POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: axb89l on July 04, 2013, 01:36:07 am
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Hello
Being a medical student I am very well aware of how can one protect against hiv. Still the area is so wide that my worry can only be resolved by experts like you.
1. I wore the condom during the whole episode and there was NO vaginal or anal sex.
2. No oral sex or open mouth kissing
My only concern now is, is skin contact a risk? I have seen 100, s of posts that it is not, but want to know if it is based on assumption or there have been a study on couples where one of the partner was +ve and other was not.
Also under what circumstances hiv can penetrate skin. When we say non intact what does it mean; skin that is bleeding or even a microscopic cut or a rash or a pimple is enough for this transmission to happen.
Based on my episode do I need testing. Pls note this was my first exposure.
Pls help and I thank you in advance.
Regards
AX
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Hello
Being a medical student I am very well aware of how can one protect against hiv. Still the area is so wide that my worry can only be resolved by experts like you.
1. I wore the condom during the whole episode and there was NO vaginal or anal sex.
2. No oral sex or open mouth kissing
My only concern now is, is skin contact a risk? I have seen 100, s of posts that it is not, but want to know if it is based on assumption or there have been a study on couples where one of the partner was +ve and other was not.
Also under what circumstances hiv can penetrate skin. When we say non intact what does it mean; skin that is bleeding or even a microscopic cut or a rash or a pimple is enough for this transmission to happen.
Based on my episode do I need testing. Pls note this was my first exposure.
Pls help and I thank you in advance.
Regards
AX
Under NO circumstances can HIV penetrate skin. HIV is composed of a very delicate RNS sequence shielded by a series of lipids and glycoproteins that are encoded to connect with very specific cells. NONE of those cells are found outside the body.
(http://i.imgur.com/vG3F6H7.png)
Take a look at that image. See the tulip shaped features dotting the viral shell? Those are VERY specificaly designed to merge with CD4 and a handful of dendritic cells that are found underneath an uncurcimsized penis. Nowhere else. HIV is HARDER to transmit than almost ANY other STD.
You ONLY get HIV if a viable viral particle (which, given the haphazard way HIV mutates, is not easy) finds and attaches to one of those specific cells - cells one ONLY encounters during unprotected vaginal and/or anal sex.
If you want to be afraid of an STD, try syphilis. It CAN be spread through skin contact, and the chancre that accompanies it's initial infection is always painless and often A) very small, and B) hidden by public hair or a fold of skin. If untreated, the chancre will go away in a week or so, but the infection will slowly spread to the rest of your body. Without treatment (easy in the early stage, more difficult and invasive in latter stages) it will kill you.
Sexually speaking, wear a condom for anal and vaginal sex and there is NO WAY you will get HIV. There is, however, EVERY chance of getting syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HPV and herpes. THAT is why every sxually active adult who is not in a mutually exclusive relationship needs to get a semi-annual STD panel. This includes, of course, an HIV test.
As a medical student, I hope this has been of value to you. People fret wbout HIV, which only requires a condom to protect against, yet fail to remember the other, potentially damaging/fatal STDs that can circumvent the use of a condom.
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Thank you for such a fast and informative picture. Shall treasure it.
Do I need a test in 3 months? How do you rate my risk.
I am not sexually active apart from the incident above.
Kind Regards
AX
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ax,
Why on earth would you need to test over a NO RISK situation? Why would you need to test at all if you're not sexually active in general?
And we wonder why some doctors prescribe PEP for no risks situations. You're obviously being taught f-all about hiv in medical school. What a sad, frightening situation.
You didn't have a risk. You don't need to test.
Ann
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Hi Ann
Thank you.
Sorry for not being clear in my earlier post.
I remember clearly that I was fully clothed and just had body rubbing with this prostitute. No sex..was wearing condom under my pants as well.
The only exposure that I can think is my face may have rubbed hers face while I was on her top. In what scenario this could be a risk?
Is rubbing of face with face a risk? I had a shave 6 hrs before? Can HIV penetrate through these cuts.
Based on this incident, can I go and have unprotected sex with my partner?
One last piece of advise please.
Kind regards
Ax
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I think you must be putting us on , your kidding right ? I will indulge you and give you a serious answer .
These are the ways HIV is transmitted .
Sharing IV drug needles immediately after use.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex.
Mother to child during or shortly after birth
Very specific healthcare situations.