Question: I need some help. On October 15th I had protected vaginal intercourse with a woman several times. I am sure out of these events there were several times when there may have been contact but no penetration whatsoever without a condom on. A few days after I had intense itching of my penis tip, the shaft and scrotum which concerned me a bit. I didn't think much of this at first. About a week or two after I had protected sex with another woman but I didn't maintain an erection and the sex didn't last long. As far as I can remember the only contact may have been me hitting my organ against her pubic region but no penetration without a condom. Now here are the symptoms so far, a short while after all this I developed dry skin on the back of my penis, this plus the itching was concerning. However there were no noticeable sores or blisters. A little while after this encounter I developed a mild fever and mild joint pains all throughout my body which lasted a week and a half which is very concerning. I also had a lost of appetite and diarrhea / upset stomach / slight nausea for about 3 days. Now I'm going out of my mind thinking HIV infection or Herpes which is really worrying. I only told the doctor about my the itching and dry skin but not about the other symptoms and he just said fungal infection. I'm scared out of my mind. Just a bit of history on the two girls, the first girl is afraid of being tested because of a fear of needles but insists that all her ex's got tested and were negative. The second girl had been tested a short time after intercourse with the last guy she had sex with but doubts it was after a 3 month period (the time it takes for conclusive results). I know the chances of being infected by STD's are reduced with the use of a condom, but if I can get a fungal infection using one then I assume it's the same idea with an STD. I am 24 years old, 5'11" and about 140lbs. Any advice, information, ideas I would appreciate.

Thank you for your response Doctor. You are right I learnt alot from this lesson and don't intend to be this careless again. It's a terrible feeling to behave in this manner. I just have a few follow up questions: 1) Do you think the doctor's diagnosis of fungal infection was correct? He didn't really give me a thorough physical exam, I just described it to him and he explained it. I saw online that fungal infections are incredibly rare. 2) If there was contact with vaginal secretions without actual penetration is HIV a big risk? 3) The doctor pretty much ruled out Herpes because I told him I hadn't noticed any lesions or bumps (a classic herpes symptom). However again my research online has shown many persons don't get these symptoms. The muscle aches for a week and fever has me very concerned. 4) I ruled this out from being the flu because I didn't get a runny nose, what could these symptoms have been? Thank you once more. Again, it's a very scary period for me, I still exhibit the joint pains but alot less and I'm just going out of my mind. Looking forward to your response again.

Hello Doctor, I am still very concerned. I continue to have mild joint / muscle pains throughout my body, a light fever and a general feeling of being unwell which is freaking me out. In addition I've been having continuous growling of my stomach and loose stools / diarrhea. It is a very strong cause for concern. I try as much as possible to remain calm and rule out all these possibilities but I can't seem to help it. I know if I did not have sex on both occassions I would be perfectly fine. Th most worrying concern now is the diarrhea which comes and goes but now seems continuous. Researching shows this as a sign of HIV or Herpes so I really don't know what to do. The thoughts of "low risk" doesn't mean no risk, I keep telling myself. What are your thoughts? Please help.

Hello Doctor, I would like to follow up with you on what has been happening. Last week my doctor had prescribed some liquid medication to ease my diarrhea which did not seem to work. It continued. On the weekend of November 22 - November 24 (and earlier throughout the week) I had severe fatigue. I participate in training bootcamps and couldn't keep up. My eyes were red and I felt tired despite a good nights rest. This has me very concerned. Since Tuesday (Nov 26) most symptoms have disappeared (which fits the 2 - 3 week seroconversion idea). I went back to my doctor for follow up tests (more blood drawn) and he prescribed presdizone for my fatigue. Today (Thursday) he said the blood tests were off. My white blood cell count was high suggesting I was fighting an infection and my lymphocytes were low. Now I am really worried about the possibility that I contracted HIV from my events because I've come to realise low lymphocyte counts are indicative of HIV. He is saying that it's possible that I have riter's syndrome (reactive arthritis) and said it could be caused from chlamydia. The problem with that is that I've had chlamydia before and know the symptoms and I experienced none of them this time around. Furthermore he didn't even test for chlamydia he just prescribed arithromycin for it and that was that. He asked me several times if the sex I had was protective which it was the only risk was possibly during foreplay with genital to genital contact (no penetration without a condom). Based on this he insists it can't be HIV. Clearly I am still very concerned and worried and going out of my mind. What are your thoughts? Also, Does my low lymphocyte count and high white blood cell count indicate HIV? What is the connection?

Thank you for your response doctor. I replied but I guess it didn't show. I have a few follow up questions which are: 1) From my research online and what I've seen so far isn't it normal for lymphocytes to dip low temporarily after a recent HIV infection? Also isn't it normal for WBC to increase slightly? This is my case. 2) I have a hard time accepting the chalmydia diagnosis since no test was done and I showed no characteristic sign of that STD. Why would my doctor just assume this? 3) My symptoms of fatigue, diarrhea, fever, muscle aches etc. all started 2 weeks after my last sexual exposure and ended 2 - 3 weeks after this. I remember the feeling of being unwell every single day and having these symptoms. Is this not characteristic of seroconversion especially with the symptoms, time period etc. ? 4) Is reactive arthritis (which my doctor assumes) a real possible cause? How is it diagnosed etc.? Thank you in advance for your follow up response.