I had sex with a HIV+ woman (found out
afterwards) three weeks ago.
She was on top. We used condom. After
ejaculation I didn't stop and my penis
shinked and when she stood up, the condom
stick in her vagina with 1/4 outside
(don't know whether it slipped off before
withdrawal). I used toilet paper to rub my
penis and put on underwears (did not
wash). After 15 minutes I suddenly
realized that it is unsafe and I took
shower twice (too late I know). Is it
risky??
After two weeks I experienced several
symptoms: 1) joint and muscle ache (from
Day 7 to now,
fingers/elbows/knees/wrists/toes, clear
but bearable); 2) fever come and go
(37-37.5C, usually in the afternoon and
before sleep); 3) nightsweat without
fever; 4) diarrhea once; 5) some pain on
the back of my neck; and 6) chill.
Symptoms become severe in this past week.
Are they ARS?
Please help!! I am so worried that I
caught HIV.
|
DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 16777211
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HIV & AIDS Answer A2417 Posted: 03-13-07 04:18am
According to your description of the
sexual contact it doesn’t seem that you
participated in risky sexual behavior.
AIDS-related complex (ARC) does not occur
so soon after a possible infection with
HIV. ARC occurs after the acute phase and
the phase without symptoms (asymptomatic
phase). Further, AIDS-related complex
occurs before opportunistic infections
take charge of the body (AIDS-phase). The
time it takes for ARC to manifest is
strictly individual. ARC is a sign that
the immune system has started to break
down. AIDS-related complex manifests with
a constantly increased body temperature,
night sweating, weight loss, unexplainable
chronic diarrhea, skin rash, swollen lymph
nodes, herpes zoster, oral
Candida-infections etc.
Your symptoms could be part of the initial
HIV-infection symptoms (acute phase).
Those symptoms are: fever, swollen lymph
nodes, rash, headache, tiredness, nausea,
diarrhea, night sweating, muscle and joint
pain, vomiting etc. In many people, the
symptoms of the initial HIV infection are
never felt. Even if those symptoms occur,
they are so similar to symptoms of many
other infections that it's not possible
for doctors to assume HIV-infection as the
cause.
The acute phase of HIV passes
spontaneously and a person quietly
proceeds to the next phase without
symptoms (asymptomatic phase). During the
asymptomatic phase, a person can live and
work normally and he feels healthy. But
after a various period of time (months or
even years) a person continues into the
ARC-phase of the illness, described
previously.
AIDS-related complex soon transforms in
"full-blown" AIDS when opportunistic
infections, encephalopathy and some types
of tumors occur. Opportunistic infections
are caused by various microbes that don't
normally cause disease an uninfected
person, or can normally be easily
overcome. But due to a suppressed immune
systems, it is opportunistic infections
,in fact, that kill people who contract
the HIV virus.
The only secure way to diagnose an
HIV-infection is to take a test that
proves that anti-HIV antibodies are in the
blood. Usually antibodies can’t be
detected during the initial (acute) phase
of the illness. The immune system usually
needs 6-10 weeks to start creating
antibodies (seroconversion) against HIV.
That’s why you will HAVE TO do another
test after 3 months. Before
seroconversion, HIV-infection can be
proven by detecting the antigen p24 in the
blood or by proving the HIV presence in
cells from lymph nodes by using the
"PCR-technique". You can follow up with
your primary health provider.
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