[Question #237] Hiv

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106 months ago
Good evening,

I want to start with, thank you for all you do. I am very scared, nervous and unsure. About 4 years ago I believe I may have contracted herepes. I never had blisters just a redness/burning feeling on skin. This woupdate happen about 3 times a year and last for about 3 weeks and then fine in between. I believe this may have been acquired from a bj I received. In this time period I tested negative for hiv all the way up to Jul 2014. This is where it gets interesting. I was overseas in the mideast and received a massage from a Thai girl at a health club. We did not have sex, but Frenched kiss quite a bit, he was bitting on my nipple for about 5 minutes and it hurt a little, but I enjoyed it, she then gave me a hj. The next day I noticed my nipple was sore and it seemed to have like dry film, maybe a scab. About 2 weeks exactly, I went to the bathroom and my stool was black. It made me nervous that it was black, but I did not think of anything from the massage.  I had a really bad headache that day at work, about 3 days later my groin was really sore on both sides and I developed a sunburn time rash in a large area identical on both sides of my groin, my neck was stiff and these symptoms lasted about 5 weeks, rash went away maybe a week earlier, it didn't itch but was very noticeable. The only thing I noticed for the next 2 monthe was that I sneezed alot. Around Nov 2014 I started getting the same burning on my penis skin that I think is herpes. But this time it lasted units Feb 15, non stop, I took asprin to help but was scared to go to the doctors, this went away for electronic weeks and came back and has been here until here still today. Around March I was getting a lot of itchy red bumps on my body and the dermatologist said it was some kind of hives, I'm on constant meds for that and if I don't the the meds, I itch, mostly on my feet and chest. I know that it wasn't the ideal chance to get hiv, but it seems like my immune systembis crap all of a sudden.
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106 months ago
I forgot to mention that I have had alot of sores on my tongue that last for about 3 weeks. They come on the sides of my tongue.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
106 months ago

Welcome to the Forum.  I will try to help.  The recurring penile rash that you describe certainly could be herpes although the only way to be sure is to have the rash tested, preferably with one of the increasingly widely available PCR tests that should be available through most labs.  Not all herpes follows the classical pattern of recurring blisters and open sores and your history of recurring redness in a previously exposed genital area makes testing worthwhile.  I am not confident that a blood test for herpes antibodies will be helpful for you since if you acquired herpes from receipt of oral sex, it would most likely be due to herpes virus type-1 which is commonly present in over half of people.  Thus if you had a HSV antibody blood test, if your result showed antibodies to HSV-1, that would not necessarily mean that your recurring rash was due to HSV-1.  On the other hand, if you were tested and your antibody test for HSV-2, the virus which most often cause genital herpes, this could explain your genital rash. 

As to your other symptoms, each of them (sore nipple with subsequent scabbing, sunburn rash on both sides of your groin, tongue lesions, sneezing, etc.)  could have easily been caused by an other process with each symptom you list being unrelated to the others.  None of the exposures (receipt of oral sex, having your nipple nibbled on, masturbation, etc.) is associated with risk for acquiring HIV so, if these are your main exposures, HIV should not be a concern.  Rather it is likely that these problems are unrelated to each other,or perhaps somehow related to your travel history.  If getting an HIV test would make you feel more comfortable, there is no reason not to get one, they are accurate and if you have HIV, they would be positive. That said, there is nothing in the information you provide that makes me worried about HIV.  Rather, my advice would be to see your regular doctor and explain the entirely of your concerns to him/her so that they can thoroughly evaluate you for other, non-STI problems.

I hope this comment helps.  There in nothing in the history you provide that suggests a need for concern about STI, including HIV.  EWH

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106 months ago
So with all the symptoms I had 2 weeks after the French kissing and nipple biting, and the continued immune symptoms,  you don't think hiv is possible? Is it even remotely possible? She had braces, and was a Thai csw, overseas. If she was bleeding when she deeply Frenched kiss or when she bit my nipple which caused cuts.

Thank you, I value your opinion
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106 months ago
Btw the way, the sunburn rash only came one on both sides of my groin. This was when I had a st8 month of my worse symptoms. The doctor told me it might be heat rash, it didn't itch, never had it before or after, only during the 5 weeks after the incident that I felt terrible. My temp never got past 99.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
106 months ago

No, I see no reason whatsoever for concern about HIV related to the exposures you describe.

There are many possible causes of a rash such as the one you describe- far and away the most common was is a fungal infection.  This rash however is in no way suggestive of HIV.  No change in my opinion or advice.  EWH

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106 months ago
Last ? If I did get hetpes, why wud I all of a sudden have burning on my penis skin for a year after the hiv blood exposure, is this normal.

Thank u
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
106 months ago
As I said before there is no reason for you to worry about having acquired HIV from the exposure that you described.  As for the burning on your penis, the first thing to do is to find out what is causing it by testing the next time you experience it.  I would add however that when persons begin to look for abnormal sensations on one part of the body or another, the act of focusing on the area can cause heightened sensations, most often itching but burning is possible as well.  Sorry I can't offer more, you need a diagnosis and I would suggest you approach this with him/her.  Please feel free to share this exchange with them if you wish.  EWH ---
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106 months ago
Thank you very much
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106 months ago
Sir, sorry I wanted to clarify my last ?.the burning on my penis skin has been burning for a year st8. Before it wud come and go away after 4 weeks, but this time it didn't go away. Asprin helps, this is what brought me back to all the symptoms I had a year ago. After the nipple bit (bleeding) and French kiss, I got sick for 6 weeks. Then I was fine but when the outside penile burning came last year, it's still there. So I thought I may have contacted hiv. I was told if u have hiv, herpes will be ongoing, which if I have herpes and it consistently there and won't go away not even for a day. This was my reason for thinking hiv. Thank you, I just wanted to claify.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
106 months ago

We are now beyond the three response guideline for exchanges on the Forum. This will be the final response and further questions will need to be asked as a new thread.  I hope however you will not feel the need to ask these questions again.  The additional descriptions of your discomfort in no way suggest HIV.  Similarly, persistent penile burning of the sort you describe lasting more than a week or two in not going to be caused by herpes.  I suggest you work with your doctor to look for other explanations. EWH

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