This is an HIV related question, hopefully for Dr. Handsfield's response. I am 45 years old and have only had 4 sex partners in my life--my wife of 20 years and, in the past few months, 3 men, all of whom told me they were HIV negative. The last incident has me very anxious to the point of producing physical symptoms that are probably, hopefully, only coincident with certain HIV onset symptoms. But, I wanted a rational analysis. All 3 episodes of intercourse with the men were protected, and I was the inserting partner. There was also unprotected oral sex with each of them (I received). In the last episode of insertive anal sex, roughly 3 weeks ago, I also fingered the guy. After intercourse the man went to the bathroom and noted that a hemorrhoid had erupted. He showed me toilet paper with a lot of bright red blood. I was not nervous at that time because I was nearly certain 1) the condom did not break during intercourse and 2) there was no blood on the outside of the condom or bed sheets when I took it off. Otherwise, I would have really freaked out, and I didn't at all. Fast forward three weeks and one of my friends told me the oral sex and the bleeding put me at risk. Later that day I started having profuse back and underarm sweats now lasting days, stomach cramps and diarrhea also for days, nausea, itchiness (but I have poison ivy right now, as I always do at the beginning of each summer), and two people told me I look like I lost weight, and I have not been trying to lose weight, though I have been exercising more since the weather is good. Rationally, I know there was no exposure, but there is always that small chance that the guy was HIV+ in the most highly contagious early stage, transmitted it to me during fingering (entering a poison ivy sore) or unprotected oral sex, or by the condom breaking and my not realizing it. I have no fever that I know of, none of my lymph nodes are not swollen or tender (except when I poke them constantly), but the sweating and anxiety, and poison ivy, and noted weight loss by others are really bothering me. There are also a few folliculitis bumps on my stomach and chest that are unusual. Please tell me it's all in my head. Attempting slowly to come out of the closet at middle age is hard enough. Taking precautions and still worrying about illness makes it so much worse. I'll likely always stay in where I am really safe (but generally unhappy since my wife has always hated intimacy, has deprived me of it for years, and has generally made me feel like it's dirty--but you don't need to know that. It's a different matter.) Thank you so much.