[Question #731] Protected sex abrasion on base

100 months ago

Hello Dr.Hansfield, I am deeply sorry to bother you but I have some terrible fears that I have contracted HIV. I am a married heterosexual male, on March 22nd I had protected sex with a young woman of unknown status, we are both 26 and are from Texas. Intercourse lasted roughly 5 minutes as I did not feel comfortable due to the fact that I had a small abrasion near the base of my penis, I'd say about half an inch above the base. I am quite sure I covered and did not penetrate her deeply for the same reason. However I have my doubts. 4 days later I had unprotected sex with my wife which I was trying to avoid and about 4 days later she came down with a cold, sore throat slight fever for one day. The cold lasted a week, the next few days she came down with terrible nausea. then extreme fatigue she mentioned she had never felt that tired before, this was the week of march 11-15. This week she is feeling fatigued as well. she never developed rash swollen nodes or other symptoms, neither did I. All I had was tender nodes one on the side of my chest to the right of my nipple and about and inch up and one on each side of my ribs near the bottom of the axila they only lasted about 3 days tender I was also poking at them alot. the groin nodes was the weekend before. I am terrified to get tested and scared for my wife, can you please tell me if I am being irrational or if I actually put myself at risk.

100 months ago

question was intended towards available doctors not just Dr. Hansfield

Edward W. Hook M.D.

100 months ago

Welcome to our Forum. I'll be happy to address your concerns and, hopefully relieve your concerns. There is no reason to worry about the exposure that you describe. I will provide you with the reasons that I say this below.

1. You do not know that your partner had HIV (or any other STI). Most people, even commercial sex workers do not.

2. Your sex was condom protected. Condoms work.

3. even if your partner had HIV, the presence of an abrasion on your penis (which was present before sex) does not markedly increase your risk for infection, even if your partner's vaginal secretions got onto the lesion. further, as you point out, you took steps to avoid having the abrasion covered.

4. Neither your, nor your wife's symptoms suggest HIV. You would not be infectious to others just 4 days after acquiring infection and this time is too soon to be the ARS. In the same way, your wife's symptoms just four days after you had sex were too early to be HIV. I suspect you both just caught a cold or some other non-STI virus as part of your normal activities.

5. Whatever you felt close to your nipple and on your ribs were not lymph nodes- this is the wrong place for them. What you felt might be irritation from the poking that you mention.

Bottom line, I suspect that your guilt is making you feel bad about this. Nothing you have reported suggests that you have HIV or that you passed it on to your wife. If you are really concerned, I suggest you have an HIV test with a 4th generation, DUO test for HIV antibodies and HIV antigen., If it is negative, you can be completely sure that you do not have HIV and do not need to worry or test further. I hope my comments are helpful. Please don't worry EWH

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100 months ago

1)The tenderness i felt close to the bottom of my armpit felt like nodules as well as the one on the side of my pectoral muscle.

2)the fatigue and naseau came two weeks after for my wife.

Those are my main concerns

Edward W. Hook M.D.

100 months ago

None of these findings suggest HIV. No change in my assessment or recommendations. EWH
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100 months ago

Your advice is greatly appreciated and respected this is the most calm i've felt in a month!

100 months ago

Do you suggest i just move on with this? As there was no real risk

Edward W. Hook M.D.

100 months ago

Yes I do. As I said in my original reply, "Bottom line, I suspect that your guilt is making you feel bad about this. Nothing you have reported suggests that you have HIV or that you passed it on to your wife. If you are really concerned, I suggest you have an HIV test with a 4th generation, DUO test for HIV antibodies and HIV antigen., If it is negative, you can be completely sure that you do not have HIV and do not need to worry or test further. I hope my comments are helpful. Please don't worry"

I still feel that way. Personally I do not think you need testing at all but, if you need to test for your own peace of mind, I am confident it will be negative., Either way, you should move on.

This will be the final reply in this thread. As per forum guidelines, after three replies, questions are closed and there are no further replies. Take care. EWH

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