Kinda Scared

[Squirrel]

I have a question concerning transmission. I was at work and noticed a small hive on my arm, near my elbow. Just to the left of it there was some, what appeared to be dried blood. The area in which the blood was in, was about the size of a nickle. Not one big drop but rather peppered looking.

Anywho, I stock shelves and frequently get little nicks and scratches due to my work. The thing was I thought I scraped my arm against one of the shelves which may have triggered the hive seeing as they are full of dust and dirt but couldn't specifically say how it happened. I thought the blood may have come from the hive getting scratched and just trailed along my skin if I had grazed the shelf. But I noticed the skin was not broken on my hive and that made me panic over where the blood came from. 

If I got some else's blood on me is there a cause for concern. Can some else's blood cause hives/allergic reaction if transmission occurs, especially if hiv is present? I was freaking that maybe I got a needle stick but don't recall anything like that through the course of my shift. I'm trying my hardest to be as rational as possible but the uncertainty of the blood's origin is consuming what little rationale I have concerning this topic.

  I know most of you will say "get help form your friendly, neighborhood mental health worker", but I thought you may want to throw a little reassurance my way.

Okay, I'll sit back and wait for my "OMG, you got to be kidding me"'s   
Thanks for all your time

[jkinatl2]

I urge you to read the LESSONS on HIV transmission, available through the "welcome" thread accesible through the link in my signature line.

What you describe falls well within the realm of casual contact, and is in no way an HIV risk.

I submit that your assertion that we will express disbelief "you've got to be kidding me" indicates that you knew the answer before you took the time to type out your query. I am curious as to what you expect from this site, besides a quick thrill.

[Squirrel]

Not looking for a "quick thrill" but rather some reassurance regarding a topic I am not particularly well versed in. I'm trying to educate myself, but again, my comprehension in this matter may vary greatly from yours and obviously it does since I felt a need to ask a question beyond just reading the Welcome Thread.

I guess I toss in a pinch of humor when I'm stressing pretty hard. Helps me cope. This world is a scarey place for some and it's nice to have an empathetic ear, regardless of how preposterous or ludicrous the utterance might be. Didn't mean to offend. 

I appreciate you respoding nonetheless JK and hope I didn't piss ya off.

PS: I expect nothing of this site other then direct, open and informative talk and some education along the way.

[Andy Velez]

OK. Your comments duly noted.

If you read the lessons on transmission and testing you will get the basics down about HIV risks as well as what is not risky, the latter being what the "event" you described falls under.

This epidemic is going to be around for a longtime to come. So to protect your health and to spare yourself unnecessary worrying and wondering, read the lessons. They are very user friendly and they give you the real deal on HIV.

Cheers,