Dear Dr.Bob, My tonnes of "THANKS to you" on a Thanks-giving day.

I had previously donated an amount that I can afford to. I asked a question that I could

have waited to ask. Following that I asked another question which included some more

symptoms that I am facing now. Even though, I actually wanted to donate whole-heartedly

again, after reading one of your answers, that "people bribe you to get their questions

answered", I did not donate anything after that question. However,I am going to donate

following this mail, please do not misunderstand my donation. My donation amount may not be

huge, but please consider that I am keen to do some service and not to get your answer.

Now, coming back to my question,

I had protected (I touched my penis glan with my fingers which had contact with her fluids)

sex with a sex worker (on Sep 1st), I started having burning sensation in my penis and it

persists till now. I parallely have burning feet. However, during this period I had various

other symptoms that scare me a lot. After around 6 weeks of the contact, I had pain in my

kidney and urinary tract. It was all acute pain. Following that(in the 7th week) I started

having some rashes (one by one). The first one I had in the right upper quadrant of my

abdomen, it was not itchy and had a white nucleus. After that vanished immediately I had

another one in my left bottom quadrant of my abdomen following which I had one in my right

thigh. I had some itchy rashes also in parallel. Then the rashes stopped coming. In my 9th

week I once had an abdominal cramp, which was OK within minutes. I have dry skin (not sure

whether it is because of the weather and the soap that I use). After this, in my 10th week,

I had a severe pain in my right abodomen and felt nausea and headache in left side of my

head. The same day I had my face swollen. My neck (below jaw) was swollen. I checked for any

specific lymph node to be swollen, but no lymph node was swollen. It was a general swelling

which did not cause me any pain. The left side of my face, near ears has a tingling

sensation which I feel is somehow linked to my throat swelling. Occassionally I started

having a sensation that somebody is pressing my throat and hard to swallow. After all

these, in 11th week I had whiteness in my mouth. I also get one or two rashes (non-itchy) on my

chest and they vanish in 2 days maximum. My mouth is white in the sides and under the lips. I don't understand what they are.

They also peel-off some times. During all this time, since the second day of the sexual

contact, I have very light fever-like (not fever though, my body is hot then) feelings now

and then. My liver is not swollen.

1) With all that I have explained above, do you think I have contracted HIV? Why? 2) What is this whiteness in my mouth? (It is not in spots like a thrush (as I understand), but almost equally spread) 3) Why is my neck swollen, Is this what means soreness of throat/swollen lymph nodes? 4) Please note that I have burning sensation in my penis and burning feet, what do they

mean?

I have anxiety as well. I feel like leaving this world as soon as possible and if I get a chance of re-birth, I will do the best I could, to the whole world about HIV. I lost my senses once and I lost my life. Please please answer my questions doctor.

Hello,

Your HIV risk is essentially nonexistent. Your symptoms are not suggestive of or worrisome for HIV ARS (Acute Retroviral Syndrome). Rather they are highly suggestive of anxiety.

Proceeding on to your specific questions:

1. No. See above.

2. I cannot diagnose the cause of specific symptoms over the Internet.

3. Ditto #2.

4. Ditto #2.

The mere fact you mention you "feel like leaving the world as soon as possible" indicates you have a significant anxiety and depression problem that definitely warrants medical attention and intervention without delay. I urge you to seek the consultation of a psychiatrist to help you with these significant medical problems.

If, despite my reassurance, you remain concerned about HIV, get a single rapid HIV test at the three-month mark (Dec. 1st, which, by the way happens to be World AIDS Day). The result will undoubtedly be negative and hopefully should put your unwarranted HIV worries permanently to rest.

Thank you for your donation to The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). I urge you in this period of Thanksgiving to realize and give thanks for the magnificent gift of our brief, but marvelous existence on this wonderful planet. Don't wish even a nanosecond of it away. There are over 33,200,000 of us worldwide struggling with the challenges of HIV/AIDS, desperately clinging on to what you say you are so willing to give away. Again I urge you to quickly get the psychiatric help you obviously need.

Good luck.

Dr. Bob