POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: ak5505 on December 31, 2006, 02:28:24 pm
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I was on the recepiant end of anal sex, condome broke, we stoped as soon as we noticed, but not sure how long that was. Im waiting for my 4 week point to get my first test. my question is about the ars rash. I just noticed a small area, maube a tad larger than a quarter right on my jaw line, kinda looks like razor burn small redrazed bumps, they dont hurt or itch, my neck and upper shoulder area itch and the skin is sensitive to the touch. the itching shoulder neck developed about 10 days after and the red spots at 17 days, no other symptoms could these spots be the rash from ars?
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AK, the rash associated with ARS does not come in spurts. Nor does it itch. Nothing you are reporting appears to be HIV specific, but then you need to know that neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms will ever tell you anything accurately about your HIV status.
Only a test taken at the appropriate time will give you that answer.
All but the smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will do so withi 4-6 weeks after an exposure to the HIV virus. I suggest you hold off testing until 6 weeks. Assuming you test negative at that point, it's very likely you will test negative again at 13 weeks -- which is the point in time the CDC recommends for testing.
Giving what you have described of this single incident, I would say the odds are in your favor that you will test negative.
Good luck with that.
Cheers,
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So wait for the 6 week point, and then again at 12 weeks will do.. If the rash does appear on someone, is it common for it to be the only symptom does it show up on the face? is it a small area or larger? Ive read where its normally on the trunk part of the body, and not normally by itself, other symptoms like fever and swollen lymph nodes in more than one area (neck, armpits, groin) appear together.
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ak,
There really is no point in discussing the finer points of ARS symptoms. They are very general symptoms and could be anything and may range from unnoticeable, to requiring hospitalisation.
As Andy has mentioned, test at six weeks and again at three months if you test negative.
Good luck with the testing and try to stay productively busy while you wait. Searching your body for signs and symptoms won't give you a diagnosis, it will only make you miserable and anxious. Don't do that to yourself.
Please read through the condom and lube links in my signature. A correctly used condom rarely breaks.
Ann
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We all know testing is the only 100% way to know, but till the 6 week point the mind runs ramped "it will only make you miserable and anxious". everyone is that way till thier test results are back, so no matter what you try to do to take you mind off of it, your going to be stressed out. People look for feed back to help ease thier minds, thats why we ask those questoins. If a rash rarely shows up on your face then that is a good sign and eases my mind, if the rash rarely shows up without a fever, then eases my mind. its the lack of quality information thats makes us go crazy.
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ak,
The problem is that where ARS is concerned, the symptoms are so general that it is impossible to get specific. If you have a room full of 100 hiv positive people, you will never hear the same seroconversion story twice and many will not remember having any symptoms whatsoever.
You've already read the basic info on the rash. It doesn't itch and it usually appears on the torso - but you have to understand that (not itching aside) everyone is different. You simply cannot go by symptoms. I wish we could - it would make life a little easier if everyone got green spots or something.
Hang in there.
Ann
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I do understand that everone is different and testing is the only way to be sure, which I will do, but can you tell me if the rash tends to cover a large area or is it common for it be in one small area, I have 6 raised red spots and are all within the area of a quarter right on the jaw line
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What you have described does not in any way fit what the rash associated with ARS is like. If it occurs it is most commonly on the the torso and limbs, not the face.
Do yourself a big favor and focus your energy on staying productively busy. It will make the waiting time until testing go more quickly than you can imagine at this moment. Really.
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Thanks Andy, its so hard to see ther truth and what is most likely when your so afraid. and to make matters worse now I have one lymph node under my ear just behind the jaw bone thats is a bit swelled, its the only one I can find anywhere, and not sure if I made it swell by feeling for them, cause it keep changing in size, smaller to larger through out the day, is that just me?
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You poke and probe at them and you will get them to swell. Keep your fingers off them and they will return to normal size.
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Despite what your fears maybe saying to the contrary, a swollen lymph node is absolutely not an HIV-specific event.
What Rod said is very true. Handling, pushing, poking, probing, squeezing and otherwise molesting lymph nodes is the perfect receipe for getting them to swell or to swell up further. Leave 'em alone and if you think there's a problem with them discuss that with your doctor.
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I understand what your saying, ill try and not to touch it, but between that one lymph node and those closely spaced red spots on my face, im absultly freaking out and making myself sick with worry
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im absultly freaking out and making myself sick with worry
Bingo!
Ak,
That "make yourself sick" saying isn't a saying for nothing. Get away from your computer and go do something you enjoy doing. Keep busy and keep your mind off things. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, but I also know that it IS possible to do. I wait six weeks for my results every time I get my numbers checked. Stay busy and the time will go quicker than you might imagine.
Ann