POZ Community Forums

HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: stanley on March 20, 2012, 03:14:20 pm

Title: HAVING HIV SYMPTOMS, REALLY SCARED!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: stanley on March 20, 2012, 03:14:20 pm

Hi Guys,
I have been feeling very tired lately, I also have a cough and body pain (Pain in my Neck, Elbow, Knee, Ankle, Back, Knockles and ribs) especially in my joints . I had sex with a girl last December, during sex my condom broke but I noticed it immediately and pulled out. I went on PEP for a month and had a test 6 weeks after the incident. The test came out negative. I am really beginning to worry. Please can someone tell me if my symptoms are definitely linked to HIV or something else. Its really making me depressed, I have been chain smoking for the past 2 months. Thanks

Title: Re: HIV SYMPTOMS, REALLY SCARED!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Andy Velez on March 20, 2012, 03:18:18 pm

Nothing you are reporting symptomatically is suggestive of HIV. But that's not surprising since the risk from a condom having broken during that single incident was a very low one. And HIV is significantly harder to transmit from female to male than the other way around.

Whoever prescribed PEP ought to have told you that for a conclusive negative result you should test at 3 months after COMPLETION of PEP.

However, that notwithstanding I don't see the cause of your symptoms as being HIV. You should be discussing them with your doctor.

And if only for peace of mind I suggest you take a conclusive HIV test at 3 months past the date when you completed PEP. And yes, I expect you to test negative by why live with any doubts is how I see it.