I recently went to a massage parlor and during the massage of my backside the massause rubbed my anal hole and then inserted her finger up my anus. I stopped her right away, but I am now freaking out. She apologized and left the room. When she came back I asked her to see her hands and I did not see any cuts. Three days latter I developed oral trush on my tongue. I never get sick and I am freaking out.

If you are worried about this being HIV related, you should get tested at once. Though this would NOT likely be the way you've contracted it, IF you did test positive.


this is what I could find about thrush on the net.....
What causes thrush?

Thrush occurs when a yeast called candida grows out of control. Candida normally is present in small amounts in the mouth and on other mucous membranes. However, under certain circumstances, candida can grow rapidly, causing thrush.

Thrush can be a recurring problem for people who have chronic illnesses or who take medications that impair the body's ability to fight infection (weakened immune system). Since these people have difficulty fighting infections, the fungus that causes thrush can spread throughout the body, causing life-threatening blood or organ infections.

Woah, dont panic the guy. First off, the method you described is not valid for transmission, unless there was copius amounts of blood involved, and she tore you up real bad. You don't sound the sort of person who takes risks sexually speaking if this freaking you out, so test if you want. Bet you its gona be negative. And if you have really got thrush, it can only be diagnosed by a doctor who would require a scraping to do so. Thrush HURTS and can be peeled off. Hurts bad, if you are having some sort of bacteria build up in your mouth, stress can cause it, and If you are looking at your tongue for it you will find anything, that white stuff is always there, it just builds up occassionally!

DaySleeper: LOL scare the bejeezus out of him why dont you. Antibiotics can cause an overgrowth of candida in the body. Many women develop yeast infections after a course in antibiotics......eating yogurt with active culture or taking Acidopholus usually clears this up......I am laughing here cant help it. Seems like a little information off the net can really be misconstrued.......Peace.

Guys,

Thank you for the replies. I saw a doctor and he said I did not have thrush. It was just a virus. I got tested for HIV anyway even though I know it was too soon to test for my experience. I was negative. I thought nothing of it until the last few days I have been getting shooting pains below my armpit. How do I detect swollen lymph nodes and where would they appear. This is so not like me to worry about things like this. I never go to a doctor. I am getting married Sept 30th and I can't shake this feeling out of my head that I am HIV positive. Realistically I know it is an extreme longshot, but I can't stop thinking about it. I am thinking about seeing a shrink. I love my fiance and she knows what happen to me. When I explained it to my doctor he said it wasn't possible. I am not sure why I still think about it, except for these pains at the base of my arm pit. When I get a shooting pain I start thinking about it again. I can't believe I am in this situation, about to get married and I can't stop thinking about this.

Pokes, your pains could very well be and most likely are from stress and anxiety. My husband had pains everywhere in his body so bad the weeks before our wedding I sent him to the emergency room and to a cardiologist just to make sure.
Don't go messing with your lymph nodes. If you start pressing and proding on them without knowing what you are doing you can cause them to inflame. They are very tempermental little boogers.

Sit back, take a breather. You are getting married in a couple weeks, and you should be thinking of the wonderful life you and your soon to be wife will have.

I would have to agree that it's stress and anxiety. 3 months prior to my wedding, I began having panic attacks. It manifest itself through health anxiety - I thought I was going to pass out and die or that a bad headache was an anyeruism. While there were definately other things going on in my life that played into my anxieties at the time, I do not downplay the fact that I was getting married as being part of the mix. I would suggest you fight this agressively since anxiety tends to grow out of control the longer you let it progress. Good luck to you!!

I really think if it wasn't for the pain at the base of my armpits I would be over this. I feel great otherwise. I have been running and I have a lot of energy. Can someone answer this? I stopped poking around my armpits, but let's say I did have an early symptom of painful swollen lymph nodes at the base of my armpit would they hurt all the time? I don't feel anything really swollen at the base of my armpit. A little at the top, but I think that is a muscle. My armpits only hurt every once in a while. I will get a sharp pain and then it goes away for an hour or so. Nothing really sensitive to the touch.

Last when you say attack my aniexety, how? I have never really stressed out about anything like this in my life and I don't know what to do. I can't sleep right now.

How long does HIV live in blood outside the body? This is just out of curiousity, if a persons hand was bleeding how long would the virus survive? How long would it survive in semen outside the body?

I actually took your advice and I was feeling great yesterday. I don't even think I had swollen lymph nodes. I didn't think about it really at all yesterday and I woke up this morning and the same. It is usually the first thing I think about when I wake up. Then I go in the shower and I notice a rash on my upper inner theigh. I frequently get pimples there especially when I am working out. However, these are not pimples they are a small group of about 10 dark red very little pimples. I have it on both legs in the exact same spot. Fewer on my left leg only maybe four. I am back to freaking out. Everytime I think I am out I get pulled back in. I read that the rash is typically on the upper torso, but not alway. This could certainly be a sweat rash, but who knows.

I think, for the most part, we've been in your shoes. I was absolutley certain I had HIV because of the symptoms I faced (rash, weight loss of about ten pounds at it's worst, white patches in throat, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue), but lo and behold, it was just a passing virus. Realize that rashes can be caused by anything, and sometimes "a cold is just a cold"(copyright chris). Also, keep in mind that most people who've contracted HIV never experience symptoms until they become infected with AIDS, or discover by chance....
Try not to stress out
I would say get tested or see a derm to get a peace of mind with this whole thing
~s~

Thanks for the reply. I am trying not to stress as I have explained my situation to my doctor and I have received responses from people on this board and both say that based on my situation it is not possible to have contracted the disease. I would get tested again today, but it wouldn't put my mind at rest because it has only been 4 weeks since my encounter. I am also afraid that I would get a false positive and that would ruin my wedding. I read on thebody that testing early can lead to a false positive. Also, if I was negative it would not be conclusive until the 90 day mark so I would still stress. People responding makes me feel better though.

I know it's harder than it sounds, but quit looking for trouble ;) Number One, quit looking up symptoms of HIV & AIDS. Just stop. Number Two, quit checking your body out and paying such close attention to it 'cause your going to find things that freak you out! I've got a bump on my butt - I guess if I wanted to stress, I could start looking up symptoms of herpes or something and convince myself I've got it- :D Seriously though - that's exactly what I was doing prior to my wedding - I convinced myself of so many different things because I was being HYPER alert to what was going on in my body. Relax. Your body is fine. Pay attention to your "self talk"... that little voice that kind of plays in the background of things and make sure your thinking positive things and not silently stressing without realizing it. Take extra long baths and relax - don't check your body out while your in the shower though.
I would say ask for some valium from your doctor to get you through the wedding, but that seems so un-PC these days. Xanax/Valium was a LIFESAVER for me while I was going through my anxiety problems. I only took the smallest dose available and only when I really needed one. It made me feel sane & helped me realize I wasn't loosing my mind. "They" say it's highly addictive and I guess it might be, but I never had any problems. I've not needed one in over a year, so I've not taken one. I dunno - it's something you could talk to your doctor about.

Pokes,

The quickest way to wreck your immune system is to stress out. Think about it. You are about to get married, I am sure money is a concern, you are probably not sleeping well, and you might have a few skeletons in the infidelity closet that are bothering you. Maybe you drink a little too. Chill out. You would be surprised how promiscuous and wreckless a lot of people have been, who only contracted the HIV virus after playing Russian Roulette with their bodies for years. Just calm down.

Pokes,

The quickest way to wreck your immune system is to stress out. Think about it. You are about to get married, I am sure money is a concern, you are probably not sleeping well, and you might have a few skeletons in the infidelity closet that are bothering you. Maybe you drink a little too. Chill out. You would be surprised how promiscuous and wreckless a lot of people have been, who only contracted the HIV virus after playing Russian Roulette with their bodies for years. Just calm down.

The thing that concerns me the most is the pain I get in my armpits. It is sharp, but then it goes away. I don't feel anything swollen. I feel something at the top of my armpit but I think that is a muscle. I read that the lymph nodes appear at the bottom of the armpit and are typically sensitive to the touch. Nothing is sensitive to the touch, but I have never had pains like this. That are not as severe today, but they are still lingering. If I knew I didn't have swollen lymph nodes I would probably be able to put this behind me. I feel guilty that I let the massage girl touch my *******, and that I put myself in a spot to let her do that to me. I replay it in my head all the time and put the factors in that I checked her hands and saw no cuts and that it only happened for a half a second and that who know if she even has the disease. Plus the fact that my doctor said it was not possible without lots of blood and her cutting me. I have hemroids sometimes and I thought that would hurt me, but my doctor said no, still impossible. My brother and father laugh at me, but I still almost breakdown in tears sometimes when my fiance says something nice to me. I think how could I have possibly ruined what we have. Oh well, I thank everyone again for listening this board has saved me to a certain degree.

sharp pain in the armpit is almost certainly either a muscle sprain, or it could be a bit sore from you poking at it!!! early tests dont always yield false positives, in fact, very rarely do they now yield such results...

"my doctor said it was not possible without lots of blood and her cutting me" - that, again, is a fair comment... you should listen to your doctor.... from what you said, your risk is pretty much zero.... i would be *astounded* as would the world medical community, if you were anything other than negative.... if you read thebody, you will see stories of people who have had full unprotected anal sex to completion, with positive partners, and turned out negative... understand.... hiv is not like a cold, its not that easy to catch...

stress, however, will MESS YOU UP

you are negative....

"I replay it in my head all the time"
This type of thinking is what must stop. Absolutely must! I know it's easier said than done, but don't be so hard on yourself. So you screwed up. It happens. Trust me, you do not have to pay for it for the rest of your life or even another day for that matter. It was a mistake. You've been honest & you've been forgiven. It's ok. It's really, really ok. You have got to stop obsessing! I'm serious about the valium ;)

I would go back to the person that did this to you and ask them if they have HIV or AIDS. I would also report what happend to their supervisor!

Stress and anxiety can cause physical symptoms, I have been so stressed out over my wedding in a week and a half that I broke out in hives all over, got a awful cold and my stress has been making my heart problems worse.

Don't worry, don't feel guilty, move on and take charge of yourself, it will help you get over your worryment. I know what your going through, I know the more you think about it the more sick you become and the more symptoms you find. My friends sister is HIV postive and she is very,very tired all the time, and you said you have enegry.

All I can say is, I know the pain, I understand it, but it sounds like you are worring over nothing at all, I know it is real to you, but you need to relax and be calm and you will be suprised how much you feel better. If it makes you feel better take another test in a few weeks.

It sounds like you feel guilty, you need to put that behind you and move on from here. If you don't feel better after a complete clean bill of health, talk to a doctor about helping you cope with your thoughts.

I wish you the best, don't worry! Let us know how you are doing.

Last night I was great. I didn't think about this really at all. I woke up early this morning and I couldn't fall back asleep and I started thinking about this all over again. I read your posts over and over again when I get real bad and depressed. I have to leave my office at times because I feel like I may cry. My swollen lymph nodes have not gone away and I have never had anything like this before in my life. That is what is freaking me out. The node at the top of my armpit is like two fingers wide. It doesn't hurt to touch and the only thing keeping me from losing it completely is that I am hoping it is a muscle and not a node. I almost went to the doctor today to find out but was afraid he would tell me it was a swollen lymph node and I would freak out. I am at 5 weeks now and I thought about getting tested again today, but even if I was negative I don't think it would put my mind at ease until I hit the 90 day mark. I would give anything for the 90 day mark to come before my wedding.

Your making yourself sick. And if you keep feeling under your arm you are just going to make your nodes swell. Stress, virsus a lot of things other than HIV can make you have swollen nodes. Besides, I thought I had swollen nodes and when I went to the doctor he said I didn't. Try to relax, your going to make yourself sick. Cheer up. :)

let me tell you something, even *if* it is swollen lymph nodes... there are more than 10,000 reasons to get them, 9,999 of which are not hiv!!!!!!! people DO get swollen nodes all the time, but usually, they go unnoticed, when you are - like now - so "hyper-aware" of your body, every little itch, pimple, squeak, rattle, pain or noise will be isntantly tied to your underlying worry about hiv.

your exposure was so ridiculously-unbelievably low, that frankly, it doesn't even warrant worrying about - if you ring any helpline, they would probably say that in your case, testing isn't even indicated...

You know I was watching a TV program a few weeks ago... It was about an ER doctor, and he got sprayed with blood directly in the face and eyes! He found out later that day by the patient that the patient was HIV postive! He was really upset to say the least and got tested and the doctor was clean! Yes he was a lucky man, but my point is yours was so small of a incident, not even a threat really from my opinion, so don't sweat the small stuff. It sounds like you feel guilty more than anything.

I feel pretty good today. I decided though to go get checked out. My lymph nodes were not swollen. I was going to just leave at that point. But the doctor thought I should test again just to help put my mind at ease so I did. I am worried about an inconclusive test or something. I find out the results tomorrow afternoon. If I get a negative I am over this and moving on. I feel pretty good right now just knowing I didn't have swollen lymph nodes. I almost wish I did not test because I think I was ready to move on, but if it is negative then I will feel great for my wedding.

At 5 and a half weeks I am negative and I feel great. No lymph node issues and a negative at this point although I know is not a done deal. That combined with my doctor telling me that based on what happen there is no chance and all of you saying the same thing means I am closing the book on this one. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

congrats...be careful and enjoy
~s~

Be Happy, Be well, and Be safe.

At 5 and a half weeks I am negative and I feel great. No lymph node issues and a negative at this point although I know is not a done deal. That combined with my doctor telling me that based on what happen there is no chance and all of you saying the same thing means I am closing the book on this one. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

congratulations on the good news :) i hope to be in the same boat as you on monday.