Herpes and HIV - HIV Prevention Message Board

07-18-2002, 11:11 AM

About 7 years ago I had an encouter with a guy in our town who was known as a major player. We didn't actually have full blown sex, just messed around. About one week later I started getting severe flu like symptoms and small sores in my vagina. I went to the GUM clinic and they said it was likely to be herpes although the test came out negative (the Doctor said it was difficult to diagnose in time to get an accurate result). The nurse woudln't believe i hadn't had full blown sex in the last week but I hadn't! I was completely wiped out for nearly two weeks with teh flu.

My question is, is it possible that it was not herpes caused by the sexual encounter but instead HIV caught during a previous encounter? I seem to read that herpes and hiv are linked - is this true? I have read about other women developing herpes/ warts when they started getting hiv symptoms and i did feel really ill.

If someone could help me with this i would appreciate it as it has been playing on my mind for 7 years and i am so scared to get tested.

FatAndDepressed · 07-18-2002, 11:47 AM

i am in no way an expert on diseases, but i will tell you my story and give you my advice. i don't know if there in a link between herpes and hiv/aids. i do know if you think you have been exposed the the hiv virus you really need to go get tested. i totally understand the fear of hearing "your positive" but i also understand with you not knowing whether or not you have it, EVERY sexual encounter you have is risking that persons life too. lets just say (God willing your not) but lets say you are indeed positive. how many people could you have infected... how many people could they have infected.... and so on. so just by you not knowing and fearing the worst, if by some chance you do have it think about all the people you have given it to. now to look at it a different way, lets say you are negative and you get involved with someone who thinks they may have been exposed to it, but never got tested and decided to get involved with you. for a second lets just "assume" they were positive, but didn't know. how would you feel finding out later that because of that person never taking the steps to find out, they in return passed it to you. this is VERY serious, and you need to put aside your fear and get tested. now i will tell you my story:
my mom has been with this guy for almost 2 years. a few months ago she needed to get some bloodwork done and they tested her for hiv, she was negative. also around this same time her boyfriend got into this "cheating" phase, although we are not sure exactly, it is said he only slept with 3 or 4 women, all of whom hes known for years. he'd cheat, then come back to my mom. my mom loved him and kept taking him back. they have finally gotten their life together, and he has stopped sleeping around. last week my mom had to have more bloodwork don for a surgery she was scheduled to have.... her results came back positive for hiv. we are waiting for the the 2nd test results and praying they will be negative, although the chances are low that will happen. all we can do is pray though, and hope God will give one more chance. if people would get tested when they fear they've been exposed the chances of passing this disease around would lessen. please for your sake (and for the sake of others) go get yourself tested. don't keep thinking "what if", find out for sure. i wish you alot of luck, and i will keep you in my prayers. take care of yourself and God bless.

devastated · 10-22-2003, 06:32 AM

Flu like symptoms are a definite symptom of the initial outbreak of herpes. The only correlation between herpes and HIV is that if you have herpes, you are more suseptible to contracting HIV because the irritation herpes causes during an outbreak can give HIV an easier way in.

Temperamental · 10-22-2003, 09:02 AM

Vworried, it does sound like Herpes regardless of your negative test. Herpes is a tricky virus. It is extremely contagious and you can get it even w/o having sex. Also if he had a cold sore on his mouth it can be transmitted sexually that way. If you did not have unprotected sex with this guy, there is noway for you to catch HIV.