Expert: Terry B - 8/7/2009

Question
Dear Terry

I recently had sex (protected using condom) with a female I met in Las Vegas. I never had sex prior to this. She performed oral sex and we had vaginal sex less than 5 minutes. She stated that the condom broke at one point, and we stopped. When I came back from me trip two days later, that morning when I woke up I started coughing some blood and I was worried. It wasn't a lot blood. After wards, my tongue started turning white and I was scared. I went to the emergency and got x-ray for tuberculosis (negative). I asked the Doctor if this was a sign of STI/HIV and he said as long as I wasn't feeling any burning underneath or when urinating not to worry. The white tongue has been there since now (almost 5 weeks after sexual encounter). I had periods of fatigue and headaches with this incident. I also noticed a bad smell near my scrotum and testicles (sometimes the testicles are swollen). Also, on my inner thighs it seems like jock itch (smooth skin where the tesicles are pushed against the inner thighs, and when I rub that area it leaves a chalky texture). I have been taking a shower every morning and the smell is there later in the day, but more worse after exercise and playing basketball. I thought this might have been a yeast infection and possibly candida. I went to a walk-in clinic to get tested for strep throat (swab test) and the results were negative. I also got a GC test (urinalyis) and it came back negative for chlamydia. I have also been urinating frequently (sometimes 7-9 times a day) and my penis has been sensitive/itching at timesThis is not normal for me and it worries me.

Is having this white tongue and possible yeast infection a sign of HIV or any form of STI? I have not had any burning while urinating, but just have been peeing a lot (urinary tract infection?). My main concern is the white tongue and would these symptoms be present at this time if I was infected with HIV?


Thank you!


Answer
Dear Sean:

Peace.  You sound highly stressed at a time that marks some significant changes for you.  Going to various health care providers might seem efficient but I would recommend highly that you find a primary care provider you like and respect, and use them to coordinate all your testing and care.
A significant amount of anxiety surrounding your first sexual encounter is not uncommon, and it may be that you're over-monitoring yourself - we all experience changes in our bodies daily.  

I would recommend highly that you find a provider and sit down and go over all your concerns.  With one person in charge of your care, you can systematically go through a logical series of steps to determine what might be causing your symptoms.

I hope this helps, many of your questions can only be addressed by testing, and that goes for HIV as well.

Best to you and yours,

Terry