[Question #11976] Weird symptoms since exposure

11 months ago

Hi! I was here in the past but cannot remember my info, sorry. I’m 39 y/o from Canada. Almost 18 months ago, I had a low risk exposure (black stripper from Africa, vaginal fluid in mouth while I bit myself with blood). After 2 weeks, I had pimples on the penis tip. Then some weeks after, pain in the groin, dry mouth, tiredness, weight loss (10%), feeling of blocked throat and zoster.

I did several tests for STDs. For the HIV, I did the 4th gen at 1, 3, 8, 11 months as well as HIV-1 viral load at 10 months and finally INSTI home test at 14 and 16 months.

In the last year, I have pressure in the throat and pain in the left groin, respiration issues, still soft poop or diarrhea every day but the worst is that as soon as I make PIV with my partner, I always have balanitis. It lasts 1 week and then it goes away, until the next time I make PIV with my partner. I’m also not able to cum since 1 year.

Could it be HIV-2? If not, what could it be? Thank you

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

11 months ago

Welcome back. But I'm afraid we can't help further. I found your two previous threads 5 and 7 months ago (10806, 11068).

It is not possible to have HIV symptoms of any kind and not have positive results on all types of blood tests (antibody, antigen, viral load, etc). And your symptoms also do not even hint at HIV. The antibody tests you had DO test for HIV2 antibody (just a slightly longer window period), so that aspect of your results also is conclusive. In addition, some routinely used viral load tests now include HIV2 as well as HIV1; you might check with your lab on that one. But even without that particular test, it is certain you do not have it. (You already know that HIV2 is vanishingly rare in Canada. In the US, almost all cases are in immigrants from HIV2 endemic areas or in their regular partners, and I imagine its pretty much the same in Canada -- i.e. little or no HIV2 in people exposed to random sex partners.) On top of all that, you were not at any possible risk of HIV from the exposure you originally described.

I won't comment on other possibilities for your symptoms except to point out that some of them fit well with anxiety magnifying trivial symptoms or even normal body sensations that otherwise you would ignore and might not even notice. Keep working with your doctors on this.

I hope these comments are a little bit effective in helping you move on without further concern about HIV or other STDs from the exposure on your mind. And no more testing!

HHH, MD

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