hiv rash??

[chrissylynn2587]

I had a rash in October and again around Christmas, I started experiencing sweats, a tiny bit of vomiting and a tiny bit of diarrhea..I was scratching like crazy and the more I scratched the more it spread, it was on my arms and legs. I took a benadryl pill and within an hour it was gone
Could this have been an HIV rash?

In august of 2009 I became sick, I could not eat anything and was all shaky, I went to the ER and they gave me a pill and after that I was fine but exactly a year later this came back again, again I go to the ER the only thing they did was test for dehydration which I was dehydrated, they gave me a pill and I was fine after that. I have noticed this winter I have been getting sick alot, I am the type to never get sick and all a sudden I am getting sick left and right..

I did have marks on my legs in 2009 but my dad said it was not a rash it was chigger bites, I had chickens and ducks at the times and when I started spraying myself marks stopped appearing and I had them for like 3 months I guess due to scratching so much, everything I tried did not work. I have just been so paranoid that I have HIV since then, some of my friends think I am being stupid because in 2009 I had been with my then BF for 8 months before getting sick and I still talk to him now and my recent ex we were together 7 months and lived together and we still talk, my friends said if someone gave you HIV they doubt they would keep contact with you or move in with you and spend thousands of dollars on me and my son which my recent ex did do, he even was trying to buy me a car

[Andy Velez]

Nothing you are reporting symptomatically is HIV specific. But then you also need to know that neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms is ever the way to know your HIV status accurately.

The rash associated with ARS is not itchy. It is flat, appear for a couple of weeks on arms and torso and then disappears permanently. It does not come and go.

If you had unprotected intercourse with your former partners then you were potentially at risk. The only time the use of condoms can be dispensed with is if you are in a securely monogamous situation in which both partners test negative at a reliable point. Otherwise condoms are a must everytime for vaginal and anal intercourse. It doesn't matter what you think you know about the other person's history or how great they look. Use a condom everytime.

All of those other details you are throwing into the mix about gifts and such are totally irrelevant.

So bottom line, if you had unprotected intercourse, you need to get tested at 13 weeks past the recent such incident to reliably know your HIV status. Everything else is guesswork and HIV status is not something to guess about.

[chrissylynn2587]

If I understood you correctly I probably do not have it as I have had a rash twice that itches and spreads when scratched and went away as soon as I took benadryl..

[Andy Velez]

That's right. A rash such as you have described which responds to benadryl would not be ARS.

BUT if you have had unprotected intercourse outside of a secure and HIV tested relationship then you have been at risk and need to get tested.

[Ann]

Chris,

No, your rash was nothing like the rash that sometimes accompanies hiv seroconversion. It doesn't itch and Benadryl has no effect on it whatsoever.

You need to test, as Andy said, three months after your last incident of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse.

You also need to learn from this and insist on condoms until you've tested together. Here's what you need to know in order to remain hiv negative:


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

[chrissylynn2587]

thanks, I am really relieved , the rash is what really had me thinking I had HIV . I do plan on going to get tested when I can, I live in a very small town and they do not have a free clinic, the nearest one is 30 minutes away in another town but they will not take you unless you live in that area. I filled out some job applications yesterday with benefits such as medical insurance so hopefully I get one of those so I can go get test done.

I know CVS has one of those HIV test that you prick your finger and in like 20 minutes it tells you if you have HIV or not, are these accurate?

I do not think I ever have to worry about catching anything, I am not having sex until marriage. When you have sex you put yourself out there and at risk and it is really not worth catching something, I actually already have HSV. If a guy really cares about me sex will not matter and he wont care if he has to wait

[RapidRod]

There are no HIV tests approved in the US for Home Use. The only approved test is the Home Access which is a collection kit and must be sent into the company to get analyzed.

[Ann]

Chris,

If you've never had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse - and it's unclear whether or not you have - then you have not been at risk for hiv infection.

These are the risks for hiv infection:

Unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse.

Sharing drug injecting equipment.

Mother to child during pregnancy or during birth.

Mother to child while breastfeeding.

And that's it. So unless you've done either of the first two, you have not been at risk.

If you change your mind about having intercourse in the future, just make sure your fella is wearing a condom. It really is that simple.

If you have been at risk, as Rodney said, the only approved home testing kit is Home Access. Do not use one of the diagnose-it-yourself rapid tests as they are prone to false positive results.

You can also find a testing center near you (there may be one you don't know about) by putting your zip code into POZ.com's Health Services Directory.

Ann