I had sex with a Brazilian prostitute I met at a club in Portugal. She seemed healthy although I know looks hardly decide anything for HIV. We had protected sex and condom did not break anytime during the sex. However there was some unprotected oral sex involved i.e. she performed it on me. Now 4 days later I am experiencing some swelling in my left cheek on my face and am not sure if my lymph node is swollen or not. Am I infected by HIV? I know I will have to take test after 3 months but just for consolation what do you think? I will surely make a donation just for some peace of mind.

Hi.

I haven't answered your previous questions, because there were similar to so many others already posted in the archives. My response is always the same. Protected sex is protected, assuming the latex condom was used properly and didn't fail (break). Unprotected insertive oral sex carries only a very slight HIV-acquisition risk. Symptoms are notoriously unreliable in predicting who is and is not HIV infected. (The above information is brought to you by "Dr. Bob's Department of Redundancy Department.")

Your particular symptom -- swollen left cheek -- is not worrisome for or suggestive of HIV acute retroviral syndrome. I'd suggest you have your general medical doctor evaluate this problem. (I can't over the Internet.)

Thanks for your support of The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). It's warmly appreciated. In return I'm sending you my good-luck/good-health karma that your definitive three-month HIV-antibody test will be negative. The statistical odds are astronomically in your favor.

Good luck!

Dr. Bob