HIV Paranoia and OCD.. Help

[Floridaboy1992]

Hello, I’ve been paranoid and have been having ocd about HIV for years now, but lately it has been very bad off and on. There has been a few things that have been bothering me lately and I need some closure on these scenarios. I’m a heterosexual male, 32 years old

1.) On April 26th of this year I was nicked by my barber with the straight razor. It wasn’t a bad nick but was some minor bleeding by my beard. I had gotten paranoid about him possibly forgetting to change the straight razor that day and possibly cutting me with a dirty razor and infecting me with HIV. Is that possible? I’ve been pretty anxious to test after 6 weeks from that incident.

2.) Just 3 days ago on June 4th, I had received oral sex from this woman that I just met off of this dating site. She is a heavy smoker and I had noticed one of her teeth looked mildly decayed and her gums didn’t look in the best shape. I think she had some missing teeth in the back. I was worried about possibly her gums or teeth bleeding onto my penis, even though I didn’t see any blood, cuts or scrapes. I do realize that oral sex, especially on the receiving end is practically no risk at all. But with her mouth condition, would that make any difference and increase risk? She did tell me that she is completely clean from all STD’s.

3.) Today I was at the gym using a machine. My legs tend to get itchy at random times, so I had kept reaching down to itch my leg kind of hard 3-4 seconds after I completed my sets on the machine. My concern is that if it is possible to transmit HIV from my hands touching the gym machine handle to my fresh small bleeding open cut on my leg 3-4 seconds after touching the machine handle? Should I test for HIV soon to have some piece of mind, or are the situations are no risk for testing? All of these things have been bothering me lately and I really need some closure.

  -Thank you

[Jim]

Hiya.

I have read your post three times, including the "what ifs" with great care.
There was no HIV risk from these situations, move on with your life.

Here's what you need to know to reduce your HIV risks:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse correctly and consistently, with no exceptions. Consider talking to your healthcare provider about PrEP as an additional layer of protection against HIV and get vaccinated against HPV, Hepatitis A & B.

Keep in mind that some sexual practices described as safe in terms of acquiring HIV still pose a risk for other easier-acquired STIs. So please do get tested at least yearly for STIs, including but not limited to HIV, and more frequently if condomless intercourse occurs.

Also, note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms; testing is the only way to know.

Kind regards

Jim

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[Floridaboy1992]

Thanks a lot Jim. I am going to move on. Some of it is just ocd and irrational thoughts. A couple small other things I had forgot to mention. So about 2 weeks after the barber incident, I had developed a mild sore throat which lasted for 10-12 hours and then my body temperature was slightly elevated from 99.1-99.8 at its highest and it kept going up and down each time I checked every 1-5 minutes for a little while. That only lasted for about 12 hours. My anxiety was extremely high. The last thing was that I developed either a lymph node or cist on my jawline that was moveable and could pull along with the skin. That took 2 weeks to fully go away. I was afraid of Ars but I’m aware that stress also plays a role and other viruses that are going around.

And for the incident last night at the gym. It was almost immediately that I touched my small open cut with blood with my hands right after I had touched the gym handle. Maybe 1 second. It wasn’t 3-4 seconds. Sorry if this is a lot. Thanks a lot Jim.

[Jim]

So about 2 weeks after the barber incident, I had developed a mild sore throat which lasted for 10-12 hours and then my body temperature was slightly elevated from 99.1-99.8 at its highest and it kept going up and down each time I checked every 1-5 minutes for a little while. That only lasted for about 12 hours. My anxiety was extremely high. The last thing was that I developed either a lymph node or cist on my jawline that was moveable and could pull along with the skin. That took 2 weeks to fully go away. I was afraid of Ars but I’m aware that stress also plays a role and other viruses that are going around

Your left leg and testicle could fall off but it's not related to HIV from the barber as that wasn't an HIV risk.

And for the incident last night at the gym. It was almost immediately that I touched my small open cut with blood with my hands right after I had touched the gym handle. Maybe 1 second. It wasn’t 3-4 seconds

.

Makes no difference whatsoever.

Relax, move on with your life.

[Floridaboy1992]

Thanks, that really helps. One other question. (Do not mean to be a pest) But would it matter if her mouth was dry and possibly lacked some Saliva? She was a heavy pot and cigarette smoker and said she had cotton mouth (dry mouth) at the time. But I did still feel some saliva. I’m just curious to know. Thank you.

[Jim]

It makes no difference.

Receiving a blowjob lacks the conditions required for acquiring HIV; thus, it makes sense that after 40+ years of this pandemic in terms of BJs, there hasn't been a single documented case of HIV transmission to an insertive partner (the person being "sucked"), and you will not be the worlds first.

You got a blowjob, move on with your life.

[Floridaboy1992]

Hello. Hate to be back again after a few days, but I’m fighting my HIV phobia and ocd as hard as I can until I get tested again in September for my annual physical. At work last night, I dug into my bookbag and felt a hard poke on my index finger. Nothing super painful but I got worried (even though it’s my own backpack) either my screwdriver poked me or something else. Then I looked and saw a very thin hairline scratch with no blood on my finger.

So this morning I had to use my screwdriver again and a couple of times it had accidentally rubbed and grazed on my hairline scratch. Looks like the skin was starting to split but it also looks like it could have been there for a few days at the same time. But I’m worried about the head of the screwdriver grazing over it a couple times when I was messing with it. I’m still trying to learn about inanimate objects and HIV. I only use the screwdriver and sometimes my coworkers borrow the screwdriver as well.

Could that put me at risk for HIV or Hep C since the screwdriver head touched and grazed my small hairline scratch on my finger? And is it possible to contract HIV from a tool like a screwdriver in my situation, if not much worse? I’ve always been paranoid about sharp objects poking me.

[Jim]

Zero HIV risk

[Floridaboy1992]

Okay thanks. I was just curious since it had touched and rubbed the scratch a couple of times for about 1 second.

[Jim]

You're welcome, it's zero HIV risk.

The only way to acquire HIV from a sharp object outside of an occupational setting would be if you had been sharing syringes to inject drugs.

Accidental contact with any sharp objects including needles in the community setting isn't an HIV risk.

[Jim]

We provide HIV risk assessments & education and nothing we say is going to assist you long term. I presume you are working with a psychiatrist, keep working with them and if you don't have a psychiatrist consider seeing one.

I wish you well but please don't post about contact with objects again. Thank you

[Floridaboy1992]

You’re right. I am working on speaking with one asap. This page has educated me on how HIV is truly transmitted. For years I have assumed some of the ways that I had mentioned could possibly be a risk, but obviously they’re not now that I’m more educated. I do apologize for the excesses questions that seem extra. I truly needed to know and wasn’t 100% sure at that moment.

I do have one slight concern, but more of just out of curiosity. I do understand that you cannot get HIV from receiving a hand job. But is there an increased risk if there is a good size open wound/abrasion on the penis from a rough hand job, and say if the persons hands were not clean and had blood from either there own cut on hands or from the environment? I was hanging out with a woman that I’ve known for a while a few days ago & she masturbated me to hard and when I got home I realized the friction and dry skin caused a big open scrape/cut. She is clean and she is also very paranoid of STD’s but I’m just genuinely curious. Thank you

[Jim]

It's not an HIV risk.

I am working on speaking with one asap

Glad to hear that you are seeking support and I wish you all the best.

[Floridaboy1992]

Hey Jim, I have been getting better with it. I have learned quite a bit over theee months. So I know that insertive oral sex is not a risk for HIV.. but I went and got tested a couple of days ago which was on the 6th week (43rd) day after the oral sex incident. I went and got tested only because I haven’t been tested in over 4 months anyways and it’s for piece of mind. I went to a STD clinic nearby and they did a 2nd gen Rapid HIV test along with rapid Syphillis and rapid Hep C test. All came back negative.

The question that I have which is just out of curiosity is, can being dehydrated possibly interfere with a HIV test accuracy let’s just say in general? They took my blood from my finger with no issue for the HIV test and Hep C test, but for the Syphillis test, it required a lot more blood from my finger and the guy pricked my right finger and not enough blood was coming out and he said that is from dehydration, which I was dehydrated. So he pricked my left finger instead. I’m just curious to know, thank you.

[Jim]

’m fighting my HIV phobia and ocd as hard as I can until I get tested again in September for my annual physical.

So I know that insertive oral sex is not a risk for HIV.. but I went and got tested a couple of days ago which was on the 6th week (43rd) day after the oral sex incident. I went and got tested only because I haven’t been tested in over 4 months anyways and it’s for piece of mind.

I'm not buying it. It's July, not September and you did not need testing, you just ran out and got tested for no reason and with the wrong test given the time frame even if it was a risk (it was not a risk, so that's good) and this isn't going to resolve your issues, you need a psychiatrist.

Anyhow being somewhat dehydrated or not makes no difference. Please don't post about this again, thank you.

[Floridaboy1992]

You’re right about that. I completely understand. My anxiety has gotten better. Haven’t been on this site in a little while which helped. I pretty much know all of the risk and ways HIV is transmitted, but excuse me for possibly sounding silly, but this is an honest question out of curiosity.. is it possible to transmit HIV from your own hands to yourself through a small open wound/cut from touching surfaces in a bathroom like a urinal handle if it had some blood on it? Or just environmental surfaces and objects transferring to and from your hands in general. I had a open wound/cut last week but small one on my temple of my face and just wanted to make sure if I’m not putting myself at risk hypothetically speaking if I did happen to touch my open wound with my hands right after I touched the urinal handle. I have a habit of touching my face a lot and I always wash my hands but just wondering if I had for some reason forgot to wash my hands before I touched my face with the wound after touching the urinal handle or even bathroom door handle. Sorry again for being extra excessive, just very curious to know. Thanks

[leatherman]

HIV is transmitted through unprotected anal/vaginal sex; or by sharing injection needles. HIV is a fragile virus. Outside the body, HIV dies quickly when conditions like temperature or air exposure change.

As you can see, nothing in your hypothetical would be a risk for HIV.

Have you spoken with anyone about your HIV anxieties? You really have no reasons, outside of unprotected sex or sharing injection needles, to worry about HIV.

Have a good day,
Michael

[Floridaboy1992]

I haven’t spoke with anyone yet. I just have been trying extra hard to overcome it myself which somedays are great and other days I get paranoid about irrational situations. I’ve had HIV fear since 11 years old and I’m not 32.im ready to completely overcome this fear. Lately I’ve developed an irrational fear of HIV from the environment via cuts,scrapes, my own hands self infecting etc. But now I know that that is not a valid route for Hiv but only unprotected sex and sharing needles.

[Floridaboy1992]

I’m now 32*

[Jim]

11 and you are now 33.

You are not overcoming this, it's getting worse. Consider talking to a psychiatrist and please don't post again unless it's about unprotected intercourse or sharing needles

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

[Floridaboy1992]

Hello. As you can see, I’m back here again. This time for something that I’m very curious to know more about and also a little concerned. I had stopped at the gas station a couple of nights ago in an area I’m not familiar with. Some of the people at the gas station looked a little sketchy but I wasn’t too worried overall.

Long story short, I went to go grab the gas pump and a what looks like to be a broken piece of plastic knife was propped up and holding the pump lever upwards, which prevented me from pumping the gas. Wasn’t to sure what the object was at first until I moved it with my hands and it flew onto the ground. I already have an irrational fear of needles and sharp objects randomly poking me either by people or laying around in the environment. (I’m about to speak to a therapist actually soon about that) So I panicked thinking why would someone place a broken object on the gas pump handle like that. Then my mind was starting thinking what if it was also a needle in that pump and it poked me and I didn’t feel it?

I did notice a small red dot on my wrist shortly after and then that red dot went away a couple of hours later. I know that’s me being paranoid but it could also be from anything. My main question is, is it possible say if someone really did leave a needle in the gas pump for someone to get poked by it and contract HIV or Hep C? I’ve always been curious about this for a long time. Sorry to sound ridiculous but I just had to really get this out. Thank you

-Nick

[leatherman]

I merged your new thread into your old thread here. As someone posting in the "Am I Infected" forum, we ask that you keep all your questions here together in the same post.

Looking through your old posts, you have asked this question before and was told that random pokes and pricks are NOT a risk for HIV.

HIV is transmitted by unprotected anal/vaginal sex or by sharing injection needles. Injection needles are ONLY a risk because sharing a needle means only a small amount of time has passed. Outside the body, HIV immediately begins to degrade because of changes in humidity, temperature, and pH factors. Only when sharing an injection needle within a short amount of time is there any risk of those factors not having time to degrade HIV.

Random stabs, jabs, or pricks are never a risk for HIV risk. Every time you're poked by a random object, if there isn't someone standing there who has just pulled that object from being impaled in their body, then enough time has passed for there to be NO risk of HIV.

Thank you and have a good day
Michael

Reducing Your HIV risks:
With no exceptions, use condoms correctly and consistently for anal or vaginal intercourse
Talk to a healthcare provider about PrEP as another layer of protection

Get tested yearly for HIV and other STIs.
If you don’t use condoms and/or PrEP, test more frequently

Some sexual practices described as safe in terms of acquiring HIV still pose a risk for other more easily acquired STIs. It is possible to show no signs or symptoms from an STI so testing is the only way to know.

Get tested at least yearly for STIs, including but not limited to HIV, and more frequently if condomless intercourse occurs.

What’s the ONLY way to know if you’ve been infected by HIV or an STI?
Get tested.


Please Note.
As a member of the "Do I have HIV" Forum, you are required to only post in this one thread no matter how long between visits or the subject matter. You can find this thread by going to your profile and selecting show own post, which will take you here. It helps us to help you when you keep all your thoughts or questions in one thread, and it helps other readers to follow the discussion. Any additional threads will be removed.