Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
STDs  (Expert Forum)
 | 
All tests Neg!! Clinically Positive??
Answered by
H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. -
University of Washington Seattle - WA
This forum is for questions and support regarding STD issues such as: Chlamydia, Crabs (pubic lice scabies), Gonorrhea, Hepatitis (viral), Herpes, HPV, Molluscum Contagiosum, PID, Rectal Infections, Syphilis, Trichomoniasis, Warts, Yeast Infection.All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
Post a Question Back to Forum
MedHelp Member's Question

All tests Neg!! Clinically Positive??

by G-Man, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
I had unprotected insertive oral sex with "Professional" on 9/23/05. On 10/7 I started to have minor headaches and some chest discomfort, went to GP and she thought that one of the lymph nodes in my neck was a bit swollen.(I have been long diagnosed as having Chronic Tonsillitis,2 years) Had MRI done through my Ear Nose & Throat Dr. to make sure it wasn't a growth of some sort. The MRI was Neg. but did indicate that small reactive Lymph Nodes were seen. As panic set in my Dr. said it is very commom to have these and you DO NOT need to worry about them you're fine, this is just your normal anatomy. OK? Then I started to have loose bowels, diarhea, alot of gas, coating on tongue with some minor blemishes, minor hoarseness, slight pain & discomfort in testicles, anus & urethra(especially during & after urination) Small pinkish blemish on shaft that has flaked over several times now. Itchy Scrotum. Dry, flaky skin on scalp, beard & eyebrows(Getting Better). Few weeks of tiredness, numbing of hands a few times during sleep.



Testing History: 12 Oraquik Tests from 31-105 days, Negative.

                 1 Blood drawn Elisa at 84 days, Negative.

                 3 PCR at 28, 49 & 84 days, Negative.



My questions are:



1) Do I qualify as being HIV test Neg. but clinically Positive due to the ongoing symptoms? (upwards of 3 months)



2) Could these symptoms have caused an "Overload" in my immune system thus not being able to create detectable antibodies to HIV? Late Seroconversion?



3) Because I don't have antibodies wouldn't have PCR been highly Positve especially at 84 days?



4) Would you recommend further testing at 6 months or whenever?



5) If no further testing is warranted, then can I truly put all this worry of HIV behind me for good despite these symptoms?



6). Comments on my current symptoms and my testing history?



Thank You for your professional opinion on this matter. It is truly appreciated very very much!!!



G-Man  







Doctor's Answer

by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
The exposure you describe was almost zero risk, even if your professional partner was HIV positive (which she probably wasn't).  It is very rare for people to acquire HIV by insertive fellatio, it it occurs at all.  Whatever is causing your symptoms is not HIV; I agree with your doctor.  And your test results prove you aren't infected.  To answer your specific questions:  1) No.  2) No.  3) You don't have HIV, so your PCR test would be negative, no matter when it was done.  4) No, I do not recommend further testing.  5) Yes, you can truly put HIV out of your mind.  6) See above.



Calm down, mellow out.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD
Member Comments (21)

by G-Man, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: Dr.HHH
You were in agreement with my Dr. about lymph nodes, correct?

My Dr. would not have said not to worry about HIV because we did not discuss that. Just wanted to make sure you got that because your answer was a bit suggestive of that.

Hypothetically would have your advise have been different if I had unprotected vaginal or is testing history enough to conclude?



Sorry I guess I'm just worried about possibility of blood in her mouth.

No more questions. Thank You



G-Man

by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: G-man
None of my assessment or advice are changed by the additional information. You could slosh an ounce of an HIV-infected person's blood in your mouth for 5 minutes and expect not to get infected.  Personal assessment of enlarged lymph nodes is unreliable; and nobody with lymph node enlargement due to HIV has only a single enlarged node.



Most important, your blood test results trump everything else:  regardless of your symptoms and regardless of how high risk the exposure is, blood test results like yours are 100% evidence against infection (with spectacular overkill, I might add).



Best wishes-- HHH, MD

by G-Man, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: Dr.HHH
I wasn't worried about blood in my mouth, but the possibility of blood in the mouth of the girl which could have entered into my urethra.

Also several reactive lymph nodes were seen by MRI. My Dr. says that it is very common to have these, that it was just my anatomy, Don't Worry! So it wasn't a single node.



Comments?



Thanks again for your input, it has been very relieving to read your responses.



by strangeworld, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: G-Man
Relax, nobody gets infected with insertive oral sex, plus your neagtive results is conclusive, Enjoy your life and be safe.



I have been and seen so many forums and trust me... Insertive oral sex is very very very rare and there has been no documented cases in 25 years of HIV research. Period



Clam and live your life... Move on with your wonderfull life

by G-Man, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: strangeworld
Well when you have been living with symptoms that seem to add up to HIV infection for the past few months although now getting much better, you just have to wonder what could really cause that especially within a few weeks of exposure with unknown woman. The timing seems all too coincidental to me.



Also the Health Dept. I tested at several times considers the risk I had to be high and then showed me an article from a San Francisco newspaper in which the CDC has confirmed that approx. 8% of their new infections came from Oral sex only, also noting that most sexual encounters will involve both oral and conventional sex so to be able to determine with any real accuracy which one caused infection is impossible , but is more than likely conventional, but again who knows. The 8% interviewed by the CDC stand firm that they engaged in unprotected oral only and some of them went on to protected vaginal or anal sex. Will try to post info. leading to this article.



None the less I still feel much more confident in my testing history now that Dr. HHH has responded in a "Positive" way.

Thanks for your input "Strangeworld" and it sure is!

Tomorrow I will wake to a new era of "Positively Negative"

Hope it lasts!!

by strangeworld, Jan 19, 2006 12:00AM
To: G-Man