Chances of getting HIV from an HIV test?

[terminallyCapricious]

I'm 19 and I performed oral on a guy back in November. When he shot his load in my mouth, I was very worried, spit it out, and made myself puke. He informed me he was clean and that he wouldn't have had sex with me if he were seropostice.

In January - February I went and got tested at a LGBT center, which receives health workers every week from the local hospital to conduct quick HIV tests. Luckily they came back negative, on HIV as well as a plethora of other STDs.

However, a week after getting tested I caught a cold - which I think must have been due to the shit weather. My only problem is that ever since I gave oral I've had some sort of heartburn though this may be due to my making myself vomit + my diet of sandwiches.

I am very done with gay sex (and sex in general) but I was wondering if there is any likelihood of me having HIV?

[Rayne]

The brain is a very powerful part of the body; it can make you believe you're unhealthy, and it can even make you think you're perfectly fine when you're near death. In your case, I'd say it's the former. Depending on your current diet, heartburn could just be coincidental to the sickness. You might have caught a virus from the place you went to get tested, as most doctor's offices/clinics/etc. contain high volumes of sick people. The chance of you getting something from the test itself are probably in the fractional range of a percent; however, this is only if you consider the remote possibility that the person who did your HIV test drew blood with a used needle. It's extremely unlikely, but I'm sure there has probably been a single case of a needle accidentally being reused in medical profession history. The part that makes it even more unlikely for you to have been infected this way is that they are drawing blood instead of injecting you with something. Even if you were unlucky enough to be stuck with a tainted needle, the probability of the virus infecting you is low from a blood draw is pretty low (it's possible, but very low probability).

Don't worry so much that you "might" have it because of a clinic visit. IF you managed to have this happen, I'm guessing it could be the first recorded case of this insane form of irony. It would definitely get someone fired, and most likely would cause a huge problem. The clinic may even be threatened with being shut down. Considering the health and safety protocol in the field, they would have legal problems out their arse. From a logical perspective, I'd say you would have to be the most unlucky person on earth if this happened to you.

That's just my opinion, though.

[rawTOP]

For all practical purposes, you can't get HIV from oral sex. Yes, there are some rare cases out there, but you'd have to have cuts, etc in our mouth to make it happen. There's a substance in saliva that's hostile to HIV.

And you can't get HIV from being tested. The testing supplies are sterile.

You just have a cold.

Please, meet some poz guys. See that their lives didn't end when they tested poz. Stop being so fearful. I mean, even if you do test poz - so what? Your life expectancy won't change. If you want something to be afraid of - be afraid of smoking. It actually kills people. (>5x as many gay guys die of smoking than of HIV).

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

I was wondering if there is any likelihood of me having HIV?

From your description of your one and only sex encounter, NO.

You need to educate yourself about HIV and other STI's. It is clear from your post that you are overly fearful. There is little reason you can't have a happy bare sex life and remain uninfected. Learn about the lifecycle of HIV, and how treatment works. While it is true oral sex is generally safe, if you had just had, for example, wisdom tooth pulled, and went on to blow a guy that is somewhat riskier.

You might do well to sero sort to poz guys who have had an undetectable viral load for some months. I always wanted a year or longer, but six months undetectable is likely fine. HIV is mostly transmitted by "neg" guys - fellows whose last test was neg. This is because it takes about 90 days for HIV to show up on tests.

You are not going to get infected with a single virus. You are not going to get infected by being in the same room with poz people, even poz people with a high viral load. You will not get infected by deep kissing a poz person.

Try to relax a bit. Sex should be fun not scary...

[Rayne]

Hate to make the OP an example, but it shouldn't be taken personally when I say: this is just another example of the poor education in our society. Again, not to be taken personally, as this isn't his fault. It just is frustrating :/

[seaguy]

Do they no longer teach this stuff in school?

[terminallyCapricious]

It isn't my only sexual encounter (I did have BB sex with two guys a year or two back), but I never came down with anything (other than crabs, I think, though it likely is just jock itch), and the fact that I tested neg proves whatever I may have gotten isn't there.

Still, I believe sex is way too dangerous. A condom could easily burst, and to be honest I didn't enjoy it that much - I'd rather stick to masturbation.

But thanks for the replies, I suppose I'm simply a hypochondriac with heartburn. That seems far more likely than me having HIV.

[TigerMilner]

This post is sad. SeaGuy nailed it: Don't they teach this stuff in school? To be 19 and so afraid of sex that he threw up after giving a blowjob is absolutely shameful. But kid, ever heard of Google. Find the information. Don't become a monk.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

Also, look into PrEP.

[hungry_hole]

I'm 19 ...

I am very done with gay sex (and sex in general) but ...

...(I did have BB sex with two guys a year or two back).

I doubt you will stop having sex with guys and I'm sure that one day you'll be horny again and you will crave bareback sex. You are 19 and fooling around heavy with guys since you were 17.

[terminallyCapricious]

I doubt you will stop having sex with guys and I'm sure that one day you'll be horny again and you will crave bareback sex. You are 19 and fooling around heavy with guys since you were 17.

No, as I said I'm quite done, the risk and the effort simply aren't worth the trouble. I'm still in the closet and part of a very conservative family and as far as they know I'm still a heterosexual virgin, which makes me feel fairly guilty.

I would honestly very much stick to my hand.

[Rayne]

I'm 23, and I've sworn off dating a handful of times... I went on a date last weekend. To me, it wasn't much of a date; but regardless what I want to call it, it was still a fucking date lol.

You'll find an urge in the near future, and you'll start experimenting again. Right now you're in fear. Fear is one of the strongest emotions we have, and it makes us do many things that we wouldn't do otherwise. While it doesn't seem "worth the risk," you probably haven't had proper perspective on the actual risks at hand with sex. I made a thread that put sex and STD's into perspective, albeit an abstract way, to help others see just how risky bareback sex is (as well as with a condom). That post is here- https://breeding.zone/threads/26023-Risk-and-The-Optimism-Bias.

Based on the logic that "sex isn't worth the risk," in an abstract way, you are also saying that life isn't worth the risk of cancer, or death in general. Every person who lives will die- 100% chance of death. Your chance of getting heart disease- 1/5; your chance of a car accident- 1/84 each time you ride in/drive a car; chance of cancer- 1/7.

If you're going to avoid sex because you'd rather not engage in the activity in general, you have my full support. If you're doing it because you are afraid of catching something, I think you're doing it for the wrong reasons. There are other ways of catching an STD, namely HIV, that do not involve risky behaviour, and are completely incidental. Hypothetically speaking: if you tried to rescue a person from a car accident, they are bleeding profusely, and you attempt to stop the bleeding for fear they might bleed out before the EMT arrives, and they have HIV, you've been exposed and could be at risk. Are you going to avoid potentially saving someone's life because of this fear? It seems like a silly question, but you're probably more at risk for various blood-borne illnesses by being the good samaritan, compared to sex and STD risks. Just trying to put some perspective into things, and nothing more.

If you ever want to minimise the risks of sex, there are many effective ways of doing that while still enjoying yourself. The forum has a wealth of information on this. If you want to remain celibate, then I hope you enjoy it. We have a sex drive for a reason, so my guess is it will get to you one day. There are very few people who can truly avoid having sex.

[Poz1956]

When he shot his load in my mouth, I was very worried, spit it out, and made myself puke.

One school of thought says swallow, rather than spit.

The most likely place or oral health issues is around the gums. Cum shots usually happen behind the teeth. If you swallow the cum stays behind the gums, but if you spit, you will spread the splooge all around your mouth. The stomach is a very caustic environment & the virus is very fragile.

[Poz1956]

I always wanted a year or longer, but six months undetectable is likely fine.

HPTN 052, the study that said Pozzies on treatment were 96% less likely to transmit HIV, than those not on treatment, used six months undetectable as it's benchmark. That's the study that spawned the Swiss Statement, and is the most often cited in info on the web.

Most people reach undetectable within three months of starting treatment. Some get there in the first month. There are a few that take up to six months, and of course some that never reach undetectable.

Undetectable for six months is probably a good place to set the bar.

[Poz1956]

Still, I believe sex is way too dangerous. A condom could easily burst, and to be honest I didn't enjoy it that much - I'd rather stick to masturbation.

I think you should put a condom on while masturbating, and try to break it while jerking off. They don't break that easily. Try blowing one up like a balloon, and see how big they get before they burst.

The most common cause of condoms breaking is inexperience with condoms. Second is not putting it on properly. Third is not using a condom safe lube.

Personally I've never had one break, and I've been using them since Safer Sex was invented in 1984. I do know a few people who have had one break, but it's not common.

If a condom broke, if it broke when he came, and if the guy who was fucking you was Poz, and if he wasn't on treatment, and if he didn't know he was Poz, and if he was recently infected and had a high viral load, then you'd still have to actually catch HIV. Not every exposure to HIV results in you to becoming Poz.

That's an awful lot of "Ifs" that would ALL have to line up exactly correctly for your worst fear to come true, assuming you choose to play safely. If you play bare, take out the first two ifs. That still a lot of ifs.

I'm guessing that with a very conservative family, you got "abstinence only" sex ed, or abstinence is the family value you've been taught. So you're falling back on that. You're not going to stay celebrate for the rest of your life. You will eventually give in to the natural urges. Spend some time on the web and learn about sex, STIs, and HIV. If you've got a family that snoops at browser history, use "private browsing mode" (usually under the File menu), so no history is tracked and they won't see anything.

If you already know that you are gay, do not get forced into a straight marriage because that's what your family expects. Generally that plays out this way. You will end up cheating on your wife with guys, feel horribly guilty about it every time, swear off it, the urge comes back, and the cycle repeats. Eventually come out in your 40's, which usually results in a nasty divorce.