Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 19, 2024, 03:28:20 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772784
  • Total Topics: 66296
  • Online Today: 268
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 270
Total: 270

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Welcome to Do I Have HIV?

Welcome to the "Do I Have HIV?" POZ forum.

This special section of the POZ forum is for individuals who have concerns about whether or not they are HIV positive. Individuals are permitted to post up to three questions or responses in this forum.

Ongoing participation in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum (posting more than three questions or responses) requires a paid subscription, with secure payments made via PayPal.

A seven-day subscription is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum -- including past, present and future POZ Forums members -- will need to subscribe, with secure payments made via PayPal.

There is no charge to read threads in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum, nor will there be a charge for participating in any of the other POZ forums. In addition, the POZ Basics "HIV Transmission and Risks" and "HIV Testing" basics, will remain accessible to all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum; attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account to participate beyond three posts in the "Do I Have HIV?" Forum, please click here.

Thank you for your understanding and future support of the best online support service for people living with, affected by and at risk for HIV.

Author Topic: Pregnant and worried  (Read 4347 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Pregnant and worried
« on: October 04, 2017, 08:47:25 am »
Hello everyone

My worry about HIV started after visiting a doctor's office for my pregnancy check up. As I was waiting for my husband to pick me up, I asked the receptionist at the office for WiFi password. She kindly handed me a little card with WiFi details. After sorting out the wifi, I noticed a tiny ( did not notice it before) red sudged dot on the card which definately looked like blood. I assume she transferred it on the card after she touched it to hand it over to me. I did not have cuts on my skin, but I touched my phone and headphones etc before I noticed the dot. Now I am wondering if this is something I need to worry about. I know that HIV is primarely transferred by sexual intercourse, contaminated blood products and sharing needles, but there is this 1% who do not know how they got infected. Which feeds this worry and "what if..." scenarios. What reassures me is that there were no cuts on my hands, but I do not remember if I touched my eye etc in the meantime and I definetely touched my headphones before I put them in my ears and before noticing that red dot. What do you think? Would you consider this a risk?  :-\  Thank you x

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2017, 09:17:27 am »
No, your fears are totally irrational

HIV does not remain infectious outside the human body, now to be honest you fear and concern should simply end there. Ill add however next to this you also lacked all of the other biological requirements for transmission.

No risk, none whatsoever.
Relax and I wish you well with the pregnancy, take care.

Jim 

HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2017, 09:54:35 am »
Thank you so much for your answer xxx

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2017, 09:58:45 am »
You're welcome  :)
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2017, 02:45:08 pm »
Hello everyone.

Thank you so much for answering my previous question and for being so great. After reading the forum I have learned a lot about HIV and have decided to test for it (it was not an option during my pregnancy)

Anyhow, my exposure was this. 6 weeks ago, I got into a little accident. I was at a salon with my sister at the time waiting as she did her hair. There was another customer in a shop with a lovely little boy how was playing with his toys and one thing let to another and he accidentally scraped my knee (it was bleeding). A girl who worked at the salon immediately went into the kitchen took an ice pack from the fridge (they use it on clients after botox etc) and put it on my knee. It was in a little sleeve and i asked her if they disinfect them. She said of course. I thought nothing of it, was just grateful for her concern, and then my pregnancy hormones kicked in and i thought what if they did not disinfect them between clients properly. Would that be a risk? I still do not understand whether HIV can survive outside the body on frozen things like ice, ice packs, ice cream. Because it says everywhere that it can survive frozen. Please be so kind as to let me know. I wish to understand and educate my friends about it.

Anyhow it was 6 weeks ago (2 days short) and I bought OraQuick test which was negative. Do I need to repeat it in 6 more weeks or do you think I should just forget about that incident and move on? Thank you xxx

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2017, 03:26:27 pm »
HIV is not infectouise once exposed outside the human body. The receptors needed to infect are damaged leaving it unable to infect human cells. Next to this it needs a route, quantity - scrapes and cuts don't provide that, not this this matters as you simply had no exposure to anything HIV infectouise to start with.

I don't know what you have been reading but its either out of context or plain rubbish.

Relax ;) You had no risk whatsoever. As for testing as you had no risk you could have tested the day after, a week, 6 weeks it did not matter as you could have not tested ever as it was no concern to start with.

Jim
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2017, 03:47:07 pm »
Thank you,  JimDublin. You are the best :)

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2017, 03:49:25 pm »
PS Regarding HIV surviving frozen I took it from here:

x

Levels of virus remain relatively stable in blood at room temperature, and HIV may persist for at least a week in dried blood at 4°C. Blood containing HIV used for laboratory experiments is stored at –70°C without any loss of viral activity.

...also I thought about blood in blood banks etc.

« Last Edit: October 19, 2017, 04:21:44 pm by JimDublin »

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2017, 04:15:36 pm »
See out of context, suspected as much.

Labs can keep HIV viable outside the body and this has caused some people to misunderstand this to mean environmental risk is possible. Just like you have when it is not the case.

HIV is so fragile that the labs had to use artificial conditions and great concentrations of HIV many times greater than than anything ever found in patient specimens, the amounts of virus studied are simply not found in nature, and no one has been infected with HIV this way. (Its classed as "Spillage" contact)  Its posed great problems in the early days to even study HIV its that fragile.

Also to freeze HIV outside of the serial and controlled conditions in a laboratory like in the home or food processing freezer or even the salon means its been in contact with air and inactivated, also the freezer in a salon or at home is not the correct type or grade of freezing and the cells break due to crystallization.

Ill add at room temperature, sure HIV lives however once exposed outside the body to air I come back to the biological fact that alive or dead the receptors needed  to infect are corrected leaving it no longer infectious.

You had no risk, just "what if's". Relax and stop looking for an issue you do not have.

Jim
« Last Edit: October 19, 2017, 04:23:29 pm by JimDublin »
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2017, 04:23:31 pm »
Thank you. I will do my best to do as you advice. Sorry for my ignorance when it comes to this subject and have a great evening x

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2017, 04:30:10 pm »
You're welcome.

I understand that you are Pregnant and had a scare, now I can't fully appreciate how that feels or is playing on your mind.

What I can tell you is I have two young children, and their are many other HIV positive parents here, 1000's of us. Day to day contact, scrapes and cuts and the boo boo's that happen in life, its simple not a viable route or exposure. Trust me, we are not a risk to them and you are not going to get HIV from a freezer, cut knee or pass that onto you baby.

Take care

Jim
« Last Edit: October 19, 2017, 04:35:08 pm by JimDublin »
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2017, 04:34:14 pm »
Thank you. You have educated me a great deal about this. Also, I heard about "u=u" and have posted this message on my facebook, which I also learned from here. So well done to you guys.

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2017, 06:01:25 pm »
Hello, Jim and everyone  :-*
I am not sure if I am writing in the right forum, but here it goes. Sorry in advance if I am not.
Actually writing on behalf of my sister. She is about to start a new relationship. He is a great guy, she trusts him, and she wants to ask him to test for STDs before they start a sexual relationship. She has never done it before (asked someone for an STD check), and she wanted me to ask you to be so kind (as you always are) and to maybe share your experience as to how ask a guy to do that without sounding like you do not trust him and/or wanted to offend.
My advice was to say "I 100% trust you, but lets make sure that people in our past were 100% honest with us". Something like that. But I think my advice sounds a bit condecending in regard to people who they were in their past (and I am sure they trusted them all the same) . Any suggestions would be much, much appreciated xxx

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2017, 06:16:26 pm »
I think she should mention she is having her regular screening done, bring it into conversation and go from there.

I will say we have plenty of members who asked partners to test and it was negative when they started a relationship or even getting married and yet they contracted HIV. Trust simply does not prevent HIV, most people sadly cheat and testing just reflects on the past so there are always risks.

Use condoms would be my advice, old fashioned and prehaps but it's better than living with HIV for life.

Jim
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2017, 06:34:22 pm »
Thank you, Jim!  :-*
Yes, I know what you mean. Just another day a girl who is also pregnant told me she was infected by her now ex-partner (she did not go into details with what and I did not ask) AFTER they tested right before they started trying for a baby. He infected her whilst she was pregnant, it seems. So I guess condoms are a girl's (and boy's) best friends. Often times more valuable than diamonds.
Hope you are well. Thank you for helping once again x

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #15 on: November 18, 2017, 10:16:35 am »
Hello guys.

I have a question from someone who has just been diagnosed. He is a step son of relative, but does not speak English well, so I am writing on his behalf. Hope it is ok.
He has a viral load of 1890 , his CD4 count is 590.
He lives with my uncle in a 3rd world country, not a drug user, girlfriend is negative. He recently had an operation and suspects this is where he got infected. Again, it is not US or UK, so they may be a bit lacking when it comes to universal precautions ( I guess). Do you think his numbers suggest it was a recent infection? His op was 3 months ago, before the operation he tested negative at the same hospital. Thank you xxx

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #16 on: November 18, 2017, 10:54:20 am »
Hi

There is no test to see how long someone has HIV, his VL and CD4 counts are not going to tell how long he is infected. CD4 declines vary, and also depend on the pre-infection CD4 counts. Some people regardless of HIV have 1000's and other only 400 to 500.

Universal precautions (standard precaution as it's nowadays called) or not the risk from an operation is tiny in a 3rd world location or even a medical field hospital as HIV is not infectious once exposed outside the body. The only real risk would only be from blood transfusions/products in 3rd world nations as screening may not be 100%.

End of the day, this is risk assessments for you and we try not to talk about other people who are not in the room.

If your friend wants to become a member he can and we can support him and answer his questions. The language is not a real problem we have members for every nation in the world here, I encourage English or Spanish so as many people as possible can help support even if its google translate but if need be I am sure we have members who will understand perfectly whatever language it is. 

Jim
« Last Edit: November 18, 2017, 11:00:00 am by JimDublin »
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

Offline momtobe2

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2017, 11:23:44 am »
Thank you so much, Jim

As always, you are amazing. I will let him know and I am sure he will register here. Have a great day!

Offline Jim Allen

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 22,193
  • Threads: @jim16309
    • Social Media: Threads
Re: Pregnant and worried
« Reply #18 on: November 18, 2017, 03:17:39 pm »
You're welcome
HIV 101 - Everything you need to know
HIV 101
Read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
Read about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
Read about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

My Instagram
Threads

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.