Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 06:05:40 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
  • Total Members: 37614
  • Latest: bondann
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772952
  • Total Topics: 66311
  • Online Today: 741
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 2
Guests: 485
Total: 487

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: Blood to the eye question  (Read 7423 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline rewop777

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Blood to the eye question
« on: August 07, 2006, 02:04:01 pm »
Hi Everyone, and thanks for helping me out.

I first want to start out by apologizing if you are offended by the triviality of my question and its repetitiveness. I know this is probably the hundred millionth time you have read a similar question. Still I would greatly appreciate it if you could possibly answer my quandary in order to give me some peace of mind.

I went to a strip joint, (Yes, and so it begins), and got a lap dance, first one in over 2 years. I have had plenty of lap dances before and frankly this one was somewhat disappointing. Personally after this experience I have sworn off of them for my own mental sanity, but I digress.

The stripper rubbed her breasts on my face on several occasions. Frankly the details are blurry, but I don’t seem to recall anything being out of the norm. Anyways afterward I started to worry when I remembered something I had read on the CDC website (and so it continues) about HIV being transmitted though blood contact to the eyes.

So here's my question. If (I know an if is shaky but I’m worried so please bare with me) if the stripper where HIV positive and if she had a cut or scratch on her breast. Would this pose a transmission risk?

Follow-up questions, Do you need a lot of blood entering your eyes before there is a risk? Is the blood that comes out of a superficial scratch on your arms, hands, or breasts a way for HIV to be transmitted?

Thank you for you time, and infinite patience with my dumb question and your subsequent reply.

Alex

Offline Andy Velez

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 34,126
Re: Blood to the eye question
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2006, 05:52:46 pm »
Alex, essentially what you are presenting us with is a "what if" situation. Could transmission happen through the eye? Yes. Has it happened? Very rarely.

But all of that doesn't matter because this is all just conjecture on your part.

How about just reading the lesson on this site about transmission so you know the real issues instead of wasting your energy on ones you are making up. You can find the link to the lesson in the first thread in this section.

I'm unwilling to spend anymore time or energy on this.
Andy Velez

Offline rewop777

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Blood to the eye question
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2006, 01:03:23 am »
Andy:

Thank you for your reply. I understand you must be very upset and frustrated wasting your time on questions like mine.

Still all I wanted/needed to calm my mind was something as simple and direct as: "Unless she was bleeding profusely from an open wound in her chest, that was gushing more than a few drops of blood. And somehow several of those drops of blood got into your open eyes, then you are wasting my time and your health worrying about it. HIV has been transmitted in this way but usually in a clinical setting and always involvind large quantities of fresh blood straight to the eyes.

A stipper rubbing a small wound like a scratch or small cut on your closed eyes won't do it. That is if she was even bleeding, and if she was HIV positive"

Now had you said the above (hoping this is true, correct any part I got wrong) I would stop wasting your time worrying about HIV and start looking for a shrink.

And I have read the Lessons section, and trust me, this is about the only dangerous activity, if you can even call it that, I have engaged in or are willing to engage in since I came back from college in Panama. And now even this is burnt for me so I will stick to a monagamous relationship with a safe partner. All i wanted was to put this behind me and not have to wait three months worth of anxiety to go get tested so I can move on with my life.

Again I apologize if I wasted your time, and if you dont ever read my post again I understand, cause frankly even I think im being an idiot, but i just needed an expert who knows what he is talking about to confirm it and dispell my fears.

Please if anyone else out there can confirm or correct what I just said a couple of paragraphs above, please do so, so I can stop looking at this post every 2 hours hopping someone has confimed I need to stop worrying about a scratch on a stippers breasts and an HIV test, and start worrying about finding a good psychologist.

Thanks

Alex

Offline Andy Velez

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 34,126
Re: Blood to the eye question
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2006, 07:23:37 am »
Alex, it looks to me as if you want us to say some magic words which will stop you from having the thoughts and feelings you're having. It's not our job to do that. We give you the information we know is so about HIV.

What is driving your fears are thoughts and feelings which are not based in HIV science. That's the real issue here and not HIV. Those  thoughts may continue to pop up for who knows how long. It's when you get into a panic and want to push them away that they stick like Krazy Glue. Just notice them, take a breath and move on to the next thought and the next. Gradually their power will diminish.

Happily, this is not an HIV situation. And if you find you really can't let go of it then it is time to talk with a professional about what's going on for you that won't allow you to let go of this unwarranted concern.

Andy Velez

Offline rewop777

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Re: Blood to the eye question
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2006, 02:59:33 pm »
Hi Everyone,

Well if you’re reading this, you are probably searching for answers to your worries just like me. So I guess I will do what a lot of people here have done and write what I have learned.

Blood exposure to the eyes is a very rare form of infection, usually occurring in the medical setting or at an accident.

For it to occur you would need a SIGNIFICANT amount of blood, yes that means a lot.

It would have to splash or be sprayed DIRECTLY into your eyes. Two things here, I reiterate sprayed or splashed. Literally, think of water spraying or splashing into your eyes, that is what needs to happen.

Secondly, it needs to hit your eyes directly, if you have them closed and it hits your eyelids, then you have nothing to worry about.

Additionally this blood would have to contain a good amount of virus, the odds of a REAL blood exposure with all the stuff happening that I mentioned above infecting you is 1:1000. That means that even if it happens, infection is highly unlikely. The further advanced the virus is the more likely it becomes, and the deeper the source of the blood, the more likely as well. Deeper as in scratch vs. open deep wound.

Why is it so hard for it to happen? Besides the fact that everything above needs to happen, well one big reason: HIV is a very fragile virus. If the PH, temperature, humidity, pretty much anything is off, it starts to become inactive. The biggest ally you have is air, its been scientifically proven that for example on drop of HIV contaminated blood left on a surface will only be viable for a maximum of 20 minutes. That means that after 20 minutes, all the virus there is "dead" so to speak. Now smaller drops will cause it to go faster, heat will cause it to go faster, etc. If it was smeared on you, then that means its been exposed to heat from friction, significant exposure to the air, and the different PH levels on your skin, let's just say this would pretty much render the virus useless pretty fast depending on how much blood got on you.

Anyways, this is what I have learned from my research and experience. And ill repeat the words I read somewhere, "You won't get HIV from a lap dance, no matter how hard she grinds. The only way you will be at risk for HIV is if you have unprotected sex with the stripper"

Thanks to the experts here for all their help, and please correct any part of what I just wrote if I got any of it wrong

Alex
« Last Edit: August 14, 2006, 03:10:27 pm by rewop777 »

Offline rewop777

  • Member
  • Posts: 4
Two quick questions that my sister asked me
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2006, 04:17:54 pm »
Hi guys,

Two quick questions that my sister asked me when I talked to her since I was stressing over this incident. She has had unprotected sex with her boyfreind and doesnt trust him very much.

1) Can taking St. John's wart and Prilosec OTC influence your ELISA test results?

2) Would a 13 week Elisa be conclusive if you are a regular person who is just taking St. John's wart and Prilosec OTC?

Thanks,

Alex

Offline RapidRod

  • Member
  • Posts: 15,288
Re: Blood to the eye question
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2006, 04:32:05 pm »
No sir it doesn't interfere with your test results.

 


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.