Hi,

I live in the Philippines and I am currently feeling very worried and paranoid because of a recent sexual encounter that I had. Recently, I had unprotected sex with someone and it is driving me crazy thinking that I might get infected. We had anal intercourse. The thing is, the person tells me that he's HIV negative but the last time he had taken the test was February of 2005. He didn't came inside me but I did bleed during the intercourse. I'm worried as hell and regret the experience. My question is:

If ever he did turn up to be positive, is it 100% certainty that he will pass it to me given the situation?

Do you get HIV from just one experience like this?

Am I overly worrying too much? He's not positive the last time he checked...

Can I get tested now? What should I watch out for in the coming days / weeks?

Please help...

If ever he did turn up to be positive, is it 100% certainty that he will pass it to me given the situation?

No, the chances of you contracting hiv in anal sexual intercourse even if he is HIV+ is about 1/100 (about 1%)

Do you get HIV from just one experience like this?

Yes, even though chances are about 1 out of 100 you still can be that unlucky one out of the hundred.

Am I overly worrying too much? He's not positive the last time he checked...

When engaged in sexual encounter with a casual partner you should always think that the person is a possible HIV carrier and should take necessary precaution by wearing protection. I would say worrying is pointless at this stage so you should consult your GP and get tested asap and get it over with.

Can I get tested now? What should I watch out for in the coming days / weeks?

yes you should get tested now as early diagnosis of HIV can help you suppress the virus better. I don't know about Phillipines but here in Australia tests are becoming more advanced they can detect virus early after the sero-conversion period. about 6 weeks can give you a pretty much good idea about your hiv status.

im not a doctor so I could be wrong. all the information i gave you are the ones my doctor told me recently. Good luck :)

Thank you very much for this information... I just got paranoid all of a sudden... I will get tested, the latest is tomorrow....I really really really really regret that one experience... I hope I'll be okay... In the next few weeks, if ever I do get it, what should I watch out for? Fever? Cold? This is after how long? Thanks a million.

Its not a good idea to rely HIV based on symptoms because some people have it and some do not have any symptoms and the symptoms are not HIV specific but can be due to other illnesses as well. Symptoms usually occur 2-6 weeks after contracting the virus. Symptoms include flu-like illness, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, rash on upper torso. symptoms lasts on average 1-2 weeks. the severity is different for each case too. Some say its the worse flu of their life. some recovered very quickly.

Okay. I will try not look into these symptoms. I do get sore throat very often. But I had a doctor look at it and he said that I should have my tonsils removed. So I guess I can discount this symptom?

The fact is this: you had an extremely risky encounter and, even though, statistically, the possibilities may be on your side, the fact is that no body here can diagnose your HIV status. Therefore, you need to be tested and, according to the CDC, the best time to do that is 13 weeks post exposure. Now, while he may not have ejaculated inside you, that you had some noticeably bleeding and the possibility of pre-ejaculate may contain the virus if he was HIV+, you cannot take the risk of not being tested. PLease be careful in the future. This is your life we're talking about. chris