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Author Topic: Practically Positive  (Read 8474 times)

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Offline probabilities

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Practically Positive
« on: August 10, 2012, 03:06:09 am »
Risk: Protected vaginal sex (lasted less than 5 minutes but I lost my erection and the condom slipped but my urethra was always covered don't know if it qualifies as a risk) and unprotected oral sex with a sex worker.

Symptoms:
0-7 days: Itchy penis/anus this is where I started to panic about an STI yet no further symptoms regarding that appeared. Also had diarrhea for several days but could have been due to drinking and not eating properly for that week.

7-14 days: Some sort of fever with 1 night sweat and plainly just fatigue.

2-4 Weeks after: Had flu with mucus and cough runny nose and a general feeling of fatigue and malaise along with swollen throat glands and I had one canker sore and something that might appear as a small rash on my shoulder (4 red small dots) which disappeared like in 2 days.

5th week: Swollen throat glands and fatigue along with muscle pain in pectorals and in thighs something I have never felt before.

6-7 week (present): Still somewhat of a fatigue and somewhat bad digestion as I have more flatulence and bloating stomach. The swollen throat glands are still present.

Side notes: I had a 4 week/1month oraquick 3rd generation test which came out negative.

I went to my GP/Doctor for all my life who is a specialist in infectious diseases such as HIV has certain degrees in this field and specialized in viruses. I told him about all my symptoms and he basically told me that it was almost impossible to get HIV from oral sex and less from protected vaginal sex. I have received proper medication but still feel fatigued and often have headaches and feel a hot body without fever. I told him that It may be mono but he said that it did not look like mono and even if I had mono it would eventually subside.

Even though I had a low or even non-existen "theoretical risk" and my doctor also very knowledgeable about the subject told me not to worry : I still can't understand my symptoms and my throat glands are still swollen and I know you are not doctors but I just want you to diagnose my situation and symptoms and tell me If I am possibly infected?

I still think that maybe I was just so unlucky and that condom failed in someway and the sex worker had HIV. I am really scared and also very young and I could not withstand a positive result I just could not bear with It i am trying to convince myself with certain facts that give me hope but I still can't stand the small percentage.

Sorry for the rant ... really need your opinion/help so I can stop having nightmares!


Offline RapidRod

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2012, 03:08:47 am »
You were never at risk. You do not have an HIV concern.

Offline Ann

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2012, 03:24:03 am »
prob,

Protected intercourse is just that - protected - and is not a risk for hiv infection. Neither is getting a blowjob. Not one person has ever been infected through getting a blowjob and you aren't going to be the first.

There have been three long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

If the condom had broken, you would have known. Broken condoms are very obvious - and they don't develop tiny holes. When the fail, they do so catastrophically.

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 TO TEST SPECIFICALLY OVER PROTECTED INTERCOURSE OR ORAL SEX, 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
Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline probabilities

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2012, 01:43:35 pm »
I would like to add something: I recently found out that the sex worker was indeed HIV positive. Although my risk was protected sex and unprotected oral I still have fatigue and swollen glands which is definitely not good. I have seen several doctors and medication has not helped this particular issue and I am terrified that I have contracted HIV from my first sexual experience. My only grasp on faith is my 4 week negative test but I am still concerned with the window period!

Please help I have had all of the symptoms and I mean all of them!
In ARS do symptoms come and go or are they a collection of symptoms?
Lastly how long can ARS last is it normal for it to go over 2 months?

Offline Ann

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2012, 02:13:03 pm »
Prob,

We always give risk assessments with the assumption that the other person is hiv positive.

You did NOT have a risk for hiv infection. NO RISK.

You are not experiencing ARS. It does not come and go and it does not last for two months.

You have NOT had a risk for hiv infection! Re-read your entire thread. Our answers are not going to change.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline probabilities

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2012, 02:34:27 am »
I am here again and still worried:
- Although I have been repeatedly told that HIV is not transmitted through oral sex I am just unsure that something else could have been a factor or maybe HIV permeated the condom.
- My point is that I would have disregarded the subject if it not were for my alarming swollen lymph nodes in my throat which I have had for almost 2.5 months or so.

My doubts are as follow:
- If my doctor checked me and told me that I def. did not have mono
- If i have no visible chancre or other syphilis symptoms
- And I probably have ruled out all of the other things that cause swollen lymph nodes leaving only HIV


Although my doctor keeps on telling me that it is a respiratory issue and that I should not worry about it. Also I have been having gastritis for a prolonged time and I read that it can be one of the first symptoms as HIV installs itself in the GI tract. I am mostly worried because I have never had gastritis nor this condition in which my throat nodes have been swollen. Although I have had a 4 week negative test, several reassurances from my doctor and the people here at poz I still can't stop thinking about HIV. I know that you can't diagnose it by symptoms but as I mentioned above I think that almost everything is ruled out and it can't possibly be a coincidence that all of my symptoms occurred in a perfect time frame. Because I have had ALL of ARS symptoms including a rash which can be one of the most common indicators and also swollen glands up to date.

After all the information that I have given you I have two questions:
- Do you still think that I am negative and should I test?
- How likely is my 4 week negative to change at 11.5 weeks when I do my next test?

If you really are right I will donate all that I have left over in my savings which is not a lot but its something.

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2012, 03:08:27 am »
Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are highly effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In addition, consistent and correct use of latex condoms reduces the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including diseases transmitted by genital secretions, and to a lesser degree, genital ulcer diseases. Condom use may reduce the risk for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-associated diseases, e.g., genital warts and cervical cancer.

Laboratory studies have demonstrated that latex condoms provide an essentially impermeable barrier to particles the size of STD pathogens.

Offline Ann

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2012, 06:15:32 am »
prob,

Your four week negative isn't going to change because you never had a risk in the first place.

Re-read your entire thread until it sinks in.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline probabilities

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2012, 03:29:22 am »
I'm here again and starting to lose hope. My lymph nodes in my throat are still swollen on both sides, I have had gastritis and bad digestion. I just generally do not feel well I went to the doctor and he found that I had high blood pressure and that I was not positive for mono. He said that it was not likely hiv but he would recommend testing after I told him about the incident. I have a bad taste in my mouth as well and just do not have energy anymore.

I know you say you can't diagnose your status by symptoms but mine are not a coincidence. The conditions that match my symptoms and swollen glands are:
mono ( don't have it)
cancer lymphoma etc (very unlikely)
syphilis (never had a chancre so i guess not)
respiratory infection (I usually have sinusitis but never did I have enlarged nodes)

So that rules out just about everything leaving the cold hard truth that I am indeed positive. I know that you stress that oral sex is not a way for transmission but I still find it hard to believe. Her viral load could have been in the millions making it easier to transmit and the condom's could have not worked perfectly I don't really know. I have not had the courage to test for peace of mind because I know that my test is going to be positive and I am not prepared for that option. I am usually a very negative and paranoid person so this has been stressing me out horribly. My only faith left is in the 4.5 week negative and the idea that oral sex is unlikely to transmit.

Do people with hiv always develop swollen nodes and do they ever go back down?

Do you think that apart from all the symptoms I am feeling and have felt been identical to ars and primary infection i could be negative?

Please be thorough and honest with me I would appreciate it. Not just a "you did not have a risk" response because that was said before and I want you to reconsider.

Thank you sorry for the long post

Offline Ann

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2012, 06:19:05 am »
Prob,

As you have been repeatedly told, you did NOT have a risk for hiv infection and your four week negative is NOT going to change.

If you cannot bring yourself to believe us, go test and collect your negative result. It has been more than three months since the encounter you're worried about, so a test any time now will be conclusive.

Not one person has EVER been infected through getting a blowjob and you are NOT going to be the first.


Please be thorough and honest with me I would appreciate it. Not just a "you did not have a risk" response because that was said before and I want you to reconsider.


Honest about what? We've already been honest with you and there really is nothing more to say other than "you did NOT have a risk". Your symptoms could be anything, so keep working with your doctor to find out what, if anything, is actually wrong with you. Whatever that may be, it isn't going to be a virus for which you had NO RISK.

Again, if you cannot bring yourself to believe us, go test, collect your negative result, and move on with your life.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline probabilities

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2012, 02:42:49 am »
Through searching the forums I found out that people who were hiv positive had a lot of gut issues (with or without medicine) as hiv hid in the gut and did a lot of damage. Before my incident I had a healthy digestive tract it just seems like all of my symptoms are so indicative. I feel like I am getting sick more often and never feeling ok and I have taken a lot of medication and not gotten any better. I have had gastritis flatulence and gas much much more commonly than I usually do and It has been like this for months. I can not find any other explanation to the way that I am feeling other than hiv. I also had diarrhea this weekend and some nausea in the morning I am not courageous enough to test because I already know Im positive but I am not willing to accept it.




Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2012, 03:20:08 am »
I am so very sorry about all of your ongoing symptoms. They can not be HIV related based on the situation as it was described to this forum.

I certainly hope you find peace.


"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline probabilities

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Re: Low Risk all of the symptoms
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2012, 01:28:32 am »
My subscription is about to end. My doctor told me that I was being an ostrich due to the fact that I was not willing to test and was being ignorant. He said that It was unlikely for me to test positive but I think he was just saying that so that he could test me and find out i was positive. I really do not know what to do I am seeing a psychiatrist this week to help me soothe my anxiety. You have given me sufficient answers and I hope you are right. And I know you said you have not seen anybody test positive from unprotected oral in your 10 years here but, I have read peoples stories that had only like 2-3 partners used condom for everything except oral and still got HIV. I know I have a pessimistic approach but I find that it is closer to reality, so I am willing to expect the worst so I will not be disappointed. Any other advice or thoughts would be great..

I will manage to get the courage and test sometime and I will probably be right all along.

Thx

Offline probabilities

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Practically Positive
« Reply #13 on: April 10, 2014, 10:48:59 pm »
I posted around almost two years ago with my symptoms and situation. I had a sexual encounter with a sex worker, protected vaginal, unprotected oral, sadly the first time I was having sex. Countless times was I told that I had no risk because receiving oral sex is not a way for HIV to be transmitted. I am pretty sure that I went through ARS / Seroconversion: I literally had every symptom possible. Fast forward two years, I am constantly fatigued, I have swollen lymph nodes that have not subsided in my neck, groin, and I can feel some in my arms as well. I have lost weight to the point that it has become noticeable (in a bad way) and I can't even fit into most of my jeans. My only hope, although it has completely vanished, was a 5 week Oraquick negative result. At first my own doctor (an infectologist and pediatrician) around 2 months after encounter told me I had nothing to worry and that it was probably an allergy.

 I have been told multiple times not to worry or that there was no chance that I had HIV. I have been living in the phase of denial for almost two years now and I have started to have pulmonary complications. This started as a dry cough, then I had a fever, the cough persisted to a point where I felt that I had a punctured lung and was short of breath. I went to the Doctor in my University and for the second time I had a high blood pressure recording. The doctor prescribed me allergy inhalators and antibiotics for what she thought was acute bronchitis, I had X-Rays, tested my Oxygen concentration in my blood, checked my lung capacity etc. I have also suffered from a minor back pain in my upper middle back which may have been caused by coughing or strenuous exercise. After my check up, the coughing stopped and my lung capacity was back to almost 93%, my oxygen content was also better at 99%. Today, I took an Adderal (70MG) and have slept under 8 hours in two days (as a sidenote). Also, I have been on a high dose of stress due to exams and mainly because of my declining medical condition. As well, today I started to feel short of breath to the point that I had to yawn to feel that I was bringing oxygen in. The shortness of breath could be caused by the Adderal, stress or most likely my respiratory condition (doctor thought I could develop Asthma). On another side note, I have several warts on my hand as well as plantar warts, conditions which only occur in people with damaged immune levels. I want to take control of my life, I want to tell my parents and I am planning mentally on getting tested (finally seeing the positive sign). However, then the dark thoughts start to come in, just can't believe my luck, how my parents would think of me as a disappointment, and all of the negative thoughts you could imagine. I am slowly loosing motivation in life, just like that. I remember a dream, long ago, maybe 4 years where I contracted HIV and I remember waking up crying and declaring this my worst and most vivid nightmare. Similarly, my essay that got me into college was how my fear of death (when I was little) made me strive to become a better and more successful individual. Ironic how life turns out.

I need help, I google every symptom and end up becoming paranoid, I think that I might have PCP. But it was on the pinnacle of my 'bronchitis' infection which I really felt close to death (I even saw my doppelgänger, which foreshadows death) that I knew that I did not want to die and I wanted to succeed more than ever. Sorry for the long rant, I have not spoken to anyone about this (I am going to a psychologist next week and evaluating the next steps) but it at least it provided me with a false sense of momentary relief. I strongly believe in my instinct, my sixth sense, and I could place the odds of being positive to almost at 98.6%. I know I am not technically positive because I have not seen the test results but I have ruled out almost all of the diseases that could possibly have the same symptoms (Mono, TB). I really just need someone to point me in the right direction: test first, then see an infectologist or what are the steps? Anything from words to actual advice can help, a link, a joke, an insult, I will take anything. I just want to get my life on track, overcoming the plateau in which I am stuck, I just want to feel alive and stop hiding under the thin covers of uncertainty.

Offline Ann

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Re: Practically Positive
« Reply #14 on: April 11, 2014, 02:57:05 am »
Prob,

You placed your latest post in a new thread in the Living With forum, where you are NOT permitted to post. I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep everything in one thread. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last posted in your thread or if the subject matter is different.

If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.

Please also read through the Welcome Thread so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.



Neither symptoms nor even the lack of symptoms will ever tell you a single thing about your hiv status. ONLY testing will. So if you can't bring yourself to believe that you had no risk and are not hiv positive, go test.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


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