[Question #890] Can this be early HIV sinthoms?
98 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
98 months ago
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I'm sorry you continue to worry about what was essentially a no risk encounter. My sense from our earlier exchange is that you continue to worry and as a result, are looking very hard for symptoms, perhaps sometimes noting sensations that you would not pay any attention to if you were not worried about this encounter, and then thinking that these sensations are a sign of HIV or some other STI. This is a situation that we see regularly on this forum.
When persons are having the ARS as part of having recently acquired HIV, they are typically quite sick with high fevers, severe sore throat and severe muscle and/or joint aches. Some patients also have diarrhea or a rash as a part of their illness.
We do not look at pictures on the site as our experience is that all too often they are misleading. When persons are converting to HIV, their throats are quite sore.
If your description of the events which occurred are accurate, then I am quite confident that your symptoms are not due to HIV. If you must, if this is HIV, a 4th generation, combination HIV antibody/antigen test would be positive at this time. If you test, I predict the result will be negative and then I hope you will believe your test results. EWH
98 months ago
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i'm indeed worried and the fact that it i keep reading that having a tests this soon is not reliable is making me anxyous not know either if i have anything or not.
Edward W. Hook M.D.
98 months ago
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You now have both my opinion and that of your doctor which suggest that you not worry but you continue to, even doubting test results. This makes no logical sense- your contact was virtually no risk and tests are highly reliable. If these concerns continue to worry you, I would urge you to discuss these concerns and the resulting anxiety with a mental health professional (counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist) to help you address these irrational concerns. STD and HIV symptoms do not come and go.
Neither HIV nor other STIs are spread by spitting. There are no data, anywhere to suggest that they are. As far as penetration is concerns, we have found that most people who are unsure about penetration did not - if you had penetrated your partner, you would know it.
Similarly, there are no known cases in which HIV has been acquired by performing oral sex on an infected woman. This is essentially a virtually no risk activity.
Fewer than half of persons who get HIV have ARS symptoms. Whether those who do not have classical ARS have mild symptoms or not is unknown. I would suspect that some people who acquire HIV do have "mild" symptoms. That does not change the no risk nature of your exposures.
If your symptoms are due to HIV, it is close to certain that a 4th generation, combination HIV antigen/antibody test will be positive. If you are not having ARS, the results of a 4th generation test are completely reliable at 4 weeks and two week (or 11 day) results are strong but not completely reliable evidence that you were not infected. EWH
98 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
98 months ago
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Your questions are becoming repetitive and asking the same question repeatedly will not change my answers. the events you describe were safe sex with virtually no risk for infection. Both low back pain and diarrhea are non-specific findings which are more suggestive of anxiety than STI.
As I said before, if this were the ARS (I am confident that it is not) your 4th generation HIV test would be positive.
This is my third reply to your questions and as described in our Forum guidelines, this will be my final response as part of this thread. AS I close the thread I will repeat my earlier advice once again- "I would urge you to discuss these concerns and the resulting anxiety with a mental health professional (counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist) to help you address these irrational concerns. " Your complaints are not suggestive of HIV or other STIs.
this thread will be closed in a few hours. EWH