Hi doctor, Im really hoping you can help me. I was with a partner in Jan/Feb it eneded late Feb, I was tested in Aug the results were neg. The first question is did I allow enough time to have a conclusive result??? it was about 25 weeks from exposer. Secondly I performed oral sex w/ someone w/o protection 1 TIME ONLY about 2 months ago and now i have a painful sore on my tounge. What are the chances that I contracted the disesase if he was infected??? I cant sleep please help

The CDC recommends testing out to 6 months (24 weeks) after a potential exposure, therefore your results at 25 weeks should be conclusive.

Regarding the painful sore on your tongue, without the ability to exam said lesion, it is very difficult to offer an opinion. Whereas there have been documented cases of oral transmission of HIV reported, there are very few and the chance is very minimal. Also, there are several reasons why you could have an ulcer on your tongue. According to a federal report (NHANES) approximately 17% of the general population present with aphthous ulcers (canker sores) and approximately 17% present with herpetic ulcers. At almost every lecture I give, I ask the audience how many of you had an aphthous ulceration in the past year. Over one-half of the participants raise their habd, which suggest to me that the reported number is low.

Please take the time to have a dentist take a look at your ulcer to determine the cause and recommend a treatment. For immediate relief, there is a new over-the-counter product, Orabase Soothe-N-Seal, which will eliminate the pain associated with the ulcer.

I hope this helps!

DR