Scared

[Gaelicirish]

I just wanted to Thank beforehand all the moderators and admins for their dedication in answering and helping people with HIV related issues. I have not really been educated in routes and mechanisms of hiv transmission, as i was raised very religiously and homeschooled. No sex before marriage , but this event sacred me.
  I have been using my new microscope recently for examining different things, blood, snot, and also semen. I wanted to compare differences of samples of my own semen and the effects of freezing on semen. Weird, I know.

So once I was completed using the samples , I was removing it from the freezer and put it into the sink to wash out them out. The samples were till somewhat frozen and while I was rinsing them out I noticed  a small ridge on the side of my nail , possibly a hangnail. There was no visible blood, or anything like that and I am not sure if there was direct contact with semen but the water which came into contact got all over my hand. Maybe my semen is infected possibly or it was not not and possibly became virulent after it was frozen. I read semen exposed too a cut can pose a risk. Should I worry about this and get tested?

 The only other things I can think of in terms of exposure are hand shaking, and recently getting spit in my eye when someone was talking to me. I have never had sex. I have been worrying about these things possibly because I did not have younger sex education and the Internet is saying so mny things are exposures...

[jkinatl2]

I just wanted to Thank beforehand all the moderators and admins for their dedication in answering and helping people with HIV related issues. I have not really been educated in routes and mechanisms of hiv transmission, as i was raised very religiously and homeschooled. No sex before marriage , but this event sacred me.
  I have been using my new microscope recently for examining different things, blood, snot, and also semen. I wanted to compare differences of samples of my own semen and the effects of freezing on semen. Weird, I know.

So once I was completed using the samples , I was removing it from the freezer and put it into the sink to wash out them out. The samples were till somewhat frozen and while I was rinsing them out I noticed  a small ridge on the side of my nail , possibly a hangnail. There was no visible blood, or anything like that and I am not sure if there was direct contact with semen but the water which came into contact got all over my hand. Maybe my semen is infected possibly or it was not not and possibly became virulent after it was frozen. I read semen exposed too a cut can pose a risk. Should I worry about this and get tested?

 The only other things I can think of in terms of exposure are hand shaking, and recently getting spit in my eye when someone was talking to me. I have never had sex. I have been worrying about these things possibly because I did not have younger sex education and the Internet is saying so mny things are exposures...

HIV is sexually transmitted. It is a delicate virus that would not survive exposure to oxygen, much less freezing and thawing.

It is passed through unprotected vaginal and anal sex, the immediate sharing of IV drug needles, and from mother to child.

Like other sexually transmitted diseases, it is absolutely NOT spread through shaking hands, sneezing, or any other form of contact.

I am very sorry for your poor education. You have a great deal of catching up to do. A good place to start regarding HIV is here:

http://www.poz.com/archive/2008_Mar_2168.shtml

Your intellectual curiosity speaks well of you. You have the opportunity to overcome your disadvantage. I sincerely hope that you do.

[Gaelicirish]

Thank you for the quick response, and all the information. I will definitely look at this link.  So you can only really get it through unprotected sex, IV drug use , and mother to child. It's impossible to infect myself by being exposued to my own fluids? Sorry Thats the last aspect that is worrying me.

[jkinatl2]

Thank you for the quick response, and all the information. I will definitely look at this link.  So you can only really get it through unprotected sex, IV drug use , and mother to child. It's impossible to infect myself by being exposued to my own fluids? Sorry Thats the last aspect that is worrying me.

HIV, like all pathogens, does not appear out of thin air. You cannot give it to yourself.

There are many reputable inline continuing education courses available. Learning the basics of pathogens, disease, and infection of all sorts is instrumental to making informed decisions, sexual and otherwise.

[Ann]

GI,

An even better link to look at is the one found in the AIDSmeds portion of this website - Transmission Lesson. 

As an adult (ie not an unborn or newborn baby), hiv is transmitted through:

Unprotected anal intercourse.

Unprotected vaginal intercourse.

Sharing drug injecting equipment.

And that's it.

Whether you someday decide to have sex before marriage, or even if you wait, you should both be tested for ALL STIs before you start having intercourse without a condom.

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.

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!

Ann

[Gaelicirish]

Thank you for the replies and great information Ann. It seems this recent situation and sudden fear of HIV has made me slightly irrational and blown my thugs out of proportion. I am sorry to sound like the typical HIV anxiety person, but the fear is intense.

Today I went and got this bug bite rash looked at by a doctor. He inspected the rash , was very close and I do not recall if he touched me with his bare hands or not. But after I showed him my lymph node aside from my rash, He put on. Glove and palpated it and then went back to touch my rash( not actively bleeding , but blistered and swollen itchy)Despite the information that you posted ANn, I am still worried about this. Is this completely irrational ?
i am sorry to continue my fears and waste your guys' time. I am worried that if I am infected it will be difficult or near impossible to find a wife and have kids

[jkinatl2]

Thank you for the replies and great information Ann. It seems this recent situation and sudden fear of HIV has made me slightly irrational and blown my thugs out of proportion. I am sorry to sound like the typical HIV anxiety person, but the fear is intense.

Today I went and got this bug bite rash looked at by a doctor. He inspected the rash , was very close and I do not recall if he touched me with his bare hands or not. But after I showed him my lymph node aside from my rash, He put on. Glove and palpated it and then went back to touch my rash( not actively bleeding , but blistered and swollen itchy)Despite the information that you posted ANn, I am still worried about this. Is this completely irrational ?
i am sorry to continue my fears and waste your guys' time. I am worried that if I am infected it will be difficult or near impossible to find a wife and have kids

Your irrational fear of HIV is far beyond the scope of this forum. I sincerely hope that you seek the help you so obviously need.

You will not find it here.