First of all, Merry Christmas!

I had unprotected vaginal (condom broke) sex with a woman I hadn't known long and haven't seen since the incident.

7-10 days later I had a sore throat for a week. Two weeks following that, I got a weird ulcer-like lesion on my tongue. It disappeared but came back a few months later. It wasn't an ulcer, but geographic tongue, which has spread and caused the typical patches plus white rings, and I have now had it permanently, and fairly extensively, for six months.

I have had negative HIV (1&2) & STD tests at 6 weeks, 3 months and six months - all negative.

But I am concerned by the timing and permanence of the geographic tongue. If the idea is correct that this is oral psoriasis, which is caused by wayward CD4s, then this would fit with HIV. In fact, the only incidences of chronic GT I have found are in Pos persons. I'm male, 30, and have no personal or family history of GT or psoriasis.

I was weighing up whether to get a PCR-DNA, but am concerned with false positives.

What do you think? Am I woo-hooable, or is another / different test warranted?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Yours,

GT-Man

Hello GT-Man,

Your repeatedly negative HIV-antibody tests out to six months are definitive, conclusive and WOO-HOO-able. HIV is not your problem. No way. No how. No additional HIV tests (including a PCR DNA) are warranted. Please note the vast majority of cases of geographic tongue, even chronic geographic tongue, have absolutely nothing to do with HIV/AIDS! This includes your case!

Stop worrying. Start WOO-HOO-ing.

Happy Holidays.

Dr. Bob