Hello

I am new to this forum, but just need a little help and someone to talk to.

To cut a long story short, I am terrified I am HIV+. I had sex with a guy of unknown status about 4 years ago,well I didn't even have sex with him properly, he inserted his penis into me - once in and then staight out and that was that. I didn't think anything of it until about 1 year ago when I noticed a gland come up under my chin, I felt round the rest of my neck and found a pea sized one on the right hand side of my neck. The one under my chin goes up and down like a yo yo and the one on the side of my neck hasn't really changed at all. When I first noticed them, I went straight onto the Internet and it pointed me to HIV so I have been obsessing over it ever since. I have started to have panic attacks, I have been on antidepressants and I just don't know what to do. I am so terrified to get tested. To make it worse, I have a 3 year old little boy and I am terrified I have infected him even though he seems perfecty healthy.

Does anybody know or think this sounds typical of the HIV virus. I don't have any other symptoms.

Please somebody help me
Worried mummy from the UK
x

Lauren, i've had a long history of risky behaviour which makes your encounter seem relatively innocent. i also have had problems with a recurrent swollen gland under my chin, in the throat area on and off since a teenager, i am 29 and still go through this every few months it will swell up, then another one would swell somewhere deep in the neck area simultaneously. i am a social smoker too and this would definitely be contributed to the swelling. also, even if you do not smoke, this is very normal and very common thing amongst people, the mouth and throat area is very suspectible to infections, allergens, etc. and any slight nuance will cause a gland or two to swell up. i wouldn't worry if the swelling subsides within a week, also if it comes back in a few months, i wouldn't worry. this is normal, at least in my experience, and a swollen gland or two is not a symptom of hiv, there are many other symptoms (if any show at all) that are associated with hiv infection. weight loss, diarrhea, night sweats with fever. and as i've mentioned some people never have any of these symptoms at all until they go in for routine testing and then are shocked to find out they are positive. you said you were with this guy about 4 years ago, well i would think that within four years you would of been very sick at this point, plus your child would of definitely have had immunosuppression by now, usually within the first year of life. so he's healthy and so are you, i think you should get tested to relieve your mind, i don't think you have anything to worry about, expecially if this guy didn't not ejaculate in you,there was very minimal exposure to body fluids, also hiv is most concentrated in blood, plus he would of had to of been exposed to your blood thru a small cut or sore assuming he was hiv postive. Please, take my advice, you really are ok!! go get tested just to clear your mind so you can go on with your life and be happy with your child.

First of all, Just trying to reply you based on my experience as I have swollen nodes too, If you look for BadLuck you will find my story. But the period you mentioned is very long (4 yrs) and based on my research on internet I don't think that if you are +ve then you will only have lymph node swollen. There will be lots of disorder in your body apart from that. Try to look for "Symptoms of HIV" on google (I would discourage thoug). You have nothing to worry about. AS YOU CAN NOT LIVE NORMAL FOR 4 YEARS IF YOU CONTRACT HIV 4 YRS AGO... YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF DISORDER IN YOUR BODY AND YOU WILL HAVE TO GO SEVERAL TIMES TO SEE A DOCTOR... Period

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-------PLease someone Pray for me I promise, this will be my first and last mistake...

listen to me!!! ARS symptoms are the symptoms that accompany swollen nodes, if nodes are gonna be swollen they are swollen from the time of ARS to the time of actute HIV (8-10 yrs after initial infection) HIV swollen nodes or any symptoms for that matter, do not appear three years after infection, your immune system would not be compromised enough for this to take place. UNLESS!!! you had such a weak immune system that your acute HIV kicked in at three years and in this case only would you begin to expirience many debilitating symptoms which would eventually manifest as an AIDS related disease. not a few swollen nodes here or there. if you had a baby the baby would have gotten sick at birth or shortly after, their immune systems would not handle ARS like the common flu, it would be like severe pneumonia. YOu dont have HIV you probably have something irritating your lyphmatic system (allergies, minor infections, a respitory cold etc....) we must realize that rules do not exitst on the internet and therefore ppl can put anything they want on here, now matter how non specific. HIV is not diagtnosed by symptpoms, which is soemthign I am sure you are aware of. bottom line you dont have HIV

badluck, you have been sadly misinformed. HIV is not often detectable after 4 years of the virus, and the normal immuine system would not have you running to the doctor with various infections in only 4 years, the notrmal time period for hiv to ebcome noticably symptomatic is 8-10 years. please do not misinfrom ppl here. there are three stages of HIV-AIDS and they are listed on medically approved websites such as Ivilliage, webmd and the cenetr for disease control. if you read any read these websites.

I think I'm confused from the previous posts. HIV is ALWAYS detected within 90 days or less of exposure, if a test is taken. Without a test then yes HIV can hide for years. Is that what you meant Babyshan?

thanks

i wasnt saying that it would not be detectable by a blood test, i was saying that the body would not be so badly compromised that the person would be so sick that a doctor would assume HIV infection. I was not saing that it would not show up on a test