Condome Broke - PEP

[pepuser]

I need your point of view!

I had mid of December a high risk Situation:
I was top with a guy and the condom broke. It lasted about 20-40
seconds max until I pulled it out. The only thing is, I couldn't immediately clean my penis - there was lots of feces on it - what worries me a lot and I am also not circumcised!
after half an hour I cleaned everything.
Then the shock - we did both an HIV test and he turned positive.
I took PEP 52-53 hours after the exposure, which I think is very late.
I am on Truvada and Kaletra (10 more days).

I will do a test at week 6 after exposure and if I continue to panicking at week 4 (week 4-6 are very indicative according to the doctor but have to be definitely confirmed at week 12 that's what they've said?).
They said to me that they do a lot of PEP's but never had a case of PEP failure (not that it doesn't exist), which kind of calms me down but I am still scared because I had a real exposure to HIV and I was late with PEP.

I am so scared...it was a real exposure not an assumed one... the worst thing is that
1. the PEP is kind of late. 2. I am not circumsised 3. I couldn't wash everything immediately after exposure. 4. the Person that turned positive told me he had chances of beginning of September (he then slept with another guy "approximately" 2 times he said unprotected) that may have led to the infection or 1,5 years ago. So if īt was from September - his viral load is still high (it happend with me and him on december 15)? 5. are there many PEP failures that you know?

I am freaking out... also with my stomach....I have diarrhea all the time...

[Jeff G]

You have a couple of things going in your favor . Its rare for the insertive partner to test positive after a condom break and even more rare for a person who took PEP withing 72 hours to test positive . You have every reason to be more than optimistic that you will come out of this OK . Please remember that every exposure does NOT automatically result in the transmission of HIV with or without the factors that way so heavy in your favor .

PEP extends the testing window period to 6 weeks past pep and then 3 months to confirm the result .

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 STDs 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!

 

[pepuser]

thank you Jeff. it's that anxiety that is driving me crazy...

I lost 3 kg already... but I guess it is more because of the stress and the diarrhea I get from Kaletra? and not HIV symptoms I hope.

I hope in these 10-40 seconds nothing has happened.....

[Jeff G]

thank you Jeff. it's that anxiety that is driving me crazy...

I lost 3 kg already... but I guess it is more because of the stress and the diarrhea I get from Kaletra? and not HIV symptoms I hope.

I hope in these 10-40 seconds nothing has happened.....

Anxiety can make you feel like crap so try and deal with it in an effective manner and stay busy doing things that have nothing to do with thinking about HIV .

Save your last free post to come back with the good news you are HIV negative . I am confident you will be OK . 

[Ann]

Pep,

I see you here every day, reading posts and, no doubt, adding to your already high anxiety levels. I'm posting to offer you some reassurance and implore you to stay off hiv websites. Go get busy with other things while you wait for your six week post-PEP antibody test and the time will go faster than you may imagine.

Most of this Jeff has already told you, but I'll go ahead and say it again.

1. In thirteen years of answering questions in this forum, I have yet to see the insertive partner end up hiv positive following a condom break, PEP or no PEP.

2. You started PEP in good time and you were on a full combo. Truvada would have been enough.

3. Yes, I understand that he subsequently tested positive and may have been newly infected with a high viral load. This does nothing to change my assessment of your situation. I fully expect you will come out of this ok and hiv negative.

Please learn from this - and make sure you're using condoms correctly in future as a correctly used condom rarely breaks. Along with reading the condom and lube links in my signature line, I'll give you some tips I've learned along the way.

There are two main causes of condom breakage.

One is not using enough water-based lube. Not using enough (or any) lube causes friction that may break the condom.

The other is having an air bubble in the tip. When putting a condom on, you need to pinch the tip between the finger and thumb of one hand, while rolling it down with the other.

Once it's on, give it a firm stroke from tip to base while watching the tip. If there is air in the tip, you'll see it. If there IS air in the tip, roll it back up and try again.

If it's dark and you can't see the tip well, when you do (what I call) the "stroke test", when you get to the bottom of the stroke, keep a firm grip of the condom and penis at the base and touch the tip with your other hand.

If there IS air present, you'll feel the bubble making the tip stand up and away from the head of the penis. If there IS NO air, the tip will be sucked up tight against the head of the penis.

Once you're sure there is no air bubble in the tip, apply plenty of water-based lube and go for it.

When you're bottoming, you can put the condom on your top to make sure it's on correctly and with no air inside. Even if your top puts the condom on himself, you can still give him the stroke test before you let him enter you. I would strongly advise you to do it every time.

I would also advise you that when you bottom, you reach down periodically to make sure the condom is still on your top. Any time you change positions, have a quick look or feel to make sure the condom is still on him and intact (not broken).

You can use the opportunity to also put more lube on him if needed. Keep in mind that you are far more likely than your top is to know when more lube is needed. If the only lube available is saliva (not advisable but better than nothing and better than something oil-based) USE YOUR OWN to make sure you are well lubed (not for any fear of hiv). Just spit on your fingers and wipe it on your bottom.


Please don't respond to my post - you have one free post left, so use it wisely. As I said earlier, I'm posting because it's quiet here this morning, and I see you here daily so I thought I'd give you something directly concerning you to read today.

Now go get busy with other things and we'll see you when you test (negative!) at six weeks post-PEP. OK? OK.

Ann

[Jeff G]

You are going to be just fine as Ann advised . Please be reassured and try not to cause any undo stress during the waiting period .

[pepuser]

dear ann, jeff and all of you reading this

first, sorry for the long text!

as you can see, it took me over 6 months to visit this website again because I was suffering from all the psychological pressure from this experience.

I tested NEGATIVE, as Ann and Jeff and many other people told me before. Thank god...

I am lucky to live in a European country which has one of the best HIV specialists and my doctor was one of those guys and writes guidelines for this country.

The specialist supported me through many weeks and he told me pretty much the same as Ann & Jeff; that my risk is not only extremely low, he never saw someone turn positive after such an incident PEP or no PEP. In addition, it is extremely rare that PEP fails in general when taken within the appropriate period of time and for 28 days...
He never saw a (if correctly taken) PEP failure in his long career as an HIV specialist. So the same opionion as Ann & Jeff.

He also told me about the testing during PEP. When testing with a 4th Generation anti gen /anti body, then even 3 months are enough (inoficially) post exposure and I told him about you Ann, Jeff & the others that say 4 months post exposure. And he said you guys are right, because the official guidelines still recommend it so he also has to recommend it. BUT practically no way. (it just needs time until the country guidelines, especially the super conservative American ones - no offense I like the states, do even more research, so the can exclude the theory of the 4 months testing period). But until then you have to test 4 months of course!

So I even tested 7 months post exposure and got my negative result last friday.
Even though I was released at 3 & 4 months, I still wanted to test because I was psychologically still thinking sometimes about that. I think I got 10 years older through that experience.... BUT:

Ann & Jeff (and of course the rest of the team) a HUGE thank you for you guys!!! I don't know what to tell you, because you help so many people worldwide through this... many kisses and hugs for you guys

[Jeff G]

the testing window period to 6 weeks past pep and then 3 months to confirm the result .

I am happy you got your negative status confirmed .