In need of your help, for real. Desperate.

[artyboy]

Not totally impossible but very unlikely. Hep b and c is more likely to be caught that way

[Jason111]

Not totally impossible but very unlikely. Hep b and c is more likely to be caught that way

Thanks dude <3

[Insertnamehere]

[MENTION=19061]Jason111[/MENTION]

I'm happy for you dude.

Stay healthy, be careful, be safe, keep your risk to the minimum, so you don't have to be mind-wrecked like this again!

[InbetweenDreams]

Already made an appointment for Monday with this new dentist.

However, I am still tripping.

It hasn't been a month since my last oral(unprotected)sex? How possible is it to contract HIV from oral?

Also, since I have these symptoms, is it possible for them to be HIV symptoms and for the test to still show negative?

Don't hold me to this but from what I recall it is very unlikely to contract HIV from oral sex.

HIV otherwise takes about 3 months or longer (or shorter) to incubate to the point where it can show up on a test... The bleeding gums, sores in the inside of your mouth, etc can increase the risk of getting HIV via oral. So my thinking would be for you to not be worried about it.

Unless you've been having unprotected sex with dozens of guys, or otherwise being completely reckless....you do not have HIV.

Your bleeding gums, sounds like gum disease. Not do pry but what are your brushing and flossing habits? How often do you have your teeth cleaned? Also diet, what foods are in your diet?

At any rate I would suggest going to see a doctor...

If you do have gum disease it can spiral out of control in a short period of time.

So I tried to find a less gross picture to illustrate what gum disease does but still kind of icky.

Spoiler:

In a nutshell bacteria in your mouth attack the gums and cause inflammation and over time can cause your gums to bleed. The constant inflammation slowly erode the gums and bone that hold your teeth. Eventually your teeth will fall out, this might be 15 years down the road but you can with aggressive care pretty much stop or reverse it's tracks. Bleeding gums, especially when you're not in the middle of brushing, is a sure sign you have some degree of gum disease.

[Gemini]

Already made an appointment for Monday with this new dentist.

However, I am still tripping.

It hasn't been a month since my last oral(unprotected)sex? How possible is it to contract HIV from oral?

Also, since I have these symptoms, is it possible for them to be HIV symptoms and for the test to still show negative?

Okay, STOP!! [MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18789]artyboy[/MENTION] and the other guys are right that oral sex is not a high risk factor for getting HIV. But I'm concerned about something more.

No matter what we say, no matter what the tests say, you still have this obsessive fear of contracting HIV. This particular fear is one that's present for all of us, but the majority of us take precautions, get tested routinely during physical exams if we're sexually active, and then let it go.

You need to deal with this obsessive fear before it becomes emotionally crippling. You need to speak with someone - counselor, therapist, whatever professional person you can access - and root out the source of this fear. I'm no psychologist, but I can't help wondering if you harbor some underlying guilt about sex or about being gay that makes you unconsciously believe you need to be punished - and what worse punishment than HIV?

I'm not trying to be rude or disrespectful, but the extent of your fear is not normal. Not healthy. Not realistic.

Please give this some thought. I hate to see you so twisted up with fear and misery over this issue.

[InbetweenDreams]

[MENTION=23954]Gemini[/MENTION] I do agree. I do think a counselor would be helpful.

If he would go into more detail as to why he feels like he might still have HIV could be a way to help him work his thoughts away from thinking he might still have it.

Let me explain what I mean. Every now and then my heart skips a beat, a lot of times when I work out. It still freaks me out. I worry that there's some underlying problem and I'm going to drop dead one day. Back in 2014 I had THREE EKG's, which showed no abnormalities even while I was having palpitations. Then there was a time when I thought I had an STD, had burning pee...except, I didn't. I had been drinking so much coffee that I started having bladder spasms and such, yeah I didn't know there was such a limit. Then I thought I had colon cancer, you see if there is a symptom there's a reason to think there's something wrong and even though the logic may be wrong, it may feel right. Heaven forbid if he's been looking at WebMD, he'll be making his will up.

Now that's me picking on myself about how I tend to be about things. I worry a lot in general but I am always worried about having some medical issue.

Sometimes a doctor's visit isn't enough to convince someone...because you know they might be a quack! I mean after all what do they really know? They see so many patients everyday, so easy to missing something important in the 10 minutes they spend with you, for that matter they might be trying to speed things up so they can get another cup of coffee? Right? Not all tests are accurate, I could be that one case you know?

So this is where you need to lay out the FACTS. This is how I look at it... In my case, exercise and heart skipping, which my doctors know about doesn't seemed worried about, I have had my heart rate cranked up to 175, 180...even 185. I have gone at it for hours at a time, I figure at least looking at that aspect, if there were something wrong I would have collapsed or had chest pain or something would have been more pronounced, nothing has ever shown up on an EKG or any other test I have had done.

Lay out the facts, look at the logic and odds, you'll often find that your own logic is often very irrational.

Mind you doesn't really put me at ease when my heart skips and knowing better. However it does help me keep a lid on things.

[Gemini]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION] - I totally agree, "Lay out the facts, look at the logic and odds, you'll often find that your own logic is often very irrational."

But what I meant was, sometimes, even when you do that over and over, a person can't shake the fear that grips them and at that point, they need help in looking for the roots of the fear.

And you are sooo right, "Heaven forbid if he's been looking at WebMD, he'll be making his will up." There is so much crap out there. If a doctor tells me something, granted I usually look it up online for more info, but I go to the Mayo Clinic website because I know they're accurate and factual. Lol the worst is the drug commercials on TV where they have to recite all the possible side effects. Like, this drug will help your arthritis, but your hair will fall out, your dick will fall off and - oh yeah - you could die. But hey - your joints will feel terrific!

[Jason111]

Okay, STOP!! [MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18789]artyboy[/MENTION] and the other guys are right that oral sex is not a high risk factor for getting HIV. But I'm concerned about something more.

No matter what we say, no matter what the tests say, you still have this obsessive fear of contracting HIV. This particular fear is one that's present for all of us, but the majority of us take precautions, get tested routinely during physical exams if we're sexually active, and then let it go.

You need to deal with this obsessive fear before it becomes emotionally crippling. You need to speak with someone - counselor, therapist, whatever professional person you can access - and root out the source of this fear. I'm no psychologist, but I can't help wondering if you harbor some underlying guilt about sex or about being gay that makes you unconsciously believe you need to be punished - and what worse punishment than HIV?

I'm not trying to be rude or disrespectful, but the extent of your fear is not normal. Not healthy. Not realistic.

Please give this some thought. I hate to see you so twisted up with fear and misery over this issue.

Agreed.

I am already seeing a therapist and we discussed this thoroughly.

I don't think I have guilt that is related to me being gay(nor does she) but she has presented this interesting theory... I have finally gathered my life together and everything is pretty great right now. As I am somewhat of a hypochondriac generally, she thinks that me over-dramatizing and blowing out of proportions this entire HIV things is actually my self-sabotaging pattern.

In other words, I might not entirely believe I deserve to be happy. Also, even if you have some minor problems and then make up the scenario in which you're dying, everything else is so trivial.

Anyway, I am working on it.

[Gemini]

Agreed.

I am already seeing a therapist and we discussed this thoroughly.

I don't think I have guilt that is related to me being gay(nor does she) but she has presented this interesting theory... I have finally gathered my life together and everything is pretty great right now. As I am somewhat of a hypochondriac generally, she thinks that me over-dramatizing and blowing out of proportions this entire HIV things is actually my self-sabotaging pattern.

In other words, I might not entirely believe I deserve to be happy. Also, even if you have some minor problems and then make up the scenario in which you're dying, everything else is so trivial.

Anyway, I am working on it.

I'm so glad to hear that! Her theory makes a lot of sense, sounds like you have a really good therapist.

And I'm glad that your life is going so well right now. You deserve to be happy!