I had a high risk exposure on 17/8 with an escort( from central africa) as am currently working abroad, the condom broke and I didnt realise until I finished. 

Nueropathy symptoms- 2/3  days later I started having this numbness sensation in my 2nd and 3rd toe. This carried on for 2 weeks, then both toes got better with sensation returning  however the numbness moved to the big toe and got worse. Felt like I was walking on a pebble on the ball of my foot. I went to a neurologist and he said he didn't think it was anything major. Did an EMG and no nerve damage, Dr said that it should get better. Indeed now after 3 months toe feel a lot better with only a slight numbness sensation.

Did a full STD test after 10 days and everything was negative. I know its too early but was too stressed.

Within a week of exposure I had 2 bumps on my penis.

7 weeks after exposure i fell ill with a sore throat, coughing green mucus (happened before), fatigue, and drenching night sweats for like 4 days (was very stressed during that period). Got better after 2 weeks.

However the sore throat continued.

 Today it hits the 3 month mark and sore throat is still ongoing.  Sore throat on one side and feels congested on the other.

I know that I need  test and that the only way and can relax, however its not possible now since am still working abroad. Will be home in a month to test

Dr from your years of experience, could nueropathy symptoms show after only 2 days of contracting HIV

And do people have a prolonged sore throats for this long, Dr didnt think it was strep. Its been 1.5 months. Also been feeling very tired lately.

Thanks

I really don't think you should be worried at all. First, neuropathy is sometimes a manifestation of advanced HIV infection (i.e. overt AIDS), but rarely if ever a symptom of new HIV infection, i.e under a year in duration. And in answer to your later question, no:  it is impossible for any symptoms of new HIV infection to appear in 2 days; 8-10 days is the minimum. In addition, prolonged sore throat is not a symptom of HIV. It's always a mistake to read HIV/AIDS symptoms and then worry because someone has one or two of them. Individtual symptoms never are meaningful:  only patterns and combinations of symptoms are relevant.

The answer to your fears, of course, is to have an HIV test. Almost certainl it would be negative. There really should be no problem in finding a source for testing, no matter where you are anywhere in the world. Find a way and a place, and let me know the result. You definitely can expect a negative result -- which, 6+ weeks after your last exposure, will be conclusive.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

Thanks for the reply.

There are clinics where I can test, however a positive test will put me in a sticky situation. This is why I would prefer to test when I get back home in a months time.

I have read somewhere that it is rare, but some people experienced neurological problems during their acute HIV stage, and its mostly AIDP. It says it could be due to the activation of the immune system in response to HIV in the body.

Could any other STDs cause neuropathy problems, because it can't be a coincidence that I get toe numbness 2 days after a high risk exposure which  is still ongoing after 3 months.

Also my throat has been sore for about 8 weeks now and its only on the left side. Never had this before. Could this be a sign of another STD.

Thanks

Yes, it is possible on rare occaasions for people to have "neurological problems" with acute HIV. But almost always that means symptoms and signs of viral meningitis or other problems, and not peripheral neuroapthy.  And there is NO possibility that peripheral neuropathy alone would be the only manifestation; and two days is impossible for onset of HIV symptoms. And no other STI could cause peripheral neuropathy, or similar symptoms after two days. And no STI is ever a cause of such prolonged sore throat. Also trust me on this:  your sympmtoms are not possibly due to any infection from the sexual event you have described. If related to that event, the only possibility is anxiety over it, remorse over a sexual decision you regret, etc.

As implied above, the only answer to your fears is to have an HIV test. Until you do that and have your negative result, I will have no other comments or advice. So do not ask anything more until and unless you are tested and would like to let me know the result. FYI, in the 16 years of this and our preceding forum, with thousands of questions from people worried about an HIV exposure, not one has reported that they tested positive. You will not be the first. If and when that happens, almost certainly it will be from a genuinely risky exposure (e.g. unprotected sex with a known infected person or something similar), and not a minimally risky event like yours.

So do your best to think objectively, believe the science, forget about consequences of a negative test and just do it -- the sooner the better. But nothing more in this discussion until then.