Gay male with unexplained illness and HIV worries (long post)

[YoungHon]

Hi, I'm 17 and gay. 5 weeks ago, on the 15th of December, I engaged in brief insertive anal with a older and very promiscuous guy. It was an incredibly stupid idea and something I will never do again. A week later I fell ill, I had a high fever with a runny nose (apparently not an HIV symptom but still worries me), and just generally felt awful. After a week of being ill, 14 days post-exposure I forced myself to go to my local clinic whilst my family were out. Whilst I was waiting to be tested I started breaking out in hives on my arms and chest that would come and go and disappear within 30-40 mins, I went in to my appointment, explained that I thought I had acute HIV, and then the doctor told me that if my symptoms truly were caused by HIV, my antigen/p24 would test positive (modern 4th generation lab tests look for antigen (a viral protein) as well as antibodies, that is present during early infection). The day after they called me to tell me that my test had come through NEGATIVE. They told me that I would need to come back at the 28 day mark for a conclusive result, however. A few days later my symptoms subsided except from the runny nose, and I heard of other people who had caught this seasonal flu thing that causes fever and hives. I was relieved and sure that was what it was. I tested again at 28 days post-exposure for all STDs, was assured by the clinic that this HIV test would be conclusive and I wouldn't need to test for HIV again. But a day after my test, the fever came back! I got the test results back, negative for everything but a week later I'm still ill with a fever.

I've researched it and many doctors have posted online saying that a 4th generation test is conclusive or over 99.9% at the 4 week mark. But I MUST have HIV. Flu doesn't last for a month! Why else am I so ill! Also I noticed I could feel lymph nodes in my groin and hip! I've never been so ill in my life! I texted the guy this week and asked him and he said that he got tested after Christmas and he was all clear, but then I saw he blocked me a few days later!

I don't know what to believe, my results or my symptoms. I'm going to see my GP next week about my illness and hopefully he will be able to shed some light. This has been the worst month of my life and I am sick of it. Sorry this is a really long post and thanks if you have been patient enough to read it all.

[Noivous]

I gotta believe you do not have HIV. Listen to the clinic and stop Googling (or as I call it Go-Ogling). And please take a very important lesson from the incident. The stress of the ordeal could be driving how you are feeling. Also some symptoms can linger in regards to the flu/colds/seasonal illnesses...

God bless,

N.

[Bigboyuk]

Hi Younghon yeah have to agree that while it was very stupid thing to do you are clear of any virus which is :cool: It's that time of year for nasty colds and flu so take comfort In this and move on mate :) Also just because this Guy has blocked you doesn't mean anything in the sense that he had HIV probably best to delete his number!! Cheers

[Elen]

The cold and flu virus that is going around this year is hitting people hard.

It seems to take ages to through it off and I know a lot of my friends are complaining that they are coming back down with it again.

Lots and lots of people seem to have been suffering off and on for months.

[Bigboyuk]

It's exactly like Elen says it's nasty flu bug that's going around! Did you know it's a different strain every year its true so don't beat your self up you are in the clear mate :)

[nivekc251]

Please please please practice safe sex. If the individual doesn't want to use a condom refuse to have sex with them. I know a dude who goes out and has sex with random guys just about every weekend and never uses protection. He is getting tested every other week. Listen to them your test was negative , and I've had colds leave and come back like you mentioned. Calm down stressing is only going to stall the healing process .

[wubu]

Be happy it's negative and remember that flu type bugs are a virus and a virus can cause you to feel crap for some months, I know this first hand. I had a flu bug which knocked me for 6 x10 and it took about 2-3 months to get fully over it.

And there is a bug thing going round where you seem to fight it off and then it randomly comes back once or twice, it's been passed around at work since Xmas.

[YoungHon]

Thanks for your replies everyone. Has anyone else gotten intermittent abdominal pains with the flu?

[GlassPinata]

Remember that even if HE has it, that doesn't mean you have it.
Read these CDC statistics:
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/estimates/riskbehaviors.html

Let's pretend for a moment that he IS infected, and that you had unprotected receptive anal sex with him (as in, you were the bottom).
According to the CDC, your odds of contracting the virus in this manner are 138/10,000, per act.
So you see that even for this rather high-risk behavior, your chance of actually catching HIV, in any one act, is rather small.
The risk, however, is cumulative, so each TIME you engage in this act, the risk increases.
For each act, according to my calculations, the chance of you contracting HIV is approximately one in seventy-three.
Odds are in your favor, even if you had unprotected anal sex with him a dozen times.

But we're jumping the gun here because we don't even KNOW that he is infected with HIV. He may not be, in which case your chances of contracting the virus from him are, well, zero.

Since you've already tested negative, it hardly matters (to your health) whether he does or doesn't have it. You don't, and that's all that matters.
And as you can see, it is statistically unlikely that you would, even if he did.
I won't lecture you about your behavior because I'm sure you have paid enough, and will be more careful in the future. I will say that many of us- both gay and straight- make youthful mistakes when it comes to sex, and most of us live to tell the tale.
The overwhelmingly vast majority of HIV sufferers did not contract the virus from an isolated mistake, but from a lifestyle that involves numerous high risk behaviours over a long period of time.
So it looks like you lucked out, and I do hope you'll learn from this and be more careful.
Hope your cold/flu resolves itself soon.
Best wishes.

[davey2k12]

HIV is very manageable and people can live a full and normal life as if they didn't even have it so even if you did which I strongly doubt you have as medical tests have already proved otherwise then you would have many options very good options. Obviously it's best not to have it but take solace in the fact the colds/flu can last up to 4 months in some cases and the fact your results were negative then go back and be re tested after the 4 weeks where I think the results will be 100% accurate take care and good luck