Am I at risk? Please help!

[Jolene22]

Please help me!

3 weeks ago my partner, who is now an ex-partner, put a condom and then realised that it was upside down and then put it back correctly. I can only assume that there was some contact with pre-cum, a drop or two maybe. Then we had vaginal sex and I'm not sure wether it was considered protected or not.

What if there were any tiny trauma in my vagina because of the rough sex? (I'm sorry for the details)
Would a drop or two of pre-cum be enough to find its way to my blood stream this way, causing me an infection?

I am scared to death and I honestly don't know how I'm gonna handle the window period.
Yesterday I felt very tired, and a little bit of a sore throat (maybe that's because I smoke like a chimney since I am scared s***less) and otherwise I wouldn't pay any attention, but I read that ARS symptoms can start 2 to 4 weeks after exposure.

I read on some UN document that the virus can't survive outside the body, but if it's exposed to air for like a few seconds, does it instantly become inactive?

I never had unprotected sex in my entire life, not even when I was on long term monogamous relationship and now this thing happens and I'm totally falling apart 
I can't focus on my thesis and I can't eat, please assess my risk!

[Andy Velez]

Jolene, it's not quite clear exactly what happened in this incident. As long as your partner had a condom on during vaginal intercourse then you did not have a risk. I assume by "upside down" you mean that he started out by putting the condom on inside out, withdrew and then put it on again. If that's what happened you were not at risk.

What you are calling "symptoms" are not in anyway HIV specific.

It doesn't seem to me that you had a risk at all but if I am missing something here please clarify. 

[Jolene22]

Yes Andy, I meant "inside out", God I am so frustrated I don't even understand what I am typing!

He put it on, he withdrew it and put it back on, what worried me was a possible exposure to pre-cum and that's why I needed to know for sure wether the virus on pre-cum was destroyed/deactivated or whatever before entering my vagina.

I read that it takes minutes for the virus to lose infectiousness outside the body, so I'm not sure that the virus, if existent, was inactive before penetration.

I am taking full STD scan anyway by mid-September, it's just that I needed some risk assesment before I went complete nuts! 

[Andy Velez]

That's what I thought. HIV is a fragile virus. I don't see risk for you in this situation. I am expecting you to test negative whenever you get around to doing it.

[Jolene22]

I hate to bring it up again, but today, exactly 3 weeks after my last encounter, I noticed a change in my right lymph node beneath the ear. It's not exactly swollen but it's hard and looks and feels like a tumor.

I'm petrified! 

[Andy Velez]

Listen, between here and the grave hopefully in the far distant future, you will have many physical events happen. HIV can't be the cause if you haven't had a risk.

And as of now you have not had a risk. So if you have a concern about something physical you should discuss it with your doctor. And keep your hands off of your lymph nodes because they are very sensitive to the touch. By squeezing or bothering them you can create a big problem. Which has nothing to do with HIV of course.

[Jolene22]

Holy shit Andy, I had no idea and I kept touching them because I was anxious!
Now there is some kind of lump on the right one, I will contact my physician immediately, had no idea that touching them was dangerous! 

Thanks anyway!

[Andy Velez]

You are such a drama queen! I tell you something can be problematic and you translate that as "dangerous." Jeeez louise.

Cut it out. HIV is not your problem and whatever is causing the swollen lymph node, which can happen for all sorts of reasons, will be dealt with.

[Jolene22]

Now I am sick with 100F maximum, I've got symptoms of tonsilitis, other swollen lymphs and my tongue has a white coat. That started to happen at exactly 3 weeks after this encounter.

I keep reading all this controversial information about the ability of pre-cum to infect and now I'm really helpless.

Please don't give me a time out 

[RapidRod]

Now I am sick with 100F maximum, I've got symptoms of tonsilitis, other swollen lymphs and my tongue has a white coat. That started to happen at exactly 3 weeks after this encounter.

I keep reading all this controversial information about the ability of pre-cum to infect and now I'm really helpless.

Please don't give me a time out 

Then I suggest you pay attention to what Andy has been telling you.

[Andy Velez]

You are such a drama queen! I tell you something can be problematic and you translate that as "dangerous." Jeeez louise.

Cut it out. HIV is not your problem and whatever is causing the swollen lymph node, which can happen for all sorts of reasons, will be dealt with.

There's nothing more for us to add to what has already been said to you. You did not have a risk. Stop creating drama about HIV when you have no basis for concern.

And yes, this is your warning that if you continue to return here about your non-risk you are going to find yourself very quickly getting a Time Out from the site. HIV is not your problem. If you have health concerns you should be discussing them with your doctor. It's not about HIV. End of story.