Did I infect wife and baby w/ AIDS - HIV ? Posted: 11-12-07 15:57pm
first off, thank you ALL who reply here
and help people with their questions. the
world needs people like you.
I am 29 y/o, my last HIV test was 10 years
ago and it was negative. I have been
married for 5 years, and have a 1 year old
baby boy.
My wife had prenatal blood work done while
pregnant, and her HIV came back negative.
We both have Herpes Simplex, genital
mostly. This is from before we got
married.
here is the story.
When my wife had our baby, we went through
a tough period where sex was pretty much
absent. the realtionship was fine...we
are very loving and caring of each other,
but sex was just not happening. at first
i thought this was normal due to
postpartum. then it kept going, she was
totally not interested. I blamed myself
for being a little overweight, ugly, etc.
and got really depressed. So depressed i
started looking for other ways to get my
self esteem back, and my sexual needs
met.
I resorted to paying for sex. Escorts to
be more specific.
I had several encounters. All
protected...once or twice quick
unprotected oral, but NEVER unprotected
intercourse. During this time i battled
emotions and guilt for doing this, but
thought this was better than having an
actual emotional affair, thinking this was
less "cheating". Ridiculous i know.
I had a long talk with my wife about her
lack of interest, and we decided to start
trying new things to spice up our sex
life. And we did. I finally realized the
risk i was putting us all in, and how much
i love my family. And decided to never do
this again. Me and my wife use condoms
most of the time, due to the Herpes,
although we take Valtrex every now and
then when an outbreak occurs. But again, a
couple of times we have had unprotected
sex. Unless i am VERY mistaken. my wife
has never cheated on me, and never would.
The issue is in the past month or so i
have deloped a nail problem. I have what
appears to be either Psoriasis of the nail
or some fungal infection. I keep reading
online and both of these are clinical
manifestations of HIV infection. I have
never been diagnosed with Psoriasis,
although i have always been a dry itchy
person...when the weather is dry, my back
always itches. I have always battled
dandruff since i was a kid.
But I am worried sick. The one on my
finger nails is weird cause i remember
almost 2 years ago, i slammed my middle
finger in a door. My nail of course
turned purple, and ended up falling off.
I have a nervous habbit of biting my nails
and sometimes i make them bleed. so i kept
messing with that nail and picking at it
and poking at it and removing the parts
that were about to fall off. It got
really nasty, but i dont ever remember it
getting infected. When it started growing
out, i noticed dimples on it. little
rounded pits on the nail plate. never
thought anything of it. The pits kept
going and my nail was full of little round
pits. Now ALL my nails(both hands) have
developed little pits, and they have white
scaly tissue that looks like its coming
from the cuticle. They are not painful or
itchy. Then for about a month i got this
rash on my thumb(palm side). It was like
dry dead skin, and again...i kept picking
at it and biting the little scales that
would peel off. and i would make them
bleed. I decided to stop that and
moisturize it. it went away. then
appeared on my other hand. on my thumb
again(palm side), middle finger(on the
joint palm side) and the tip of my
pinky(palm side). if i picked at them,
and didnt keep them moisturized, i could
get them to bleed by biting and picking on
them. Again, tried moisturizing, and they
went away. although not completely. on dry
winter days, when my hands are dry, i can
see a difference in the skin there, and
that area can be itchy.
My toenails, specifically the big toe
nails. are both a little discolored (
whitish yellowish) and the right one shows
signs of nail damage starting at the
cuticle. as if it was subungual
onychomycosis. AGAIN as i have read
online, very common in HIV infected
people, very rare in healthy people. The
callus on my right toe also got really dry
and itchy to the point where it cracked
open. I fixed that with moisturizers.
the left one is starting to show. I have
soaked them in vinegar for a week, and
they dont get worse, but they dont improve
either. I have kept my feet moisturized
every day. again...dont worsen, but dont
improve.
As far as other symptoms, i dont remember
when, maybe it was before the baby was
born, i got what they call the 48 hour
flu. or at least thats what i thought.
Awful diarrhea and vomiting, but anly
lasted 2 days. other people at work also
got it. a week ago, i kind of developed a
what i think is a sinus infection...yet
ANOTHER symtpom of HIV infection. I had
no runny nose, but severe head congestion,
my nose would get a little congested in
the morning, and by the afternoon my head
would be killing me. I took sudafed, and
ibuprofen, and it lasted three days, i
feel better now. I also have a slight
diarrhea that has lasted about two weeks,
but this could be due to my SEVERE
anxiety. I have not been sleeping well,
due to worrying. I cant talk to anyone
about this. I have a hiatal hernia, and
the nervousness and anxiety has been
upsetting my stomach, and my apetite is
down the drain. Hopefully this is the
cause of the diarrhea. it is not severe,
and not liquid, but soft muchy stool, and
also...very reduced stool. I am usually
the other way around. Usually very hard
almost constipated stool. painful
usually.
When the our baby was born, he had some
issues with reflux apnea. He was kept in
the nicu for 2 weeks. ALL sorts of test
were done. Including testing for Herpes
(HSV) and nothing was found. Would thay
have done an HIV test ? is this routine ?
they concluded it was reflux apnea, and he
would grow out of it. He did, and he has
been thriving. He has been breastfed for
a year, and besides the normal fevers for
teething, he has only had one cold
recently. runny nose, mild temperature.
no vomiting or diarrhea. My wife seems to
be quite healthy.
Now all i do is worry. I take his
temperature constantly, i check his entire
body and mouth for symptoms i find on the
internet like i was a madman. My wife of
course doesnt know why.
I dont know what to do, i know i have to
get tested, and go to a dermatologist. I
just dont know if i could live through
having to tell my wife i might have HIV
and possibly infected her and the baby.
Please. anything helps. i am losing my
mind here.
thank you.
|
Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 1714 Location: Charleston, SC USA
Thanks: 47
Thanked:6
online
Posted: 11-12-07 16:03pm
First off, you need to get tested. You
don't have to tell her you are going to
get tested either. If the test comes out
negative, you should still be tested in 6
months.
If it's negative, you definitely need to
sit her down and have a long talk.
Most people are forgiving.
I don't think there is reason to worry
about your son. If he seems healthy and
the doctors think he is fine, don't
worry.
Either way, you're going to have to
confess to your wife about cheating on
her. It will be rough but she will be
better off knowing than not.
|
saranda38
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 4
I Forgot. Posted: 11-12-07 16:17pm
my job is quite stressful.....and the past
three months were crazy stressful,
battling three jobs at once. running from
one place to the next. could this cause
Psoriasis ? even if i never had it ? i
have read about stress related psoriasis.
but only to my nails ? i dont have any
other lesions on my body. i check
constantly. My glands are not swolen or
painful. I get frequent headaches, but i
always atribute it to the fact that i am
ALWAYS in front of a computer, and dont
wear my computer glasses ever. I know i
should, but i have not changed the
prescription in about 5 years, so when i
have tried wearing them, they are worse.
again...please talk to me. i am at my
breaking point, i lock myself inside the
bathroom and cry cause i cant even bare
the thought of maybe being sick and
bringing this awful disease on to my
family.
|
Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 1714 Location: Charleston, SC USA
Thanks: 47
Thanked:6
online
Posted: 11-12-07 16:20pm
I think you are worrying for nothing.
Guilt can cause a lot of stress. Obviously
you need to come clean with your wife and
I think you will feel a lot better, inside
and out.
I'm not sure about the fingernails but
first, I would go to a dermatologist and
have them check. Or go to your regular
doctor and have him do the HIV test and
also ask him about the fingernails.
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saranda38
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 4
of Course Posted: 11-12-07 16:21pm
i will. trust me....if my test were to
come back negative. my life would be
turned around. dont get me wrong. besides
this...i am a godd husband...a great dad,
successful, and hard working. I came out
of nothing and worked really hard to get
to where i am. But here i might have
blown it. i know that.
i will get tested....its just very hard to
do it. and i will talk to my wife.
thank you for replying.
|
Marianne0558
Supporter
Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 1714 Location: Charleston, SC USA
Thanks: 47
Thanked:6
online
Posted: 11-12-07 16:23pm
Just because you made a mistake or two
does NOT make you a bad person, definitely
not a bad father.
We are all human and all of us make
mistakes.
But the good thing about it is most people
are willing to forgive and forget.
I know it is scary to get tested, I got
tested when I was pregnant and just the
wait is scary. Especially hearing about
statistics every day on tv.
Just go get tested and then sit down and
write out what you want to say to your
wife. If you write it out, it will be
easier when you have to speak it.
|
Aarvy
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 12
Chances Are Near Zero. Posted: 11-13-07 03:15am
Your nail symptoms show psoriasis or some
STD. Dont have to tell you wife. Get HIV
tested. Mostly that will come -ve and you
are done. That simple it is.
YOU MUST READ THIS!
This 19yr old mother of a 2ry old has one
day experienced some fever and flu like
symptoms. She's checking online casually
and some how got to this forum and started
to understand her symptoms relate to a HIV
infection. She's written that her kid's
not with his father and how scared she got
learning that she could die soon of HIV if
she was infected at all. I would like you
to step into her shoes and feel the
moments she might have experienced. Think
how hard it is to imagine that your loved
ones are going to miss you and might end
up help-less for their whole life.
Now all this happened only on the
assumption that the symptoms were that of
HIV and not knowing it for sure. If you
read these posts, you will understand all
of them are posted with similar doubts in
mind. And all these posts were written
with the circumstances they experienced
and not the result of the tests they
took.
If you can spare few minutes of your time
and post your test result, then consider
you are helping thousands of scared(as you
are now) people get relieved of their
tension. SO PLEASE POST YOUR TEST RESULT
ONCE YOU GET IT, SO PEOPLE CAN RELATE
THIER CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE ACTUAL
OUTCOMES!
HIV Facts! (Not the ones you already know
of)
HIV is not that easy to get. It will not
venture out like a cold virus. HIV must
inject its RNA into the human cell and
just cannot live on the side like other
viruses. You must consistently and
thoroughly help it attach itself to a
human cell. Remember it is not a human
disease in the first place. It is only
about 50yr old and still evolving to be a
human virus and it will take atleast a few
thousand years before it can look out for
a human host.
A cut on your finger in the morning might
have already had a plasmatic coating in
about 4Hrs which will usually not allow
HIV to enter in. For a better chance of
infection the cut must be reasonably big,
minutes fresh and with sufficient HIV
virus load. There is virtually 0% cases
reported world-wide that some one got
infected by cut-wound blood transfusion.
HIV infection through oral activity has
about 90% less chances because the HIV
virus does not live outside the fluid for
more than about a minute and saliva,
stomach juices are not good carriers.
HIV did not infect many people who had sex
several hundred times with their HIV +ve
partners unknowingly. Human body has some
unknown resistance to this virus and is
well proven with many people so far.
HIV can be tested accurately(95%) starting
from 2 weeks of possible exposure by a
PCR-DNA test. Relatively Costly. Looks for
HIV in the blood. False Positives are
relatively higher than False Negatives.
HIV can be tested accurately(95%) starting
from 3 months of possible exposure by
antigen and antibody tests (eg: ELISA).
Looks for anti-bodies in the blood that
fight HIV. Tests for all strains of HIV.
HIV cannot stay in the body un-detected by
our recent testing methods. Chances of
non-detection are almost near zero.
HIV can be cured if PEP(ART treatment)
program is given starting within 72 hours
of possible exposure and continued for 2-3
months. The success ratio is 70-80% and
many health-care workers who get stung by
infected needles take this program and a
survey suggests zero out of 400 of
accidentally infected people treated with
PEP program did not get HIV for life.
HIV Symptoms: Usually noticed between 2 to
3 weeks of possible exposure. Flu, Fever,
Sore Throats, Lymph Node Swells, Skin
Rashes(Mostly on the torso), Night Sweats,
Fatigue & Tiredness. Only about 80-90%
of people notice some of these symptoms.
95% of people who feel the above symptoms
without being tested does not have HIV.
The reason for such symptoms are the
bodily reactions controlled by stressed
out minds as HIV is a deadly disease. Mind
has the ability to simulate the symptoms
in the body if your stress is so much that
you think you might die soon.
Most of the HIV surveys so far are
compiled on HIV aggressive areas like
Thailand Drug Usage areas, African Bush
meat eating areas, Asian sex-working areas
etc. So your chances of infection are only
10% of those published in the surveys.
Religion, Spiritual Transition, Redemption
are some of the effective ways to pass
your time while awaiting your test
results. Like most of them you will lack
concentration on work and many make a
mistake by spending time alone. Instead
spend your time with your close ones,
friends, relatives and some time with your
God. Every one commits sin in several ways
and moments like this can be wisely used
to your benefit by redeeming yourself into
a better person. It need not be sexual
sins alone, think of all those un-worthy
things you did, pass your time thinking
how you can better yourself if you are
given a second chance of life. I am 100%
sure you will be given this second
chance.
We take time giving practical facts and
help relive your stress, We expect you to
take few minutes of your time to relive
stress of several thousand users of these
forums by POSTING YOUR TEST RESULTS! I
know for sure 99% of people will get -ve
results which is why they forget to come
back to the forums. If they are +ve then
they would definitely come for more info
and would generally respond to the posts.
So, Please once again POST YOUR TEST
RESULTS!