Are these symptoms?

[JTguy]

A little more than a month ago, I was a little foolish and had unprotected anal sex with two men who are a couple. I was the receptive partner, and they came inside me. I have been with them a few times before, but it had been a while since we 'met up'. They were negative then and I guess I assumed they still were, and they said they still were. I know you should never trust people you don't know too well, but anyway here is why I am worried:

About 2-3 weeks later I began to notice a rash on my inner right thigh near my groin. After looking up HIV rashes and all sorts of other conditions I was convinced it was jock itch as it looked mostly like jock itch. I have acne problems at times, and get them on my back as well as upper arms and sometimes it even shows up on my legs. I use Retin-A for my acne sometimes, and after first noticing that I had a pimple near my groin, I applied it there. Retin-A is pretty strong and is probably not a good idea to use it in such a sensitive area. After the pimple disappeared, it left the area slightly agitated. The skin in the area became dry and itched a little. I sweat sometimes at night, so I am wondering if the moisture combined with the dry and slightly agitated skin perhaps resulted in jock itch, as a few days later the rash appeared in that area.

 I looked up info about jock itch and the rash appeared to look the same, although it was only on one side of my groin (where I put the Retin-A). One thing that bothers me though is that the rash never really itched.. It itched before the rash appeared and itched only a little after I started using Jock Itch creme. It's been about 2 weeks and the rash pretty much gone, though you can see where it was. Everyday it seems to be going away more and more.

Now, for the past 3 or 4 days I just haven't felt right. My throat started to tickle a little, and I feel clammy and sweaty sometimes, but aspirin has been helping. My throat isn't sore per say, but it feels like I have a slightly painful lump when I swallow occasionally. In other words, I've had worse sore throats/colds in my lifetime. My glands are not swollen (neck or groin), I don't have muscle aches or anything. I just feel not like myself.

My brother passed away this past January from congestive heart failure as a result of a virus. It's rare but happens. Ever since then I have become very cautious any time I feel like I am getting sick. I was tested in April and was negative (got tested for peace of mind).

I will be getting tested very soon again because of my foolish activities with these two guys. But in the meantime I am very worried because of that supposed 'jock itch' (which never itched terribly like most websites say jock itch does) and my recent ill feelings.

Would a rash appear so soon if indeed it was an HIV rash? Would the rash be in the area I described? I read online that mainly the HIV rash affects the chest, face, arms etc, but sometimes may affect the groin area.

I know the best thing I can do is just see a doctor or get tested but in the meantime, are the 'symptoms' that I am describing similar to what a recent infection with HIV would be? I don't have swollen glands, no thrush in the mouth, and the 'jock itch/rash' has appeared to be going away (slowly but surely). No headaches, no muscle aches. I do have loose stools, but it may be because I have been drinking a lot of fluids and not eating much since I have been worried. Anxiety affects one's appetite. Also I have recently stopped smoking marijuana which also affects one's appetite, so hopefully the loose stools/diarrhea is because of that.

I am very worried, and would appreciate any input. Thank you.

[Matty the Damned]

OK,

As far as we're concerned the salient facts here are that you had unprotected receptive anal sex. This is most certainly a risk for HIV infection and you need to be tested 13 weeks from the date of the sexual encounters.

We don't discuss symptoms because many of the symptoms associated with acute HIV infection are indistinguishable from those caused by other infections. Additionally many people experience no symptoms at all during the acute phase of infection.

So the only reliable method of determining your HIV status is to test 13 weeks from the date of the presumed exposure.

That said, the rash often associated with HIV seroconversion illness is not itchy and is generalised (ie spread across the body) rather than being concentrated in a particular area.

Most people who do seroconvert (ie test positive for HIV) will do so 4-6 weeks after exposure. So, if you like, you can arrange a test at the 6 week mark. If that test result is negative then the probability of you testing negative at 13 weeks is quite good. Remember, that a 6 week negative result must be followed up with another test at 13 weeks.

When you do get tested for HIV you should talk to your doctor about being tested for other STIs such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis and hepatitis B. These conditions are more prevalent and more infectious than HIV.

So to summarise; you were at risk and you need to get tested 13 weeks from the date of the unprotected sexual encounters. I'm sure I don't need to give you the speech about the importance of using condoms whenever you have anal or vaginal sex.

Keep us posted.

MtD