[Question #9198] Follow question #9050 and #9094

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35 months ago
Hello Doctors,
I am sorry if I am becoming a pain looking for reassurance again but I promise this is last time I am asking a question here and please don’t delete.Following my unprotected vaginal and oral exposure with the female part of the swinger couple I thought I put the HIV fear and STD’s fear away but my wife started to have symptoms.I had sex with my wife 10 days after my risky exposure and she was almost 9 months pregnant  with our son at that point. She gave birth shortly and our baby seems to be healthy but I can’t take this out of my mind now that she has symptoms and I also had symptoms at some point.As mentioned before I had been tested at 13 days, 28th days and 46 days with 4th gen tests , at 53 days with HIV 1 PCR RNA qualitative test and most recently at 77 days with HIV Alere Determine 1/2 ab/ag rapid test with blood taken from the vein. All my tests were negative.Can you please answer some of my questions regarding my wife symptoms?
1. She has a history of HPV  years ago that was treated and she is fine now but I have been reading that she might have a higher risk of getting HIV if had HPV?
2. I only had sex with her at 10 days past my exposure and did not have any sex with her since then as I am afraid that I might be infected and I hope I did not pass it to her then.
3. Around 2 weeks after she gave birth she developed BV and got treated successfully for it , at 9weeks she had an episode of Vaginal herpes( she had this before couple of times per year)10 weeks after I had sex with her she start Having headeache, sore throat and severe back and joint pains - could this symptoms be a sign of HIV on her?4. Today it will be 83 days since my risky exposure and I developed something on my penis that looks like either a painful small red irritation or herpes, I also have something on the right side of my feet which looks like 6 not painful insect bites in a group.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
35 months ago
In regard to HIV, these questions are ones we have answered previously and I have no further comment or advice about that aspect. And your questions about HIV transmission to your wife are irrelevant:  since you did not acquire HIV, you could not possibly have transmitted HIV to your wife.

1. Irrelevant for the reason just stated.

2. Not having HIV, you could not have infected your wife, whether 10 days after the swinging exposure or any other time.

3. Women with BV often have trouble with recurrences, and recurrent outbreaks occur from time to time persons with genital herpes, randomly, whether or not they have HIV. Her symptoms don't sound typical for herpes, but even if that's what she has, we have already discussed that she cannot have HIV.

Repeated anxiety driven questions are not permitted. Such questions and replies tend to prolong anxiety rather than relieving it (often with irrational "yes but" or "am I the exception" sort of thoughts), and ASHA is not keen on collecting donations for questions with obvious answers. In addition, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main goals. This being your third about these events and your continuing irrational HIV fears, it will have to be your last, and there will be no further discussion on this thread. Such repeat questions are subject to being deleted without reply, and without refund of the posting fee.

Please do your best to move on without worry about all this. If you cannot, you will need professional counseling. Your thought processes simply are not normal and suggest underlying psychological/emotional issues. It simply is not normal to be so resistant to the reasoned, science based reassurance you have had, probably from your own health care providers as well as this forum.

I do hope the discussions have been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.
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35 months ago
I don’t want to want to cause Any issues on this forum , I am just looking for your expert advice as the most recent things happening are making me think that I might be infected.

I have tried to contact the person I had sex with And she is not answering anymore which it makes me think that she might have Lied about her status.

1. If she or her husband would have been HIV positive, what would my chances to be infected And seroconvert later  considering that I had unprotected vaginal And oral sex with her But her husband had also had sex with her on same time with me, So tehnically I had inserted my penis in her Vagina after her husband did unprotected with her and not sure if he precumed in her.

2. Can ARS symptoms Covid At 10 weeks past exposure?

3. Are you sure I don’t need to retest assuming that any of them 2 would be HIV positive and my exposure becoming a very high risk ( they have a history of 15 years of swinging but had their second child 9years ago so I assume they would have been tested or negative as part of NHS pregnancy testing 9 years ago).

4. I don’t want to cause any incovinience or anything driven by my anxiety but I can’t stop thinking that I might have infected my wife and she could have infected our newborn baby at birth or by breastfeeding.
5. I read that the Alere Determine 4th generation POC test might not be that accurate on detecting the p24 AG so that’s why I am still abit worried in case of delayed seroconversion,my tests so far were:  4th gen lab tests at 13,28,46 days negative, HIV 1 PCR RNA test at 53 days and the Alere determine 1/2 Ag/Ab instant with blood from vein at 77 days. 

Do I need retesting at 90 days to completely exclude HIV?

6. Should I speak with my wife and get her and our baby tested too?

I promise I will try to move on and don’t ask more questions if you will reply to this last one.

Thank you very much for all your support and help.


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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
35 months ago
Before I read anything else, in response to "I am just looking for your expert advice as the most recent things happening are making me think that I might be infected":  It does not matter what additional information you provide. It is not possible you have HIV. Accept and believe it and move on. Test results ALWAYS overrule exposure history, no matter how risky at the time (yours was little or risk anyway!); symptoms, no matter how typical they may be (yours do not suggest HIV); and health events in sex partners.

1. This is an overworked, over-thought and unlikely scenario -- and even if true, would make no difference in your risk.

2. No.

3. Yes, I am sure. But of course you are free to keep testing as often and whenever you wish. Assuming no new exposures, the results will remain negative.

4. No comment.

5. Alere is a fine test, but feel free to have different ones as you wish.

6. From an infection prevention standpoint, there is no need to speak with your wife. However, it is clear you are in desperate need of emotional support to help you believe the facts and probably to deal with whatever underlying psychological factors have made you so incredibly guilty about a sexual decision you regret. In that situation, many men discuss the situation with their wives, who often are very understanding and supportive. On that basis, perhaps you should unburden yourself with her. But not because it has any bearing on her risk for HIV or other aspects of her health. Alternatively, you could consider professional counseling. It simply is not normal to have such fears after the repeated, reasoned, science-based reassurance you have had on this forum, and perhaps from your own doctor(s) as well.

Thanks for the thanks. I hope these comments have helped. But please note the forum policy against repeated anxiety driven questions. This being your third about this exposure and your HIV fears and test results, it will have to be your last. Experience shows that repeating the same answers prolongs anxiety rather than relieving it, and ASHA does not wish to collect fees for questions with obvious answers to the same or related questions. In addition, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's goals. Such repeat questions are deleted without reply and without refund of the posting fee. Thank you for your understanding.

I do hope the discussions so far help you move on without further worry. Best wishes and stay safe.
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