Driving myself crazy

[thegang41510]

Hello,

I recently met a male massuer on craigslist.  he gave me a regular massage and i think he wanted to play with my genitals but I wasn't feeling it at the time and told him i'd rather just have the massage.

But before that, as i just undressed and lied on my stomach on his massage table, he started rubbing my back and i felt a slight prick.  Almost like the sensation of a hair being pulled out or something similiar. I do not have any hair on my back so I wondered what it was but paid no further attention.

Now i am at home all worked up because I am wondering whether or not he may have poked me with a needle on my back.  Obviously I am assuming that the needle was infected with HIV but i could not tell if he had a needle as i was lying on my stomach the entire time.

When i got home i checked my back and I do not see anything out of the ordinary aside from a few back pimples that could have been there previously.

So my question is, assuming I am correct (i realize this may sounds like an awkward scenario) if he poked me with a needle could I be infected with HIV?

Maybe this guy was some psycho who invites people over his place and pokes them with needles out of anger.  Does that sounds too far fetched?

I just need to know if I am worrying needlessly or if there is a legitimate chance, (if he DID poke me with an infected needle) that I would have acquired the disease?

I have read on websites (including this one) about people getting infected by stepping on needles etc. and developing HIV so what I read on the internet sounds contradictary despite having gotten the information from legitimate sites, (this one, the body.com, vancouver aids department"

Please help me understand, I am scared.

[Jeff G]

It sounds like you have a HIV phobia that has gotten the better of you .

The risk for HIV comes from
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex
Mother to child during or shortly after childbirth .
Sharing IV drug rigs shortly after an infected person .

You were not injected with HIV ... it just didn't happen . If you cant get past this fear than I urge you to talk to a doctor or mental health professional about it, we cant help you with that .

The only way to know if you have HIV is to test 6 weeks past any possible exposure and again at 3 months to confirm the results .
Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

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.

Although you did not have a risk and do not need to test for this specific 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!

[thegang41510]

dear Jeff i believe you are right.  Admittedly, i have received oral sex from men numerous times and have given oral sex to a man one time very briefly, that specific incident resulted in 6 MONTHS of paranoia.  getting tested week after week praying that each result would come back negative.  I believe HIV paranoia has gotten the best of me and reading some of these stories I can tell there are others like me.

I am still exploring my sexuality and try to be as safe as I can but then you read stories on a forum like this, including a guy who says he caught hiv from a syringe on a beach.  If all logical arguments say that this shouldn't have happened, than why did this happen to him? Is he lying? is he in denial? is he trying to scare people?  What has been your experience in this realm?

Also, i realize this may not make me feel any better, and you don't want to keep proving the obvious, but when you say "you were not injected wit HIV, it just didn't happen" what do you base this on?  I'm more curious to educate myself as well as peace of mind.

I apologize for so many questions, please know your feedback is definitely appreciated and I find it very reassuring, as I'm sure others do.

[Jeff G]

Its not a rational fear to think somebody has secretly injected you with HIV . To discus this with you is to enable and help you in perpetuating your phobia . We are here to help you and the best and most caring advice I can give you is to talk your doctor and tell them what you are feeling and thinking . I'm wishing you the best of luck .   

[thegang41510]

You are correct. Thank you for your feedback Mr. Jeff.

[Jeff G]

You are welcome . You now know the risk factors for HIV and when to test if the day comes that you actually have a real risk for HIV  . I hope you follow through and get treatment for your phobia . Its been my experience that phobia's like the one you are dealing with do not get better if left untreated, the good news is that there are effective treatments so do yourself a favor and do what it takes to put this behind you .