POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: brownbaby03 on February 20, 2009, 12:35:41 am
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i am a 19 year old female and i have been in a relationship with the same person for a year and have continued to have unprotected sex with him during this time....i stepped out of my relationship once in november unprotectedly....up until last month i wasnt worried about my health...since jan. i have had some minor health issues...
my first issue was that i thought i was suffering from depression...i cried for no reason...was angry all the time and felt alone...that feeling soon faded when i spent time with my boyfriend who i hadnt seen in weeks, patched up things with my best friend, and resolved some family issues...
my second concern came when i started to lose sleep...i wasnt able to sleep through the night without waking up at least 3 or 4 times....that as just now began to wear off and im sleeping normally again
my third problem came when i had diarrhea for like the second time in my life. i havent had diarrhea since then but this is when i got scared
for some odd reason i thought to look up symptoms for HIV, and recognized some familiar occurences with myself...i instantly got scared and thought about the person i had sex with unprotectedly i contacted him and ask if he had ever had an HIV test, he said because he was in the military they have to get tested every month and that he was uninfected.
i recently had a pap smear in jan. the result came back normal, however i have continued to have some itching sensation in my gential area repeatedly...i use monastat to treat it and it goes away....then it comes back. i read that repeated yeast infections was a sign of HIV..
my last concern came a week ago when i was sleeping and woke up sweating...i took my clothes off to get cool and then became very cold and got the chills...i also remembered that night sweats was an HIV symptom
i dont know if my mind is making me think i have HIV because these things are happening to my body and im just relating everything to HIV or if i really do have it and need to be tested...part of me doesnt wanna know and figures that since my boyfriend isnt complaining about any symptoms then im fine but i know thats not smart to think....im very scared and unsure of what to do.....
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oh i forgot to mention that when i had unprotected sex with the person besides my boyfriend it was like for 5 minutes he never ejaculated in me because i stopped the sex very early
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Crying, mood swings and night sweating are more a symptom of a mental state than they are with HIV. I honestly doubt that this brief unprotected experience will mean you have HIV. You should know that HIV can be passed this way - but a single encounter makes it very unlikely - it's not as easy as you would think to get.
The symptoms mean very little - and are all in the wrong order and times to make it like anything people sometimes experience with HIV. As you are sexually active you should get tested for all STDs. Your HIV test after an encounter in November will be conclusive. It is unlikely to be positive and will put your mind at ease.
Just know that if you google most symptoms you will see HIV as a possible cause....symptoms mean very little when making a diagnosis. Go see your doctor about the repeated yeast infections or other symptoms.
R
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If you have put yourself at risk by having unprotected anal or vaginal sex then the only way to know your status is by testing.
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Brown,
Unless you and your boyfriend have been tested TOGETHER before you stopped using condoms, you've put yourself at risk. It's not just your one-off with the other guy.
You need to start using condoms and test three months after your last incident of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with ANYONE. You also need to stop self-diagnosing your vaginal itch and get examined by a doctor. It might not be yeast at all.
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 with a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.
Have a look through all three 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.
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple.
Ann
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thank you all for your input and advice...i have an appointment to be tested in two weeks im a little scared to approach my boyfriend about this...but i know its the right thing to do..hope i find the courage to do so......thanks again...
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Nothing you are reporting symptomatically is in any way HIV specific. But as others have already said you do need to know what your accurate HIV status is.
It's understandable that you're having some anxious feelings about the situation. But getting through them and taking the right action (getting tested) is a part of your taking good care of yourself.
Good luck with your test and keep us posted.
Cheers.