Went to a private party over the weekend, got a little bit buzzed and ended up having unprotected sex with a civilian I met there. I have no symptoms of any kind but I am just getting paranoid about contracting something. Is there anything I can take which I can get over the counter that can give me some peace of mind. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
First of all, relax. HIV for example, is actually a fairly wimpy virus outside of the body and has low transmission rates. It takes multiple exposures to become infected. That said, I do not condone unsafe sex!! You should see your doctor, however, and if you are symptom-free should be screened for syphilis and hepatitis B as well as HIV. HIV should also be checked a few months down the line as it may take some time to develop cross-reacting anitbodies (and thus the initial test may be negative). Your doctor may also check you for chlamydia/gonorrhea depending on symptoms. Use condoms!! Avoid alcohol if you think it will impair your judgement in this regard. -renaissancefool
Seriously, seek advice from a medical professional. If it were me, I'd go to doctor I've never seen, would NOT use insurance, and would use an alias and NOT fill out any information (pay cash for doctor's visits and ALL tests). Call the Doc's office beforehand, speak to the Doc if possible and explain that you want anonymous STD tests, and want complete confidentiality).
I disagree with one of the above comments about HIV requiring multiple exposures, but I'm not an M.D.
Use this as an opportunity to get a baseline STD test (may have to wait awhile after exposure for HIV to show up in a test). Depending on test results, anonimity is important if you plan to buy life insurance later (are you old enough to remember how Magic Johnson found out he had HIV?).
isn't that PETA's official statement? Seriously, I wouldn't worry overmuch about the doc breaking confidentiality--it is against their moral and legal code to break it, so their butt is on the line as well. Any doctor you trust will do, an I would be upfront. And yes, HIV transmission rates are around 0.5% for each act, which may vary depending how it is being transferred, underlying conditions, etc. -renaissancefool
If you get a positive result and you have claimed insurance, almost any information requested by insurance companies is shared. If your employer is self-insured, like many are now (they hire firms to simply ADMINISTER their insurance programs), someone at your employer has access to those records if they choose to pry. This happened at a former employer of mine.
If you get tested positively for HIV, you will not be able to buy decent life insurance (Magic Johnson found out he had HIV through testing required during a life insurance application process). So for HIV tests, I would ALWAYS go anonymous.
Lastly, in my case, my regular Doc is my neighbor AND his WIFE, who sees my wife regularly at social functions, manages his office!! I realized that mine is a special case, though.
But the Doc confidentiality bit - you need to be careful there...
Most cities have some sort of a sexual health clinic. These offer confidential testing with the cost on a sliding scale. Confidentiality is particularly important as many insurance companies have decided not to insure a person if they have even been tested, on the theory that it is an indicator of risky behavior (seems stupid to me, but what do I know). Planned Parenthood also has confidential STI testing.
The last time I was tested I had a urinary tract infection (it turned out to be none sexually related). I was tested about two weeks after my last encounter, and the nurse-practitioner said that was good as it takes at least ten days for most STIs to show up on the test. Even then, they will not necessarily show up. The information I was given was that most can lay dormant for up to three months, and some (including HIV) can lay dormant for up to six months. Get tested, and then get tested again at six months (at least). I would (personally) want to be tested at two weeks, three months, and six months. Make up your own mind about what your own schedule will be, but definitely get tested.
I am not representing this as a medical opinion. I am only relaying the information I was given by my health care provider. I am just an average blue collar working guy.
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