Possible ARS? Am I at Risk?

[brandyocd123]

Ok, so a little bit about  my story. I have recently been tested 3 times in the last 2 months in response to a incident which involved unprotected vaginal sex for 1 min (no ejeculation). I searched for symptoms and signs every day all day for thosed 2 mths, and wasted many hrs searching the internet.  I tested neg every time, and was ready to move on with life...until I read that oral sex was a risk of contracting hiv, and stories of people who had contracted hiv orally. This sent me into a frenzy b/c 2 weeks after the first incident, I had performed oral sex on the same guy. He did not ejaculate (it was only for a minute, then we had protected vaginal sex), and I did wipe off the initial precum before I gave him head, but not sure if there was more. Now I am back in the same place I was in; worried about symptoms signs and possibly being infected. That being said, I have a few questions. If anyone could be so kind as to answer them with as much info as possible so that I can STOP searching the net. I am sick with worry and fear and have convinced myself I am positive :/ Thank u and God Bless
1) What are the risks of HIV contracting with oral sex and only pre-ejaulation...if the person has sores or bleeding gums?

2) What is the AVG temp of a seroconversion fever? I check my temp for the last month atleast 15x's a day...3 of the days my temp fluctuated b/w 98.6-99.3..every other day was 98.6 or below. could those 3 days have been me seroconverting?

3) How do seroconversion lymph nodes typically feel? Are they hard or soft, painful or painless etc? The right side of my neck feels puffier than the left. I believe it is my artery but I cant tell. It is soft and doesnt really feel like a lymp node, but I cant feel the difference b/w both sides of my neck. The area now feels somewhat tender, could this be from constantly touching it? While looking for groin nodes, I also noticed that the right side of my groin area, where the node should be, seems puffier than the other side. I just need info on how nodes feel

Please someone help me, I am losing my mind with all of this. I have missed days of work (which I never do) and have fell behind in school. Thank u for your time

[brandyocd123]

Hi. Can anyone please resoond to the question I posted? Im really scaredn worried :/

[Ann]

Brandy,

I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep everything in one thread. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last posted in your thread or if the subject matter is different.

If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.

Please also read through the Welcome Thread so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.





The only real risk you've had was the brief unprotected receptive intercourse. Unless you've got absolutely terrible oral health, oral isn't a risk either. There have been three long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A six week (or more) negative must be confirmed at the three month point, but is highly unlikely to change.

If I'm reading you correctly, you have had a negative result sometime between six and eight weeks. That result is very unlikely to change when you confirm at the three month point.

Forget about symptoms. Neither symptoms nor even the lack of symptoms will ever tell you a single thing about your hiv status - ONLY testing at the appropriate time will.

Leave your lymph nodes alone because yes, constant touching them WILL make them sore and swollen. Keep your hands off.

If you feel unwell, see a doctor. With your testing history so far, you are highly unlikely to go on to test positive, so whatever symptoms you're experiencing have nothing to do with hiv.

You need to learn from this and stop having unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

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 sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without 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 anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[brandyocd123]

Thank u for taking the time out to answer my questions. Would it be possible for u to reference those studies so I can read up on them? U r a very strong woman, and what youre doing here is commendable. To b able to deal with what ur dealing with and still help others is amazing! Thanks again

[Ann]

Brandy,

Here are some studies concerning oral transmission:

No incident HIV infections among MSM who practice exclusively oral sex.
Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. WePpC2072)??Balls JE, Evans JL, Dilley J, Osmond D, Shiboski S, Shiboski C, Klausner J, McFarland W, Greenspan D, Page-Shafer K?University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States

Oral transmission of HIV, reality or fiction? An update
J Campo1, MA Perea1, J del Romero2, J Cano1, V Hernando2, A Bascones1
Oral Diseases (2006) 12, 219–228

AIDS:  Volume 16(17)  22 November 2002  pp 2350-2352
Risk of HIV infection attributable to oral sex among men who have sex with men and in the population of men who have sex with men

Page-Shafer, Kimberlya,b; Shiboski, Caroline Hb; Osmond, Dennis Hc; Dilley, Jamesd; McFarland, Willie; Shiboski, Steve Cc; Klausner, Jeffrey De; Balls, Joycea; Greenspan, Deborahb; Greenspan

Page-Shafer K, Veugelers PJ, Moss AR, Strathdee S, Kaldor JM, van Griensven GJ. Sexual risk behavior and risk factors for HIV-1 seroconversion in homosexual men participating in the Tricontinental Seroconverter Study, 1982-1994 [published erratum appears in Am J Epidemiol 1997 15 Dec; 146(12):1076]. Am J Epidemiol 1997, 146:531-542.

Studies which show the fallacy of relying on anecdotal evidence as opposed to carefully controlled study insofar as HIV transmission risk is concerned:

Jenicek M. "Clinical Case Reporting" in Evidence-Based Medicine. Oxford: Butterworth–Heinemann; 1999:117

Saltzman SP, Stoddard AM, McCusker J, Moon MW, Mayer KH. Reliability of self-reported sexual behavior risk factors for HIV infection in homosexual men. Public Health Rep. 1987 102(6):692–697.Nov–Dec;

Catania JA, Gibson DR, Chitwood DD, Coates TJ. Methodological problems in AIDS behavioral research: influences on measurement error and participation bias in studies of sexual behavior. Psychol Bull. 1990 Nov;108(3):339–362.

Google them.

Ann

[brandyocd123]

Thank you for ur time

[Ann]

Brandy,

You're welcome.

With your testing history so far, I fully expect that your final and conclusive test result will also be negative.

I cannot stress enough how much I hope you learn from this incident. When you're the receptive partner in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, you are very much at risk. Next time you might not be so lucky, so be careful and insist on condoms. No glove, no love!

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!!!

Ann