POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: paddy2012 on February 24, 2012, 05:42:13 am
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Hi
about 11 weeks ago i visited a csw. to save bothering you all i have searched the other threads on here and found most of the answers i was looking for. we had unprotected oral, which i have learnt on here is not a risk. she used some sex toys to give me anal stimulation. she informed me that she had cleaned them and i had been there at least 20 minutes before she used them on me so from what i can gather from other posts here if there were any hiv virus on toys surface it would have either died or been rendered unable to infect due to changes in tempriture, moisture or ph levels after this time.
what i am worried about and what i haven't been able to find the answer to is this: we had protected intercourse however before we did the lady applied a lubricant to herself and wiped the excess of her hands with a towel. after a couple of minutes i ejaculated and she inserted a finger from the same hand used to apply the lubricant into my anus. what is, if any, the risk from this? am i worrying over nothing?
i have had a pain in my left arm and shoulder and some other sporadic muscular pains for a number of weeks now and also my skin seems to be particularly sensitive and sometimes flushed/hot however i am sure this is due to anxiety and guilt from visiting a csw.
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Paddy,
Yes, you are worrying unnecessarily. You did the right thing and used a condom for intercourse. Sexually speaking, the only confirmed route of hiv infection is unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse.
Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus that is primarily transmitted INSIDE the human body, as in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse where the virus never leaves the confines of the two bodies.
Once outside the body, small changes in temperature, and pH and moisture levels all quickly damage the virus and render it unable to infect. For this reason, any fluids on her fingers would not pose a risk.
You also need to understand that you must follow safer sex guidelines no matter who you are with. The "girl next door" could be hiv positive as well. It's not just sex workers you need to use condoms with.
Aside from people who share drug injecting equipment, the ONLY true risk group is that group of people who have unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with persons of unknown or positive hiv status. It's not WHO you do, it's HOW you do it. Remember that!
Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
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.
ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST SPECIFICALLY OVER YOUR SEX WORKER EXPERIENCE, 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
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Thank you for your reply Ann. i really appreciate it. looking at the support this website gives to people shows that there are people in the world who care about humanity. how is this website funded? is there a way to donate if funds are needed? i'm in the uk so sending a cheque to the usa in dollars would be tricky. does the site have a pay pall or just giving site that people can donate to?
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Paddy,
When you help one of us, you help us all. I'm sure any Aids Service Organisation (ASO) in the UK would be more than happy to accept a donation on our behalf. (I'm also in the UK, btw)
You can find an ASO near you by searching the "e-atlas" database at aidsmap.com (http://www.aidsmap.com/e-atlas). Thanks!
Ann