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Author Topic: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.  (Read 13031 times)

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Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« on: September 02, 2010, 04:44:46 pm »
Hello everyone,

I've been reading this forum for a long time like many other WW looking for answers, similar situations, etc.

I will tell you quickly about how HIV turned into a constant fear in my life.

June 2007: Unprotected vaginal sex with a girl I didn't know very well. For a few months I thought nothing of it, until one day HIV snapped into my mind. I had been depressed for so long thinking that I had it, that it took me 11 months to get the nerve to test. In May 2008, I tested negative with a 3rd generation rapid test.

I had put HIV behind me, until...

Situation number 1:

Since then (2008) I only had sex again in November 2009, a few times with a girl I work with. The sex was always protected, so I guess there's no worry there.

I just have on quick question about this: I

Is it possible to get infected when removing a condom? For example, fluids touching my penis or me touching my penis after removing the used condom without washing my hands?

I didn't consider this girl high risk, because she was just getting out of a 6 year monogamous relationship (her first and only relationship).

Situation number 2:

Also in 2009, at the end of December, I dated another girl for a few days (maybe 4 or 5 days) and ALL we ever did was deep kissing for about 1 or 2 hours each time.

Now this might come as a surprise to you,  but this second situation is what is causing me all this stress and anxiety. Why?

A few details:

1- This girl could be considered high risk because she admitted to having unprotected sex with an IV drug user for about 2 months.

2- Never got tested.

3- She has a bad case of face acne, with pimples she kept picking at around the corners of her mouth.

My worries are these:


Could the open (they were open because I saw them) pimples around her mouth transmit the virus while kissing? It was open mouthed kissing, so I think my lips eventually touched some of those popped pimples while kissing.

I don't know if I tasted blood because on some occasions we were both chewing mint gum, so that could have interfered.

This was during the winter, so I had chapped lips, does this pose a risk? I have no idea if we exchanged blood during the kissing, and it got me really worried.

I've been thinking about it for 9 months...
« Last Edit: September 02, 2010, 07:29:13 pm by RandomWorried »

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Can't quite get it out of my head
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2010, 04:59:14 pm »
You've been "thinking" about this way too long.

The only confirmed risks for the sexual transmission of HIV are unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse. Everything else sexual is in the domain of "theoretical risk," which means it could happen but it doesn't in the real world of HIV.

Nothing you reported except for the incident of unprotected intercourse put you at risk -- not the deep kissing, the acne, etc. Zero risk.

Just remember to keep using a condom everytime you have intercourse and you'll be well protected. There is no need for testing nor for further concern about HIV at this time.

Cheers.
Andy Velez

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Can't quite get it out of my head
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2010, 05:05:56 pm »
Thank you very much Andy.

Yes, I do realize that the unprotected sex in 2007 put me at risk, but I tested negative 11 months after in May 2008. It was conclusive because since that incident in 2007 I never had any sort of sexual physical contact with anyone, until the very first situation i reported (the protected sex in Nov 2009).


I know you and your colleagues say that kissing is no risk, but when you say that, you always assess the risk assuming that the other person is HIV positive, right? Otherwise the advice would make no sense.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Can't quite get it out of my head
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2010, 05:07:58 pm »
Thank you very much Andy.

Yes, I do realize that the unprotected sex in 2007 put me at risk, but I tested negative 11 months after in May 2008. It was conclusive because since that incident in 2007 I never had any sort of sexual physical contact with anyone, until the very first situation i reported (the protected sex in Nov 2009).


I know you and your colleagues say that kissing is no risk, but when you say that, you always assess the risk assuming that the other person is HIV positive, right? Otherwise the advice would make no sense.

Yes. We always make a "worst case scenario" assumption (ie the other person is assumed to be HIV positive) when making our assesments.

For the record I agree with Andy's advice to you.

MtD

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Can't quite get it out of my head
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2010, 05:12:44 pm »
Thank you very much for your input, Matty.

And what about the "removing the condom" scenario? No risk as well, I presume?

We all know how the mind works, and how it can create every single outcome, that's why I kept thinking "what if I touched my penis after removing it? "What if some vaginal fluid dropped on my penis?".

These things do happen, I just want to know if they pose any sort of risk.

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Can't quite get it out of my head
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2010, 05:17:50 pm »
Thank you very much for your input, Matty.

And what about the "removing the condom" scenario? No risk as well, I presume?

We all know how the mind works, and how it can create every single outcome, that's why I kept thinking "what if I touched my penis after removing it? "What if some vaginal fluid dropped on my penis?".

These things do happen, I just want to know if they pose any sort of risk.

Random,

Your "removing the condom" scenario is a no risk situation. As we've told you, none of the post 2007 sexual encounters you've descibed here are HIV risk situations. You do not need to be tested for HIV.

Seriously, we'd tell you if we thought otherwise.

We'd be grateful if you would take the time to read our Welcome Thread and familiarise yourself with the posting guidelines.

MtD

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2010, 07:24:08 pm »
Hello again.

And thanks to Matty for answering my previous question.

Ok, I have just found something on the internet that got me in an elevated state of anxiety.

I googled "has anyone ever gotten hiv from kissing?" and I found this:

I will quote the article, since you might be reluctant to click unknown links.

Quote
I practiced safe sex.

How a Gay Man Got HIV

I was too smart to ever contract HIV! I knew everything there was to know about safe sex. My partner of 13 years was HIV Positive when we met, and I considered it a challenging situation, but nothing we couldn't handle. I loved him and that was the bottom line.

Safe sex is sometimes tedious and boring and lacks the spontaneity that puts the "zip" in any relationship. But we never did anything proven to be "unsafe." We took the risk with oral sex because it seemed worth it, and we rationalized that we had never seen a porn star wearing a condom for a fellatio. I think we were in sync with just about all the couples we know. We also never allowed the act to come to completion in a way that exchanged any body fluids.

But, I still contracted HIV.

About two years ago, I got very tired and felt very sick. My doctor sent me for a cardiac stress test which I could not finish because I could not breathe. She gave me every blood test possible, except for an HIV test, until she ordered one as a last resort-- a shot in the dark! I was getting those about every eighteen months at the anonymous clinic nearby. When her office called to tell me that I had to come in to discuss some test results, I had a fairly good idea what was coming. She bopped into the room, told me it was a positive and gave me the name of an infectious disease doctor. The following Monday I was admitted to the hospital with very few t-cells and a high viral load. I was feeling horrible and weak and generally rotten. In the emergency room, I realized I was getting extraordinary care, many blood tests and lots of strange (yet kind) looks from the nurses and doctors who scrambled about. I was admitted with a diagnosis of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and spent the following two weeks hooked up to IV tubes and getting numbers drugs and having no appetite or interest in anything. It really had not sunken in.

How Did I Get "It"?

So, how did I get "it"? What happened? No one is supposed to ask the question, but we have to ask it of ourselves. I progressed unusually quickly and baffled all the experts. On really analyzing the history of my progression, I realized that I did get the virus from my husband, but in one of the most boring and unexpected ways possible. I had been having oral surgery on a regular basis, and blood from his saliva was transmitted to the minor tears in my gums during simple kissing. Not the "go for the tonsils" kind of thing, but simple kissing!

Here is the source of the article if you want to investigate and find out who this man is:

http://gaylife.about.com/cs/hivaids1/a/hivstory.htm



Ok, besides fueling my fears, this guy (whoever he is) is making a rather bold claim!

I'm NOT posting this to to rub it in your face or doubting your assessments, I'm serious.

Is this story even real? Why has no one heard of it? The presumed 1997 case was documented and investigated! And this one was not?

As a worried well, this worries me, but also this raises some serious doubts about his claim.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2010, 07:27:22 pm by RandomWorried »

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2010, 07:42:59 pm »
Random,

The advice we give here is based on lessons drawn up by experts working from reputable scientific sources, not anonymous accounts given on other websites of dubious reputation.

I can assure you that the science in this area is rock solid. HIV is not transmitted via kissing and the anecdotal report you link to is simply wrong. Why would About.com publish such rot? I don't know. I'm not able to account for what other websites have to say.

Let me say that once more: the story you have linked to is wrong. HIV is not transmitted via kissing.

HIV is transmitted via unprotected anal and/or vaginal sex, through sharing contaminated injecting equipment such as needles and syringes and in some cases from HIV positive mother to her unborn or nursing infant.

You can google just about anything and get the answers you want. That doesn't mean such answers are correct.

I want you to pay close attention to what I'm saying. You were not at risk of being infected with HIV and you do not need to be tested. If you had read our Welcome Thread as I had asked, you would have noticed this:

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

You would do well to heed that posting guideline. Our moderators enforce it very strictly.

MtD

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2010, 07:58:38 pm »
Random,

The advice we give here is based on lessons drawn up by experts working from reputable scientific sources, not anonymous accounts given on other websites of dubious reputation.

I can assure you that the science in this area is rock solid. HIV is not transmitted via kissing and the anecdotal report you link to is simply wrong. Why would About.com publish such rot? I don't know. I'm not able to account for what other websites have to say.

Let me say that once more: the story you have linked to is wrong. HIV is not transmitted via kissing.

HIV is transmitted via unprotected anal and/or vaginal sex, through sharing contaminated injecting equipment such as needles and syringes and in some cases from HIV positive mother to her unborn or nursing infant.

You can google just about anything and get the answers you want. That doesn't mean such answers are correct.

I want you to pay close attention to what I'm saying. You were not at risk of being infected with HIV and you do not need to be tested. If you had read our Welcome Thread as I had asked, you would have noticed this:

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

You would do well to heed that posting guideline. Our moderators enforce it very strictly.

MtD


Matty, thanks once again.

And worry not, I will not dispute the science behind your assessments. I'm not questioning anything, really.

I just thought that for me, others worried, and to all the people who assess risks, this claim is disturbing.

Not only because it generates panic in the uninformed, but also goes against everything you reinforce here everyday.

To be honest, I would like to see this guy found and confronted with such claim.

Wouldn't a case like this be well studied?

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2010, 08:14:02 pm »

Matty, thanks once again.

And worry not, I will not dispute the science behind your assessments. I'm not questioning anything, really.

I just thought that for me, others worried, and to all the people who assess risks, this claim is disturbing.

Not only because it generates panic in the uninformed, but also goes against everything you reinforce here everyday.

To be honest, I would like to see this guy found and confronted with such claim.

Wouldn't a case like this be well studied?


Simply put the amount of bullshit, myths and FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) out there surrounding HIV cannot be quantified. HIV is a greatly stigmatised condition and the internet abounds with douchenozzles and shitbirds who take advantage of that to advance all manner of loopy agendas.

This is why we operate the AMI forum, to refute the claims such as the one you linked to above and to provide the real deal when it comes to understanding HIV testing and transmission.

This is about all we can do to help the uninformed remain unpanicked. At times it seems to be something of a fool's errand.

If you have trouble dealing with your fears about HIV infection (real or imagined) then your time might be more profitably spent talking with a counsellor or similar therapist rather than trawling the bowels of the internets searching for "answers" and tilting at windmills.

MtD

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2010, 08:27:16 pm »
Believe me, I just googled that out of curiosity and that article just showed up.

I believe there must be many hidden intentions behind such bold claims (he even goes so far as to say he got it from "simple kissing").

 But I understand this isn't the place to discuss it.

Even though I think it would be interesting.

As a person who worries, you can understand how reading that was alarming. But I will trust your and your peers' assessments.


Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2010, 08:47:00 pm »
As "a person who worries," you would be well advised to stop Googling and surfing the net to feed your fears all to no good purpose.

You are worrying needlessly. And I am going to add a further warning that we're not going to continue to indulge you in more of this back and forth and "I found this on the net/whattaya think?" stuff.

If you come back again with more of this you are going to find yourself with a 28 day Time Out from the site.

HIV is not a worry for you at this point. Period. Use condoms everytime and it will continue to not be a worry. Keep it simple and get on with your life.
Andy Velez

Offline Ann

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2010, 07:07:52 am »
Random,

That story you quoted is one of the biggest loads of crap I've read concerning hiv in a long time. Not only is kissing absolutely not a risk, but if that guy were testing every 18 months like he claims, he wouldn't have ended up with PCP. Why? Because it takes years before hiv progresses to the point where people end up with things like PCP. He's full of crap, who ever he is. There are plenty of people on the internet who write  stuff just to freak others out. You'd do well to keep that in mind.

As you've been told, the only thing you've done to put yourself at risk is the unprotected intercourse a few years ago that you have tested conclusively hiv negative for.

And by the way. You keep saying things like "I don't think she was high risk" or "she may have been high risk". Now get this through your head. People are not high or low or no risk, ACTIVITIES are high or low or no risk. It's not who you do, it's how you do it. Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse and you will be well protected against hiv no matter who you are with.

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 RandomWorried

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2010, 07:27:22 am »
Thank you Ann for your response.

I, too, thought something was wrong with that story. I have nowhere near the expertise you do, and I still sensed something was fishy about it.

In my understanding, PCP is an OI, correct? HIV has to do a lot of damage to the immune system for something like that to happen, and that takes more than 18 months, i suppose? Even though he "claims" to have progressed rapidly and baffled all the experts. But maybe that was just a way to cover his plot hole.

Anyway, back on topic.

I forgot to ask.

Does deep kissing have a cumulative effect? Meaning, does the length of a kiss or a kissing session increase the risk?

Because sometimes I see people worrying about kisses that last minutes or even seconds, but I had much longer kissing sessions. Somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. Of course it wasn't non-stop, but I'd say 80% of the time.


And today I woke up with a sore throat and swollen lymph node on the left side of my neck. I never cared to mention symptoms because you say that they are unreliable, but in typical WW tradition, I attribute every little change, pain, swelling in my body to HIV.

Typical worried well behavior, I know.

Offline Ann

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #14 on: September 03, 2010, 07:39:29 am »
Random,

KISSING IS NOT A RISK FOR HIV INFECTION.  I don't care what sort of details you want to throw into the mix, kissing just is NOT a risk for hiv infection.

You know, sometimes a sore throat is just that, a sore throat. And swollen lymph glands in the neck is your body's totally reasonable response to a sore throat.

Give it up already. You did not have a risk for hiv infection. You don't have hiv.

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 RandomWorried

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2010, 07:43:12 am »
Thanks Ann :)


Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #16 on: September 03, 2010, 08:09:26 am »
And now I am going to give you that 28 day Time Out you were warned about. Don't make the mistake of trying to get around it by creating a new name for yourself. We'll spot that right off and it will get you permanently banned from the site.

Get on with your life and stop this unnecessary drama about HIV non-issues.

Andy Velez

Offline RandomWorried

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Needle / Syringe stick I didn't feel?
« Reply #17 on: December 30, 2010, 08:50:12 pm »
Hello everyone.

What brings me here this time is a strange occurrence, to me at least.

On Christmas Eve,  there is a local tradition here where thousands of people gather on the streets to see and reunite with old friends, and we drink wine sold in small stands and basically everyone gets a liittle tipsy.

Then, when dinner time comes, everyone goes home. It's just a small tradition that gathers a few thousand people.

Anyway, on to my question:

On December 26th, I noticed that on the palm of my left hand there was a very tiny red mark, probably less than a millimeter in diameter, that resembled a needle / syringe mark or puncture. I don't know if it was there before, or for how long I've had it, but I only noticed it then.

I must have been pricked or poked with a needle or syringe, but the strange thing is that I didn't feel it. But I attributed that to my slightly tipsy state and began worrying.

Would a pin, needle, syringe prick be felt on the palm of my hand? Even in a tipsy state? On December 25th, I also went to a local bar that was somewhat crowded, but I didn't really drink that night, so I would have felt it?


The red mark is gone now, but I can't let this go unfortunately, HIV is back on my mind. I had a tiny red mark, much like a needle puncture and I have no explanation for it, which makes me worried.



Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Needle / Syringe stick I didn't feel?
« Reply #18 on: December 30, 2010, 08:59:25 pm »
Hello everyone.

What brings me here this time is a strange occurrence, to me at least.

On Christmas Eve,  there is a local tradition here where thousands of people gather on the streets to see and reunite with old friends, and we drink wine sold in small stands and basically everyone gets a liittle tipsy.

Then, when dinner time comes, everyone goes home. It's just a small tradition that gathers a few thousand people.

Anyway, on to my question:

On December 26th, I noticed that on the palm of my left hand there was a very tiny red mark, probably less than a millimeter in diameter, that resembled a needle / syringe mark or puncture. I don't know if it was there before, or for how long I've had it, but I only noticed it then.

I must have been pricked or poked with a needle or syringe, but the strange thing is that I didn't feel it. But I attributed that to my slightly tipsy state and began worrying.

Would a pin, needle, syringe prick be felt on the palm of my hand? Even in a tipsy state? On December 25th, I also went to a local bar that was somewhat crowded, but I didn't really drink that night, so I would have felt it?


The red mark is gone now, but I can't let this go unfortunately, HIV is back on my mind. I had a tiny red mark, much like a needle puncture and I have no explanation for it, which makes me worried.

::) Really? The pricked by a needle in a crowd story? Brother, we hear this one all the time.

You were not stabbed by a needle, rather you've noticed an entirely innocuous tiny red spot on your hand and your continuing obsession with HIV has turned it into a needle stick injury.

You were not at risk of contracting HIV from this supposed event and you do not need to be tested.

Let me assure you that if you continue posting about these no-risk situations and exposure fantasies you will be handed another time out. A second time out is for 56 days. After that you face a permanent ban.

Consider yourself warned.

Oh and Happy New Year. :)

MtD

Offline RandomWorried

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #19 on: December 30, 2010, 09:11:38 pm »
Thanks for your ever comforting, yet amusing replies, Matty.

The crowded scenario is the most likely situation where it could have happened, I linked a crowded place to being slightly tipsy, and my mind is on overdrive again because somehow I fear that it wouldn't allow me to feel the stick or poke.

Is it possible for a needle / syringe puncture to go unnoticed and "unfelt", especially if it didn't bleed?

The only further detail that I can add is the following:

When I put some rubbing alcohol on that mark, it seemed to sting a little bit.

But the mark was on a very precise site to begin with: It was right on one of those lines that we have on our hands (You know, those lines that some people call, Fate, Love, Etc.).

So it was a rather precise site for a potential random poke, but that might not mean anything,
« Last Edit: December 30, 2010, 10:00:12 pm by RandomWorried »

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #20 on: December 30, 2010, 10:26:18 pm »
■Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #21 on: December 30, 2010, 10:39:54 pm »
So someone would have to have a high viral load, take a hypodermic needle, draw out some of their own blood, and then inject it into you. Do you realize how many factors have to line up perfectly for that to even enter the realm of possibility?

Well, if it happens, you will go on record as being the first. But I think we both know that you won't.

Unfortunately, this forum will not continue to address unfounded non-methods of transmission, odd trinkets you find on the internet, and easily debunked urban legends. I sincerely hope you get the help that you need to live in this world without this scorching fear. I daresay that help is far outside our ability to provide.

"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 RandomWorried

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  • Posts: 13
Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #22 on: December 30, 2010, 10:48:38 pm »
Very well, I will not question you assessments (which I never did or meant to do in the first place).

I suppose the key word from you reply is "inject". That would hurt, and I would notice, correct?

I didn't come here to feed urban legends or waste your time.

I don't know what that tiny red spot on my palm was, but being so small and red, I simply wondered if it could have happened.

Like I said, I never felt, or at least remember feeling, what would be a prick, stick or poke. And all I did was ask if I would actually feel it if it had happened.

But anyway, thanks for your help, as always :)

Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #23 on: December 31, 2010, 12:10:02 am »
I am not here to comfort or amuse you. I, along with my colleagues, am charged with providing you and your kind with plain, unvarnished facts about HIV.

So you can just drop the fucking attitude.

Very well, I will not question you assessments (which I never did or meant to do in the first place).

I suppose the key word from you reply is "inject". That would hurt, and I would notice, correct?

I didn't come here to feed urban legends or waste your time.

I don't know what that tiny red spot on my palm was, but being so small and red, I simply wondered if it could have happened.

Like I said, I never felt, or at least remember feeling, what would be a prick, stick or poke. And all I did was ask if I would actually feel it if it had happened.

But anyway, thanks for your help, as always :)

The key word in Jonathan's post is "unfounded".

We are presented with this exact scenario about a dozen times each year. At a crowded social event involving drugs and/or alcohol somebody who has a demonstrated phobia (that's an unwarranted fear) about HIV believes him or herself to have been stabbed with a needle contaminated with HIV.

The only variation on this particular theme is that some people claim to have felt the needle prick.

There has never been a case of HIV being  transmitted in this way. You were not stabbed with a needle, you do not need to be tested for HIV, you do not have HIV.

MtD

/edited to remove a redundancy/
« Last Edit: December 31, 2010, 12:34:54 am by Matty the Damned »

Offline RandomWorried

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Is this a risk? Please help, I think I'm having a few symptoms.
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2011, 09:38:28 am »
Hello everyone.

I need your help again.

You'll probably reach the end of this post and laugh, but I'm genuinely worried.

I bite my nails. Moreover, (and admittedly more disgusting) I pick at my gums with the nails I bite. Either before I totally bite them off from the finger, or after I bit them. I know this is an unusual habit, but I've had it since I can remember.

On April 24th of this year, I woke up with what looked like dried blood under my left hand fingers. On the previous night (Saturday) I had been biting my left hand nails from my index and ring finger, and picking at my gums with them. I didn't go out that night, but I went out in the afternoon and could have picked up that blood from anywhere.

My gums occasionally bleed from this, since some of the nails I bite will lodge in between my teeth. And the tips of the nails that I bit off, probably had some blood on them too, which would make it risky, right?

My question is this: If the blood had been fresh when I bit my nails on Saturday night, and picking at my gums with them, causing them to bleed, I would have a direct opening to my blood stream right?

I'm actually very worried about this, because 3 weeks have passed and I'm having swollen and tender lymph nodes under my armpits and behind my right knee. Also, I seem to have pinkish, painless or non-itchy patches on my chest.

I must also say that I tried to dismiss this as a probable way of transmission, but since I'm having some symptoms, I started to get really scared about this and practically in a panic state.

Would my unusual habit be a possible way of transmission? Since I didn't go out on Saturday night (time when I remember biting my nails), and the possibility of picking up that blood only during the afternoon, would it make the virus inactive?

I really need your help on this.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2011, 09:46:07 am by RandomWorried »

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #25 on: May 17, 2011, 09:49:34 am »
We're not going to do another go round with you about your what if non-risk situations.

No, we're not. You didn't have a risk for HIV.

Get some professional help to deal with your obsessive and unwarranted concerns about HIV. We can't address that need of yours in this setting.

If you come back with more of the same you are going to get a time out for 56 days or be permananently banned from the site. Consider yourself warned.
Andy Velez

Offline RandomWorried

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  • Posts: 13
Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #26 on: May 17, 2011, 10:14:03 am »
Thanks for your reply Andy Velez, but I must say I didn't mean to upset you, so  I'm sorry if I did. As you can see, I haven't posted in almost 6 months.

I realize that my "situation" was very unusual, and that's why I asked. I got scared when I saw the blood, and I wanted to know if blood on my fingernails poking at my gums and (specifically, the space between the teeth), and causing them to bleed, would be a risk.

I apologize for bringing such a situation to you, but I needed the opinion.

Thanks once again.

« Last Edit: May 17, 2011, 10:15:34 am by RandomWorried »

Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Re: Okay, this got me more worried.
« Reply #27 on: May 17, 2011, 10:27:45 am »
Rand,

By your own admission nearly nine months ago, you have been coming to this forum and reading for a long time. Surely in all that time you seen the following reply again and again and again:

Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus that is primarily transmitted INSIDE the human body, as in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse where the virus never leaves the confines of the two bodies.

Once outside the body, small changes in temperature, and pH and moisture levels all quickly damage the virus and render it unable to infect.

And before you ask, NO, under your nails is NOT the same thing as inside the body.

You need to start applying what you've read here to your own life. We're not here to hold you hand every time you bite your gunky nails.

Get yourself into therapy. We cannot help you with your mental issues here.

And as Andy said, if you insist on coming back with more no risk scenarios, you'll be given another time out or even permanently banned from this site.

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

 


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