POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: OneDay on March 19, 2007, 03:26:30 pm
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A couple nights ago I found myself in a very shady area of town surrounded by some very shady people. Stupidly, I ended up sharing a bong with a couple people who were probably injection drug users. Needless to say, the bong wasn't cleaned in between uses, so there was probably trace amounts of saliva on it. I happened to have a large crack in my lip that wasn't bleeding, but was big nevertheless. I'm worried that someone else's saliva, saliva from an injection drug user, came into contact with the crack in my lip. I am so angry at myself over this incident because I try so hard to use safe sex practices, and now I potentially have HIV from this. My main questions are: 1. should I get tested, and 2. Is it okay for me to continue to have unprotected sex with my girlfriend (we have both been tested negative and are in a very loving, monogomous relationship). Thanks for the help.
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HIV is not transmitted in this way at all. No need to test over this non-incident.
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Um....put down the bong for a bit and have a read through the Lessons section of this site here. No, you don't need to get tested over this incident. You can't get HIV from sharing a bong. Period. HIV is actually a rather difficult to transmit virus that gets passed WITHIN the body. As for the continued unprotected sex thing with the GF, that is a call to make between the two of you. As the Goddess Ann would say, "To consent to have unprotected sex with another person is to consent to the possibility of contracting and HIV or other sexually transmitted disease". That is a form of emotional contract you and the girlfriend willl have to continue to work out between yourselves. You won't pass HIV along through this incident, though.
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As you have been told correctly, the bong incident did not in any way put you at risk for HIV transmission.
However, you and your gf should not be having unprotected intercourse unless you have both tested negative together at a reliable testing point AND you are both in agreement to be in a securely committed relationship. Otherwise you should always be using condoms, no matter whom you are with when you have intercourse.