HIV risk & symptomps - please help

[worried111]

Thank you all for contributing to this site, it is very  informative and provides a lot of help to a lot of worried people like me.

My story: 8.5 weeks ago I had protected penetrative vaginal  sex with a sex worker. Condom was provided by her, not sure it was latex or not, it seemed low quality though. the condom was still intact at the end, but it slipped down and was only covering the tip of my penis when i pulled out.
Five days after this, I started to have flu-like symptoms, which lasted for a week, Then skin rashes started to appear in different parts of my body ( legs, belly, back) including small red spots on the tip of my penis ( which went away after a week ). I have had constant headache, diarrhea and feeling very tired even if I sleep 10-12 hours since then. I am swollen in the groin area and had a slight discomfort when urinating.
 During the week 8 a large lump appeared under my jaw - a swollen lymph node that you can actually notice without touching it is quite big.

At this point i freaked out, although by reading your posts I know I should have had minimal HIV risk exposure.

My questions:
- are the above consistent with HIV infection symptoms?
- Can HIV infection flu-like symptoms develop within a week?
- would symptoms still be there 8 weeks after potential exposure?
- shall I test for HIV / other STIs?


Many thanks in advance for your answers.

[jkinatl2]

As you probably know by now, having read through the forums, we really don't talk much about symptoms here - as they might vary widely between people, and might not even occur at all.

But I will cut to the chase here. You had NO risk for HIV.

The head/tip of your penis is the only vulnerable area for a male in vaginal sex. That the condom rolled up is irrelevant. Your vulnerable area was covered, and that's how easy it is to avoid HIV.

There is no reason whatsoever to test for HIV over the incident as you described it.

However, I strongly urge every sexually active adult to be tested twice a year for ALL STDs, including HIV. Many of them do not cause obvious symptom, and can do great damage if left untreated.

[worried111]

thanks for the response. does it make a difference whether the condom was latex or not?

I am trying to reassure myself that there was no risk, but this symptoms are really strong and worrying, especially the big swollen lymph node in my jaw/ neck.

[jkinatl2]

thanks for the response. does it make a difference whether the condom was latex or not?

I am trying to reassure myself that there was no risk, but this symptoms are really strong and worrying, especially the big swollen lymph node in my jaw/ neck.

\

Your options regarding condoms are here:

Latex (cheap, easy to use, works with any water or silicon based lube)

Polyurethane (more expensive, thinner, works well for people with late allergies, can use any lube at all)

Lambskin (hard to find, super expensive, not more sensitive and doesn't protect against many STDs or pregnancy. Good for role-playing if you are into the Roman Era)

Your odds are pretty good you had a latex one. The others take a lot of looking and are far pricier.