Expert: Terry B - 4/11/2009

Question
hi, i had repeated protected sex with 3 sex workers when i was on vacation to africa. The risks which i think i took was shaving off my pubic hair 9 hours before  sexual encounter but i hoped that minor cuts would have healed in 9 hours and the sex was also protected.However, during the same sexual encounter we got a little wild, but the condom didnt break but it rolled up a little to 3/4 length of the pennis.In another sexual encounter , during kissing my lip became a little sore. On my return after 10 days of the first sexual encounter i had a sore throat with slight fever which seemed like a natural consequence of sore throat. but i ignored it as 2 other guys in my house had sore throat so i thought it might have spread by sharing glasses and utensils. The fever was conected to sorethroat as when my throat would get irritated, i would feel more fever.The feverish feeling went in 4 days or so and the sorethroat in 6 days time. The next week everything remained ok. but the next week i had slight pain in a small boil or swollen lymph node  which i already had at the back of my neck for many years. two days later i developed a swollen lymph node on the front portion of my neck. This lympth node was hardly visible but i kept touching it so it became a little reddish and painful but very less swelling.after another day it swelled a little more and i started having slight pain in the whole left half of the face. thereafter i felt a little irritation in the left armpit, and anxiety made me check it for another swollen node by poking and campare it with the other arm many a times. there is a little difference in both the armpits but it hardly seems or feels swelled. now the neck lymph node has come back nearly to normal in a 4 days time.  i will go for a test but it has hardly been 3 weeks. can you assess my syptoms and risk factors and tell me my chances. Secondly can you through light on the fever part of the symptoms that how high it is and how long it lasts and sorethroat.

Answer
Dear John:

Peace.  There is NO way for me to tell you online if your symptoms are HIV related or another infection.  The only way to know if these are HIV related is by having an HIV test. You need to see a doctor and ask these questions.  There are serious infections that are treatable if you get diagnosed and treated early.

What you describe with the condom sounds as though you might have been exposed to blood or the vaginal secretions of the workers.  You are at less risk with using the condom, and because you did not receive fluids internally (as they would have from you if you'd not been wearing the condom).  Africa, as you know, is a continent, not a country, and the rates of HIV infections vary from country to country.  This still constitutes significant risk, and testing is needed.

As for testing, at three weeks, there are tests which are more expensive that can detect HIV before the antibody test.  These look for p-24 antigens or for the virus (qualitative, not quantitative).

In the meantime, protect yourself and others from your fluids until you have reliable test results.  

Best to you and yours,

Terry