[Question #2143] Seriously worried help please

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88 months ago
Hello doctors i am writing because i am extremely concerned. About 3 months ago i developed chills and a slight fever, more like chills. I went to the doctor and they told me i had gastritis and to take it easy with the greasy and spicy foods. This past month i had a medium rare steak at around 10pm and more than a few drinks, i woke in the middle of the night with shaking chills and threw up as soon as i threw up it was gone. Two weeks ago i went to the doctor again i had some medium rare steak around 11 pm no drinks then went to bed i developed chills and diarrhea threw up went to the restroom then to sleep woke up with some chills, went to the dr and they told me i had proteus but also seemed like my billirubin was high i got tests done my ldh -172
Protein-7.4
Albumin-4.5
Globulin-2.9
Billirubin-1.9 direct.3 indirect 1.6
Alkaline-48
Alt-80
Ggt-40
Hep test came back positive only for surface antibodies

That was one week ago, yesterday i had oysters shellfish in the afternoon, hot dogs and lasagna at night, two shakes in the morning, and at about 3 pm i hd chipotle, withing and hour or so i  started shaking insanely, headache and felt dizzy and weak, threw up twice and a few bouts of diarrhea. Went to the doctor he felt my atomach and said it was a bit inflamed and he said acute gastroenteritis, i had a fever of 100.2 which was gone within 1 hour after they gave me a shot, right now i am hungry and no longer feel extremely depleted just have a headache that ive had this pat week which i dont know if it is from the hep b scare or anxiety, but my head is throbbing.to point out my father has the same gastroenteritis today and we ate the same seafood yesterday. He says its not normal to happen 3 times in one month and to watch the way i eat and where i get food, two of the first times i ate the same brand red meat close to rare.

Today i found out my wife is pregnant and i am acared that i had around 12 protected sexual encounters with 3 different females...2 of them started mesntruating and got some blood on my pubic area and condom, which i cheked and was always in good state, i didnt last long in them for the same reason perhaps 3-5 minutes tops, i did however receive alot of oral sex from them and gave oral sex to one of them about 4-5 times, ive know her for ten years and she dated the same guy for the whole period. All pf these sexual encounters started taking place in january. Right now i have a small painful canker sore in my lip which i dont know where it came from but it doesnt look like herpes. I am worried that because sometimes i shaved my pubic area pr the condom rolled up i was exposed to perhaps blood or infected secretions on snall cuts And that is somehow making me sick so often ive been sick from my stomach 3 times in about 3 weeks and i dont know if ots because of my horrible eating habits or hiv...ive never had swollen glands, rashes, and my fevers usually last only a few hours then im fine...i do have large amounts of stress. Im 5'9 and weigh 195 i am not really obese but not thin either sometimes however i feel shortness of breath walking up the house stairs but i also stopped all cardio about a year ago....i have not have unprotected sex with anyone other than my wife after i got tested for hiv and came iyt negative about a year ago...do you think that might be the cause of my elevated alt billirubin and frequent stomach infections??? Thanks

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Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
Welcome to the Forum.  I'll be pleased to comment.  Let me start by congratulating you on your practice of safe sex outside of your marriage.  this practice will protect you from HIV, hepatitis and other STIs.  As an FYI, even if your partners outside your marriage were menstruating and you happened to get menstrual blood or a partner's genital secretions on parts of your penis and pubic area during sex, this would still be considered safe sex with little or no risk for infection.  Similarly, there is little risk for these illnesses from either receiving or performing oral sex. 

The pattern of symptoms you describe are not suggestive of HIV, hepatitis or other infections.  Nor do your lab tests suggest infection.  I would not worry about HIV or hepatitis.  If you wish, you can prove this to yourself by testing with blood tests for HIV or for hepatitis which will be definitive for any exposures that occurred back in January.  The symptoms that you describe are move suggestive of a non-sex related gastrointestinal problem. My suggestion is for you to work with your regular doctor to sort this out, focusing on your gastrointestinal and biliary tree rather than worrying that you have sexually acquired an infection.  I hope this perspective and comment is helpful.  EWH
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88 months ago
Thank you Dr.H I am just nervous that perhaps one of those sexual encounters i know i had a cur or sore exposed. And like i mentioned i came out positive for surface antibodies for hep b, no core antibodies. The canker sore is also making me bervous because i read it could be due to autoimmune disorders like hiv, but at this point i am just worried at the frequent stomach flus and high fevers
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
A cut or open sore would not be a risk factor for infection- this is a common misperception.  Your HB surface Antibodies are a sign of immunity to hepatitis B and could be from vaccination or prior infection which is now cured but do NOT indicate current active infection.  This positive test is a good sign, not a bad one.   Typical canker sores are not a sign of infection, disease or weakened immunity- this is another common misperception.  EWH
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88 months ago
Lastly, do you think my recurrent stomach flus are due to poor eating habits? The strange thing is my body usually gets rid of them within a day
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
88 months ago
I am not a gastroenterologist and think that is the sort of question I would ask a specialist.  At the same time, I do know friends and colleagues who have food related reactions to food or to a combination of food and stress which can cause the sorts of symptoms that you describe.  When these problems have occurred, they seem to appear, not be something that has a clear cause. 

As you appear to know, this will be my final reply to your questions.  Our Forum Guidelines provide or us to provide up to three replies to clients' questions. Therefore this thread will be closed later today.  I wish you the best.  EWH
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