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Anxiety About Risk from Homeless Man

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, so excuse me if this is the wrong place to post something that has been bothering me for some time. I'm an eighteen year old girl, who is a hypochondriac but has managed to get over most of the other possible "situations" except for the one listed below.

Well, I was getting a HCV rapid test from a Needle Awareness Program five weeks ago. After I had gotten my results back (negative results) and I was waiting for my friend to get her test completed, I sat in the lobby when a portly, seemingly-mentally-ill, and inappropriately cheerful homeless guy sat next to me. (Before approaching the brunt of the issue, I'm going to say that I observed he was quite the spitter when he was talking to other people.) Anyways, he turned to me and started to speak to me in a lewd way, and by doing so, got a drop of spit or two in my eye/a mucosal membrane. I'm worried that since he seemed to be a regular at a Needle Awareness Program, he could have had HIV or Hepatitis C. I'm also worried that since he was homeless, he might have had gingivitis, which could have tainted the aforementioned spit with blood. (I wasn't able to see if the spit was blood-tainted.)
I have HPV and possibly trichomoniasis from a sexual assault that happened to me a year-and-a-half-ago, so I believe I have a weakened immune system. I also *had* (stopped a month ago) a bad, two-month-long habit of sometimes putting lysol on wounds due to an OCD with cleanliness. For this portion, is there any risk at all of HIV/Hep. C or would it be nonexistent? I am so worried, and unable to stop worrying about this first situation.

But not only that, but he proceeded to lean forward and crane his head to try to look up my dress. Then he said something so offensive like "Very nice." (The dress was probably knee-length, when sitting down.) I'm worried because I wasn't wearing any spandex or shorts underneath my dress that day due to not being able to find any, and when I was sitting down, my underwear (non-thong or g-string, just the normal kind) kind of wedged itself in the posterior crevice, thus pulling the protective part of the underwear a little to the side (the part that shields the private part from public eyes), so if his possibly blood-tainted spit reached the unprotected part of my private region *by some miracle*, I could have caught a blood-borne disease that way. (I also want to note that because of previously-mentioned trichomoniasis, I had scratched that exposed area pretty heavily a day or two before - enough to bleed a little - but I know it wasn't bleeding/think that area was healing when I was actually there, at the testing center.) I was wondering if there is any risk at all of disease from this part of the story. It makes me angry because I was dressed so modestly and still treated that way by a greasy scumbag, but it makes me even more angry when I start to worry that I could have contracted something from him. I already have PTSD from the advantage incident a year-and-something before, which I was making progress on, but now, my PTSD has gotten worse because of this selfish and disgusting homeless man.

Only this week (week 5), I've noticed possible symptoms like two burning sensations all over the face + body (99.1 degrees Fahrenheit when putting thermometer to mouth) but when my mom felt my forehead, she said she couldn't feel anything; a feeling of diarrhea (but I'm actually constipated when I try to make a bowel movement); one sore calf (once); a feeling of pins-and-needles in one foot that lasted for five minutes (once); knee pain (once); and a cramping in the muscle of the upper part of my leg (it lasted about an hour, and was only seen for one day).

I think it could just be my severe anxiety though, as I notice that the temperature seems to rise when I feel anxious (highest has been 99.1 degrees fahrenheit) and go down (right now, 98.6 F) when I get proper rest. Could all the other "symptoms" just be anxiety, or some other underlying problem?

Thank you so much for helping me be able to chill out, and I wish you all a very wonderful day!  
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
Your immune system is not important as you never had any risk oh HIV, so their niching else to add to that.

I'm glad your getting the help, many posters have been in your shoes, got help and have over come their fears and I'm sure you will to.

You need to take a deep breath, calm down and stop thinking about this.

Have a good day :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello Apollo1971,

I apologise, but I just have one more question that I want to ask that had slipped my mind: So even if my immune system was weakened, and this shady homeless guy's - possibly - blood-tainted saliva got into contact with a mucous membrane (my eye) OR on some mild/non-bleeding eczema patch, the risk is just nonexistent / I shouldn't worry about contracting anything like HIV/Hep. C, right?
I'm just worried that though there was no possible documented case before, somehow and totally unlikely, I might be the first one :/  

*************************************************************************************
Also, THANK YOU so, so much for responding. It means so much to me... You actually have no idea. I've been completely out of my head, worried about that situation, replaying it over and over again, hoping to reassure myself but to no avail. I've also been unable to sleep for two days now because I've been afraid that that anxiety will even find its way into my sleep and somehow, by that happening, it will make the worries about the situation more real.

I think I'll be able to sleep better tonight, though :-)

And on the subject of seeking mental help, I'm actually going to start seeing a psychologist this week (whew). I've come to the realization that I'm too young to be wasting my life being paranoid about things that won't ever actually happen, hence my seeking the professional help. On that note, *really*, no one should ever have to be paranoid about this kind of stuff, ever.  

It did help me! Many thanks, and have a great day!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hiya my reply will not be as detailed as your post because has not reason to be so. First you should seek help for your paranoia from a mental health expert. At 18 it's not healthy to worry so much over something so silly. Your post would clearly indicate you have a level of intelligence, so I'm sure your aware how bizarre this post is.

HIV cannot spread via saliva even if their was blood you would need large amounts of it. Your story is just impossible and not logical.

HIV is passed on via unprotected sex, sharing over needles or mother to child, anything else is not a valid risk.

I hope that helps
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
+ Sorry for the post being so extensive v____v

+ Could calf cramping be a product of the menstrual cycle? I think it might be due to that, if there's such a thing.

+ Again, thank you very much!
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