I had a massage in Las Vegas where I was nude, the masseuse was clothed (a skirt, not sure about underwear). She massaged me with oil, straddled my butt, and fondled my scrotum. She didn’t touch my uncircumcised penis. She offered oral sex. I declined, but I used oil she applied to my scrotum to masturbate myself.

Reading this site, I felt it was no risk, even if she had cuts or body fluids on her hand, and even if the oil she put on my scrotum touched my foreskin, glans or urethra when I masturbated.

But 4 weeks later (day 30), my inner thighs began hurting off and on. The next day, intermittent pain in my armpits (mostly one at a time). I became worried to the point that I lost my appetite and felt tired. I had a pain on my calf for 2 days. Then neuropathy? Tingling, burning or pain off and on in my fingers, toes, heels and soles. Random “zings” on legs, arms, sides, back or shoulders.

Now, 8 weeks after the massage, I still have occasional inner thigh and armpit pain and what may be intermittent neuropathy. None of these persist all the time, they come and go. 

I am struggling to reconcile the idea that it was no risk with the idea that these may be ARS symptoms. 

I am afraid to have sex with my wife, who says to quit worrying about HIV and figure out what is “really” going on. She thinks anxiety.

Could I have gotten HIV from this? 

Are my symptoms consistent with ARS? 

Do I need to get tested? 

I wonder if I was at risk or if I am safe to have unprotected sex with my wife. 

Thank you!

I am confident that the symptoms you describe do not reflect the HIV ARS but some other process. The ARS typically occurs between one and three weeks following an exposure, and for the onset of symptoms to occur 30 days following an exposure is decidedly unusual. In addition, the symptoms of the ARS always include high fever, and severe sore throat, neither of which you mention. Further, the strange sensations that you are describing are not suggestive of the ARS or any other manifestation of HIV or other STI‘s. I agree with your wife that the most appropriate course is to see your own physician and sort out what is really going on here. I am sure that it is not the ARS or any STI acquired through the no risk encounter that you describe above.  

I see no reason for testing related to the encounter you describe nor related to the symptoms that you are experiencing. If you feel the need for additional reassurance, however, testing at this time could provide that. FYI, when person experiences symptoms from recently acquired HIV, testing for HIV using a combination HIV antigen/antibody test is always positive. 

I hope this information and perspective is helpful to you. If you have additional questions or any part of my response is unclear, please don’t hesitate to use your up to two follow-ups for clarification. EWH. 

Thank you, Dr. Hook,

Your assessment is very reassuring, especially coming from an expert with your experience and credentials. Based on similar questions posted here, I was initially confident that my encounter was not a risk for HIV, but then those odd symptoms presented and I began to worry that there was some way I could have gotten HIV from it – as illogical as that probably is, given the many times I’ve read here that the virus isn’t transmitted via hand-to-genital contact and that I’m not going to be the first one it happens to. 

I do recall having a minor throat irritation off and on for a couple of days somewhere around “day 35,” but that was in the midst of my heightened anxiety when I was using a lot of nicotine pouches. I do not think I had a fever at any time and I certainly did not have a severe sore throat. 

I would prefer to avoid getting tested because it will just make me anxious, but I would certainly get tested if you said it was medically warranted based on my encounter or my symptoms (I do not want to put my wife at risk of anything). 

If I’m reading your assessment correctly, my encounter was indeed “no risk” and my symptoms are not consistent with ARS or any other manifestation of HIV. There is no medical basis for testing.

For my peace of mind, would you mind confirming that assessment? 

Am I safe to have unprotected sex with my wife?

Thank you!