Are these symptoms of HIV??

[whatisgoingon7]

Hi Doc,
About 5 weeks ago I had sexual intercourse with a women who I have had intercourse with once before (I'm in the US). We used 2 condoms, separately, but when I looked in the trash the next morning, I noticed one of them had a role in it, not huge, but a pretty good size. I was really drunk and don't even remember but she said it ripped when I was trying to put it in, then we stopped I guess. She said she goes to the OBGYN every 6 months and is clean. She is in her mid 30s and I think she has a kid too.

Last week I drank way too much. I usually on drink sometimes on the weekends, but last week I went out Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday night and pretty much blacked out each night to some extent. It's out of character for me and it felt like I was on a binge drinking week. Sunday I went in the cold ocean then I ate a large amount of mexican food / carne asada, which I don't eat a lot of meat, but for some reason I did, and right after I ate that food, I felt sick and I was in bed all day. My stomach hurt and I had a headache and I didn't want to move. I also started a cough, cold and having chills.

That Sunday night, I started experiencing night sweats and I barely slept that night because I kept waking up with sweating, my whole body pretty much sweats, not drenching, but definitely a good amount. The next two days I was also tired and need rest and catch up on sleep. So for the past 3 days I have been having a cough (coughing up green / yellow flem), cold, chills, night sweats, headache, and just yesterday I started taking my temperature and it was around 99 - 100.4 I think. But I just took my temperature and it was around 97.5 - 98.4.

I feel better today, but just worried about these night sweats and fever and wondering if these are symptoms of HIV?? Or does this sound like alcohol withdrawl or the flu or food poisoning?

Thanks for your response.

[whatisgoingon7]

Thank you. I really appreciate all of your input.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You can't accept that you are not at risk, can you.

Yes, I meant another, concurrent illness.

I''ve already told you I would not worry, that remains my advice.  Logically therefore, I see no reason for testing at 3 months.

I will accept that your other, rapidfire, anxiety driven question is really your last one and will make this my final answer.   Acute HIV is described as a flu-like illness and can produce the symptoms that you describe above (fever, chills, muscle aches, and more) but as I also told you before, when person with calassical ARS/flu-like illnesses are studied, less than 1% turn out to have HIV.  It's flu season!

I am confident that Dr. Handsfield would not quibble with my statement of 4-5 days.   It may take longer for ALL symtoms to completely ressolve but the major symptoms are over in 4-5 days.

This will comlete this thread.  Again, I note you have ignored what I feel is the most imprtant advice I can give you-address your alcohol problem and stop focusing on thes "waht if" questions.  EWH

[whatisgoingon7]

Also to add to the few question I had above, he also stated that the symptoms would last at least a week, but you said they last less than 4-5 days..

Thanks.

[whatisgoingon7]

Last question.
I was reading some other comments from different posts and H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. said the following:

And anyway, there is no STD (including herpes) that causes "high fever, chills, coughing, and night sweats" or muscle and back pain.  You give almost a textbook story of the symptoms of influenza, which is probably what you had.

Is that true?

Thank you.

[whatisgoingon7]

Thank you.
When you said "when persons with hiv have night sweats, it is typically because of the presence of another problem" what does that mean, like another illness?

It's just weird that I had these symptoms 5 weeks after the incident. I know I should really relax, but I tend to worry about everything like this.

Would you even suggest testing at 3 months then?

Thank you.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The interent is making a big deal out of something that is not closely linked to HIV. When persons with HIV have night sweats, it is typically becuase of the presence of another problem.  As I have already said, night sweats are non-specific.

If you are talking about the symptoms associated with recent HIV, they last less than 4-5 days.

You really need to relax about this. EWH

[whatisgoingon7]

Thank you.
Just a couple other questions real quick.

I was reading on the internet and it said that people with hiv have night sweats at a much later stage, not in the beginning, is that true?

How long do hiv symptoms last?

And one last thing. I do feel much better today and it seemed like I was under the weather for 2 days but I don't seem to have a fever anymore and my appetite is back also.  

Thank you again.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Night sweats are a non-specifc symptom.  Most people with night sweats do not have HIV.  EWH

[whatisgoingon7]

Thank you for your feedback.
What about the night sweats though? That's probably the thing I am most worried about. I never get sick and had a yearly check-up a couple months ago and was completely healthy the doctor said.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  Before I comment on your symptoms, let me emphasize that the encounter you describe was very low risk for HIV. here in the U.S. fewer than 1 in 10,000 women have HIV and even in the unlikely situation that your partner did, the risk for getting HIV following a single unprotected encounter with an infected partner is less than 1 infection per 1000 sex acts.  Thus statistically your risk for infection is less than 1 in ten million.

As for your symptoms, while a flu-like illness can be a manifestation of early HIV, when people with CLASSICAL flu-like symptoms are studied, fewer than 1% turn out to have HIV, the remainder having the flu or other common, non-STD viral illnesses.  While some of your symptoms, like the fever and chills are seen in persons with HIV, pothers, like your cough are not.  Thus your symptoms are not particularly worrisome.  

If I were you I would not be worried about HIV from this encounter. While off topic, I would worry about your drinking however. If a person regularly drinks to the point of not remembering what happened and blacking out, they, by definition, have a drinking problem for which care is recommended.  I would suggest you speak with a health care professional about your drinking and its possible consequences.

I hope my comments are helpful. EWH