POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: cd196537 on September 28, 2010, 08:41:42 am
-
About 10.5 years ago I performed oral on a man to completion. I have performed oral on other men at times as well, and am concerned about those too. However, after the incident 10.5 years ago approx. 2 weeks after I came down with severe fever, terrible sweats, body aches, and neck soreness so bad I could barely move my neck. I went to the doctor a couple of days after and he said it is just a bad virus. I am convinced now, after learning about ARS, that it was actually ARS. I didn't have a cough, sore throat or anything so I can't imagine that it was influenza and don't know what else it could have been. It is just way too conincidental. I am getting tested this week, but am soooo scared and can't seem to think about anything else. Is it possible that my symptoms could have been from something else? Am I freaking out a good reason?
-
You never had a risk of contracting HIV from oral sex. Your signs and symptoms have nothing to do with HIV, if you are concerned see your doctor HIV is not the cause.
HIV is transmitted by,
Unprotected vaginal and anal sex
Mother to infant
Sharing works with other IV drug abusers
-
It is very unfortunate that you have spent such a long time worrying over what I expect will prove to have been an unfounded concern. None of the symptoms you have described from that long ago incident can be called HIV specific.
But it is good that you are removing all doubts by getting tested. I expect you result be negative. You saliva has over a dozen elements and proteins which very effectively prevent the transmission of viable HIV.
We do recommend that anyone who is sexually active ought to at least annually have a full STD panel done because other STDs are easier to acquire than HIV.
Good luck with your test. Based on what you have reported I expect your result to be negative.
-
Thank you both for responding. I am so scared that I literally am just driving myself insane. Have you guys seen people with symptoms like mine that are not ARS? I know it is rare to be transferred through oral, but I am just convinced that I am the exception. I honeslty just feel like there is nothing else the symptoms could have been. It doesn't make sense to get a virus with just a sever fever and body aches and nothing else. Sorry for being one of those people on here that drive you guys crazy, I just need some piece of mind.
-
Thank you both for responding. I am so scared that I literally am just driving myself insane. Have you guys seen people with symptoms like mine that are not ARS? I know it is rare to be transferred through oral, but I am just convinced that I am the exception. I honeslty just feel like there is nothing else the symptoms could have been. It doesn't make sense to get a virus with just a sever fever and body aches and nothing else. Sorry for being one of those people on here that drive you guys crazy, I just need some piece of mind.
All the time.
-
So I'm not asking if I should get tested, because I am anyways, but I am just wondering if testing related to this specific incident because of the symptoms would be recommended. I guess what I am getting at is I feel like it is really alarming and am wondering if professionals/experts would find it alarming as well. I just really am scared that I could be that one that gets in this way. I don't know if it's just being irrational or if I really should have cause for this tremendous amount of concern.
-
So I'm not asking if I should get tested, because I am anyways, but I am just wondering if testing related to this specific incident because of the symptoms would be recommended. I guess what I am getting at is I feel like it is really alarming and am wondering if professionals/experts would find it alarming as well. I just really am scared that I could be that one that gets in this way. I don't know if it's just being irrational or if I really should have cause for this tremendous amount of concern.
No testing would not be recommended. You didn't have a risk of contracting HIV and all you would be doing is wasting your money and resources.
-
cd,
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
-
Hi Ann,
I just want to clarify - I was asking about oral to completion and how likely it is that the symtoms I had a few weeks after the incident were due to ARS. Do you agree with the other experts that they may not be related and I may be over-reacting?
Andy - do you agree as well? Would testing be waranted over this?
-
The main reason and perhaps the only one that I can see for you getting tested is that you have been burdening yourself with a concern about this issue for over a decade.
Despite the occasional report of becoming infected through oral, those claims never seem to hold up under careful scrutiny. And neither symptoms nor the absence of them should ever be the basis on which you know your HIV status.
Ann has already told you to keep it simple and use condoms everytime for intercourse. Period.
Get tested, collect the negative result I expect you to get and move on with your life.
There's really nothing more to say about this at this point.
-
cd,
And I just want to clarify that as a sexually active adult, you should be having full sexual health care check ups at least once a year. To have gone for over ten years without one is irresponsible.
As long as you've been using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse correctly and consistently, you can fully expect your hiv test results to return as negative.
Ann
-
Sorry Ann - I hope that didn't come across as me being disrespectful. I just thought that I didn't explain it clearly. I appreciate your advice, and am just trying to keep myself calm as I go through this process.
-
CD,
You didn't come across as disrespectful.
I understood what you were saying. When I told you that as long as you use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse you could expect a negative result, I was implying that I wasn't in the least worried about your oral concerns.
Make sure you get a full sexual health check up - the other STIs are much easier to get and some of them can be present with no symptoms.
Ann
-
Ann, even with the symptoms I have afterwards you still don't find it concerning? I totally agree that I just need to get tested and move on from this incident that occured so long ago.
-
CD,
No, your symptoms are nothing to do with the oral.
Symptoms or even the lack of symptoms will never tell you a single thing about your hiv status. ONLY testing will. Many people never have any symptoms of seroconversion, so it's dangerous to think that just because you felt fine after a real risk doesn't mean you didn't get infected.
But you have not reported a real risk. I fully expect you to get a negative result, provided you've not engaged in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse that you failed to mention to us.
Just go get your sexual health check up and get it over already. Stop messing about and wringing your hands and JUST DO IT.
Responsible sexually active adults do this at least once a year. DO IT.
Ann