Hi Dr Bob I must say I've been reading your forum for years now. I'm from South Africa and am an Asian male. Over the years I've had a few drunken episodes with prostitutes (ALWAYS PROTECTED VAGINAL) however on occasion unprotected oral. One broken condom.. I kept looking at my body for signs and symptoms and browsing the net like a creature from planet OCD. I've had symptoms over the years like constant preauricular lymph nodes, peas sizes and ear fullness and ringing. small lymph nodes behind my head and sometimes night sweats.. I NEED TO TEST BUT I'M SO SCARED, I'M SO SCARED... I NEED TO DO THIS I NEED THE COURAGE, I'M GOING INSANE WITH NOT KNOWING It's ruining my life :( What do I do

Hello, Creature from the Planet OCD.

Your HIV-acquisition risk is negligible, assuming the latex condoms were used properly and didn't fail (break). Oral sex carries only a very low HIV-transmission/acquisition risk. Consequently your risk boils down to one broken-condom incident and unprotected oral sex "on occasion."

Your symptoms are not worrisome for HIV acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). So why so terrified to get tested??? You admit worrying about HIV is "ruining" your life. As for what to do, I think you already know. Man up, grow a pair, and get tested. It really is just that straightforward. When it comes to HIV knowing is always better than not knowing. See link below. After reading the information turn off the computer and go get a rapid test. You'll have a definitive result in just a few short minutes. Then you can write back to me with a full-throated, ferociously committed WOO-HOO! Okay? Good. I'll be waiting so hurry up!!!

Dr. Bob

This One's A Doozy (WHAT YOU DONT KNOW CAN KILL YOU, 2010) ( IS IT BETTER TO GET HIV TESTED OR NOT TO KNOW, 2010) Jun 16, 2010