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Avatar universal

Oral Exposure, ARS, RNA Test

I'll keep it to the point.  I've done research and think I know the answer but your assistance would help.

Risk:  Unprotected Oral (M2M) both ways with no ejaculation and the guy fingered me.  No mouth issues maybe some precum

Tested Negative at 15 days with RNA test

at 17 days I got a sore throat for two days and then completely congested and stuffed up in nose and sinus area.  Also very sore left shoulder but can pinpoint the muscle that is hurting.

1.  From what I have read, it appears that my oral risk is no risk.  Do you agree?  What about fingering if he had precum on his finger?  (I have no open sores or hemmrhoids)  I get nervous when I see case studies of people getting infected via oral.
2.  I was told the negative RNA test at 15 days is pretty conclusive (they have never seen someone test negative at 15 days and then positive later on) but need an antibody at 3 months to be conclusive.  Have you ever seen someone test negative with RNA at 15 days and then positive later on?  It seems most websites say the RNA window period is 7 to 14 days.
3.  Are my symptoms consistent with ARS?  I know you cant diagnose by symptoms but I wasnt as nervous until I started getting sick.

Thanks for the great job you guys do.
6 Responses
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'm confident that you do know the answer to your questions so I will be direct.

1.  The is no realistic risk for HIV associated with oral sex or masturbation. The quoted figure for HIV risk, if one has oral sex with an infected partner is less than 1 in 10,000 and, in my estimation that is too high. Some experts state there is no risk at all from oral sex.  Neither of us on this site have ever seen or reading the medical literature of a convincing instance in which HIV was passed by oral sex. No part of the exposure you describe suggests and meaningful risk for HIV.

2.  Your experience is precisely the reason we do not suggest wasting money on PCR tests. There is nowhere near the vast experience with PCR that we have with antibody tests.  In general we believe that when people get HIV they are PCR positive within a week or so if infected but there are no systematic studies.  Thus antibody tests are routinely suggested in follow-up.  My advice regarding antibody tests however is that you can be confident of the result at any point more than 8 weeks following exposure and probably at 6 weeks.

3. Anyone who has a flu-like illness has ARS symptoms but almost none of them have ARS.  The symptoms of the ARS are TOTALLY non-specific and when people experience "ARS symptoms" they are much more likely to have something else, usually some other, more typical virus infection.  When this has been studied in the US, less than 1% of persons seeking medical care for "ARS symptoms" are found to have HIV, the remainder having symptoms due to other processes. In contrast, over a given year, there is almost no one who has not had a viral illness, night sweats or both (sometimes on multiple occasions).  For a person to try to judge their HIV risk based on "ARS symptoms" is a waste of time.

Hope this helps.  You really have nothing to worry about.  EWH
Helpful - 1
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You must not be reading what I write.  I said no risk.  My answer stnads and there will beno further answers as all they seem to do is encourage and strenghten your unwarranted anxiety,  You do not have HIV.  EWH
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went to the doctor and he said I had a sinus infection.

Is a sinus infection typical of ARS?

Is a slightly raised tempeartue (.5 to 1 degree higher) typical of ARS?

Thats all I have.
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1.  No I have not- as AI said above however, since it is unstudied, no one knows

2.  "Fingering" is masturbation


EWH

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for your patience dealing with all of us anxiety driven individuals.  Last couple and I will end this as I was feeling confident looking at the archives until I got sick.

Have you heard of someone turing positive after a negative RNA test at 2 weeks.  Seems unlikely from my research (which can be a dangerous thing).

Do you correlate with being fingered as mutual masterbation so no risk?  

have a good weekend.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Forgot to mention, my temperature is about 1 degree higher than normal.  (usually at 97.5 and around 98.5).  Not sure if this makes a difference as it seems an ARS temp would be 2 to 3 degrees higher.
Helpful - 0

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