diagnosed may 19th:( cd4 650 vl 80,000. last two days seeing very swollen glands on both sides of groin area and very tender. friend tells me hiv is entering my glands/lymph nodes and it will last 2 or 3 months...he also tells me anti inflammatory won't help. to further complicate matters i do not have access to hiv doc that i trust(i live in mexico). is there anything i should/could do?

Hello and thanks for posting.

Your swollen lymph nodes could be the result of several things. First, yes, it's common to have generalized enlarged lymph nodes when one has untreated HIV. If the swelling is new, it's unlikely that HIV is the cause of *new* changes (unless you were very recently infected, as opposed to recently diagnosed).

Infections in the region around the lymph nodes (such as herpes, anal fissure, lower extremity cellulitis) can cause enlarged and tender lymph nodes, though typically this is on one side of the body, not both.

Lastly, there are other conditions that can lead to swollen glands- it's important (at least to me) to know if there are other swollen glands (in your neck or arm pits) to help decide on the potential list.

There are good HIV care providers in Mexico. If your symptoms persist more than a week or two and there's no other obvious cause, I'd reach out to the care system.

Be well, BY