[Question #11039] Another question
17 months ago
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Hi doctors I’m sorry to be back again but I have a question regarding ARS and testing. So 4 weeks ago I engaged in mutual masturbation /touching with another man. I proceeded to have sex with my partner(female). Yesterday she had a bout of body aches, chills, sore throat, tiredness come on suddenly. The body aches and chills and tiredness subsided after 4 hours (sleep and rest), but she is still having sore throat. My questions are:
1. I took a rapid insti test yesderday (27 days post the mutual masturbation). How accurate is that negative test result? Is it possible that 27 days is far too early for an insti test?
2. Are her symptoms suggestive of ARS? I’ve never heard of another illness only lasting 4-5 hours. Can ARS symptoms only last 4-5 hours?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
17 months ago
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This is your 8th question regarding low to no risk encounters in the past 10 months. This is excessive and will not be permitted. I will provide a brief response (you can review your other interactions with Dr. Handsfield or me and will find answers to these questions as well) and then the thread will be closed. Should you return with further questions regarding no risk situations, your question may be closed without a response and without return of your posting fee (Dr. Handsfield told you this previously, I should not have responded to your post recent question about syphilis.) If you cannot overcome your guilt and unwarranted concerns, out of concern for you and nothing more, I urge you to seek professional counseling.
Mutual masturbation/touching is a no risk event in terms of HIV transmission as well as most other STIs. Further, you cannot have transmitted HIV to your partner if your HIV test is now negative. Thus
1. I took a rapid insti test yesderday (27 days post the mutual masturbation). How accurate is that negative test result? Is it possible that 27 days is far too early for an insti test?
See above. If you had HIV and transmitted it to your partner, your own test would have been positive. At 27 day about 80% of persons with HIV will have positive tests for HIV antibodies using the test you used.
2. Are her symptoms suggestive of ARS? I’ve never heard of another illness only lasting 4-5 hours. Can ARS symptoms only last 4-5 hours?
She has a flulike illness. When at risk persons with flu-like symptoms are tested for HIV (i.e. evaluated for the ARS), over 99% have something other than HIV such as influenza, RSV or COVID-19. When present, the ARS typically lasts several days, not just a few hours.
You need to move on and address your anxieties. EWH
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17 months ago
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Thank you doctor and I am sorry for the repetitive questions. I have taken a 4th generation test (27 days after exposure) and am waiting the results. I will report back once I get them, then put all of this all to rest
17 months ago
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Hi doctor- following back on this. So I for my 4th generation test (taken at 27 days) back and it is negative as your predicted. My only question is do you reccomend I get tested again at the 6 week mark or can I put this whole thing behind me?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
17 months ago
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I repeat, your encounter involved no risk for acquistion of HIV. There was really no need for testing to start with. You tested for the reassurance it provides. At 27-28 days, 4th generation tests reliably detect over 99% of recently acquired infections. Thus there really is no medical of scientific reason for additional testing.
You have one follow-up remaining. Please also be aware that should you return to the Forum with further questions relating to virtually no risk events, your question my be closed without a response and without return of your posting fee, I urge you to seek counseling for what you continue in your pattern of virtually no risk encounters followed by anxiety/guilt-driven follow-up posts and testing. This kind of situation cannot be good for you. EWH
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17 months ago
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Thank you so much doctor. 2 last questions just for my knowledge:
- if I took pep in December (from a low risk encounter), and had sex with my partner during my pep treatment is it possible that u could’ve passed HIV to her but am now, in March, testing negative because the pep worked for me?
- you said “if I had transmitted hiv to my partner, I would have already tested positive” however, is it possible that I could still be in the before seroconversion stage where my test is negative? Or am I getting that wrong.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
17 months ago
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As you describe it, a few days after your episode of mutual masturbation you had sex with your regular partner while taking PEP. Now she has a flu-like illness. 27 days after your mutual masturbation and thus several weeks after sex with your partner, you have tested negative for HIV. This timeline is not compatible with transmission of HIV to your partner, nor with failure of the PEP you took. The PEP would not have permitted transmission to your partner while you were taking it. Persons with recently acquired HIV may occasionally (but rarely) transmit HIV to partners a day or two before their tests become positive but this interval is only a day or two, not weeks.
Please, no more "what if..." or "could it have..." questions. Your partner's flu-like illness is not due to HIV that you transmitted to her.
This completes this thread. You need to move on. There should be no need for further questions. Should you return with further questions your question may be closed without a response and without return of your posting fee. The answers are not going to change. EWH
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