Herpes or HIV

[steve1101]

I am still unsure of my condition. I panicked yesterday and ran to STDCheck.com. Bought their all inclusive package with RNA HIV testing supposedly conclusive within 11 days. I still don't know if I have Herpes or HIV or both. Started as the craziest cold I ever had within 2 days of contact. I was on the plane coming home and had instant congestion and sneezing which lasted for 24 hours. This evolved over the next two weeks to fatigue, sores in mouth and spontaneous sweating. More flu like symptoms with achiness, back and leg pain and probably fever. Now I see a few red spots that look like ingrown hair. I keep thinking I have HIV but my friends argue Herpes.

[WCSDancer2010]

@steve1101

 

Hello and Welcome!

 

Well it certainly *sounds* like Herpes but without the tests, there's no way to know. Glad you have set up to do the test. However, the blood test for HSV won't be useful if you just got the virus - you really need a swab, ASAP ... can you get to a Planned Parenthood? I don't think the STD clinic does swabs by the look of it... I'd try to do a walk-in ASAP if you can.

 

Keep us posted about your results...

 

(((HUGS)))

[steve1101]

Thanks, @WCSDancer2010 . I will check it out. Blood test at 3.5 weeks is early I guess. The ingrown hair like bumps are around my kidney by and back, neck and leg pain.

[NothingGoodGetsAway]

This is a topic that I'm surprised doesn't come up more on the forum...it's the thought that if we did get HSV, then what's the chance of us ALSO getting HIV? In truth, the chances are very rare, so keep that in mind...

 

I will say that from what I've read, you can't diagnose HIV via symptoms - *and* that your symptoms are happening way too soon after contact and that you just have a cold.

 

There are SO MANY things that cause what you're having - your immune system is run down because you have a cold, so you get some mouth sores. Then you start to stress about the mouth sores and then you've got a mysterious rash. Then you get even sicker because you're stressed and you get the flu. The trick is to caaaaalm down, take a breath, and try not to think of the "what ifs."

 

I've also learned something...if you type in "mouth sores" into google, chances are almost all the results will talk about canker sores. If you type in "mouth sores" and "herpes" into Google, all the results will tell you that it's herpes. If you type in "mouth sores" and then "HIV" into Google, all the results will tell you it's HIV. Google is NOT your friend in this case. Google is your enemy that says THE WORLD IS ENDING YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. But you don't. You will be fine. Breathe, breathe, breathe, and go to Planned Parenthood as @WCSDancer2010 recommended.

 

Also, is there any way for you to speak with the person you had the encounter with? Having him or her be tested will help answer somethings - in my case, I found out that he was "clean" of everything but that he'd never been tested for HSV2, and sure enough he was strooooongly positive for HSV2. Answered some questions for me and set my mind at ease regarding the idea it could be anything else.

 

[steve1101]

Thanks, @NothingGoodGetsAway I did reach out to the person and received a negative response like, wait, what do you have? Now you probably gave it to me. This was a dating situation, not a relationship and I am hoping she will get tested but I would never even expect her to admit it to me. It's just that when you feel lousy and you read stuff online, you start thinking about it, but most of my friends have told me that symptoms wouldn't arise this quickly and that doesn't mean I'm clean but that this is unrelated to HIV. I ordered the test which will be conclusive regarding HIV and maybeish related to herpes because it was just slightly over 3 weeks.

 

You are correct, the stress and some anxiety are causing some of the problems. My Ex-girlfriend came for a visit and we have been apart for a few years and I had to make excuses not to touch her. She wants to reconnect but I am trying to stall until I understand my status. So, it's like, gotta get rid of these mouth sores, and then why does my back hurt, and flu-like symptoms, and then well even if it's too soon, your last test was in November, remember the food poisoning you got in February, maybe that was really flu...and on.

 

Test results for all will be in next couple of days and going to urologist so he could at least eyeball it.

 

But again, thanks, I went through a panic stretch because she was back and I was like God, now that she's back you have to have the talk and regrets and swearing abstinence and..

[Sil88]

I couldn't have put it better than @NothingGoodGetsAway This was a bit cconcern for me too and it stressed me out which only made things worse. Break the negative cycle of thinking and don't Google things. HIV and cancer present themselves as a million other things, as does stress/anxiety.

 

A few months after finding out about hsv, some of the stickies here struck a chord with me:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=29

[WCSDancer2010]

Just as a FYI - the urologist *may* not be your best bet... they spend a lot more time with guys needing Viagra than HSV carriers :(

 

If you think they may not be on top of things, get thee to PP ... they deal with HSV every day and should give you better advice than most :)

[steve1101]

@WCSDancer2010 Thanks, I will see what he comes up with. I went to him because I trust him more than my general doctor for this stuff who looked at the sores in my mouth and told me to gargle with salt water and no oral sex for awhile.