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Author Topic: Got tested today  (Read 23435 times)

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Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Got tested today
« on: June 03, 2006, 12:06:01 pm »
OK...so here's my question for right now for you all.  I don't think I have any symptoms of ARS or anything really, nor do I believe I've done anything too risky to contract HIV (in retrospect.)  But I'm going to the doctor's office this Monday to have her do a full STD panel since I've been kind of morally loose recently and think I have the herpes in my throat/mouth as a result (although it could just be hsv-1 since I've never had a cold sore before.)  So, I read in the Boston globe or something that soon the state of Massachusetts is going to require clinics (even the confidential ones) to report who has tested hiv positive to them...who knows what for.  So, I guess my question is, even though I fully 100% expect it to come up negative, would it be that horrible if I told her that I don't want a hiv test included in the panel and go to the anonymous clinic that does an orasure test and doesn't ask names since I'm leaving the state in a year or so and don't really want to be on the MA hiv register should I be incorrect about my status?  I mean, who knows that they want that list for, and if I'm not going to live here then why should they know? 

I'm planning on going to the confidential place in a few weeks for a 6 week test anyway, it's just this throat thing came up and I thought I got rid of it with antibiotics, but it just spread to my mouth and presented as primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.  Then, I read a case study of hsv-2 presenting in a 24 yo female that had unprotected oral sex with a stranger 13 days before getting a severe sore throat with exudative tonsillitis and a fever of 99.8, that moved into the oral cavity after about a week and a half and presented as herpetic gingivostomatitis.  Her case presented as close to mine as possible, so it sounds like that's what it is.  And as for those who would say not to self-diagnose based off the internet--I've diagnosed several people with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis and as soon as the leisons manifested in my mucobuccal fold and soft palate I was sure that's what it was.
« Last Edit: June 05, 2006, 07:56:32 pm by BostonWorriedGuy »

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2006, 06:10:54 pm »
Boston, I think you're mixing a few things together here. First of all, you're kinda vague when you say you haven't done anything too risky, whatever that means. Have you had unprotected intercourse? That's the bottom line as far risky sex and HIV is concerned. If the answer is yes, then you need to be tested and the CDC recommends doing that at 13 weeks after the most recent unprotected incident.

If you have not had unprotected intercourse, then in all likelihood you don't need to test for HIV.

If a law is passed in Massachusetts it would not go into effect retroactively so I don't see a cause for concern if you were to have an HIV test right now.

Please clarify if I am missing something here.

 
Andy Velez

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2006, 07:02:43 pm »
OK...I know I have had a risk, and that I need to be tested, but I believe the test will be negative due to the nature of the risk.  I was with a guy a few weeks ago, and one thing led to another and we ended up having sex.   I was quite clear on where I stood on using condoms (they're a must) and the guy said OK.  So, we were going at it for a few minutes and I knew he was wearing a condom, then he asked me to change positions, so I did, then apparently while he was pulled out of me he took the condom off.  He re-inserted himself and after about 15 seconds I looked over and saw the condom sitting on the bed (I didn't know he took it off.)  I kind of bucked him off of me and started screaming at him asking him what was wrong with him, how long he hadn't been wearing it, etc.  He said that he took it off a few seconds before and that it was too tight or something.  I kept yelling at him, and ended up leaving.  Oh and he claimed to be negative, which of course means nothing. 

OK...so I know I need to be tested, and I know that there is risk involved in that.  I don't think that I will test positive based on statistics, but I'm getting tested since it's needed, but isn't the proper testing period 6 weeks in Massachusetts (according to Dr. Bob at thebody.com)?  I have a friend that's an MD with a MPH in hiv/aids and he said that nothing that's been going on would suggest ARS to him, and that he wouldn't really worry about the incident and just to get tested when it's time and that he would be really surprised if it came back positive.  I ALWAYS use condoms, and thought I was this time...if that guy would have told me he was taking it off I would have been gone.  The oral herpes doesn't necessarily mean that I got it from oral sex either, it could just be from kissing someone.  I'll just have to be sure not to spread it, which I'm hoping hasn't already happened.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2006, 07:15:53 pm »
Yes, I believe the State of MA has a 6 week window period. Given that it appears you had unprotected anal intercourse you should test at the appropriate point. Here at AIDSMEDS we go with the 12-13 week limit, but you should follow the advice of the medical authorities where you live.

MtD

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2006, 07:26:07 pm »
I'll be really mad if I'm positive...not that it will help.  I know I should have been more attentive, but that b*stard shouldn't have done that in the first place. 

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2006, 07:33:00 pm »
I'll be really mad if I'm positive...not that it will help.  I know I should have been more attentive, but that b*stard shouldn't have done that in the first place. 

Well, you know Boston, you have had a risk but the chances of you having been infected are not huge. I mean I can't say there is no risk, but still it's more likely than not you'll test negative. What you describe is a breach of trust and was quite unacceptable behaviour on that fellow's part. I can understand your anger.

And for the record, I don't think you've been "morally loose" -- so don't beat yourself up too hard. Get tested within the timeframe laid down by the medical authorities in MA and you'll have your answer.

MtD

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2006, 07:43:26 pm »
Well, that depends on your definition of morally loose.  I've just been sleeping around a lot recently (well, a lot for me.) 

I know the risk is not that high, and the guy probably doesn't have hiv anyway, but still I know it sounds cliche, but I felt violated after that.  I didn't consent to that--I told him that I only have sex with condoms--and he pulled it off anyway.  Guess there's nothing I can do about it now but get tested and wait.  Stress from school and closet life and living with a giant homophobe and having a very religious family that is going to cut me off when they find out I'm gay is making my health go down the drain, and it's not fun.  And that guy doing that just made it worse. 

Oh well, going to the doctor in 2 days, guess we'll see how everything goes then.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2006, 08:04:33 pm »
Well, that depends on your definition of morally loose.  I've just been sleeping around a lot recently (well, a lot for me.) 

I know the risk is not that high, and the guy probably doesn't have hiv anyway, but still I know it sounds cliche, but I felt violated after that.  I didn't consent to that--I told him that I only have sex with condoms--and he pulled it off anyway.  Guess there's nothing I can do about it now but get tested and wait.  Stress from school and closet life and living with a giant homophobe and having a very religious family that is going to cut me off when they find out I'm gay is making my health go down the drain, and it's not fun.  And that guy doing that just made it worse. 

Oh well, going to the doctor in 2 days, guess we'll see how everything goes then.

Yeah the wait can be freaky. The trick to handling that is to get out there and live your life. Go about your business, don't sit indoors and surf the internet about it. You'll be surprised how quickly the time goes.

Best of British,

MtD

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2006, 08:35:00 pm »
I'm staying in because I have a mouth full of herpes sores--I'm not all that worried about hiv due to the nature of the possible exposure...so I'm not really scouring the web for hiv info.  I have my HIV doc ex-trick/friend for getting that.  He told me that if I don't have herpes sores anywhere in my genital area and pretty much just in my mouth that he wouldn't be surprised if it was hsv-1...which is kind of good, but considering the oral recurrance of it is much higher than that of hsv-2 it might be nice if it was hsv-2.  I'd prefer neither, but what can you do.  I'm kind of worried that the sores will heal before they can be biopsied and cultured since I'm taking famvir (I've gotten recurrent HZO--like shingles of the eyelids--since I was 3 as a complication of my chicken pox.)  Today though is the first day that my throat hasn't been killing me, which is kind of surprising considering I actually smoked a whole pack of cigarettes last night which is usually enough to make me cough up at least some blood the next day. 


Offline Andy Velez

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2006, 10:07:25 pm »
As far as HIV is concerned, from what you have reported I would expect you to test negative. You were protected until your partner removed the condom. Apparently he did not ejaculate anally so the period without protection was very brief. Given that it was a single such incident the odds are definitely in your favor that you will test negative.

It's hard to tell from what you are otherwise reporting whether you have actually been diagnosed with herpes or not. And I have to say that for someone who's so concerned about his health I find myself "impressed," if that's the word, that you would smoke enough cigarettes daily to make you cough up blood.

There do seem to be some conflicting impulses in evidence -- concern about your health and risking it with heavy duty smoking. Oh well, each person writes his own script. But yah, I'm "impressed."

Andy Velez

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2006, 11:19:08 pm »
Yeah...sometimes I do stupid things when I drink...unfortunately (such as smoking a pack of cigarettes and the blood thing which only happened once.)  One of my friends told me that smoking clove cigarettes makes him get urticaria (hives), so I wonder if that's what's going on with my skin.  I don't generally smoke unless I'm drinking, which is stupid as well because it increases the risk of oral cancer greatly.  The reason I think it's herpes is because I've never had a cold sore or genital herpes and this is a textbook case of herpetic gingivostomatitis (the social history fits and the clinical presentation fits.)  The fact that I've diagnosed more than a few of my patients with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis also helps me to believe that that's what this is.  It's kind of like karmic payback sort of since two weeks ago I was laughing about a guy that I know that got HSV-2 in the mouth and had a killer case of it, his lips were covered in lesions, his immovable oral soft tissues were covered in it, the works--he got it from his cheating ex-girlfriend.  I'm kind of glad that I was afraid that I was going to get an outbreak of HZO (Herpes Zoster Opthalmacus) due to eye irritation from allergies and started taking famvir on Wednesday or so, so that might have helped arrest the spread and it never got to my lips. 

I can say with 99% accuracy that this is a herpes infection, but I just don't know whether it's hsv-1 or hsv-2, so I suppose that's the main reason I'm going to the doctor on Monday.  I looked for an oral pathologist on Friday to look for it, but couldn't find one, which I was somewhat grateful for since having genital herpes in the mouth is kind of embarrassing.  I'm getting the STD panel to see if I've caught anything else from the dudes I've met.  I was worried this might have been gono-throat at first so I popped a gram of cipro, so should I have caught gonorrhea that should at least come back negative at least since I probably treated myself for gono without needing to. 

As for the rash I'm seeing on my legs, it looks mostly like folliculitis since it only affects hairy areas of my body and mostly the parts that get rubbed by pants and other clothing.  Today I noticed that it has spread to my feet, but only on the very top where a little bit of hair is growing, but where the hair stops the spots stop as well, and they are all centered around a hair shaft, so I'm relatively certain that they're infected follicles.  I'm mixing a chlorhexidine soap in with my body wash to kill any cutaneous staph infections I may have, so hopefully that makes this clear up.  I'm also using gold bond powder on it to stop it from itching and dry it out.  I'll ask my new PCP on Monday for the best way to clear it up and to prevent it spreading and if it is in fact folliculitis.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2006, 12:18:02 am »
Boston,

You're still really symptom obsessed and if that's your bag, well so be it. Just so long as you understand it has sweet bugger all to do with AIDS.

This concerns me:

Quote
I was worried this might have been gono-throat at first so I popped a gram of cipro, so should I have caught gonorrhea that should at least come back negative at least since I probably treated myself for gono without needing to.

As I understand things you're not a doctor and even if you are you should not be self-medicating! It's very irresponsible. If you did have gono, the bug will be gone and you'll never now and that raises problems in terms of contact tracing with your partners. If one of them had gono, it's important to find him so he can be treated.

As someone who works in the health-field you should know better than to self-medicate. Especially with anti-biotics. It's illegal to use prescription drugs without a doctor's order and for a health care worker can lead to disciplinary problems or even dismissal. They can only be prescribed by doctors for good reasons!

MtD

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2006, 11:29:53 am »
Well, I am able to prescribe, having a sore throat (like swallowing needlels0 and having that gram of cipro just sitting there and knowing that if I had gonorrhea that it would make it go away was kind of tempting.  I wouldn't be able to contact my partners since I usually don't know them or keep in contact with them. 

I'm not worried about symptoms of ARS since I don't really think I have HIV, I think I have herpes which you can diagnose from the symptoms, and I think I have folliculitis which also can be diagnosed from the symptoms.  I'm just wondering about hives sprouting up from cloves since my hands had a rash on them this morning even.  I guess all things will be revealed tomorrow morning.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2006, 11:38:58 am by BostonWorriedGuy »

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2006, 12:03:10 pm »
Well, I am able to prescribe, having a sore throat (like swallowing needlels0 and having that gram of cipro just sitting there and knowing that if I had gonorrhea that it would make it go away was kind of tempting.  I wouldn't be able to contact my partners since I usually don't know them or keep in contact with them. 

I'm not worried about symptoms of ARS since I don't really think I have HIV, I think I have herpes which you can diagnose from the symptoms, and I think I have folliculitis which also can be diagnosed from the symptoms.  I'm just wondering about hives sprouting up from cloves since my hands had a rash on them this morning even.  I guess all things will be revealed tomorrow morning.

Able to prescribe eh? So you're a doctor? Are you a doctor? Maybe you're a Nurse Practitioner. Even if you are a doctor, it is unethical for you to prescribe for yourself. It defeats the purpose of the clinical method.

But surely you know that.

MtD

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2006, 01:08:11 pm »
I didn't prescribe it to myself...and yes I am able to prescribe. 

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2006, 01:13:11 pm »
I didn't prescribe it to myself...and yes I am able to prescribe. 

As in the Old Forums you are being evasive and dishonest. I submit that you are given to mendacity and not worthy of any further efforts on our part. I suspect that you would better spend your time discussing this matter with your relevant health care practitioner.

This conversation is over.

MtD
(Who, if you are indeed a healthcare worker, considers you guilty of professional misconduct)

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: MA HIV testing law question
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2006, 01:17:05 pm »
I told  a friend that I thought I might have gono in the throat, he gave me a professional sample of cipro since that's the proper tx for gono. 

Do you also think it's wrong that I took the famvir for the herpes in my mouth even though I have it for a different condition? 

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #17 on: June 05, 2006, 08:09:35 pm »
So...Today I went in to talk about my herpes in my mouth, but since it was gone she didn't really even look at it.  I didn't have a fever or anything, so we mainly talked about my rash.  The Dr. thinks it's due to me taking the cipro and having an allergic reaction to it, it's kind of weird that it's getting worse though even though I took the cipro thursday and it's now monday.  I asked her about this and she said that she's sure that's what it is.  I guess we'll see if the benadryl works.  I asked if it could be secondary syphillis or ARS and she said "no."  I asked why not, she said because it doesn't look like or have the distribution of those.  I'm kind of wondering if it's scabies, a friend of mine got it recently (he thinks) and I have slept in his bed (just slept--he wasn't even there.)  Maybe I'll ask about scabies while I'm there to get my results.  If it does turn up to be scabies then he has an extra tube of the anti-bug cream. 

Anyway, about my hiv test.  My Dr. suggested I just get a rapid hiv test since it's been a while since my last one, so I said I would.  The hiv counselor said that he didn't think I'd test positive based on what I described and that although not at 6 or 13 weeks, if this test comes up as negative he wouldn't worry...and it did come up as negative.  Which is nice.  He said that the 6 week and 13 would come up negative too, and even in the confidential MDPH paperwork he wrote that he didn't consider this to be an actual exposure based on the length of time.  So, I guess I'll go back at 13 weeks just to be sure.  Now to see if the benadryl helps clear up this rash...so far it's only gotten worse.  Maybe it is scabies.

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #18 on: June 05, 2006, 08:22:02 pm »
Something is off kilter in what you have written and consistently so. You have "casually" tossed in additional or different remarks. The bottom line is that as far as HIV and perhaps other STDs it seems as if you may get through without testing positive.

But there are big red flags about a number of things. Your editing of information is quite selective and with a touch of arrogance if I may say. That plus references to excessive drinking and apparently bouts of impulsive sex (and perhaps other things?) make me think you are playing around with risky stuff in your life.

My suggestion is that instead of trying simultaneously to be so "smart" and so casual, you get yourself to a mental health professional and spend sometime diiscussing what is really going on in your life. Whatever the truth is in what you have written so far, the implicit message is there's some kind of not healthy stuff going on.

Stop being a wiseguy and be a smart one instead and get yourself some help before you get yourself into deeper problems is my unsolicited advice. 

Andy Velez

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #19 on: June 05, 2006, 08:53:47 pm »
Well, what I wrote is true.  All of it.  It was stupid to listen to my friend about gonorrhea in the throat and treat it...as is well evidenced by the rash that is now covering my body.  I have to go back to get my ppd read (that's a tb test, but I'm sure you know that) and the results of my throat and rectal swabbing, and my syph test, and I'll talk to the doctor then if the diphenhydramine doesn't clear up the rash and see if she thinks it might be scabies. 

I don't know what you mean by the impulse sex...if I'm at a gay bar I'll grab some jimmy caps from the jar and be fine for the night...so long as the dude doesn't try to do me doggy style and pull it off thinking I won't notice it.  So from that I've learned my lesson to not get it doggie from a stranger (something the hiv guy suggested today) and be sure that I make it more than clear that I ONLY will romp with condoms.  I have allergies to a lot of things including the whole family of penicillins, so it kind of seems logical that some quinolones could also cause it in me.  I now know to avoid cipro, especially on the advice of my ID doc.  I also don't know what you mean about the "and perhaps other things?" comment...what other things?  I don't do drugs (apparently besides professional samples of antibiotics that are easily obtained,) so that couldn't be it, so what do you mean?  I don't think I need a mental health professional, what that I've said suggests it?  Sure I drink a lot, most gay men, especially in my field, do...does that mean I'm going out barebacking every night?  Most certainly not.  I'm quite clear in my need for a condom between me and my top, and if they have a problem with it then they're not the top for me.  What other unhealthy stuff are you referring to then?  You really don't know me--the ID doc and HIV counselor today both commented on how well versed I was with medicine and both commented that it's probably because I have a medical background (I can prescribe medications, remember?) 

So yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what the unhealthy things you think I'm doing are if I don't do drugs, don't have unsafe sex (besides oral...but that's still pretty safe) and know the risks of the things I do.  Please enlighten me.

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2006, 09:08:06 pm »
I submit that this thread is a prime example of what Andy and Matty were referencing. I for one have not participated because I do not believe I have anything scientific to add to the situation.

It has been my experience that those who call themselves morally loose, who discuss their drinking and their sexual proclivities here to the extent (and with the dissembling) that you have, are harboring problems far deeper than we, or perhaps they, know.

One unhealthy thing you have done in this thread is to beat yourself up over activities for which you have no intention of altering. I personally don't see this as a moral or character issue, but you exhibit a dichotomy on this forum that is impossible to ignore. Until and unless you resolve it, alone or with a professional, the cycle of events you experienced are likely to continue.

"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 Andy Velez

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2006, 09:15:26 pm »
It is good to read that you are consistently using condoms.

If your life as it is works for you, great!

I know when I can tell whether I'm getting the whole story and when I'm not, and when there are little warning blips. And what comes across to me is a mix of things that don't add up to a healthy state. Tossing off an explanatory remark like what "most gay men" do doesn't cut it one bit with me. We're not talking about most gay men. We're talking about you specifically. 

All of which also made me wonder what is the unstated message in all of these lengthy communications from you. And it's not clear.

But that's just my opinion and my reaction, so if you're ok with how things are, you can pay no attention and I'll butt out right now. 

Cheers,
« Last Edit: June 05, 2006, 09:18:09 pm by Andy Velez »
Andy Velez

Offline BostonWorriedGuy

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2006, 09:37:14 pm »
I got drunk (likely to happen again) slept with a dude I didn't know (likely to happen again) I told him I only had sex with condoms (VERY likely to happen again) he pulled it off without telling me (going to be watching like a fox for this...so not likely to happen again.)  That's not that bad.  I've only slept with 19 guys (that I recall) since the beginning of February, that's not that bad...before that I had taken a year or so off from sex (only had 2 oral encounters), but then the drive kicked back in.  Have I been slutty?  Probably.  That's the morally loose part...I was raised Baptist, so I suppose engaging in sex outslide of marriage to me is morally loose, even if it's only once.  I suppose since you don't know me and I used the term 'morally loose' or 'morally casual' on here was a bad idea...between my friends and I it just refers to when we act somewhat slutty, so it was a bad choice to broadcast it on the internet where a bunch of judgemental strangers would read it.  I only have sex with condoms.  Period.  That's the only way I'll do it.  That's why I was so freaked out over the way this guy just pulled it off and didn't seem to care what he could possibly have caught from me or given me.  I apologize for being so frank and open about my sexual practices, or my sexual positions...it's just that the position is the reason I got into this whole mess.  Well, that and the herpes.  And the cipro rash. 

I suppose this whole incident has taught me a lot...to be more aware of what's going on with the people I sleep with, to know that not everyone is as worried about their health as I am (referring to the guy that pulled the condom off,) and to not self-diagnose/medicate based off of fears and symptoms.  I'm getting a full STD panel so hopefully that will put all of my fears at ease.  and I really hope this rash goes away soon, it's pretty itchy and annoying. 

So, in the future I won't discuss any sexual specifics of any encounter (even though the hiv counselor said that he's heard my story of the condom snatcher more times than he'd ever care to from scared guys--none of which have turned up positive yet.)  I don't engage in risky behavior, if someone offers me any sort of narcotic I leave their house, I don't really want drugs and ethanol to cloud my judgement.  I can usually function pretty well under the influence of alcohol, I know that not using a condom can end my life in a way I don't want to go.  I think the riskiest thing I've done is the haphazard taking of antibiotics...for fear of getting SJS.

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Got tested today
« Reply #23 on: June 06, 2006, 08:07:12 am »
OK. So keep using the condoms consistently.

Good luck to you. 
Andy Velez

 


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