18 months of constant stress...

[stressedfrog]

Doctor,
I’m a 34yr male. In Mar/Apr 2009 I spent 5 weeks in Brazil (Rio). During my stay in Brazil i got careless and made some stupid choices that have affected me ever since. I had protected vaginal sex with female prostitutes several times and received unprotected oral sex from two of the girls.
One evening after drinking too much i recalled the following morning that a condom was not used. There was no ejaculation and i doubt it went on for very long. The next day i spoke to her about it and she assured me she was clean. Initially i put this behind me as a stupid mistake. Then after leaving Brazil realization of what happened set in and I decided it was prudent to get tested for everything while i was in the US.
I had decided at this time also to get back together with my girlfriend and i needed to know for her sake.
As i am constantly travelling, mostly in non-english speaking countries, finding the time and place to get tested was difficult. This being the case i decided to go for a PCR test at 31 days after exposure. The test was done by Quest Diagnostics. I took the test and everything came back negative.
I have read all the threads here on here regarding PCR tests, but it seemed to suit someone in my situation as had i waited for the antibody test i would've been in Russia and getting a test there seemed impossible.
Its now 18mths after my Rio experience and i am still stressed. I feel generally healthy, however i do have some symptoms which worry me, namely; Redish spots on my forehead, occasional dry mouth, mild dandruff in scalp and eyebrows, toe nail fungus and occasional mouth ulcers (3-4 in the past 18 months). Today i was also told that i have dermatitis in my ear. My girlfriend has also been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism recently.
All these things combined have me in a mess.
Is a PCR test after 31 days is conclusive? What are the odds the PCR test missed it? Is Hypothyroidism a symptom of HIV or can it be triggered by HIV??

[stressedfrog]

Many thanks for the quick answer. I have gone over things a million times in my head basically convinced myself over and over again that i did NOT contract HIV, however the doubts keep returning when i notice anything that could be considered a symptom (i know the list is wide and varried, and perhaps i am noticing things i never did before, but none the less they are still there)

My skin is a major concern for me. I have always had sensitive skin, an acne problem, especially on my back and various allergies, however the redish areas on my forehead and occassional flare ups after excersize or shower is a worry and nothing seems to clear it up. Seems to be worse in cool, damp climates and almost disappears in warmer climates... I am worried it's Sebhorroeic Dermititis?

Will consider getting the antibody test... This has scared the crap out of me and will never put myself in this position ever again.

Thanks again.

[Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia, MD, MRCGP, PhD]

Hello,
Thank you very much for your post and welcome to our HIV forum.
First of all, you need to try to relax as I think it would have been unlikely that you had been infected from a brief vaginal intercourse like the one you describe.  In addition to that you had a highly reliable test at 31 days, which can be considered conclusive.  I honestly think that you are panicking unnecessarily.  None of those symptoms experienced after 18 months would have anything to do with HIV or HIV sero-conversion, after such a long period of time, and there is no relation between hypothyroidism and HIV.
My advice to you is to get a simple antibody test now, whcih will be negative so that you can forget this matter, stop worrying and get on with your life.
Best wishes,
Dr José