Hi,
your risk from hiv in the scenario you describe is extremely low, and in my opinion does not warrant testing. I say this based on the following -
- there is an insufficient quantity of the hiv virus present in saliva to cause infection (this is why kissing is considered safe).
- the cut you describe does not sound severe enough to be a viable route of transmission (consider that many medical professionals have concluded that minor cuts on the fingers are not viable entry points for hiv during fingering for example - an acitivity which involves vaginal fluids, which have much more of the virus than saliva). If it was not bleeding, then this suggests that the wound is not really fresh. But I cannot confirm this since it is difficult to judge how bad your cut was.

- it is very unlikely that any blood was present in her mouth at the time
- if you had protected sex, and the condom did not break, infection is pretty much impossible.


Try not to worry, but just take a test to put your mind at ease, but remember this must be at least three months after the episode for it to be accurate. Chances are, she wasn't hiv anyway.You'll see that the advisers, who are experts in the field, assert that the only worrisome scenarios for hiv are unprotected vaginal, anal and much more rarely, oral sex, as well as needle sharing, breast feeding and needlestick accidents. Your scenario is not included. Good luck, but I strongly doubt you'll need it.

Thank you for your advice! I plan on getting some tests done for stds this week. I will definitely take the hiv test in aug (3 months out) to be sure.

This helps a lot... I have been stressing over this situation. Thank you.

Btw... The cut on the toe was deep enough for bleeding, however, there was no blood at the time because either my blood was slow to get out to the surface (pin hole cuts) or the water was constantly washing the blood out. To give you an idea, the cut was deep enough into the nail that it hurt everytime I took a step. However, it's all healed now. I hope this doesn't change anything!

Thank you again.

I'm glad to have helped you in this time of worry. I know very well how worry can take over.
Just remember that in the history of hiv, unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, rarely oral), needlestick accidents, drug sharing and breast feeding are the only documented routes of transmission. While this does not definitively conclude that these are the only routes, it should bring some perspective on your situation.
I have read that such 'pin hole cuts' are not quite enough for infection to be able to take place. If you consider a needlestick injury, the puncture will have to go quite deep and thus reach critical blood vessel areas for hiv to transmit - I understand that such accidents carry approximately 0.3% risk. But again, do not consider this as absolute fact, but rather educated analysis of the facts we do know.
You'll be fine. Saliva doesn't transmit hiv.

You did catch a condition from the toe incident. It's called anxiety! At times, it could present itself with more powerful symptoms compared to hiv. You have no hiv, will not get hiv from what you described and it would have to snow in miami before you contract hiv!

Thank you all for your advice. Anxiety is a powerful disease as well. I have started to get some of the hiv symptoms (fatigue, loss of appetite, loose stools and few white spots on my tongue). However, I read that these symptoms can be from a lot of other things. Do you have any idea why I may have these symptoms? I keep trying to convince myself that these symptoms are from anxiety... But the white spots on my tongue?!?

Freaking out again (a little bit)!

Now i'm sure you know what medical experts say about hiv symptoms. Yes, you can't diagnose hiv based on any symptoms. Since your situation carries negligible risk, I ask you to consider this - when we are worried about our bodies, we automatically beign to focus on everything that goes on, and never let little things that happen go unnoticed. I have done it myself. If there is a pain in my neck, for example, I may decide that my lymph glands are flaring up. If I feel tired, I may presume that this is the fatigue associated with hiv. The point is, your body probably does such things all the time in its normal course of proceedings, but when you're not thinking about it, you won't notice.

Also consider this - if indeed you have been infected with hiv by having your toes sucked, you will be a medical first, and the entired knowledge of hiv will have to be reconsidered. After 25 years of intensive research, alongside the millions of similar episodes which have taken place in every one of those years without a confirmed infection, i'd say you've more chance of recieving a proposal of marriage from president robert mugabe.

Lol, and lol and lol!