am so worried please help me

[terry23]

how are you guys.i recently had an encounter with an unkwown woman.i touched her vagina and fingered her for a few minutes.i had on my finger some skin pilling off which sometimes is painfull.if i remember correctly it was not bleeding but i do not know how to classify a deep cut or wound.did i get into any risk of h.i.v infection in this encounter and do i need to get tested.i heard that there can be openings below the finger nails that can provide a path way for the virus.how far true is this?thank you for the response in advance.

[Ann]

terry,

You have not had a risk for hiv infection regardless of any cuts or scrapes that may have been on your fingers. Not one person has ever become infected this way and you will not be the first.

Hiv can only latch onto and infect a very few, very specific types of cells and these are not found on or just under the surface of the skin. What you read about "openings below the finger nails that can provide a path way for the virus" is NOT true. There are a lot of myths, misconceptions and just plain ignorant ideas about how hiv is transmitted out there on the internet and you'd be wise to ignore that crap.

At this website, you get only the proven facts about how hiv is and is not transmitted. Here's what you need to know in order to remain hiv negative:

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 DO NOT NEED TO TEST OVER FINGERING, 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.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[terry23]

thanks ann for the quick response and the very insightful answer.you have helped me a lot.i only wonder why people enjoy scaring other people with unjustified facts.you guys are doing a great job.

[terry23]

how are you guys.i am currently going through a very difficult situation.in january 2011 i had a sexual encounter will a sex worker.i used protection but during the encounter i noticed a situation were i did no have a condom on.i thot that it fell of and that i mght have gone in unprotected.after this encounter i had swollen glands and tonsills for about 2 weeks.i got tested for h.i.v on 8 april which was 3 months later and my result was negative.after this i on 16 may i touched a females vagina with my bare hands and got afraid so i tested again for this on 05 june 2011.again my test being negative.now,i have a new scare.on 09 july i went to a dirty dancing club were danced very closely with about 4 random women.they were wearing short dresses i released a some semen during the dance.i did not take of my clothes but went o the bathroom to clean myself with a tissue.the next day in the morning i had small changes of colour on my dick head.i ignored it since i knw that i had not done anything.now yesterday i took an s.t.i test and the result was positive for herpes simplex 2.the test said IgM and my doctor said it meant a recent or current infection.my question now is how is this pssible if i did not sleep with anyone since january.does it mean i mght have exposed myself in the dancing to get my virus or recent infection mght mean in january.if i exposed myself and got herpes does this mean i am at risk of h.i.v and  i need to get tested again?

[Ann]

Terry,

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. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last posted in your thread or if the subject matter is different.

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 so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.





Yes, "recent" could be January. Herpes, unlike hiv, is VERY easily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.

Your only risk was the unprotected intercourse back in January and you are conclusively hiv negative after that event. Nothing since January has been a risk. Please re-read your entire thread.

Ann

[terry23]

thank you ann,i know tht you only deal with aids questions so do you know a forum i can go to for s.t.i issues so that i ask more about herpes?i need to know how and when i could have gotten it given my past activities and what i need to do leave a healthy life with it.

[Andy Velez]

Here's one site for herpes information. You can Google for others.

Cheers.

http://www.herpes-coldsores-treatment-pictures.com/hsv/herpes_information.htm

[terry23]

how are you guys ,on friday evening at approximately 12 midnight i had an encounter with an unkown woman. as i was having sex with her the condom broke.she said she had a pop and i stopped emmediately.my penis wa not totally exposed as the poped condom had not formed a ring at he bottom of my penis yet.i dddnt attempt to go at it again.i asked her  if she had been tested and she said she had tested negative on 28 january.i ddnt believe her so i called my doctor the next morning and got my PEP drugs for the first 2 weeks which i am currently taking.i took the first dose at 11.15 am on saturday which was 12 hours after exposure.my problem is i am not having any side effects from these drugs at all.everything is as normal.i take them as per instructions but still i dnt have the common problems of diarrhoea or tiredness.is this normal? and overally what is my risk of infection at this stage?should i take the test ? and when would be appropriate in order for me to calm down because i am stressing

[jkinatl2]

PEP is totally overkill for the experience as you described.

I've never once seen a person on this forum test positive over a condom break.

Your risk was insanely low.

But maybe taking the drugs will help to offer some perspective. Not everyone gets all (or any) side effects. Maybe you will be fortunate.

[terry23]

i also have herpes 2 does this increase my chances of infection and could you please tell me approximately how long i need to wait before i can take a test

[RapidRod]

i also have herpes 2 does this increase my chances of infection and could you please tell me approximately how long i need to wait before i can take a test

Are you on treatment for HSV2 and did you have it before your condom failure?

[terry23]

i am not on treatment, i do  not have any outbreaks so i never have treatment.how does this affect my odds? and the pep?how will it help me

[Ann]

Terry,

Herpes would only increase your risk if you had an open herpes blister on your penis that was inside her and exposed when the condom broke.

I agree with Jonathan - you do not need PEP over this low risk incident. I have also yet to see the insertive partner end up positive following a condom break.

Ann

[terry23]

i am now not sure what constitutes an open blister,i ddnt have any painful thing on my penis,just a few red dots which are not itchy or painfull.can those be called blisters? and how much risk do they add?i also started pep so i just decided to complete,can you give me any info on it and how much time i need before i test.thank you guys by the way

[Andy Velez]

Like JK and Ann I see yours as a very low level risk.

In terms of testing and PEP, you have to count testing time from when you complete the 28 day PEP regimen. So you can test initially at 6 weeks after completing PEP. A negative result at 6 weeks, which is what I expect for you, strongly will point to testing negative again at 3 months after completing PEP. And that will be a conclusive negative result.

[Ann]

Terry,

If you had an active, open herpes outbreak on your penis, you'd know about it. They're very painful.

PEP normally lasts four weeks (28 days). This extends the window period by four weeks.

If you take PEP for less than 28 days, the window period is extended by the amount of days you took PEP. 

The earliest you should test is at six weeks post-PEP. A six week post-PEP negative must be confirmed at three months post-PEP, but is highly unlikely to change.

Did the doctor give you a rapid hiv antibody test before prescribing PEP? He should have.

Seriously, I fully expect you to test negative over this condom break, PEP or no PEP.

You need to make sure you're using condoms correctly in future, as a correctly used condom rarely breaks.

There are two leading causes of condom breakage.

One is not using enough water-based lube. You need to use water-based lube even when having vaginal intercourse - the lubrication a woman naturally produces isn't always enough.

The other reason is having an air bubble trapped in the tip. When you put a condom on, you must pinch the tip between the thumb and finger 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's air in the tip, you'll see it. If there IS air present, roll the condom back up and try again.

Once you are sure there is no air present, apply plenty of lube and go for it. With a little imagination you can make putting the condom on part of your foreplay and with a little practice, you can do it with very little interruption. Get some condoms to practice with in the privacy of your own home so the correct usage becomes second nature.

Also, make sure you read through the condom and lube links in my signature line.

Again, I fully expect you to test negative over this very brief, low risk situation.

Ann