[Question #5464] Vih and PEP for 7 days
75 months ago
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On Jan 19,2019, 2 am. I had sex w/ a sexual worker in Bogotá. I was drunk, but used condom all time. Sex for15 min. I was touching her vagina w/ my hands, while having sex. I finished inside her using condom. I took condom out and checked it, semen was all inside and not holes. Then my mistake, I touched penis and clean it with my hands!. I think I still have semen on my penis tip, and clean it with my hands. so stupid.
Same day at night, I had sex w/ my wife w/o condom. Our baby was 6 months old and on lactation. On Jan 20, I felt itching on my arms, but not rash. I told my wife everything, asked her to stop lactation. She stop after 7 days. Baby didn't lact anymore.
I saw doctor on Jan 22, got pills for ghonorrea and siphilis, and a shot w/ antibiotics. Did a urine culture. Also, I started PEP after 80 hours. My wife. But she refuse to take it.
Urine culture results came negative on Jan25. I stopped PEP on Jan 30. I was feeling sad, guilty and anxious. I had sex w/ my wife on Feb 20 again. I back to Canada. From Feb 25 to March 2, I felt pain in my testicles or groin. I went to hospital, my testicles and a urine culture were ok. I started reading online about HIV, and March 6, had fever, chills, and headache. seroconversion?Had some nights sweets for 3 days. My baby got sick on March 9, kind of cold too. He got some rash similar to mosquito bites. I got a HIV test on March 31, came back negative. Think is Elisa 4 gen. Should I repeat my HIV test? I have white tongue
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
75 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
Decisions about PEP to prevent HIV are best made by local experts who understand the risks and probabilities in the area where the exposure took place. You did that. However, I still wonder whether the doctor or clinic really understood your risks. I do not know the details of HIV frequency in Bogota, but in most of South America few female sex workers have HIV (mostly under 1%, I believe). And even without a condom, the chance of HIV transmission, if the woman is infected, averages about once in 2,500 episodes of unprotected vaginal sex. With a condom, your chance was no more than 1 chance in a million of catching HIV.
In addition, a skin rash or itching alone is not an HIV symptom. For these reasons, I would have recommended against PEP. I also would have recommended you say nothing to your wife and continue sex with your wife and your wife could have safely continued nursing your baby.
I'm glad to hear your STD testing was negative. No STDs cause testiclar pain, unless there is obvious testicular enlargement, tenderness, or swelling, which you did not have -- so I'm not suprised your repeat tests also were negative. These symptoms are typical of genitally focused anxiety, not of any infection. And your baby's symptoms are not at all suggestive of HIV. (I'm not sure whether your question about symptoms of seroconversion are about you or your baby's symptoms. But in any case, other things are far more likely than HIV, usually just a mild respiratory virus infection.) (And white tongue means nothing. We all get that from time to time. It is not a sign of HIV.)
Finally, the HIV ELISA antigen-antibody (4th generation) HIV tests detect 100% of all HIV infections within 6 weeks of catching the virus. That time might be longer after PEP, but your test result March 31 still is 100% proof you did not catch HIV. All your worries should be over.
Bottom line: You overreacted unecessarily, but at this point you can be certain all is well in regard to HIV and other STDs.
I hope this information is helfpul. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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75 months ago
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Thanks Doctor Hunter for your reply. I feel more confident now with your reply. To clarify your answer:
1) I was worried about the testicles pain, because later I read it might be my groin lymphs. And it is a symptom of ARS.
2) my symptoms:
Feb 25 to March 2, I felt pain in my testicles or groin
March 6, had fever and chills for 1 night, I took a hot liquid medication for cold, and next day was much better, but keep headache and only morning nausea (just after waking up) for 4 days. I was so worried, that I wake up in the middle of the night, and felt I had night sweets. Just my head front was Sweeting more than normal.
March 31: I felt itching again in my arms, when to se doctor in hospital, and told him everything, he took samples of urine and blood, for STDs and HIV.
My relationship with my wife was not good and I was still feeling depressed and guilty to possibly infect my wife and baby.
My results all came negative, but I read that since I took PEP (only for 7 days, and stop) it could be a false negative?. I still suffering every single day, I check my tongue, and see some red point at the back, and as I said it is with a thin white layer, I need to say that I never checked my tongue before this, so I can not compare. But it take color when I it something, let's say coffee/coke, it turns brown, yogurt, it takes color as well.
3) My baby symptoms:
March 9: he had fever for 2 days, then the rush I mentioned.
After he came to Canada, he got in his hindhead some kind of folliculitis, like half centimeter diameter or less. It appear 1 or 2 days, then disappeared, it repeated in same place like 3 times. Now, he get pimples in his body, different parts, not too many, maybe one or two, can show up in his back, his neck. Not sure if I should test him for something?
4) My wife symptoms:
She got a fever only one day, at the beginning of March too. She said she has headache from time to time. She complain she was feeling pain in her muscles and joints like a month ago.
Now, her forehead looks with more pimples, not sure if something related to folliculitis or acne. But it is different than before.
What are chances my wife is infected of HIV if I am HIV+?
My HIV result could be a false negative after 72 days, since I took PEP for only 7 days?
If I was infected with HIV, could I have transmitted it to my wife on the same day I got infected?
If my wife got HIV on our unique sex relation when she was nursing our baby, what are the chances baby got infected for 7 days of lactation?
Please doctor, reply to my questions since I am tremendously worried and scare. Thanks.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
75 months ago
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No, groin pain is not a symptom of ARS. Period. ARS can cause lymph node enlargements, but usually they are painless -- and pain in the groin or anywhere else, without an obviously enlarged nodes, does not hint at ARS. You can never, ever just look at lists of HIV/AIDS symptoms and conclude, just because one or more shows up, that HIV is a likely cause -- this is true even in people after high risk exposures. Every symptom of HIV is also common in many other conditions, mostly mild. It is never any single symptom that raises suspicion, only the pattern and timing of symptoms. Your symptoms and pattern do not fit HIV at all.
And the same applies to every symptom and sign you list for your wife and baby. The standard HIV blood tests, including the kind of test you had, are among the nmost accurate blood tests ever developoed for any medical condition. There is no such thing as these tests missing HIV after about 6 weeks. Your negative results PROVE 100% that you do not have HIV. Believe it and please stop asking for furhter confirmation! Move on with your life without further worry about all this.
Of course see your doctor -- same for your wife and baby -- if any of you continue to have symptoms that concern you. But you can be sure they are not due to HIV or any other infection from the sexual encounter you described above.
You have one follow-up comment question on this thread. But please do not ask again about anything that has already been answered, or whose answer is obvious from my replies above. If in doubt, please re-read all my comments above. But I will not repeat myself.
Really, mellow out. This is a done deal that should not be the slightest concern going forward.
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