyes. On Saturday, 2/7/10, I started antibiotic which seems to work as starting the very next day I started to feel better - sore in my throat started to subside.
I was feeling better for about a week and until Sunday 3/7, when I started to feel the sore throat again and 3/8/10 I had once again developed sore throat and this time heavy dry cough over the next couple of day along with conjunctivitis (once again). The sore throat and conjunctivitis during this second episode was not as severe as the first time however it still quite bad. I went to see the doctor on wednesday 3/17/10 and this time she took culture for gonnerhea and chlamydia along with a blood draw for second HIV antibody test (now at 6 weeks and 4 days from exposure). I am still waiting on results.
My questions are:
1. Given that my first episode of symptoms started the same day as my blood was drawn for HIV antibody, had those symptoms been ARS related, the first HIV test would have picked it up, right? The only thing is tht my blood was drawn 8 hours before I started to experience symptoms and as I know it, things start to happen in the body well before one actually experience the symptoms. The reason I ask this is because I asked my doctor the same question and she stated that the ELISA test which was performed the same day as I started to experience my symptoms can still report negative and there is no guarantee that the ELISA test picked up these symptoms. I wanted to get your thoughts on this.
2. Secondly, I already know your view on insertive oral sex however i ask you to see what you make of these symptoms. Could they be gonnerhea for chlamydia? I will know soon once my results come back next week however anxiety is really killing me. Honestly, while i know your view on oral sex, I am still concerned about HIV the most. I am normally a very healthy man and the symptoms that I am experiencing are very unusual for example, I have never had conjunctivitis every in my life until just now... I have never had a sore throat for more than a week - this time, I have had a sore throat for a week, then a break for about a week and the since 3/8 up until now, which about 13 days, I still have a mild sore throat. I am just very nervous about what is going on with me - and this whole thing started with the single 5 minute exposure of receiving unprotected oral sex.
I will very much appreciate your thoughts.
Regards,
RS
-
See your doctor if you are concerned about your symptoms. You have not had an exposure to HIV.
-
I don't make anything of your symptoms. As Rod suggested you should be discussing them with your doctor.
Yours is not a complicated situation but you are working very hard at making it into one. Based on what you have reported of your sexual activities, whatever is going on has absolutely nothing to do with HIV. There has never been a single case of confirmed transmission to a guy from his having received oral sex. It's one of the most common of sexual activities and we would have known long before today if it was a risk for HIV. Your fears notwithstanding, you aren't going to make history by becoming the first.
This is NOT an HIV situation. Period.
-
Thank you Rod and Andy for your responses - they have been most reassuring.
Regards,
RS
-
Good. Glad you found the responses to be helpful.
Cheers.