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Rash and HIV / STD worries - Please help
I had an unprotected fellatio 3 weeks ago ( i was the insertvie partner) and protected vaginal intercourse with a lady whose status I dont know. After that I have the developed some weird rash.
There are 7-8 very small boilish eruptions below my collar bone and on my upper chest and around my shoulders-I dont remember whether these came with itchiness or not - some of these are red and crusted and others are normal / pale red colour- their size is very very small - maybe a little more than hair follicles.These are present till date from at least day 7-10 ( today is day 21). These are not very apparent and one would need really look to notice them.
Then there are some pale red patches like sunburns on my upper chest - 2 or 3 small patches. Further since 1st week i have been having red patches on my body hands, face, neck sometimes on my legs thighs etc - they stay for sometime and then disappear - sometimes they have an eruption like a small ant bite.
I have no fever,no swollen glands,or any other flu like symptoms during the above period
I have done a HIV antibody at 3 weeks and its negative. I have also done a full blood count and all readings are within parameters ( even the overall lymphocyte count).
Can someone help with the following questions. I am highly tense.
Is any of the above Rash because of ARS ( can there be one type because of ARS and the other normal Rash).
Does the negative antibody at 3 weeks mean anything ( along with the blood count reading ) in the above case - do i need to retest or get a PCR
Is there a possibility of HIV through getting an unprotected fellatio.I did not see any blood after this on my penis nor did i notice any bleeding gum on her
Could the condom have torn or broken during the vaginal intercourse ( without my knowing it)
Could deep kssing cause any of the above symptoms ( I mentally ruled out mono ) could I have got Hep A or Hep B - i dont have nausea etc...
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
ARS rash usually is non-itchy pink bumps or spots all over the body, lasting for at least 1-2 weeks. It does not come and go. Neither your rash nor other symptoms even hint at ARS. I have never had a patient who was believed to have acquired HIV by oral sex.
You came here for reassurance. I gave it. Stop trying to talk me (and yourself) into believing you have HIV. You do not. Accept the advice and move on. This thread is over.
You came here for reassurance. I gave it. Stop trying to talk me (and yourself) into believing you have HIV. You do not. Accept the advice and move on. This thread is over.
Thanks for the reply - it is really reassuring. Earnestly request your thoughts on the follow-up ( first and last)
The Rash keeps me worried - does ARS Rash come and go - can there be multiple types of Rash in a case - some depective of ARS and some not. What kind is ARS Rash. I still keep on getting some small eruptions at one or 2 places on the face / neck in a day that subside in a few hours
However I have also developed some slight pain under my ears - feels like lymph node pain - but cant feel them swollen at all when i poke and feel the area aorund the ears - also sometimes I can feel that it pains and sometimes it does it ( its just some feeling of sensitivity - I dont know whether it is anxeity causing this or ARS
Have there been males you have come across who got HIV through unprotected recpetive oral
Would any readings in the blood count change if I am having ARS ?
The Rash keeps me worried - does ARS Rash come and go - can there be multiple types of Rash in a case - some depective of ARS and some not. What kind is ARS Rash. I still keep on getting some small eruptions at one or 2 places on the face / neck in a day that subside in a few hours
However I have also developed some slight pain under my ears - feels like lymph node pain - but cant feel them swollen at all when i poke and feel the area aorund the ears - also sometimes I can feel that it pains and sometimes it does it ( its just some feeling of sensitivity - I dont know whether it is anxeity causing this or ARS
Have there been males you have come across who got HIV through unprotected recpetive oral
Would any readings in the blood count change if I am having ARS ?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Starting with the title you selected for your question, before I read anything else: Had you read the forum a bit, you would have learned that symptoms almost never are a valid indicator of new HIV infection. Even for people with symptoms that are entirely typical for ARS, other things -- all more common than HIV -- usually are the cause. Unless there is a big surprise when I read the question itself, your symptoms won't matter in judging the chance you caught HIV.
Now I have read it. Guess what? First, you had an essentially zero risk exposure with someone who is very unlikely to have HIV. (That assumes you live in the US or other industrialized countries, where it is the rare woman who has HIV, if she isn't a commercial sex worker, injection drug user, etc.) Directly to the specific questons:
1) No, the rash you describe does not sound like the rash of ARS. For the reasons above, even if it were typical, I would still conclude you didn't catch HIV from the exposure you describe.
2) The HIV antibody tests probably are positive in 60-80% of newly infected people by 3 weeks, so that result is reassuring but not definitive. Based on all you describe, you really didn't need HIV testing at all -- the chance of infection is too low. But since you're going to do it anyway for anxiety relief, have another antibody test around 6 weeks after the exposure. I recommend you not have a PCR test. The chance of a false positive result is higher than the chance you have HIV, so it really doesn't make sense. But if you want to spend the money, a negative result would provide further reassurance.
3) The risks of HIV transmission by various exposures have been discussed repeatedly on this forum. Do some searching. The estimate for receiving fellatio, if the oral partner has HIV, is 1 chance per 20,000 expsores. That is equivalent to receiving a ** once a day by infected partners for 27 years, and maybe still not getting infected. In other words, the risk is zero for all practical purposes.
4) You would have seen if the condom broke.
5) There is nothing caught by kissing that could cause your symptoms, and certainly not viral hepatitis.
Your symptoms have nothing to do with the sexual exposure, only a coincidence of timing. And your symptoms don't even hint at HIV -- for example, absence of fever is strongly against ARS. See a provider if you remain concerned about them. But you can stop worrying about HIV or other STDS.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Now I have read it. Guess what? First, you had an essentially zero risk exposure with someone who is very unlikely to have HIV. (That assumes you live in the US or other industrialized countries, where it is the rare woman who has HIV, if she isn't a commercial sex worker, injection drug user, etc.) Directly to the specific questons:
1) No, the rash you describe does not sound like the rash of ARS. For the reasons above, even if it were typical, I would still conclude you didn't catch HIV from the exposure you describe.
2) The HIV antibody tests probably are positive in 60-80% of newly infected people by 3 weeks, so that result is reassuring but not definitive. Based on all you describe, you really didn't need HIV testing at all -- the chance of infection is too low. But since you're going to do it anyway for anxiety relief, have another antibody test around 6 weeks after the exposure. I recommend you not have a PCR test. The chance of a false positive result is higher than the chance you have HIV, so it really doesn't make sense. But if you want to spend the money, a negative result would provide further reassurance.
3) The risks of HIV transmission by various exposures have been discussed repeatedly on this forum. Do some searching. The estimate for receiving fellatio, if the oral partner has HIV, is 1 chance per 20,000 expsores. That is equivalent to receiving a ** once a day by infected partners for 27 years, and maybe still not getting infected. In other words, the risk is zero for all practical purposes.
4) You would have seen if the condom broke.
5) There is nothing caught by kissing that could cause your symptoms, and certainly not viral hepatitis.
Your symptoms have nothing to do with the sexual exposure, only a coincidence of timing. And your symptoms don't even hint at HIV -- for example, absence of fever is strongly against ARS. See a provider if you remain concerned about them. But you can stop worrying about HIV or other STDS.
Regards-- HHH, MD
A related discussion, Is Im Infected with HIV?? was started.
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