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ARS? Rash, Worry!
#20908 - 08/15/01 10:23 PM
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I want to tell you my experience and symptoms and see what you guys think. I am SO worried.
About 7 1/2 weeks ago I had a risky encounter, with a male of unknown status. I was the insertive partner of unprotected anal sex; however, I think another guy had already ejaculated in my partner, so I could have been exposed essentially to two people. I noticed no blood when I withdrew, washed up quickly.
Maybe five days later, I was hung over and went to a movie, I felt a little nausea. Couldn't tell if it was being hung over and trying to watch a motion picture, or was ARS starting.
I had one incident of diarrhea, maybe 4 weeks afterward, that cleared up in about 3 days, which could have been normal for all I knew. Stool has been normal overall, slightly soft sometimes.
There have been no sore throats. No fevers, no other nausea, no fatigue, no headaches. No real "flu-like" symptoms. No lasting joint or ache pain, other than some very minor, dull passing pains (stress related?) that go away within 5 minutes.
However, last week, which was 6 1/2 weeks after exposure, I noticed a pink, splotchy rash on my arms. It was slightly raised, patches of pink. The next day, I noticed it on my legs. Eventually it was on my abdomen, and chest too. I would itch *slightly* at times. It could have been from eating a food that first night and getting a reaction, also, last week there was a heatwave and it was hot, tending to aggravate the rash. I happened to eat the same kind of food over the weekend, and broke out in rash again, but most of it cleared up overnight. Today, it's 7 1/2 weeks after exposure, I have a little of the rash left, very faint, only on upper shoulders but the rest of it is gone.
Also, my neck seems a little stiff. I am also constantly checking my neck by pressing a little, it feels a *little* tender. I don't notice any swollen underarm lymph glands, nor swollen groin glands. I mean I do feel some tension in my neck, but it's not really that sore. But still, no sore throat.
I don't feel like I have a fever, I've been checking temp at random times a few evenings and they've been from 98.4 through 99.1 F.
Okay so my question is, at 6 1/2 weeks after exposure, you think that is long enough that it is probably not ARS? What about this neck stiffness/possible slightly swollen neck glands. UGH. I am so, so worried.
I am definitely going to get tested on the 8 week mark. By then, I can be reasonably (> 90%??) sure about the test results. One thing tho, I hope to never have unprotected anal sex like that again. Even as the insertive partner. I don't know what I was thinking. All this agony is just not worth it.
Again please respond with your thoughts, I'm so worried and trying to relax. Please help me, thanks!!
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Relax please because you are damaging your brain. Go to a doctor, tell your full story. Take the test now!! with this you could be 90-95% sure of the results. I told this based on my experience and my talks with my doctors. After the HIV negative result (you are going to be HIV neg) take a good dinner at a restaurant, keep yourself for further expossures, keep informed about AIDS and other diseases but dont get obsesionate with it. And after sometime of happiness take the test at 3 months or something more (3 and a half months) just to be more relaxed. Here at my country the 3 month test is conclusive. My doctor told me that 6.5 half week test is sure in my case, thats what I told you to see your doctor. Based on his experience with AIDS cases, the transmission ways prevalent on your hometown or the place where you have the exposure contact and based on many other things he could help you more. Search an experienced doctor, maybe an infectologist or something like that. But again, based on my conversations with many doctors and in my faith, you are going to test negative.
Be happy, put a smile in your face, learn to love yourself, be safe and help others to understand this evil virus.
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I am in the same boat as you. I have a swollen gland six weeks after my exposure but from what Ive read, this would be to late for a symptom like this to show up. As for your rash, 30 percent of people who have ars symptoms expierence rash and it does not itch, so if yours itches than it is not related to HIV. a 8 week test is close to 90 percent accurate. maybe 85-90%. I am testing tommorow at six week mark and ive read that this is 65-75% accurate so a neg result will help calm me down untill my 3 month test. As for your stiff neck, I had that two weeks after my posible exposure and I also had tension headaches, i 100% believe these were attributed to stress and not HIV. I wish you luck and hopefully you and I will get negative test results and we can MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES!
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JO1, you are my soul brother. I am going to get a test this weekend, I'll fill you in on how it goes.
Getting your test now is a Good Thing, hopefully it will be negative, and will sustain you until a month later, when you should get retested. Then one more time. Then 6 mos. later.
Good luck, you're in my thoughts JO1.
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Keep in contact with a doctor. JO1, in my case the doctor says that my 6.5 week test in combination with my type of exposure (vaginal unprotected sex) and many other factors including the prevalence of AIDS in my city made my test 99.99999 % accurate. So your tomorrow test could be more accurate than what you describe. Do you read at this forum that some doctors says that most of the people seroconverts at 25 days?
But dont worry, relax Im praying for you and you are going to be at our HIV negative club soon.
After that dont forget to help us to give support to all here at this forum
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I assure you that a negative test is what you will get. I can not believe how terrified people become from this. Actually I find it quite comical the way people think they are at risk. Not that I don't understand how you feel, but to look back now and see how I reacted initially makes me laugh. Let me assert, unless you have unprotected sex typically receptive many many times, and ejaculation occurs in each situation you are more than likely NOT hiv infected (most would argue one/two/three time exposure is not extreme--but it can happen, very unlikely). Anyway, I apologize for coming off so negatively, no pun intented, but it is definitely amusing to see how I acted when I found out my partner was HIV+ and I had receptive anal sex many times without a condom (still have sex with a condom very frequently). Don't let this destroy your lives. If you found out you were positive would you still move on with your life? Think logically...FYI I am HIV negative
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HIV is a serious disease and it it not surprising people get panicked about it.
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When you found out your partners HIV+ status did you expierence any symptoms that you thought was ARS? I dont think it is comical how you initially reacted, you had unprotected sex numerous times with someone who is positive, i mean what if you found out that you were positive? would you find it comical then?
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Hey Mr. Anonymous, WorryWart here, original poster of this thread. I kind of understand where you're coming from when you say that you want to laugh when you read how freaked I am by seeing a rash on my arm or chest or wherever at 6 1/2 weeks after a risky insertive anal sex exposure. Kind of like how I want to smile when I read about guys who are freaked out because they mutually masturbated with another guy for the first time and got some cum on his penis head...
But you have to understand, I did something in a higher risk category. Not the #1 highest risk thing, but it's still high risk. Your own experience might suggest that being the insertive top won't get you infected with HIV, just as my own experience suggests to me that I have nothing to worry about if I sucked on a guy of unknown status...
Our symptoms are very real though. We're in the Window right now, and as I have read, the Window does very very strange things psychologically (and physiologically!) to the body. We need to reach out. Actually, what you tell me is very reassuring to hear, that you think I won't get infected after being the top in an unprotected anal encounter. Well, that's what the test is for. I'm going to get it in a couple of days.
Again, I understand why you want to laugh, but just a friendly reminder, we are real people living in this Window right now, and until we get out of the Window, we are very frightened. I hope to join you outside the Window for a good laugh.
Cheers, -WorryWart.
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If you want to know if those symptoms are true ARS get a PCR DNA or RNA test.
Any MD who knows about HIV, or you can research it yourself, will tell you that "if"
your symptoms are ARS then there has to be detectable virus which are causing the
symptoms. Your body would be reacting to the presence of the over-production of
virus...this is what causes ARS...it's not the virus itself, but the over-reaction of your
body to the presence of the virus. A PCR test will be positive if virus is present. If
your PCR test is undetected, that means your symptoms are not ARS, thus no
virus...you should still want to follow up with an ELISA at 3 months because "some"
people do not experience ARS and are yet HIV positive...a PCR test for these
people is tricky because the amount of virus might be so low that it can't be detected
by PCR in the early stages <30 days...this is rare though...
You should be fine....peace and good luck
Shaner
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good luck brother...I am in the 'waiting game' myself right now...it is horrible beyond belief. I pray you and I and all others will come out negative, and be able to get on with our lives.
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i am very glad you came out neg., but there are tons of stories out there of people catching it with only 1 or a few risky encounters. Everyone should be scared of this thing, and take action to protect themselves from it.
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Shane is correct, although I'd lean toward the qualitative PCR DNA, which I believe tests down to the lowest viral load of any PCR test out there; something like 10 copies per ml, or some other insanely low number.
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