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Is it true that tonsillitis could be an early sign of hiv? I'm VERY worried.

Hello Doctor, I am very worried about this. I am a young 20 year old female.  My recent sexual history. I had a boyfriend and we didn't last long. We had unprotected sex after discussing our sexual past and assuming we were both ok. However a few days into us dating he passed out and was rushed to the hospital. They tested him for everything and he let me know (after I was worrying) that he was 100% good. While being in Atlanta I went out drinking. I indulged in very sloppy and irresponsible behavior. I ended up sleeping with this guy and I did not know his sexual history. We were both very drunk and he took the condom off. He did not cum inside of me he actually didn't cum at all. During sex he asked me to perform oral on him. I proceeded to start but literally after like three seconds I stopped myself.

I went home and the next day I freaked out. I contacted him and asked him if he had been tested and such and he said he was fine. The fourth day after my drunken mistake I started to feel a sore throat coming on. It was a different feeling though. It wasn't dry and scratchy feeling. It hurt. Three days went by and my throat was getting worse. I assumed it was tonsillitis. It's the fourth day now. This morning my tonsils were so inflamed that I could feel them on my uvula. I made some natural teas to help. My mom looked down my throat and said there were white spots and it was very inflamed. I knew I definitely had tonsillitis. I texted him asking him to go get an HIV test after explaining my symptoms. I told him this because I knew after four days a test for me wouldn't give me a legit answer.

He told me to call him and that I was making him worry. He told me that he got tested at the clinic not long before being with me. He said he tested for STDs and HIV. He said its ok to worry and he's not offended because we don't know each other and we did something so risky. He asked me if I was fine as in no diseases and I said yes and he said "ok because once I got that text I started freaking out." I asked him if I was the only girl he had unprotected sex with since being tested and he said yes but he hesitated a bit and sounded like he might be unsure or lying.

I'm still worried because people lie and I don't know his character. I feel stupid and guilty for what happened that night. I wasn't thinking straight at all. This is a big lesson learned.

Is it possible to get symptoms of HIV like three days after possible exposure? I read that when people get hiv they mistake there symptoms for the flu, tonsillitis or mono. I'm quite concerned. How soon could I take a test to at least sleep a little better before taking a test at the three month mark? This is giving me serious anxiety.

Thank you for your reply Doctor. I appreciate it.
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Avatar universal
LET US KNOW HOW YOU MAKE OUT.

BE WELL
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
sometimes people mistake mono for hiv just saying that it would be much more likely or possibly even something bacterial so you may want to test for ebv ,or hhv6,or cmv.theses can all cause mono and are very common and uncomfortable for a short period and usually harmless.but dont obcess over hiv .
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
sleepless nights said it well .but just remember if your test is negative .there are other types of infections.
Thank you! I'm going to go ahead and get a full check up. I didn't know all those other bacteria/viruses even existed.
Avatar universal
I Agree with sleeplessnights34
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Avatar universal
Hi there, firstly this isn't the doctor's forum its the community forum. Secondly your sore throat tonsillitis came on way to quickly to be considered as ARS symptoms. It takes a few weeks for symptoms to occur and your sore throat 4 days after the encounter strongly suggests it has nothing to do with HIV. The fact that your partner didn't cum inside you puts you at even lower risk. Thirdly most people wouldn't lie about their HIV status. It is most likely the guilt of what you did which is giving you the irrational thoughts that someone is lying.

Lastly believe it or not the risk is actually very quite low for a one time encounter. It's repeated high risk exposures that put people at real risk.


My advice would be to get an HIV duo test at 4 weeks. It will give you definitive results. (stated by HIV experts) Bet on a negative. You may also choose to test out at 12 weeks to be on the extremely safe side but most HIV experts say that is unnecessary. Bottom I would trust your 4 week duo result.
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Thanks I will definitely do that. I'm actually about 90% recovered. It will be 95% when I don't feel slight pain in my ears when swallowing and 100% when I don't feel any throat pain. He did tell me one of his friends were sick and he had just come from his friends house before I was with him so maybe I got sick from his friends germs.  
Avatar universal
Symptoms mean nothing when it comes to diagnosing HIV. Anyway, 3 days is way to soon for HIV symptoms.

You had a risk  and need to get tested.
Take a DUO at 28 days ((no later)) post exposure as an indication. Follow up at 3 months post exposure for a conclusive result.
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Thank you!
Avatar universal
Correction...I don't have my timing correct but this happened on the 25th and I started feeling a sore throat on like noon of the 27th. It's now February 1st and I have full blown tonsillitis. However I have been treating it and someof my ddiscomfort is going away.
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