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SHINGLES -- PLEASE RESPOND
#18753 - 06/27/01 03:03 PM
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I hope someone will respond and let me know if I really have something to be worried about. I recently have had sex with two people in the past six weeks. With both guys I performed oral sex on them (without ejaculation) and had protected intercourse with them. With one of them, a small amount of his semen got in my eye when he ejaculated. Both of them say they were negative, but that doesn't mean anything. I KNOW, if either of these guys had HIV, that I would have been exposed by either precum during oral or the semen in my eye.
Well, to put it mildly, I really freaked out and was a mess. Well a week after the last encounter, I developed a shingles lesion on my chin, which I know can be an indicator of HIV, so I freaked out even more. But from all the research I have done, I have not read that shingles is a symptom of ARS...it usually happens after having HIV for a while when the immune system becomes suppressed (and I tested negative two months ago). I know I have to wait, I don;t want to do the PCR for fear of a false positive, so I will wait a few more weeks for the ELISA, but until then, can anyone tell me if they think or know that shingles can be a symptom of seroconversion....I did not have any of the classic symptoms (fever, adenopathy, chest rash)...was it stress induced? PLEASE SOMEBODY GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!!!!
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Let me settle your fears by indicating what shingles are. Shingles are simply a stimulation of the chicken pox virus that may be related to stress or anxiety, as well as, many other health conditions. If you have had a possible outbreak of shingles due to HIV infection it would have likely occured on the trunk of the body as a mild rash during ARS. Shingles MAY occur in later stages of infection; however, it MAY be present in seroconvertion also, but is highly unlikely. Please note you can not possibly diagnose your HIV status by symptoms. No specific data exists to indicate % of persons who experience ARS, nor any symptoms that are 100% assured to occur during ARS. Some studies estimate 50-90% experience flu-like symptoms, which in "scientific world" means not very reliable. If the condom did not break and it was used correctly it is estimated at 100% effective. There have been no reported cases of infection by oral sex without ejaculation, blood, or vaginal fluids. I recommend you continue with your testing schedule, and note that 3 month results are argued by many experts to be 95-99% indicative of true HIV infection, but the CDC indicates seroconvertion may occur up to 6 months.
Remember you may contract other STD's by unprotected oral behaviors. I recommend you engage in protected behavior for any sexual encounter (oral, anal, vaginal), and I recommend you consult your physician or healthcare provider for any symptoms you may be experiencing. I hope this helped.
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Me, I get cold sores on my mouth - always have. Stress, lack of sleep, the common cold, too much sun.... any of those can trigger it, and cold sores are definitely a cousin to shingles, chicken pox, and genital herpes. If you're worried, go see your doctor about it before you work yourself into a frenzy.
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