Dear Dr Bob, This is my second time writing to you, and I thought since my last question wasn't answered I would try and spice this one up a bit and make it a bit more Dr Bob-ified. By your own admission soft porn grabs the attention, so I tried that approach but I fear a career as a porn-writer will forever allude me. So can I merely suggest that if you ever come to the UK we could go for some cosmos? I know the best places for dancing and I promise to wear some killer heels! About seven weeks ago I finished my university finals, and thought it was time for some major partying. Needless to say I got extremely drunk and ended up taking home a guy I didn't know (young, white American). As I have a fear of contracting HIV I only let him perform oral sex on me, and as far as I am aware nothing else happened. (I do remember telling him in the club that if he wanted to come back to mine this was all that would happen). However I didn't realise this was a risky activity and it was unprotected. A week after the incident I developed a big, sore lump behind my ear (which has since gone down a little but not completely) which a doctor said was an enlarged lymph node. Around the same time I developed a sore throat which lasted for about five weeks, and sort of shifted from one side of my throat to the other. More recently I have developed sore and bleeding receding gums. Are these symptoms worrying from a hiv perspective? I really want to have the courage not to test as over here results take a week to come back, and I don't want to put myself through the ordeal of testing every time I have such an (what I guess is low risk) encounter. So I guess I basically have 2 questions: 1) are my symptoms worrying from a hiv perspective? and 2)if you recommend getting tested (which I guess you will) is this because you believe I am physically at risk or just for mental reassurance? I think you do an amazing job and I would be so grateful if you could answer this question as I am currently fluctuating between convincing myself I'm fine one minute and then getting totally paranoid about the symptoms I am experiencing the next. Stupid Brit.

Hey Brit,

Killer heels, dancing and cosmos? Hmmm . . . OK, sure, I'll answer your two questions:

1. No.

2. "Mental reassurance".

Now about those cha-cha heels . . . . Let's get this party started!

Dr. Bob