Swollen Lymph Nodes after 2.5 months of possible HIV exposure

[taurusman]

I am just now getting over a cold and cough, but still have swollen lymph nodes- back left side of neck and front left side under my jaw.  I can feel the one under my jaw when I swallow and can feel the back left of my neck the majority of the time.  The cold is going away but the lymph nodes don't seem to be going down.  I felt them even before I got sick by several days.

At the end of June I had protected sex with a CSW.  After sex I went to the bathroom and used a watered down washcloth to clean the base of my penis.  Some of the water then ran down the length of my penis and touched the urethra.  I've read that HIV becomes inactive once outside of the body even though it's in vaginal fluid.  Is this true?

Is there cause for concern with my swollen lymph nodes in relation to the water with vaginal fluid touching my urethra?  Or are my lymph nodes swollen because of the cold that I'm battling?  Does touching and poking at them make matters worse?

Any explanation helps.  I hate worrying and want to move on from that incident.  I'm making every connection to the CSW and it's hard to move on.

[sonic91]

I can see where you are coming from, i would not take notice of the symptoms had there not been a dodgy encounter and likewise would probably not worry much if i had the same symptoms but no dodgy encounter...so i think its only fair to fret about about it on here a little. Havnt tested yet, only just got to the 3 month mark...bit to worried of the impact the pos result would have right now, i will test soon though, i will have to face it.

[taurusman]

I know, I've had issues with performance since then...it doesn't slip my mind for a minute.  It surely changed my life for the most part, although the past seems to creep back in once in a while hence the prostitute.

Have you been tested since your incident?  Last time I was tested was in 10/09 but have had only 2 sexual encounters since then, one being the prostitute.  I'm a de facto hypochondriac and I can't bring myself to get tested again so I look for all the help I can get on this site and the net...the water touching the urethra has become overwhelmingly difficult.

Do you find yourself having difficulty moving on from your incident?

[sonic91]

wow! a false positive would probably be enough to scare the crap out of me enough to not get involved with a prostitute - but what can i say those bloody samsong buckets make you do things that you really really live to regret!

Everybody on here pretty much is losing sleep after their guilty encounters, luckily for them only 1 person here has ever turned out to be positive so it doesnt seem so likely.

[taurusman]

Thanks sonic.  The stupid things we do when we're drunk.  I was intoxicated at that time as well.  I never used to worry about contracting HIV or any STD for that matter, but had a false positive in July 08 and ever since that day in my  head I've been HIV positive.  I can't stop this madness in my head.

[sonic91]

To be honest, our stories are very similar, my exposure was protected with thai sex worker in june! and although it is likely there was no risk, my gut is telling me that there might have been becuase alcohol was involved and condom use might not have been effective, however everyone worries too much about there own risk after reading abit on here you can tell that for sure.

my point with the cold was...the nodes came up before the cold and this is quite normal. Put asides my worry i might be positive i think the cold will be unrelated to that so i was pointing out that it happens.

just to answer your water question HIV is rendered completely innactive once outside the body, unless in lab conditions.. it is not a waterbourne virus which you can flush down your pee whole - relax

[taurusman]

Have you had any possible exposure?  Just wondering- I'm in constant panic over the possibility of contracting HIV and it goes through my head the majority of the day.  I never get nodes with a cold either.  I poked at them all day Saturday through yesterday.  

[taurusman]

I understand there wasn't a risk from the protected sex, but was there when the water with the vaginal fluid touched my urethra?  That's what is scaring me...I can't get that out of my head.

They aren't visibly noticeable...and it comes and goes throughout the day although most of the time when I swallow my own saliva I can feel the one under my chin.  The one on my neck I'm not sure about- it seems swollen but doesn't feel swollen if that makes sense.

Thanks.

[sonic91]

I have persistant nodes for over one month...first i got some kind of flu illness..they flared up then 2 weeks later they went down then, just like you they came up while i was feeling fine...about 2 days later wham..a nasty cold and they havnt gone down since and i never get nodes with a cold.

[Vance2335]

You had no risk for HIV from protected sex. Nodes have nothing to do with HIV. Probably from the cold and yes poking them causes them to swell.

[taurusman]

Just an FYI- the time frame from end of sex to wiping penis was about 5 minutes.  I smoked a cigarette with condom still on and after I smoked I used a shirt to pull condom off and then went to bathroom to clean penis.