POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: heyfun6 on January 21, 2013, 05:05:22 am
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Hello,
I'm a guy and, for the first time, I received and gave oral to a guy I did not know. Am I at risk for HIV? I took an HIV test at 6 weeks and it was negative. I felt a million times better after that, but 2 weeks later (now), I feel I may still have it. I'm experiencing some groin pain (lower ab, testicle tenderness) and I am stressed to the point where all I think about is if I'm infected or not. It has completely taken over my life the past 8 weeks. I can't even discuss it with anyone because this is not something I would normally do. I've read on here that HIV is normally not transmitted through oral, but there are some people that say that is all they've done and still got HIV. Am I overreacting?
Thanks for your time.
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hey,
Unless you have absolutely terrible oral health, then you haven't had a risk for hiv.
However, you could have picked something else up when you got blown - like gonorrhea. You should get that checked out due to your achy balls. Getting a blowjob is absolutely NOT a risk for hiv infection, regardless of your oral health. Your oral health only has any bearing when you're the one doing the sucking.
The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A six week negative must be confirmed at the three month point - when there has actually been a risk - but is highly unlikely to change.
You don't need further hiv testing at this time. You do not have hiv.
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.
ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED FURTHER HIV TESTING AT THIS TIME, 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
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Ann, thank you so much for your quick and informative response.
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hey,
You're welcome.
Make sure you get checked out for the other, MUCH more easily transmitted STIs. The aches and pains you're having in your genital area could be indicative of gonorrhea, which absolutely CAN be easily transmitted during oral sex, unlike hiv.
Please remember to always use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse and have regular, routine, complete sexual health check ups and you'll be just fine where hiv is concerned. It really is that simple!!!
Ann
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Ok, thank you Ann. I think the reason why my groin hurts is because of swollen lymph nodes. I also have a bean sized one in my neck. I now feel like I have HIV again. One moment, I'm confident I don't have it, then something will happen that makes me think otherwise.
Do ARS symptoms happen all at once and go? Or do they come sporadically? I've never felt like this my entire life! I'm thinking stress, but I highly doubt it. My groin pain happened around week 2, then week 8, now it's coming back approaching week 10. I also had a 99 degree fever for 3 days around week 3, I think? So many symptoms of something I can't keep track. I couldn't sleep last night due to terrible nausea and general uncomfortableness. It was horrible.
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Leave your lymph nodes alone. Go to a doctor if you have a concern. By squeezing or handling them, you can cause a real problem. They are very sensitive.
ARS symptoms come on once and all at once. They do not come and go. But for many they are hardly noticeable. There is absolutely nothing HIV specific about any of your symptoms.
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hey,
Why haven't you been checked out for gonorrhea yet? Stop worrying about a virus for which you were NOT at risk and worry about all the other STIs for which you were at risk.
Ann