Hi Dr.

I'm newly out as a gay man, and ALWAYS practice safe sex. All anal sex whether top or bottom is protected, no condom has ever broken, and oral sex (unprotected) has NEVER included swallowing.

My workload and stress levels recently have been acute and have had a recurring bout of tonsillitis and a chest infection and am having night sweats.

I know I'm not indulging in irresponsible behaviour but why the night sweats, (dry cough,runny nose etc)and stuff. Been on 3 bouts of penilcillin to clear infections and doctor says a lymph node on my neck is nothing to worry about.

Any thoughts???

Thank you so much.

Hello,

Unfortunately I can't diagnose the cause of your night sweats over the Internet. There are many potential causes. Regarding HIV, I agree your HIV-acquisition risk would be very low, assuming the latex condoms were used properly and did not fail (break). Unprotected oral sex carries only a very low risk for HIV transmission/acquisition. As a "newly-out" gay man (or even an oldly-out one for that matter), it's recommended that sexually active (multiple partners) folks have STD screening every 6 to 12 months. If you are at all concerned about HIV, get a rapid test. The results are available in just a few short minutes.

If your recurrent tonsillitis continues to recur or persist, I'd suggest you have an ear, nose and throat (ENT) evaluation.

Happy Holidays.

Dr. Bob