POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: scaredgirl on January 01, 2007, 07:18:18 pm
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New to this forum and wanted your advice please? About a week ago, I was hanging posters with someone of unknown status and we were using the same thumb tacks. He pricked himself and dropped the needle on the table, moved on to the other side and I didnt realize he pricked himself (found out later he broke skin and bled in the finger). I ended up using the same pin to hang the poster and then pricked myself with the same pin only 15 sec later. I am now freaking out. I know that HIV is a fragile virus and it doesnt live long outside the body but is it possible I got his blood into my bloodstream? I dont want to go through testing. I've been celibate for 1 year and havent had any sexual risks since my last test. please advise. thanks in advance.
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HIV isn't going to be transmitted this way even if the guy was actually positive. There is no testing warranted in this particular situation.
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girl,
As Coffee says, you weren't even remotely at risk in this situation. Anticipating your next question, it differs from medical or drug use needle situations because the needles in those instances are hollow-bore and may contain blood INSIDE the needle, which then gets transferred directly into the blood stream. This could not be accomplished with a pin used to put posters up.
Please read the Transmission Lesson - the link is found in the Welcome thread at the top of this forum. Here's what else you need to know:
You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection. Sex with a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.
If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results. Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.
Use condoms for intercourse and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple.
Ann
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thank you for your responses but should i be concerned about hep c too as advised to the poster above or is his a different scenario? i have my vaccination again hep b. thanks again for your advice. i trust your responses and knowledge.
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girl,
No, hep c isn't a worry in this situation either. Again, it's because of the absence of a hollow bore. A pin prick in this situation isn't a worry for anything.
Ann
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I have a couple questions regarding Ann and Coffee's posts. What if the blood on the solid needle(sewingneedle/pin) has blood on it that is fresh? Would HIV be able to be transmitted in that scenario? Also, how deep would the needle have to puncture the skin to contact the blood stream, would blood have to come out? And would a lite tap with a needle puncture theskin deep enought to enter the blood stream? It would be great if some one could answer those questions. Because i am kind of worried b/c some like that happened to me.
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what's the difference between needles that are used for tatttooing or pins that tailors use? isnt it true that people used to get infected from needles and razors used in prisons to tattoo? they didnt have access to hollow bore needles right? thanks again for your help. i'm not usually this neurotic.
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also, hiv DOES live on surfaces for short periods of time bc at the hospital, they have a disenfectant that kills HIV 1 and 2, hsv and other viruses. my friend is a nurse and showed me the bottle so i know its true.
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Occupational exposures are not the same as getting stuck by a pin. The CDC does not have any documented cases of HIV by tattoo studios. You do not get HIV from environmental surfaces.
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Shakur,
You need to start your own thread. Please read the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) first and take note of our forum posting guidelines.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Ann
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this says you can catch hiv from tattooing:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa27.htm
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It does not say, that there has ever been a documented case now does it. Why? There has never been one.
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Scared, you are lingering in the domain of WHAT IFS. HIV is commonly transmitted in very particular ways -- the sharing of needles or unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse. Everything else in terms of risk is in the domain of theoretical and not actual, documented cases.
If you stay with What Ifs your mind can continue to come up endlessly with scary scenarios, all to no good purpose.
Read the lesson about transmission on this site. You get the basics there. There's a link to it in the Welcome thread which opens this section.
This is not an HIV situation. Period.
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thanks for your advice but when you have anxiety, it's not easy to just stop and try to relax. my concern is if there are disenfectants that are meant to kill HIV on surfaces, why would it not be possible to become infected like that?
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Take a look at the can of Spray, It does NOT say HIV KILLER. It's not a special spray. It's an all purpose spray used to wipe down beds sinks, light switches, IV poles etc., etc., etc.
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I didn't tell you not to be anxious. That's usually as ineffectual as telling someone who's worked up to "relax."
All I did is point out what I know to be so. I decline the job of addressing each of the fears your mind may continue to come up with. If you want to go that route that is your choice. All we can do is tell you what we know to be so as grounded in HIV science.
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I'm pretty sure that the person is positive and I am really worried.
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Why are you sure he was positive? Unless you have inside knowledge to his test results, you cannot possibly know. You cannot tell by looking at him, by his lifestyle, anything. But anyhow, it doesn't change what everyone has been telling you--even if he does have HIV, you do not have a risk from this particular incident.
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I knew his boyfriend and he definitely was positive. I never asked him if he was or not. I called the CDC in the middle of the night and they said it is possible but that I should call my doctor. I havent slept all night from the anxiety. I know you cant look at someone and know their status. Odds are likely he does though. I feel so ill from this stress.
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Oh you are sure he does? Congradulations, it didn't take you long to become a doctor. You don't place odds on who is or who isn't. It's not a guessing game.
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scared,
You cannot assume that one half of a partnership is positive just because the other is. My own partner and I have been together for over seven years and he is hiv negative. There are hundreds of thousands of what are called serodiscordant relationships over the globe - and quite frankly, it is insulting when someone assumes that because I am positive, that my partner must be as well. It also betrays a deep ignorance where hiv is concerned.
You cannot seriously compare tattooing to getting stuck with a poster pin. It's like comparing a jumbo jet to an automobile.
You did NOT have a risk of hiv infection in this pin-stick incident and it's time you let it go.
Ann
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I am so sorry if you or anyone else were offended, that definitely wasn't my intention at all. I have friends who are in serodiscordant relationships too. I am just very stressed out and I was looking for support. Sometimes my mouth just rambles on and I write a stream of consiousness. I, in no way, think that just because someone's partner is positive means they are too. I think calling the CDC made me worse though. I feel like they just read from a text book and I dont know what to think.
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girl,
The CDC aids hotline is worse than useless. The people who answer the phones rarely get the answers correct and yes, they are reading from outdated materials.
You didn't have a risk. Period, end of story.
Ann
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Well they said that the virus does not die instantly and it could still be on the pin but not duplicating the virus but still capable of infection. I swear they made me worse. I was starting to calm down and they stressed me out all over again. If I think rationally, I would think I'm overreacting but I know he cut his hand and so did I. That does seem like blood to blood. I dont want to argue with anyone here, I just needed a place to vent my thoughts and get support. Ann, you have been really kind and patient and I appreciate it. I feel like you are educated on all of this and I feel better with each reply you give me. Once again, I am really sorry if you were offended at all.
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You need to get some professional help, one on one.. I can see you will keep running around in circles and will not be getting anywhere with this. You have been told you don't get hiv in the manner in which you have described. I don't see any reason for us to go over this again and again. Good luck with receiving the help you need.
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I was right. he is positive. my friend tried talking me down from this anxiety but it still seems like a possibility and that scares me knowing now that he is in fact positive and i may have come in contact with his blood when i pierced my skin and bled.
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Doesn't matter if he is or isn't. You are not going to get infected in that manner. End of subject.
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I spoke to my doctor about 2 hours ago and he said I should be okay but he thinks I should get tested just to make sure. He said there are many factors that are unknown and these would make it less or more likely (whether he was on meds or not, how long it had been since he stuck himself and then I stuck myself, etc). I feel so stressed out over this. I dont know how to cope.
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I hope you don't get this melodramatic over every little thing. You won't get HIV, no way, no how. It has been spelled out over and over and over and over and over... The only value to getting tested would be for you to see a negative result and (hopefully) end this obsessing. Your money would be much better spent on a mental health professional.
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Why does CDC call percutaneous exposure from a solid/sewing needle a risk (even if they call it a less severe risk) when there has been no case ever of HIV being spread by a solid needle?
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Shakur251, this is the second time you have been told not to post your questions and concerns in others threads.
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RapidRod take it easy man. My post had to do with the topic. A
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Read the guide lines. It doesn't matter if your concerns match anyone elses. You do not post your concerns in another persons thread.
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Andy, you dont think I need to be tested? Everyone seems to think this is a non risk and all what ifs but my doctor said it's all different factors bc we do know he is for sure positive. what do you think? By the way, Ann, you give really supportive advice and I appreciate all of your help.
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scared,
There is no way on earth you'd become infected in this manner. Put it this way. I'm positive and if my daughter poked herself with a drawing pin I just had poked myself with, I wouldn't give it a second thought. It isn't a risk.
Ann
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Ann, that makes me feel a LOT better honestly. I was thinking asking that but didnt think it was appropriate to ask someone that I dont know. Thanks for your thoughts.