Doc, I am in full OCD freak out mode. I know you told me I have no risk from my last question. But something happened that is causing me a lot of stress. My 3 year old was climbing on my back and slid down my back as he slid he grabbed the top of my jeans and had hand may have touched the top of my butt crack, he then ran over at ate a cookie.  I grabbed him and washed his hands immediately.

You have my sympathy.  You are clearly inappropriately worried about your risk for HIV.  As we discussed earlier, you are not at risk for HIV from anything you have described.  Now that inappropriate concern has re-emerged in the concerns you express above.  YOU ARE NOT INFECTED.  Nothing you have described in the past suggests ANY risk for HIV.  Thus, unless there is something you have not told me, you should not be worried. 

HIV is not spread form person to person by transfer on the hands.

HIV is not transmitted in sweat

The symptoms you describe are in no way suggestive of ARS

To put this in perspective, let me once again point out that you have NO appreciable risk for HIV.  Put another way, you are FAR more likely to be hit by a car today, or struck by lightening that to have HIV and to transmit it to you son or others.

You need to get a grip on yourself and figure out to move forward. The fact that you have not been successful thus far indicates that this is not something that scientific facts or logic are going to help.  I urge you to seek the help of a trained mental health professional/ counselor as soon as possible 

Please seek help on this.  you and your family are not at risk.  EWH

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Thanks doc I am seeing my psychiatrist at the VA  on Friday. I know this is part of my PTSD, and it is causing a panic attack. My phobia revolves around protecting my family. 

I suggest you print out this and our earlier exchange and share them with your doctor at the VA.  it may help him/her appreciate the problem. 

Your other statement is correct- there is no way your son could become infected with HIV through the sort of contamination you are describing.  No way!!

EWH

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Thank you for everything doc.y pysch put me on anxiety med, so hopefully they will help. One more question and this is more for informational purposes if I have to resubmit and pay for this question I will (but since I get two follow ups then I figured maybe I would take advantage of them)

This more to the fact  should wrestling officials were gloves;

I officiate wrestling for fun, youth and highschool. There were a lot of bleeders at the match last night. Of course we stop the match when there is blood and a medic cleans the wrestler and the mat. My questions are:

1. How long would the HIV live on the mat for instance if we missed a spot and another wrestler came into contact with the spilled blood.

2. How deep a wound does it need to be does a scratch or mat burn suffice?

3. As the official I came home after the match; used the bathroom and ate dinner, if there was something on my hand could it get into am abrasion I had, the time frame was for this was an hour to an hour and a half.

So I guess I want to know if HIV can be transmitted from blood on a wrestling mat

How long can it live in blood outside the body

In my case could I get Hiv from the mat, to my hand and then in another wound I was taking care of after one to one and a half hours after possible exposure.

Would HIV still be infectious in blood that was been outside the body after over an hour

I will answer these questions but, as this is my third response it will also be my last and the thread will be closed later tonight. 

HIV become non-infectious almost immediately after exposure to the environment thus, in the VERY unlikely event that a wrestler with a cut had HIV, there will still be NO risk of becoming infected due to contact with blood on a wrestling mat, on a towel used to clean the mat or on other inanimate object.  Similarly, there would be no risk to you if you touched infected blood or wound and then another cut or wound.  These are no risk scenarios and reflective of your OCD but not reflective on any true risk.

I wish you well.  Work with your therapist.  EWH

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