Unprotected sex with someone you don't know is always a reason for concern but I think the symptoms you are describing are probably unrelated. There are many bugs and viruses going arund just now so chances are that's all it is. Furthermore, the chances of getting an hiv infection from one contact is reasonably small. But, as you realise, you are not in the clear. You should certainly test for stds but you will need to wait a few weeks before being tested for hiv.

Good luck and try to keep this in persepctive or you will drive yourself mad!

i think im causing my own headaches by worrying and searching the internet constantly for early symptoms. is earache a symptom of hiv at all? i hate waiting and i know i'l have to wait 3 months to be tested. ive had chlamydia before off an ex partner who cheated and i worried myself to death about hiv til i got the all clear. touch wood one foolish and stupid drunken mistake wont change my life forever..

I don't believe there are any specific 'early symptoms'. This site can explain it to you:

http://www.freedomhealth.co.uk/article_Ear ly_Symptoms_of_HIV_553.aspx


You can be tested in six weeks or less if you are prepared to pay. But try to relax about this a little or you will make yourself very sick!

thanks that site was quite useful. I understand there are no definate symptoms of early hiv but i hear alot of complaints like fever, rash, headache ect and i seem to have all the noted symptoms. i heard a rumour last night that the guy i went with is bisexual also! ah i need to chill out im going to send my chlamydia n gonorrhea tests on monday n see what the outcome is there before i start panicing even more.

Well, please let us know how you get on and remember that you don't have to feel alone with this. There are people on this forum in exactly the same situation as you, just waiting for the all-clear. I know you can't talk to everyone in your circle of friends and family about this, but you can talk freely here.

Good luck and try to take your mind of it for even a short while - you will feel better and more able to cope.

Getting tested for HIV/AIDS is EZ. A simple mouth swab will do it and the results come back in a week or two. Always use protection. Once you get infected it is 2 late. I know. Good Luck and I am sure you will be fine. Not to preach but never have unprotected sex. Never share needles. Remember how you are feeling now and maybe it will keep you from making the same mistake again. Good Luck. I am sure you will be fine.

Hiya guys. im still so worried ive been exposed to hiv. i sent the chlamydia/gonorrhea test today - 7/10 days for result so thats one down- 1 to go. i have developed a blotchy type rash on both arms now and keep gettin cramps in my legs and arms. my earache and headaches still havent gone, my throats sore n my glands are definately swollen. also im very tired all the time. i hate this waiting game its now been 10 days since i had sex ive got ages to wait!

It doesn't sound like HIV to me...it really sounds like an infection but not HIV which is a virus... Keep us posted cuz I care, OK? If you find out its nothing major I still want to know so i don't have to worry about you!!!:)Peace and Love,homerx

Hi homerx. i really hope you are right hun, im more worried now ive learned he was bisexual! what a mess! Just out of curiousity have u got hiv? or are u just experienced in the subject?x

Oh another symptom ive read is lumps on the back of tongue which i also have! i do smoke so maybe thats the reason behind that but i dont remember ever noticing that before my encounter.

Yes I do...it isn't a death sentence. I have several friends who have been HIV pos for over 20 years so I do have some knowledge first hand! It will be OK, sweetheart, trust me.

mention all your symptoms to your doc...write them down beforehand so you don't have to sit there and try to remember them all...keep me posted!

I know its not a death sentence homerx but i just dont know anybody with hiv so its un-familar to me. what early (if any at all) symptoms did u get before diagnosis? and thats a good idea to write down my symptoms for when i see the doctor - infact i'l do that now seeming as i cant sleep yet again!x

Hi Lisa86, hope you are feeling a little less frightened today. I know its scary not knowing. There really aren't any early symptoms. Its a gradual kind of realization thing. Hard to explain. I did what you are going to do. I made a doc appointment and before I went I wrote all my symptoms down because I had so much going on I was afraid I wouldn't remember them all. Fatigue was a huge one. Just feeling very fatigued and tired all the time. Thrush was on my tong and I also had started falling asleep all the time...always tired and sleepy. By the time I got tested I could actually feel something rushing threw my blood it seemed...it is very hard to explain. But I am 100% better now. I am exercising, the fatigue is gone and my skin and mouth don't hurt....everything is better in every way. Thats why you should get tested. There is no need to suffer any more when it is something you can manage and take care of. And I bet you either know someone with HIV or work with or go to school with someone. It isn't something that you can just look at a person and know like it used to be. People are living long and healthy and productive lives with HIV and AIDS. Read some of the other peoples threads in the HIV and AIDS forums for a better understanding. Its OK. Keep me updated...and don't worry ...just take care of what you need to take care of,OK? I am thinking of you.

Hey guys! still got symptoms but i'm just trying to get it out of my head as much as possible. there was an earthquake here in england last night and when it was shaking i thought it was me and that i was starting to get a fever! lol. i keep constantly touchin my neck and its swollen but im not sure where the 'lymph glands' are and my whole body feels tingily and achey. oh well only 2 months n 2 weeks to go til i can get a free test..

Earthquake? YIKES!!! I used to live in San Francisco and the one or two times I felt the earth move scared the heck out of me!
You lymph glands are at the top of your neck, right under your jaw on the left and right side. If they were swollen then you would more than likely know it and they would be a little sore. Its kind of like a sore throat feeling...sort of.
I have a feeling that you are going to be fine...really I do. For one thing you seem very real and very open and kind. I love the British! BBC is one of my fave channels...You Are What You Eat is a hoot! Anyway, I got off track, sorry...but as quick as you can, get tested and don't worry. I am sure you are fine.
Peace and Love,homerx

that women on you are what u eat has got a very weird obsession with poo! lol. yeah the sides of my neck and just under my ear is swollen. anyway as u say theres nothing i can do for atleast 2 months. i wrote down all my symptoms like u said homer and the list is still goin.. but thats helped me focus. x

Excellent...now...give me a poo sample!!!!!!! LOL...be cool, dear Lisa...its all going to be OK, sweet lady!

Now, write a list of everything you ever wanted to do and convert them into forward plans ... 3 months, 6 months, a year, five years ... This can really help lift your spirits and give you a purpose. The CBT method is to write about it as though it is actually happening at this moment ...

3 months: I am now learning to paint and I enjoy using oils;

6 months: I have made a start on my first novel and I leap out of bed every morning to do two hours of writing before work ...

5 years: I am living by the sea in a beach house and the money I have made from the film rights to my first novel keeps me in champagne ...

Live the dream. And then it will happen.