Hi Doctor. I really hope you answer this. I'll give a scenario and ask a couple of questions. This is my 9th week after a low risk encounter. At 6 weeks I came down with what could pass for a cold and got tested at week 7(elisa) and it was negative. The illness is still lingering and this morning on the side of my tongue was a yellowish white cottage cheesy-like patch. When I went to scrape it off with my finger, It just sort of dissolved into the "hairs" my tongue. I've also had difficulty swallowing for three days. 1. Could an opportunistic infection like thrush theoretically occur while a person is still sick from the primary illness and only 2 weeks after a negative HIV test? 2. When you go to, say, touch or manipulate thrush with ones finger, would it retain a solid or cheese-like consistency, or would it dissolve into a liquid form? 3. How often does thrush reappear after you scrape it off your tongue? Hours? Days? I'm really concerned and I appreciate your no-nonsence approach in this forum. Thanks

Thrush can occur as part of acute HIV infection. It can be scraped off but does not "dissolve". It can certainly reappear within hours to days. However, it is not typically seen on the side of the tongue.