POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: anxiety_asking on January 11, 2007, 12:53:08 pm
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Here's my story:
July I notice these purple marks on the glans of my penis. They don't go away. They don't hurt. I can't remember when in July, seems like the beginning of the month, I never really took notice of when they showed up. Should have... August 2ND I come down with a flu like illness. Throwing up, Nausea, Diarrhea, Fever, Severe Sore Throat. It clears up with the exception of the sore throat and hits me again the following week. Same thing, same duration. (Two days.) Sore throat persists. Seen by primary, found strep g. Treated with antibiotics. Didn't go away. After two more rounds of antibiotics, Saw an ENT. He did a throat/nose endoscopy and noticed the left adenoid was swollen. He began asking me about my sexual history. Which is nil (I had my first child in march and haven't had sex with anyone.) This freaked me out. Sept. 20th I had a standard blood draw ELISA test which came back negative. This allayed my fears for awhile but the persistent swelling continued. On and off. The adenoid always bothered me but the glands under my throat would swell on and off from time to time. Thanksgiving it got so bad that my left ear hurt and I thought it was causing an ear infection because the pain in my ear was intense. Nothing could be found. No infection. It eventually subsided. Come the week before Christmas I got this weak, nervous, twitchy feeling and a general lack of appetite. I got worried about my weight and I started checking it like every hour or so. This freaked me out really bad so I got a Home Access test on December 20th. The result was negative. The weird nervous/loss of appetite went away for Christmas but the throat problem was back. Fast forward to New Years. It comes back. And now it's on and off. I have good days and bad. I'm freaking out about the symptoms and the fact that no one can find anything wrong with me. Also, My Primary and my Urologist saw the marks on the penis and didn't think they looked like 'classic signs of std' or 'cancerous' as they respectively put it. I'm awaiting a dermatologist appointment on the 2ND of Feb.
Say there was some exposure (high risk or not) weeks prior to me getting sick. Would I have tested positive at least on the Dec. 20th test?
Should I get tested again? Has anyone tested negative that far out and turned positive later?
My risk that I can think of is in a group home direct care setting. These clients have all scratched themselves blood and scratched me several times. It's hard to avoid. (Yes I'm thinking about a new line of work for sure.) I've had to clean up their blood on several occasions. There is no information in their books about whether or not they are hiv -/+ because they umbrella that under 'universal precautions'.
And one last thing... How do you count months? 4 weeks or just go by the calendar? Not sure how that works.
I'd like to let you know that I am freaking out but I am seeing a psychiatrist for this, I am not going to let this get the best of me forever but I think hearing some information for other people and the reassurance of another test would help me, along with my therapy to getting back to my life which is being a father.
Thanks in advance for reading my long winded post and for any insight anyone might have!
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Anxiety,
As long as your test was three months after your last incident of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, then you are conclusively hiv negative.
It doesn't matter how you calculate the three months. You can look at it as three calendar months, twelve weeks or thirteen weeks. As long as it is 84 days or more, it doesn't matter, it's just splitting hairs.
The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six WEEKS and the three month window period exists only to catch the RARE person who takes a little longer than six weeks to test positive.
Keep working with your doctors to get to the bottom of your problems. Whatever is going on has nothing to do with hiv.
The situation you describe at work is nothing to worry about hiv for. Hiv is not transmitted via scratches. If it were so easily transmitted, you would have the right to know if a person you care for in a professional setting has it or not. As long as you are not having unprotected intercourse with these people, you are not at risk and it is none of your business if they are positive or not.
Please read the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) and follow the Transmission Lesson link so you can gain a better understanding of what is and what isn't a risk for hiv infection.
Ann
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Thanks for answering. One final question...
Would Kaposi's Sarcoma show up early or right away in new HIV infection? I've read that it's a later stage AIDS manifestation, is this correct? You've allayed my fears and to answer your statement about having sex with any of them, absolutely not.
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Anxiety,
KS absolutely does NOT show up in early infection.
Keep working with your doctors, whatever is going on has nothing to do with hiv.
Ann
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Thank you Ann for answering my questions and this site is a wonderful resource for people that are confused about hiv. I admit my knowledge of the disease is/has been very limited. A lot of it is due to the overwhelming amount of contradictory information out there on the internet and of course overwhelming paranoia and fear. I will indeed continue with my doctors.
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I've heard that coinfection with hepatitis can delay seroconversion. Any truth to that?
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anxiety,
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 all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread.
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 (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.
There have been only a few documented cases of hep C coinfection delaying hiv seroconversion and all of the people this happened to had been injecting street drugs every day for years. I doubt you fall into that catagory.
You weren't at risk for hep C infection in anything you have brought to this forum either.
I would suggest you seek the help of a counselor for your unfounded worries concerning the people you work with.
Ann
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anxiety,
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 all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread.
There have been only a few documented cases of hep C coinfection delaying hiv seroconversion and all of the people this happened to had been injecting street drugs every day for years. I doubt you fall into that catagory.
You weren't at risk for hep C infection in anything you have brought to this forum either.
I would suggest you seek the help of a counselor for your unfounded worries concerning the people you work with.
Ann
Sorry about that, I'll remember that in the future. Thanks again for answering. It really has nothing to do with the people I work with, they've all been screened for and vaccinated against these infections. It was more of a curious/information seeking thing. Thanks again.
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Is there a general FAQ on this site somewhere? If there is I seem to be having trouble finding it. I'm not talking about the transmission and testing links, I mean a broad spectrum of information concerning HIV risks, transmission, testing, symptoms, etc. Thanks.
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anxiety,
The information we have is in the Testing and Transmission Lessons. If there is something you want to know that you don't see in those lessons, you'll have to ask here.
Ann
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Yes, I know I am a Worry Well and I'm probably annoying you people. I'm sorry for that. I just have another question relating to KS:
Has there ever been a case where it shows up as a first or one of the first symptoms? And are there other known conditions that would cause purplish bruise-like marks to appear and not go away? I can't get it out of my head that the timing of them appearing and then getting sick for so long...
I really appreciate the knowledge you are giving me, a lot of it is helping to calm me, I know it doesn't seem like it from these posts but believe me it is.
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No, it has never happened, unless it was someone that has had HIV/AIDS for years and didn't know that they were positive.
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I would have tested positive on the tests I mentioned had that been the case right?
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anxiety,
Yes, if you've had hiv for some time you would have tested positive. You are conclusively hiv negative.
You are going to have to go to a doctor about these marks on your body. You cannot diagnose them and neither can we. There is no point in speculating as to what they might be. The could be nothing or they could be serious - and totally unrelated to hiv. (not every illness is you know!)
Go see your doctor. There is nothing more we can do for you here. You are conclusively hiv negative.
Ann
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Thank you. I am scheduled to see a dermatologist on Feb 2nd. It's just a long wait. I made this appointment back in November. They fill up fast apparently... Anyhow, Thanks so much for everyone's input and advice again. I appreciate it.
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I know this might seem like a stupid question, considering that everyone that is infected experiences ARS differently...
Do some people get sick 2-4 weeks after exposure, flu like illness or whatever for about a week or two then goes away, and then other people continually stay sick for months (6 or more.)? I'm just curious if the latter has ever been documented because all I usually see is people stating that it happens then goes away. Yes this is related to my fears and problems but I'm also just curious. Thanks.
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anxiety_asking, you can't have ARS if you are not infected with HIV. So in your case ARS doesn't exist.
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Yes, I pretty much agree with you. I'm just wondering if it can happen like that?
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NO