Hello Dr.Bob, please answer me this my friend. I was stuck with a hypadermic needle (left shin near the bone) almost 5 months ago. The person is a iv drug user/homeless/ect...The very next day the site was infected. Thats basically when i realised what had happened. I went to the emergency room and was given antibiotics and a tetnus shot, i did not know anything about hiv/aids and did not disclose the nature of the injury so i've missed the opp. to get pep. The day after that it hit me, the most extreme fatigue i've ever experienced/swollen glands/some diareah, but not the runs kind/headache/weight loss 5-7 lbs/broken blood vessels(eyes)eyes crusting, running, blurry/sstiff neck/dry mouth/white toungue/bad breathe/production of moles/slight problems w my equilibrium & coordination/stomach ache during meals/poss. inflammed liver/spleen/sore kidneys/frequent urination/change in muscle tone/change in veins-lack of veins/change in nails-sometimes the blood color changes to a darker shade, purplish/slight dull ache in testes/sinus pressure/tingles @ bottom of feet that progressed to my legs, arms and ran up/down my spine, side of face/loss of app./the fatigue lasted 3 & a half months/i missed two months of work, okay so i tested neg @ 30 days and neg @ 12 weeks (85 days). I'm concerned that there might be some reason for concern still even though most of these symptoms has passed like primary infection does, i'm thinking a coinfection of hep-c/hiv is in the horizon, a late seroconversion. The other thing that has occured is a lingering cough from a respitory infection (2 & a half weeks). I've read on med help and here that nothing delays testing positive if your gonna test positive for hiv except chemo/cancer and severly weakened immune systems, so what do you think is going on with me then?

Hello,

What do I think is going on with you? Well, unfortunately I can't diagnose the cause of many symptoms over the Internet. I would suggest if you haven't already done so, see your general internist for any persistent or bothersome symptoms. If no physical cause can be determined, you should consider a possible psychological cause due to your anxiety over this whole issue. Please note that symptoms that occur within a few days after a potential exposure are not due to HIV. Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS) symptoms related to HIV primary infection take weeks to manifest themselves. Hepatitis C? Doubtful, but easily screened for with a blood test. Delayed seroconversion? No, the odds of this would be so remote that they approach nonexistent! Based on the information you provided, HIV is not your problem.

Dr. Bob