This might end up being sort of long, but I want to be as complete as possible in case anyone out there can help point me in the right direction.
First of all, I should mention that I do get panic/anxiety attacks and I tend to be pretty paranoid about my health.
Around two years ago I had unprotected heterosexual sex with a co-worker of mine at the time. I found out after the fact that she sleeps around. A few months later I started having some strange symptoms. For a long time now I've had problems urinating. My flow is a lot weaker than it used to be and sometimes it's so low that I dribble. And sometimes it sprays out in two different directions at one because there isn't enough force to condense it into one stream.
I also get a swelling along my perineum (taint) that comes and goes. It's exactly halfway between my scrotum and my anus. When it's swelled up I can literally see the swelling if I bend down and look.
I've had other symptoms also, and I want to list everything...
1. One thing I've noticed is that the area around each of my eyes is very dark, and it feels slightly tingly/burny most of the time. My eyes themselves feel fine, it's just the area around my eyes that looks weird. I've always had minor dark circles under my eyes but this is a lot darker, and I can see blood vessels below and above my eyes.
2. My nose is almost constantly stuffed up. I don't sneeze much or get the sniffles, and I've tried taking Claritin and it does absolutely nothing for me. This is usually accompanied by a light pressure in my head/sinus area.
3. This one really freaks me out. I've noticed that my tongue, especially near the back, looks sorta white and furry. I've looked up thrush pics on Google and my tongue doesn't look like any of those. I've not had any big chunky cottage cheese stuff, nor have I had any major sores or lesions on my tongue or anywhere in my mouth. But my tongue itself is always tinted this greyish-white color and it seems to be thicker towards the back. When I run my fingernail down the middle of it, it looks like hair. I brush my tongue every day and it keeps coming back.
4. I feel a lot more tired than I used to. It seems like my overall energy level has been cut in half. I also feel like I'm more apathetic than I used to be. Nothing really excites me or gets me interested. I don't feel "fatigued" in the sense that I can't move, I just feel sleepy most of the time. I yawn a lot. And it seems like it takes me longer to get actually, fully 100% awake. Some days I don't feel like I'm totally awake until noon and half of my work day is already done. I feel groggy and sorta slow in my head .
5. I've only been sick one time since the sexual encounter, and that was this past January when almost everyone caught this nasty little bug that was going around. Other than that, I can't remember the last time. I'm rarely ever sick. I've also not noticed any rashes, weird sores, nausea, night sweats, etc. I did have a lot of diarrhea last year but I think that's probably because I ate Taco Bell almost every single day.
6. Mottling on my hands and fingers. Sometimes I get all these white spots on the palms of my hands, and it seems like in the last few months it's been spreading. The first went to the sides of my index finger, and now there's a few on the top of each finger and a couple on the backs of my hands. These spots aren't visible at all times... I almost wonder if it's circulation-related because it seems like if I let my hands hang limp at my side, they show up. They aren't raised or painful, but sometimes they are very slightly itchy. I also have a couple spots on my lower legs like this. Also, it seems like a lot of the spots on the tops of my fingers are symmetrical.. meaning that if I hold my hands up side-by-side, a lot of the spots are in the exact same spot on each hand, or at least close to it.
7. Lymph nodes? I have no idea if my lymph nodes are swollen or not because I can never see or feel anything. I guess that's good. But I do get an itchiness in both of my armpits sometimes, not a normal sort of itch, and not necessarily at the same time. Also it seems like once in a while the area where my groin meets my leg feels slightly painful too, but it is usually a quick, mild sensation of pain and then it goes away. I've felt around and my lymph nodes don't seem to be swollen.. And lately (literally in the last week or so) my neck has felt weird. On my right-hand side under my jaw line, going from below my ear to about halfway to my chin, it feels like there's some kind of swelling or pressure, but when I feel around with my hands, both sides of my face feel the same. But it FEELS like the right side should be swollen like a balloon! Even right now as I type this, I can feel it. It's not "painful" in my opinion but it's very annoying.
8. In the last week my throat has also felt funny. It doesn't "hurt" either but it feels swollen. Swallowing seems ever-so-slightly harder, but there isn't any pain or anything. I've had strep before and this isn't nearly as bad. This sensation goes from my adam's apple up to the back of my nasal cavity. It feels a little tingly too, and I notice a tingliness in the back of my mouth after I brush my tongue. I tried looking in my bathroom mirror at the back of my throat, but I can't get a good look. From what I can tell, it seems like there's some small white patches on the back of my throat too, same color as my tongue.
9. I did lose a lot of weight last year, but I also stopped going to the bar and I started to work out a little bit at home.
I went to a doctor about 2 months ago and he ran a urine test because I told him about the urination problems, etc. He said that I had some sort of mild infection and prescribed me Doxycyclene (sp?) for 10 days. I don't think it actually did anything because my symptoms didn't go away whatsoever. And lately it's actually been worse because of my weird feeling in my throat/neck. I am planning on going back within the week and asking him to do more tests and take samples from my mouth so I can figure out what's going on for sure, but can anyone give me their idea of what this might be?
From what I can tell, it seems like a candida infection. But that has me worried because doesn't candida only affect people with HIV or cancer or some other serious problem? (I ordered some chewable acidophilus tablets today..)
If I had unprotected sex with that girl two years ago, is there still a chance I contracted HIV and don't know it yet? In retrospect I seem to remember that she was always sick, or stuffed up or sniffling at work. I'm just worried and I'm looking for informed answers. I tend to worry myself to death, which I know only makes things worse. What the heck is going on?
p.s. if you actually took the time to read and respond to this, thank you VERY much.
First of all, I should mention that I do get panic/anxiety attacks and I tend to be pretty paranoid about my health.
Around two years ago I had unprotected heterosexual sex with a co-worker of mine at the time. I found out after the fact that she sleeps around. A few months later I started having some strange symptoms. For a long time now I've had problems urinating. My flow is a lot weaker than it used to be and sometimes it's so low that I dribble. And sometimes it sprays out in two different directions at one because there isn't enough force to condense it into one stream.
I also get a swelling along my perineum (taint) that comes and goes. It's exactly halfway between my scrotum and my anus. When it's swelled up I can literally see the swelling if I bend down and look.
I've had other symptoms also, and I want to list everything...
1. One thing I've noticed is that the area around each of my eyes is very dark, and it feels slightly tingly/burny most of the time. My eyes themselves feel fine, it's just the area around my eyes that looks weird. I've always had minor dark circles under my eyes but this is a lot darker, and I can see blood vessels below and above my eyes.
2. My nose is almost constantly stuffed up. I don't sneeze much or get the sniffles, and I've tried taking Claritin and it does absolutely nothing for me. This is usually accompanied by a light pressure in my head/sinus area.
3. This one really freaks me out. I've noticed that my tongue, especially near the back, looks sorta white and furry. I've looked up thrush pics on Google and my tongue doesn't look like any of those. I've not had any big chunky cottage cheese stuff, nor have I had any major sores or lesions on my tongue or anywhere in my mouth. But my tongue itself is always tinted this greyish-white color and it seems to be thicker towards the back. When I run my fingernail down the middle of it, it looks like hair. I brush my tongue every day and it keeps coming back.
4. I feel a lot more tired than I used to. It seems like my overall energy level has been cut in half. I also feel like I'm more apathetic than I used to be. Nothing really excites me or gets me interested. I don't feel "fatigued" in the sense that I can't move, I just feel sleepy most of the time. I yawn a lot. And it seems like it takes me longer to get actually, fully 100% awake. Some days I don't feel like I'm totally awake until noon and half of my work day is already done. I feel groggy and sorta slow in my head .
5. I've only been sick one time since the sexual encounter, and that was this past January when almost everyone caught this nasty little bug that was going around. Other than that, I can't remember the last time. I'm rarely ever sick. I've also not noticed any rashes, weird sores, nausea, night sweats, etc. I did have a lot of diarrhea last year but I think that's probably because I ate Taco Bell almost every single day.
6. Mottling on my hands and fingers. Sometimes I get all these white spots on the palms of my hands, and it seems like in the last few months it's been spreading. The first went to the sides of my index finger, and now there's a few on the top of each finger and a couple on the backs of my hands. These spots aren't visible at all times... I almost wonder if it's circulation-related because it seems like if I let my hands hang limp at my side, they show up. They aren't raised or painful, but sometimes they are very slightly itchy. I also have a couple spots on my lower legs like this. Also, it seems like a lot of the spots on the tops of my fingers are symmetrical.. meaning that if I hold my hands up side-by-side, a lot of the spots are in the exact same spot on each hand, or at least close to it.
7. Lymph nodes? I have no idea if my lymph nodes are swollen or not because I can never see or feel anything. I guess that's good. But I do get an itchiness in both of my armpits sometimes, not a normal sort of itch, and not necessarily at the same time. Also it seems like once in a while the area where my groin meets my leg feels slightly painful too, but it is usually a quick, mild sensation of pain and then it goes away. I've felt around and my lymph nodes don't seem to be swollen.. And lately (literally in the last week or so) my neck has felt weird. On my right-hand side under my jaw line, going from below my ear to about halfway to my chin, it feels like there's some kind of swelling or pressure, but when I feel around with my hands, both sides of my face feel the same. But it FEELS like the right side should be swollen like a balloon! Even right now as I type this, I can feel it. It's not "painful" in my opinion but it's very annoying.
8. In the last week my throat has also felt funny. It doesn't "hurt" either but it feels swollen. Swallowing seems ever-so-slightly harder, but there isn't any pain or anything. I've had strep before and this isn't nearly as bad. This sensation goes from my adam's apple up to the back of my nasal cavity. It feels a little tingly too, and I notice a tingliness in the back of my mouth after I brush my tongue. I tried looking in my bathroom mirror at the back of my throat, but I can't get a good look. From what I can tell, it seems like there's some small white patches on the back of my throat too, same color as my tongue.
9. I did lose a lot of weight last year, but I also stopped going to the bar and I started to work out a little bit at home.
I went to a doctor about 2 months ago and he ran a urine test because I told him about the urination problems, etc. He said that I had some sort of mild infection and prescribed me Doxycyclene (sp?) for 10 days. I don't think it actually did anything because my symptoms didn't go away whatsoever. And lately it's actually been worse because of my weird feeling in my throat/neck. I am planning on going back within the week and asking him to do more tests and take samples from my mouth so I can figure out what's going on for sure, but can anyone give me their idea of what this might be?
From what I can tell, it seems like a candida infection. But that has me worried because doesn't candida only affect people with HIV or cancer or some other serious problem? (I ordered some chewable acidophilus tablets today..)
If I had unprotected sex with that girl two years ago, is there still a chance I contracted HIV and don't know it yet? In retrospect I seem to remember that she was always sick, or stuffed up or sniffling at work. I'm just worried and I'm looking for informed answers. I tend to worry myself to death, which I know only makes things worse. What the heck is going on?
p.s. if you actually took the time to read and respond to this, thank you VERY much.
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I forgot to mention that I am currently 28, a light smoker (trying to quit actually) and a light, occasional drinker.
I smoke perhaps 3-4 cigarettes a day and when I do drink, it's always beer and these days I only drink 2-4. Maybe 5 once in a great while. Two years ago, around the time this whole incident took place, I used to go to bars all the time and drink every single night. These days it's a lot less often.
I smoke perhaps 3-4 cigarettes a day and when I do drink, it's always beer and these days I only drink 2-4. Maybe 5 once in a great while. Two years ago, around the time this whole incident took place, I used to go to bars all the time and drink every single night. These days it's a lot less often.
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Dear Skunk: The 1st thing I thought of was Candida! And NO it doesn't happen when you have cancer etc. Candida is yeast and we all have yeast in our systems. Just that Candida doesn't stop. What you need to do is go to a Naturopath, he/she will put you on a Candida diet, that means nothing WHITE! That of course is sugar, white flour, white rice etc. etc. NO alcohol! NO Pop etc. One of my dearest friends of mine has been diagnosed with Candida her symtpoms are IDENTICAL to yours, this is why I knew it was Candida.
She is starting to feel better, it is a learning curve and a total change around with your way of thinking and diet. It will take a lot of hard work on your part, but you can do it. Like my girlfriend said "It takes a bit to get your mind around and to read everything and really really realize what you are putting into your body. I don't mean to sound nasty but it is obvious you might have a bit of hyperchondria! Which comes with panic/anxiety and paranoia. So you might not really take my "diagnosis" to heart! When people worry about their health, they read things and don't see .... could be a cold, flu, alergies etc. They see the very final statement that it COULD be lung cancer!! And that sticks with them and nothing someone can say will change their minds! I understand that, this is why I don't want anyone diagnosing themselves online. I think that anyone who is looking for something they WILL find it.
So I truly hope you come to the same conclusion as I that you do have Candida and you CAN get cured by it. Also your symptoms have NOTHING to do with HIV I promise you! Just because the woman was "loose" doesn't mean she was actually a carrier of anything! In fact - lately STD's are higher in teenagers and 20 somethings than any other age in the population. So don't worry anymore about that OK? It's over and nothing came from it.
Try and get to a naturopath - and not look up your own treatments - and they can and will help you further!! Good luck and health!
She is starting to feel better, it is a learning curve and a total change around with your way of thinking and diet. It will take a lot of hard work on your part, but you can do it. Like my girlfriend said "It takes a bit to get your mind around and to read everything and really really realize what you are putting into your body. I don't mean to sound nasty but it is obvious you might have a bit of hyperchondria! Which comes with panic/anxiety and paranoia. So you might not really take my "diagnosis" to heart! When people worry about their health, they read things and don't see .... could be a cold, flu, alergies etc. They see the very final statement that it COULD be lung cancer!! And that sticks with them and nothing someone can say will change their minds! I understand that, this is why I don't want anyone diagnosing themselves online. I think that anyone who is looking for something they WILL find it.
So I truly hope you come to the same conclusion as I that you do have Candida and you CAN get cured by it. Also your symptoms have NOTHING to do with HIV I promise you! Just because the woman was "loose" doesn't mean she was actually a carrier of anything! In fact - lately STD's are higher in teenagers and 20 somethings than any other age in the population. So don't worry anymore about that OK? It's over and nothing came from it.
Try and get to a naturopath - and not look up your own treatments - and they can and will help you further!! Good luck and health!
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I agree that you may have early symptoms of immune deficiency disorder. These include chronic fatigue, susceptibility to recurrent infections despite treatment, diarrhea, lymph node enlargement, unexplained weight loss. Full blown AIDS will take many years to develop. You can get yourself tested anonymously for HIV.
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Hoseclamps! This gentleman DOES NOT have HIV symptoms at all. Below is a list of HIV symptoms. Most people do not even show ANY signs of anything for upto 10 years so please be careful about posting something like this!
http://std.about.com/od/symptomsfaq/f/hivsymfaq.htm
Below are the symptoms of Candida:
http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html
I think when you re read Skunks post and the symptoms of Candida you will see the total similarities!!!
http://std.about.com/od/symptomsfaq/f/hivsymfaq.htm
Below are the symptoms of Candida:
http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html
I think when you re read Skunks post and the symptoms of Candida you will see the total similarities!!!
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I am only suggesting that the gentleman may have HIV symptoms, and HIV is something that needs to be ruled out. Actually, signs of HIV can occur as early as two months, and as long as 10 years or more as you have mentioned. I agree with you that the gentleman may have Candida symptoms, and recurrent candida infection that resists treatment may be an indication of a weakened immune response. HIV is a public health issue rather than a morality issue. It needs to be dealt with early on as an asymptomatic or low-symptom carrier can often infect many more sexual partners before he/she is diagnosed.
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Thanks a lot for the feedback! I will definitely be getting tested for all STD's just to be safe and to alleviate my fears... but looking at that Candida page, I have a LOT of the symptoms listed. And I hope and pray I don't have HIV but I'd like to think that I don't. My appetite is the strongest it's been since I was a teen and I've actually put on weight recently. I also haven't had any fever, rashes, sickness, etc. But there's that paranoid part of my brain that can't stop thinking "what if??!" and I freak out over it.
I actually don't drink any soda at all, and I don't eat candy or sweets really. I do eat rice and some stuff with white flour. I do drink beer but I'm gonna leave that alone for a while. Not only to help get rid of this, but also because I think I've added a bit to my gut because of it. :-( I *try* to eat healthy, but it's hard. (Especially when you're poor and there's no natural food stores around.) But when it comes to my health, I will do what I gotta do. Like I said, I ordered some of those acidophilus (sp?) chewable tablets and I'm going to try to eat a lot more yogurt.
I've been putting up with these symptoms for a long time now, and I'm really tired of it. Especially my throat feeling swollen and feeling sleepy all the time. Oh and I'm sure I am a hypochondriac. No doubt about it. The logical part of my brain, which has done a lot of research on the internet, knows that I most likely have a candida problem.. but there's the paranoid side of my brain that is scared to death wondering if I have HIV and I'm in some asymptiomatic stage. I just have to get tested, either way it's for the best. I hope I don't have to wait an extremely long time for my results because I can tell you that in the meantime I will be FREAKING OUT.
I've already vowed to myself that if I am HIV-free, I am not having meaningless casual sex again. EVER. It's just not worth the risk.
Going over the candida list of symptoms, I'm 99% sure that's what I have. I can say "yes" to almost everything on the list.
I actually don't drink any soda at all, and I don't eat candy or sweets really. I do eat rice and some stuff with white flour. I do drink beer but I'm gonna leave that alone for a while. Not only to help get rid of this, but also because I think I've added a bit to my gut because of it. :-( I *try* to eat healthy, but it's hard. (Especially when you're poor and there's no natural food stores around.) But when it comes to my health, I will do what I gotta do. Like I said, I ordered some of those acidophilus (sp?) chewable tablets and I'm going to try to eat a lot more yogurt.
I've been putting up with these symptoms for a long time now, and I'm really tired of it. Especially my throat feeling swollen and feeling sleepy all the time. Oh and I'm sure I am a hypochondriac. No doubt about it. The logical part of my brain, which has done a lot of research on the internet, knows that I most likely have a candida problem.. but there's the paranoid side of my brain that is scared to death wondering if I have HIV and I'm in some asymptiomatic stage. I just have to get tested, either way it's for the best. I hope I don't have to wait an extremely long time for my results because I can tell you that in the meantime I will be FREAKING OUT.
I've already vowed to myself that if I am HIV-free, I am not having meaningless casual sex again. EVER. It's just not worth the risk.
Going over the candida list of symptoms, I'm 99% sure that's what I have. I can say "yes" to almost everything on the list.
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Like I said before, as soon as I read your symtpoms I immediately thought that. If you start reading ingredients in things it is amazing what has sugar in it! That's what my freind found out. She actually spends less on food now, because she watches everything. It is amazing what you notice. I wasn't putting you down about being a hypochondriac, it is such a negative word. But the way I see it is, in this day and age of technology and being able to diagnose yourself, when you research something we ALL look at what the worst outcome is don't we? I wasn't singling you out, it's just human nature. If our leg has gangreen we don't say "Oh thats nothing! I'll be ok|" we instantly think I am going to be an amputee! And when we have anxiety, it is hard for us to see the postive. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks too, so I understand the whole scenario. So when another poster put up that you could have HIV I went balistic! You could also have Chinese Nuclear Chicken Sores!! But I doubt it!!!! ;-) XD
Also know that a lot of western doctors don't take Candida seriously - because we all have candida. Your in good hands if you can find a doctor from the Far East or a naturopath. They really know about the problems you can have with Candida. Western doctors will eventually catch up, especially after they can find a "drug" for it!!!! ;-) XD Good luck and keep me updated ok?
Also know that a lot of western doctors don't take Candida seriously - because we all have candida. Your in good hands if you can find a doctor from the Far East or a naturopath. They really know about the problems you can have with Candida. Western doctors will eventually catch up, especially after they can find a "drug" for it!!!! ;-) XD Good luck and keep me updated ok?
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I think you're worrying so much and it's making you notice things that you would otherwise not even give a thought about. Take the HIV test. It will put your mind at ease. If it comes back negative you can stop this worrying! If it comes back positive, many people live for decades without ever getting AIDS. You need to put your mind at ease.
Please check back with us and let us know how you're doing.
Please check back with us and let us know how you're doing.
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