POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Ray3164 on August 11, 2013, 01:44:48 pm
-
I engaged in open mouth kissing with a girl at a bar that I didn't know very well. My gums bleed when I brush and I'm worried about potential infection. I kissed the girl maybe 5 times throughout the night. The next morning I woke up paranoid I could have gotten HIV. What if she wasn't aware she had HIV and her viral load was high. Around 8 days after I got an irritated and red throat along with a stuffed up nose. Also, A day or so latter, I noticed a slight area of red blotches on my lower neck and upper chest. Around day 12 I got cramping pains in my thigh muscles. Thes pains went from my hips down the posterior muscles of my thights. Mainly felt this when sitting. have never had pain like this (could this be rhabdomyolysis from acute HIV). Also, I have read that leg pain is a common symptom with acute HIV. I have read everywhere that there is no risk from kissing. However, what if there was blood present. This girl was from San Francisco mission area which has a higher concentration of HIV. I am worried to death I had an exposure. Lastly, I did feel very tired during this period of time and I swore my neck, armpits and groin were hurting or achy. Could all of this be stress and anxiety or should I truly be worried? I have since gotten back with the one girl I've been with for the last six years. She is clean and I worried to begin being intimate again, since I don't want to infect her if I have gotten HIV. I also have gingivitis. I worry since occasionally I press on my gum and a small amount of blood will show on the paper towel. There has only been one reported case to the CDC for open mouth kissing HIV transmission and I would feel horrible if I was number two.
Do I need to test for HIV?
Also, I have a receding gum on one of my lower front teeth. The root is exposed slightly. Maybe 4mm. It has been this way for a few years now and the gum does get irritated from time to time. Does this change anything?
-
Also, the lymph nodes behind my jaw, under my ears were about the size of a bean or marble. I could feel them with my fingers.
-
Nothing you have done put you at risk of contracting HIV.
-
No one has ever been infected from kissing EVER . These are the risk factors for HIV .
Sharing IV drug needles immediately after use.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex.
Mother to child during or shortly after birth
Very specific healthcare situations.
You didn't have a risk and can put this situation to rest .
ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED HIV TESTING AT THIS TIME FOR THIS 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. 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!
-
Is it safe to assume I can continue to have unprotected intercourse with my long term girlfriend of six years. The prior incident happened when we broke up for a few weeks. We were both tested years ago when we first meet. In addition, neither of us have had intercourse with anyone else over the past six years. The only incident is the one described. Just worried me because of the similar ars symptoms during the possible window period.
-
Is it safe to assume I can continue to have unprotected intercourse with my long term girlfriend of six years. The prior incident happened when we broke up for a few weeks. We were both tested years ago when we first meet. In addition, neither of us have had intercourse with anyone else over the past six years. The only incident is the one described. Just worried me because of the similar ars symptoms during the possible window period.
You did not have a risk so of course its safe to have sex with you GF now .
-
I recently went to a club with a group of friends a month back. That night I ended up meeting a bar girl I guess you can say and I made out with her (deep kissing) for about an hour. My fear is that I could have contracted HIV.
Symptom timeline: Post exposure incident
- day 4: had diarrhea
- day 5: had diarrhea
- Day 10: started to develop a sore throat (lasted roughly 2 weeks)
- Day 10 - 15: was having heat flashes or burning facial sensations. Almost felt like a fever was starting, but, it would go away after 5, 10 ,15min.
- Day 14: noticed a small raised red rash on lower neck and part of chest. This rash did not itch. It was spread out somewhat across chest. (lasted roughly 2 weeks)
- Day 16: Began getting intense leg pains down the sides of my thigh muscles (lasted roughly 1 week)
During the duration of this time I was having headaches and aches in my neck, armpit and groin. In addition, I also had a slight stuffed nose that felt more allergy related than full on flu related.
The reason I worry mainly is because of the symptoms which appeared. In addition, they came at the same time or window period that ARS starts. I also worry since I do have gingivitis and some areas of my gums bleed regularly when I brush them. These areas continue to be sore throughout the day. I also have a tooth that bothers the gum line due to a cavity (which I am taking care of).
Does this constitute as open soars?
Also, I have been in a long term relationship for the past 8 years. We recently took a small break a few months back (hence the reason my friends took me out). However, since then we have gotten back together. I am afraid to get intimate with her again since I experienced these ARS like symptoms.
Should I even be worried about these possible ARS symptoms?
Is it safe to assume I can get intimate with my long term partner again?
-
Do not start another thread or post outside of this one no matter how long its been between visits . You can go to your profile and select show own post and it will take you here .
Please read this thread , your questions have already been addressed . Kissing is not a risk for hiv , ever .
-
Jeff,
Sorry for starting a new thread.
My problem is that I have read elsewhere on the internet by dr's that state there is risk if you have poor gums and or bleeding gums. In addition, the ARS like symptoms wore the scary part. Ie: mild fever, sore throat, raised rash on the chest, stabbing pains in the thighs.
What about the one case of exposure reported by the CDC from deep kissing?
-
Your symptoms are in no way specific to an acute HIV infection . The very cases the cdc reports of ANY oral transmission be it oral sex or kissing fails to mention or update itself when other risk factors were at play and reported after the fact . We use the latest peer reviewed science for our assessments and we do not comment much on what other sources of HIV transmission websites have to say on the subject . Im going to give you some other information on oral sex , this information is also pertinent to kissing .
There have been no fewer than three separate serodiscordant couples studies (where one person is HIV positive, the other negative.) These couples were tracked for three. five and ten years. The couples used condoms for penetrative vaginal and anal sex, but NO BARRIER at all for oral sex. Any kind of oral sex.
These studies yielded NO infections.
The facts are you did not have a risk and if you don't want to accept it than go test .
The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. Most who are infected will test positive by 6 weeks. For various reasons a small number will take longer and that is why we follow the CDC recommendation to test at 3 months for a conclusive negative result.
-
Ray,
Kissing is NOT A RISK for hiv infection. Not only is saliva not infectious, it also contains over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv and render it unable to infect.
Forget about blood in her mouth. Unless you're in the habit of repeatedly punching a person in the mouth before you kiss them, then there could not possibly be enough blood present to cause any hiv concern.
If you read the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:
Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.
It doesn't matter that you've taken out a subscription. The excess posting rule still applies to you.
Please consider yourself warned!
Ann
-
Jeff and Ann,
Thank you for the feedback and reassurance.
-
Is it possible for symptoms to appear out of anxiety?
-
Is it possible for symptoms to appear out of anxiety?
Yes! Absolutely!
If you feel unwell, go see a doctor! We cannot help you with your symptoms here.
Ann
-
Also, I was barefoot that night in the city. Something stabbed me in the heal of the foot as well. I don't remember what it was. How long does HIV survive outside of it's host?
-
I guess your kidding right ? We gave you the transmission modes for HIV and warned you about posting excessively .
Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.
I'm giving you a 4 week time out .
-
I'm sad to say that my test results came back positive.
I won't write anything more about the past. I only look for support and information on what I should prepare for and expect for the future.
-
This was probably an extremely rare (maybe one in a million) infection. I personally believe it to be due to bleeding in my mouth. I have sore gums and possible infection in mouth. This is what I believe led to the infection. There was prolonged exposure due to the long deep kissing.
-
I'm sorry, you can tell anyone you want that you contracted HIV by kissing but anyone knowledgeable will know that is not true.
-
I'm with Rod on this one. There is no way you became poz by kissing someone. To be honest, I don't believe you are poz and given your posting history, I believe you are making this all up.
If you are poz, my deepest sympathies, however, you DID NOT contract HIV from kissing.
Joe
-
Joe,
I'm sorry you feel this way. I admit before testing I was paranoid and experiencing anxiety. However, I'm not making stories up.
-
I will direct further posting to this forum to the tested poz/ living with. I'm sure I will need support and questions answered there.
Thank you to everyone for the advice.