View Full Version : HIV anxiety. Suddenly so stressed.
Backstory:
Back when I was 16 or 17 (I'm now 23) I performed oral sex on a guy who as far as I knew was a virgin himself (he was a few months younger than me), that is my only sexual encounter in life and his semen never got in my mouth, though there was pre-seminal fluid.
I've obviously googled the ways of HIV transmission and oral sex is on there, albeit as a low risk. I read that you can have no symptoms for many years and now I'm freaking out.
I've had a lot of blood tests for other things since my "exposure" (no sexual health screenings as I'm a virgin other than this instance), I've also had invasive surgery and a full blood count was required prior to my surgery. I imagine if something as serious as HIV was in me then it would have come out by now, one way or another?
I know that HIV anxiety is a common issue for those with health anxiety/OCD the latter of which I have.
AMomentofClarity
30-08-18, 22:31
No. Simple as that. No.
No. Simple as that. No.
I agree it does seem unlikely. I just can't seem to shake this fear all of a sudden. Thanks for replying, though.
ankietyjoe
30-08-18, 22:47
I would imagine there is something like a 0.0000001% chance you have HIV
Literally.
I would imagine there is something like a 0.0000001% chance you have HIV
Literally.
You think so?
ankietyjoe
30-08-18, 23:39
It was a relatively low risk activity in a monumentally low risk demographic/group.
There is virtually no chance whatsoever. None.
It was a relatively low risk activity in a monumentally low risk demographic/group.
There is virtually no chance whatsoever. None.
Relatively low risk?
HullSimplibus
31-08-18, 00:25
Backstory:
Back when I was 16 or 17 (I'm now 23) I performed oral sex on a guy who as far as I knew was a virgin himself (he was a few months younger than me), that is my only sexual encounter in life and his semen never got in my mouth, though there was pre-seminal fluid.
I've obviously googled the ways of HIV transmission and oral sex is on there, albeit as a low risk. I read that you can have no symptoms for many years and now I'm freaking out.
I've had a lot of blood tests for other things since my "exposure" (no sexual health screenings as I'm a virgin other than this instance), I've also had invasive surgery and a full blood count was required prior to my surgery. I imagine if something as serious as HIV was in me then it would have come out by now, one way or another?
I know that HIV anxiety is a common issue for those with health anxiety/OCD the latter of which I have.
What site have you been looking on? I have never heard of HIV being transmitted through your mouth at all.
Your stomach acid would likely destroy it before it could be digested.
What site have you been looking on? I have never heard of HIV being transmitted through your mouth at all.
Your stomach acid would likely destroy it before it could be digested.
The risk would be from the virus getting in through an ulcer or bleeding gums.
The risk would be from the virus getting in through an ulcer or bleeding gums.
So here you are, seven years later, perfectly healthy, and making up impossible scenarios in your mind :huh: That's HA for ya! :doh:
Positive thoughts
So here you are, seven years later, perfectly healthy, and making up impossible scenarios in your mind :huh: That's HA for ya! :doh:
Positive thoughts
There have been documented cases, albeit anecdotal. Doesn't help ones anxiety =/
paranoid-viking
31-08-18, 09:35
Never heard of anyone who got HIV from oral sex.:huh:
hazelbritt
31-08-18, 11:23
Hey Olivia,
Sorry that you are having anxiety about this. I had a 6 month period before I got married that I became convinced that I had HIV. I spoke with my doctor about this on several occasions and she told me that my risk was very very low (and I had unprotected penetrative sex). I continued to worry and stress so eventually I had a blood test to confirm that I did not have HIV.
I would say that you having HIV from this one oral sex experience with a virgin is near impossible. But if it makes you feel better, get tested and move on with life?
Best wishes
ankietyjoe
31-08-18, 13:36
There have been documented cases, albeit anecdotal. Doesn't help ones anxiety =/
If reading about these cases gives you anxiety, stop reading about them.
utrocket09
31-08-18, 14:46
I used to work with persons whom had HIV/AIDS. You can't get it thru oral sex unless you had a open sore or ulcer in your mouth and that other person had the virus. Let it go.
WiseMonkey
31-08-18, 23:20
You can't get HIV from oral sex. The reported case are because people had other forms of sex as well as oral so they cannot accurately report how it was contracted.
If you're paranoid about it, get a test done then make donation to the AID's foundation :)
MyNameIsTerry
01-09-18, 02:50
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hiv-and-aids/causes/
Sexual contact
Most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex.
It may also be possible to catch HIV through unprotected oral sex, but the risk is much lower.
The risk is higher if:
the person giving oral sex has mouth ulcers, sores or bleeding gums
the person receiving oral sex has recently been infected with HIV and has a lot of the virus in their body, or another sexually transmitted infection
How has your anxiety been throughout these years? Does it go away? Do these worries come when there are flare ups? Are there triggers to it?
As someone who volunteer for an aids organization i can tell you unless your a meth addict with large open bleeding wounds your chances are zero. We dont even ask anymore about oral sex.
How has your anxiety been throughout these years? Does it go away? Do these worries come when there are flare ups? Are there triggers to it?
I have Asperger Syndrome which apparently is the reason for my OCD and anxiety. I have flare ups of anxiety all the time, last year I was convinced I had several different cancers. I also had invasive surgery 2 years ago and I was convinced I had complications that the doctors had missed. I know now that a lot of my past anxiety was ridiculous but this HIV anxiety feels more legitimate because of my one sexual encounter. The guy involved had had mild sexual relations with another girl in our class at school, so I worry that she had it and passed it onto him and then me.
MyNameIsTerry
03-09-18, 02:55
I have Asperger Syndrome which apparently is the reason for my OCD and anxiety. I have flare ups of anxiety all the time, last year I was convinced I had several different cancers. I also had invasive surgery 2 years ago and I was convinced I had complications that the doctors had missed. I know now that a lot of my past anxiety was ridiculous but this HIV anxiety feels more legitimate because of my one sexual encounter. The guy involved had had mild sexual relations with another girl in our class at school, so I worry that she had it and passed it onto him and then me.
The Asperger's obviously complicates things. There are others on here who have this or children with it so I hope they can bring provide some helpful information about managing this.
Have you had much in the way of therapy to help you manage this? And the links into your OCD?
The Asperger's obviously complicates things. There are others on here who have this or children with it so I hope they can bring provide some helpful information about managing this.
Have you had much in the way of therapy to help you manage this? And the links into your OCD?
I've never been very receptive to therapy, perhaps I should give it another shot.
ankietyjoe
03-09-18, 10:29
You have to look at this mathematically.
You had an extremely low risk sexual encounter with a very low risk partner.
The chances of you contracting HIV from this are way less than a million to one.
There have been documented cases, albeit anecdotal. Doesn't help ones anxiety =/
There have also been documented cases of alien abduction, albeit anecdotal. Should we call Mulder and Scully to patrol your neigbourhood, in case little green men show up?
MyNameIsTerry
04-09-18, 02:09
I've never been very receptive to therapy, perhaps I should give it another shot.
It might be worth it. As I understand it from those more experienced in ASD it can be hard to find someone who understands and can treat that element alone let alongside anxiety disorders.
So, maybe therapy needs tailoring? And in the past perhaps it hasn't been as good as it could be?
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