Thank you Dr.
You have put my mind at ease. Happy Holidays in the months to come.
No, I have not. You need to stop worrying. EWH
I am certainly going to be tested within the next couple of days. That is an encouraging statistic doctor.
I guess (if a follow up question is allowed) I am just curious as to whether or not in your experience you have seen ARS symptoms begin that late after exposure? Are symptoms occuring at 10 weeks something that could happen?
Welcome to our Forum. I am always perplexed when I get questions from clients who are worried that they have the ARS. The symptoms of the ARS are TOTALLY non-specific and when people experience "ARS symptoms" they are much more likely to have something else, usually some other, more typical virus infection. When this has been studied in the US, less than 1% of at risk persons seeking medical care for "ARS symptoms" are found to have HIV, the remainder having symptoms due to other processes. In contrast, over a given year, there is almost no one who has not had a viral illness, night sweats or both (sometimes on multiple occasions). In addition, it is also important to realize that many persons who acquire HIV do not experience the ARS. For a person to try to judge their HIV risk based on "ARS symptoms" is a waste of time.
Your symptoms have their onset late to be the "ARS" which, as you note, typically occurs at 2-4 weeks following exposure. Your question however suggests considerable anxiety over the exposure you mention so, rather than worrying as you are, why not get tested. You state it is more than 8 weeks since your exposure. Thus at this time a standard HIV antibody test will give you totally reliable results. Rather than continuing to worry, why not just get test. The odds that you have been infected through the exposure you describe are very low and testing will resolve your reasons for concern.
I hope this comment helps. EWH