POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: ken on June 24, 2006, 07:30:07 pm
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i just have a question to ask. From what i understand HIV only stays in your body for about two weeks or so then leaves and come back later on in life. Lets say for instance my lymph node swelling is a early symptom of HIV would it only stay swollen for the 2 weeks or so the HIV is in my body or would it remain swollen even when the HIV leaves my body?
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HIV does not stay in your body for only two weeks. Once the pesky virus has found a home inside you, it's there to stay. Even when anti-retroviral therapy reduces the viral load to undetectable levels, it does not mean that HIV has been eradicated from your body; the virus lingers (if that's the right word) in "reservoirs" (in latently infected cells). I don't know where you read or heard that HIV lasts in your body for two weeks, disappears, and then somehow comes back. That is wrong. What you might be thinking of is acute retroviral syndrome (ARS), a flu-like illness that 80+% of newly infected people experience; most newly infected people will have ARS between two and six weeks following exposure.
All that having been said: swollen lymph nodes do not mean that you are HIV-positive. Having flu-like symptoms does not mean you have ARS. Swollen lymph nodes are a very unspecific symptom, your body's response to a variety of infections. If you think that you might be positive, get an HIV test three months after your possible exposure (risk event). Do not self-diagnose, you'll be playing havoc with your peace of mind. Post again if you have any more questions.
Jay
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Ken,
Once a person becomes infected with hiv, it never leaves the body. Never. What happens is that the body can control the virus, without meds, for quite some time and the time during which the body can control the virus varies from person to person.
Symptoms, or the lack of symptoms, means absolutely nothing when it comes to hiv infection. The only way to reliably know your true hiv status is through testing at the appropriate time.
Sexually speaking, hiv is transmitted through unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse and very, very rarely, through giving blowjobs. If you've had unprotected intercourse you need to test 12-13 weeks after your possible exposure. Otherwise, you won't need to test unless it is part of the regular, routine sexual health care check-up that every sexually active adult should be having at least once a year, and more often if unprotected intercourse has taken place.
If you would care to let us know why you think you may be at risk for hiv infection, we could be of better service to you.
I see lydgate has posted while I was writing this and he is also correct in what he says, except for the fact that if someone does experience symptoms, they usually happen between two and four weeks after infection, not two and six. Not everyone experiences any noticeable symptoms.
Ann
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but lets just say that i do have HIV and the swollen lymph nodes is an early symptom of my HIV should they remain swollen for a 5 mothns or should the early sympton after month or so.
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but lets just say that i do have HIV and the swollen lymph nodes is an early symptom of my HIV should they remain swollen for 5 mothns or should the early symptoms go away after a month or so.
I LEFT OUT SOME WORDS LAST TIME SO I RETYPED IT
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Ann is correct swollen lymph nodes could be due to a number of items. It's the body's way of fighting off the infection.
I'm not trying to scare anyone, but in my case. I had a swollen lymph node on my neck which I noticed last December 2005 while shaving. I didn't think anything of it until I went to the dentist in January 2006 and the hygenist checked my neck for swollen lymph nodes.
Swollen lymph nodes might be an indication of oral cancer or something else. In my case, she suggested I immediately see me doctor. I did (even thought I thought it would just go away) and the ENT specialist said the only way to tell what was going on was to do a biopsy.
Ergo, I went and had the lymph node removed and tested (incidently, I had 4 other smaller nodes swollen in my neck area). About a week later the doctor called to say that the tissue markers indicated kaposi's sarccoma (which is an OI infection and cancer seen in AIDS patients - he didn't say that part at the time).
The phone fell out of my hands when he told me that, because I thought I had cancer. It was later when I went to his office that he said its seen in patients with HIV and he asked if I had sex with men.
After that I went to see an infectious disease doctor who has been brilliant in helping me and treating me and letting me know that life can and does go on.
This is just my story........
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Ken,
Let's not just say... whatever. I'm not even going to go there because it is all just pure speculation. You haven't even bothered to tell us why you are worried about hiv infection and without that information, there's not much we can tell you other than what I have already told you.
I hope Jordan hasn't frightened you too much. We don't normally relate stories like that in this forum because everyone is different. It doesn't matter what happened to Jordan - you are not Jordan and the only way to reliably know your hiv status is through testing.
Unless you have been having unprotected intercourse, it is very unlikely that you are infected with hiv.
If you are sexually active, you should be having regular sexual health care check-ups.
Without more details from you, that's all we can tell you.
Oh, and keep your hands off your glands, because that alone will cause them to swell. If you're worried about them (which I imagine you really are now after reading Jordan's post, but try not to....) show them to your doctor. We cannot diagnose them and neither can you.
Ann
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i had unprotected sex with a girl only one time back in january but i really didn't see any symptoms of HIV or anything but recently i realized i had swollen lymph nodes in my groin, armpit, and neck (i really dont know if their swollen or if i am sopposed to be able to feel my lymph nodes but one of them on the upper inside of each of my legs is about the size of an olive) this is why im wondering if my lymph nodes would still be swollen from gettin HIV from back in january. if my swollen lymph nodes are a result of HIV would they be painful? I try not to touch them often but I dont feel any pain at all when i do touch them.
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Ken,
If your last unprotected incident was back in January than you can test now for a conclusive result. It's unlikely you would have been infected from this incident, but you need to start using condoms everytime for intercourse
There are so many illnesses that can cause lymph node swelling, but keep your hands off them also,, that's one sure way to make them swell.
Good Luck,
John
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Ken,
John is correct in what he says. Get tested now for a conclusive result. I suspect you will rule hiv out - and then you need to see your doctor about those lymph glands. It could very easily be that they are normal - for you - and you just never noticed them before. Some people's glands are more prominent and easily felt than others.
Go get yourself tested - it's the only way. If you need help finding a testing center near you, check out the HIV testing center database (http://www.hivtest.org/index.htm). Just put your zip code in the search engine there and it will give you your local listings.
Let us know how that goes. I'm expecting a negative result from your one time, unprotected vaginal incident and you should be too. But don't guess about it, go get tested.
Ann
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ok one more question. Is muscle cramps a symptom of HIV is that something completely different? I play sports and i have been getting alot of cramps in my legs recently which i never used to get. i dont know if that is due to disease or dehydration ( i drink alot of water so i really dont think that's it) or what but i just want to know if HIV is even a suspect.
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Ken,
Now that you've been worried about HIV for a while, you've probably started noticing even very slight changes in your body, which you probably would not have noticed before. Stress can even cause "symptoms." The phrase "sick with worry" is sometimes all too literal. I suggest you take the excellent advice you've been offered by Ann. Which is: 1. Do not self-diagnose and say "For the sake of the argument let's suppose X..." The speculation of that sort can go on forever 2. If you're worried or bothered by the lymph glands, see your healthcare provider. He or she will be able to judge what, if anything at all, is wrong. 3. Get tested. You need peace of mind. Go get a conclusive result!
Jay
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hi all...
I had vaginal intercourse(unprotected) at 10 march...I had 2 result after intercourse(24 days later 4.generation assay,72 days later elisa)both of them camew neg....
Iam scaring because 33 days after intercourse a had sohre throat with swoollen glands,and tonsilits too...And my glands are still swollen but not like first mounth...
Can anybody tellme
1)if someone infected will his/her glands swollen at 33 days laterand not dissapear since three mounth...
2)İs there any poz person like me here?
I hav just on my neck...
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Lost,
Posting your questions in someone elses thread is called thread hijacking and we do not permit that activity here. You need to go back to your own original thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=1882.0)
If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.
Please also read through the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Ann
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Ken,
Symptoms or the lack of symptoms mean nothing when it comes to hiv infection. The ONLY way to know your hiv status is through testing.
You need to test - and a test now will be conclusive - and you need to see your doctor to find out what, if anything, is going on with your body.
Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus and more so from a woman to a man. It's highly unlikely that your one-time experience would end up with you being hiv positive, but unlikely is not impossible and you need to test.
We cannot give you an hiv test over the internet and neither can we diagnose your symptoms. You need to go and do these things in the real world, not in cyberspace.
Now get off your computer and go make some appointments.
Ann
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ok here I go. I had protected sex about five months ago but now i am begining to realize that I have lymph nodes in my groin, under my arm pits, in my neck, and behind my ear. I kno that condoms are sopposed to protect me but having these lymph nodes all over couldn't be normal. I also get these head aches every time i begin to do a physical activity like play sports. As soon as I begin running the sides of my head begins to pound. I also began to get muscle cramps in my legs after playng soccer for about 45 mins. This never used to happen. I am really nervouse. HELP!
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Protected sex is indeed protected. Everybody has lymph nodes in those areas. If you are concerned about whether you have swollen lyph nodes and other symptoms, have them evaluated by your doctor. Those certainly aren't specific to HIV and can be any number of things, including you poking and prodding at them.
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I second Coffechick on this one. Everyone has those lymph nodes. Go see a Dr for your symptoms.
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ken,
I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread.
If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.
Please also read through the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.
You've been repeatedly told that the ONLY way to know your hiv status is through testing.
You don't need to test over protected intercourse. Condoms have been proven to prevent hiv infection.
However, if you never had your conclusive three month test over your earlier concern of unprotected intercourse, then go test and collect what I fully expect to be another negative result, just like the one you had at ten weeks.
And keep your hands OFF your lymph nodes and see a doctor about them. It's unlikely it's anything to do with hiv.
Ann
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I see this is a continuing thing. There are over 76 different causes for swollen lymph nodes. Eliminate them and find out what you have. You dont have HIV.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/swollen_lymph_nodes.htm
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Its me again. I thought i got over this whole worry about having HIV. It hasn't bothered me since the last time I posted on this website but now i am a little worried again. Earlier I spoke about how I have been catching cramps while playing soccer. Well I decided to have a blood test to see if i can find out the problem. The doctor told me that I have high Iron and thats probably what is causing the cramps. He also Told me that my white blood cell count is lower than it should be. That is when i began to worry again. It has been more than a year now since I had sex with the girl that i said possibly gave me HIV. Should my white blood cell count be alot below average by now if i did have HIV for a year? I'm confused because I dont know what would cause me to have a low white blood cell count. I did speak with another doctor about the swollen lymph nodes and he asked me if i have ever had unprotected sex and i told him no, which is the truth. He said i don't have to worry about HIV but he didn't really check up on them or anything. I still feel them in my neck my armpits and my groin. They should have gone away by now if nothing was wrong!
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I dont know what would cause me to have a low white blood cell count. I did speak with another doctor about the swollen lymph nodes and he asked me if i have ever had unprotected sex and i told him no, which is the truth. He said i don't have to worry about HIV but he didn't really check up on them or anything.
Well there's your answer. You haven't had unprotected sex therefore you don't have HIV. And from a doctor no less.
MtD