Email 368: About HIV Symptoms and HIV Test

Hi.

Meron akong nabasang article, and sabi sa article, symptoms may appear 8 years or more after the intercourse. Is it true? Im 18, my first and last was sa isang lalaki lang. That time i think he was 18 and im only 10 or 11. Oral sex lang naman, NO SWALLOWING OF SEMEN ang naganap, and mostly, he do the job (blowjob). once ko lang natry isubo yung ari nya, and i think mga 30 seconds lang yun. and i dont know kung sa loob ng 30 seconds is nakaroon ng "precum" (it was from my sociology class). 



I can say that i am really healthy, tumataba, but mostly namamaintain ko ang timbang na 70-80 kilos. and huling fever ko, pero sinat lang, is about one year ago narin. hindi ako nakakaramdam ng panghihina except kung pumapasok, which is common narin sa akin lalo nat college ako and nagbyabyahe ng almost one hour papunta and pabalik. nakakasipon lang ako, yung tipong hindi kana makahinga, and nagkakaubo na minsan may plema minsan tuyo, siguro mga 3-4 times a year lang nangyayari sa akin to. Nagkakarashes ako sa groin area pero nadadaan sya sa agua oxinada and safe guard and nawawala naman, nagiiwan lang ng dark spot after. Never had swollen lymph nodes, sa leeg, singit at kilikili, yung manonotice mo talaga kagaya ng makikita mo sa google. pero meron akong bumps sa isang kilikili pero hindi mo sya mapapansin maliban pagkinapa mo lamang. and nagpacheck up ako bacause meron tumubong dalawang bumps sa end (yung nagduduktong sa pubic hair and penis) ng penis ko but nakuha sya sa antibiotics, binigyan lang din kami ng antibiotics nung nagpasecond opinion kami, and the doctor said about sa bump ng kilikili, muscles lang daw yun. and yung lahat ng bumps na nagkaroon ako, hindi sya kumikirot.

 Never engage again sa sex after my 10/11 years old experience. masyado lang kasi akong binabagabag ng HIV/AIDS. Hindi naman ako takot if positive pero yung moment na hindi mo pa alam is nakakakaba. and i was thinking, can i still avail the free consultation sa RITM kahit 8 years ago pa yung huli kong intercourse. you know, mahirap kasing gumastos kung binabagabag kalang ng isip mo and it will a big help kung hindi ka gagastos sa umpisa if ever na magiging postive. Nice Blog  you have by the way. Really helpful. and para sa lahat ng kagaya ko na nangangamba, at positibo na. Death is Mandatory, but Living Life to the Fullest is .

XXX


TRANSLATION

Hi.

I have read an article and it mentioned that symptoms may appear 8 years or more after the intercourse. Is it true? I’m 18 and my first and last was with a nother guy. That time, I thought he was 18 and I was only 10 or 11. It was just oral sex. No swallowing of semen happened and mostly he did the blowjob. I once have tried sucking his penis and I believe that it happened for 30 seconds only. I didn’t know if during that time there was precum (it was from my sociology class)

I can say that i am really healthy, getting fat but I am able to maintain  my 70-80 kilos of weight. My last mild grade fever was a year ago. I don’t experience any weakness except when I go to school which is common with me since I am in college and Itravel almost an hour back and forth. I sometimes have a cold about 3-4 times a year. I sometimes have rashes in the groin area but they get resolved by agua oxinada (hydrogen peroxide) and safe guard soap but leaves dark spots after. I never had swollen lymph nodes on the neck, ghropin and armpit, but sometimes I experience bumps in one armpit but not noticeable but palpable. I once had a check up because I observed 2 bumps in the groin area but ithey got treated by antibiotics. I had a second opinion and the doctor also prescribed me with antibiotics. The doctor also said that the bump in my armpit was just muscle and that the bumps that I had were not painful.

I never engaged in sex after my experience when I was 10 or 11. I just get worried about HIV/AIDS. I am not scared if I am positive but that moment when you don’t know makes me worry. I was thinking if I can still avail of the free consultation in RITM even if my last intercourse was 8 years ago. I feel it is hard to spend if you are just bothered by your mind and it will be a big help if you won’t spend at firstif you turn out to be positive.

Nice blog you have by the way. Really helpful to all of us like me who is worried  and who might also be positive

Death is Mandatory, but Living Life to the Fullest is optional.

POZZIEPINOY'S RESPONSE

HI.

Thank you for your email. Thank you for sharing your story.

It is a fact that oral sex is not as risky as the actual unprotected sexual intercourse. However, there is still a chance for transmission, of course if one has open wounds and gum problems. 

Let me answer your concerns in the order that you asked them.

First, HIV is a slow progressing disease. Usually, the signs of any weakened immune system is evident 5 years or more post infection. However, it is a case to case basis. Some have symptoms while others don't even have when their level of immune system has gone down. Also let me reiterate that HIV has non specific symptoms and the opportunistic infections that come out because of how HIv attacks the immune system depend on what a person already has in the first place. Some PLHIV's have pneumonia, some experience dermatological problems like rashes, some exhibit lymph node enlargement, some have meningitis. There are also some AIDS defining symptoms that may come out because of the years of delay of taking the HIv test that may somehow show how the HIV have already destroyed a person's immune system.

Because of these things, I am one of those people who strongly advocate taking the HIV test as soon as one feels he or she has been exposed to the virus. Please don't wait for the symptoms. Stop classifying what you are experiencing. Just put this in your minds: if you think you may have been exposed to HIV, don't think anymore and just take the HIV test. The best time is 3 months and beyond. In your case if 8 years has passed for sure, you already have the antibodies that the HIV test can detect in case you really have the HIV. All you have to do now is just take the test and don't speculate. HIV has non specific symptoms. Period!

I want you to just take the first step so that you can focus on the next steps. You will never know unless you've done it. Maybe you are worrying too much when in fact there is nothing to worry about in the first place, right? All you have to do is to walk out of your house and go to the nearest testing site and take the test. If it turns our negative then you can have the peace of mind that you need and if it turns out to be positive, then there are counsellors there and doctors who will tell you what your next steps will be. Trust me. It is a win-win situation.

Thank you for the kind words about the blog. I do hope that through it, I was able to answer your concerns. Feel free to email me again if you have other questions.

Stay healthy,

Pozziepinoy