Scared, getting married, I think I have HIV

[Helpplease1911]

Around 11 weeks ago I went to a massage parlor. She offered to have sex for a certain fee i put the condom on. We starting having sex and about 45 seconds to a minute later I looked down and saw that my penis was completely exposed and broke the condom. I freaked out. She was eastern european and I'm circumcised (if that makes a difference) She swore up and down and on her kids that she was HIV-. I left extremely nervous. Over the course of the next few weeks I had no illness of any kind until the 27 day I felt some pain in my under arm, to the degree that it hurt if I lifted my arm up. Specifically in two places. Now the day before i used my girlfriends anti-persperant and had a summer sweater that made me itch all day. I immediately went to my GP and explained the situation, took a full std and hiv panel and everything came back negative besides HSV1 which I've had since I was child. The pain lasted from Thursday-Tuesday of that next week. After I read a few post I noticed that many people (close to 90-95%) will test positive by the 4th week (in which i had just begun). So I didnt think anything of it, my GP said to come back at 12 weeks but now worries. A few weeks later i had unprotected sex with my GF for a few moments (2 min) and all of a sudden 3 weeks later she gets sick, sneezing, headache, and dry cough for 5 days. I freaked out immediately. I went to the doctor to take another test on Monday and I still haven't had my results as of yet. 1) what is the possibility of me being HIV positive? 2) The doctor looked at my under arm and felt around and said it was my lymph node but never said that it was swollen, is that a sign of HIV? 3) Is it true that usually lymph nodes swell all over the body, mine did not at all, is that a good thing 4) what is the likelihood that my blood sercomvented after I took the test and not before, and I just missed it by a day or a week? 5) Could messing with my under arms cause them to swell or hurt?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.  I think your fears are groundless.  Most importantly, you have a negative test at 4 weeks, when as you point out, over 90% of persons with recently acquired HIV will have positive tests.  In addition to that:

1. When commercial sex workers want to use condoms, they do so to protect themselves. thus it is unlikely that your partner had HIV or any other STD.
2. Even if she was infected, the risk for infection from a single encounter is no greater than 1 in 1000 and probably lower.  

When people's test results and symptoms don't match, the right answer virtually always comes from the test, not the symptoms. In the case of the symptoms you describe, these are non-specific and likely to be due to something else, not HIV.  

Finally, whether or not you have a swollen node under your arm is irrelevant. This too is non-specific and could, indeed be due to your self-examination.  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your questions have been answered.  You are not at risk for HIV or for other STD.  If your discomfort under your arm is due to a swollen lymph node, that certainly does not mean that you have HIV or any other STD.  Nothing you describe suggests HIV seroconversion.  EWH

[Helpplease1911]

Doctor is there anyway you can answer my questions. I'm freaking out over here

[Helpplease1911]

Do you think that the deodorant could have caused the pain under my arm? I switched it and the sweater I wear always make my underarm hurt? And the doctor looked at my under arm and felt around and said it was my lymph node but never said that it was swollen, is that a sign of HIV? 2) Is it true that usually lymph nodes swell all over the body, mine did not at all, is that a good thing 3) what is the likelihood that my blood sercomvented after I took the test and not before, and I just missed it by a day or a week? 4) Could messing with my under arms cause them to swell or hurt?