Doctor I would like your help please on a few of different situations,
1) I was walking along the street and this guy who was gay (not that it makes any difference) was only maybe 5 inches away from me spat spit out of his mouth. Well it was only about 5 inches away from me, I saw his spit fly out of his mouth a couple of inches past my face but I am not sure if it hit me or not as it happened so quick so it may have been even closer to my face than I thought or even in my face, I did sense like I felt something hit my face but I’m not sure if I was just me imagining that I felt that. I checked my face very carefully 10 hours later too see if there was any blood but could just see red marks on my face which looked like petechiae and other just little red marks which stayed on when I washed my face but a couple seemed to disappear and there was one little red mark which washed off. No idea of this guys HIV status who spat.
2) I saw a syringe with a needle inside of it on the pavement right next to my shoe while walking along the pavement. I am not sure if I stepped on it or not as there were stones on the ground too which made noise when walking on them. I was worried I might have somehow stood on it and it might have jabbed me or somehow it might have flicked up and jabbed me in the ankle or leg or something like that as it wasn’t lying flat due to the small stones it was on. I didn’t notice anything like a jabbing feeling or anything like that. I did think I maybe felt a little pain in one place in my ankle around that time but have noticed that my mind plays tricks on me sometimes but I looked at my ankle I didn’t check my foot or ankle too see if there were any marks on it after though.
3) I use to hold hands with my ex girlfriends all the time for long periods like 45 mins here 10 mins there, sometimes she would have nicks and cuts on her hands and so would I at the same times she did and at times no doubt my nicks/cuts etc would touch, rest on her nicks and cuts while holding hands. No idea of the HIV status of any of my ex girlfriends.
4) Also I would kiss my ex girlfriends with French kissing using tongues. This is as far as I went with them. No idea of the HIV status of any of my ex girlfriends.
5) A few people bumped into my during my day travelling and I didn’t feel anything like a prick when these things happened just a bump. I checked my body later where people had bumped into me and found red marks, spots, pimples etc. I was worried one of those could have been from someone either who had a syringe with a needle in their pocket or their bag and it had somehow jabbed me or maybe one of them did it deliberately. I have no idea if any of these people who bumped into me had HIV.
6) A lady and a man blew into my face a few inches away from my face, also with a dandelion. I felt the air and her breath on my face. No idea of their HIV status.
7) I had to be searched before entering a building and the security guard touched my bare hands, my bare stomach etc with his bare hands and I noticed a cut on his finger. No idea of the HIV status of the security guard.
Dr, I would really really appreciate it if you could give me just a straight Yes or No answer to these two questions.
1) Was I at risk of HIV from any of the 7 situation/events I describe?
2) Do I need to be tested for HIV from any of the 7 situation/events I describe?
I’ve had multiple HIV tests for none Sexual things over the years. I have been to your surgery before and you have suggested some medicine which I am trying now for my OCD. My life is filled with this HIV Phobia, I dream almost every night of things like people spitting etc etc. It’s horrendous. Even if I see on TV a syringe with a needle it it I sometimes worry I might have been jabbed by it even though its on the TV? Or if I see someone spit on TV I think it might have been on me? And need to shower. So I don’t watch football anymore.
I have been waiting months for the NHS to get me some treatment and I have finally been referred to someone who’s really good at things like OCD/Phobias but I have found combining that treatment with just straight facts from a medical point of view from a Doctor like yourself has helped me over come so many things already.
Thanks so much again Dr. Your service you provide is absolutely invaluable and you are such totally decent and genuine guys too.
Please could Dr Sean answer this for me? Thanks so much Dr Sean, just a really quick question in relation to event 1) which is the one below
"1) I was walking along the street and this guy who was gay (not that it makes any difference) was only maybe 5 inches away from me spat spit out of his mouth. Well it was only about 5 inches away from me, I saw his spit fly out of his mouth a couple of inches past my face but I am not sure if it hit me or not as it happened so quick so it may have been even closer to my face than I thought or even in my face, I did sense like I felt something hit my face but I’m not sure if I was just me imagining that I felt that. I checked my face very carefully 10 hours later too see if there was any blood but could just see red marks on my face which looked like petechiae and other just little red marks which stayed on when I washed my face but a couple seemed to disappear and there was one little red mark which washed off. No idea of this guys HIV status who spat."
My Quick question is I forgot to mention my other worry which was I started to think what if there was blood in this mans spit when he spat that might have gone into one of my mucus membranes such as my eyes, ears, etc or into the shaving cut I had on my face at the time when that event number 1 happened to me. So this is my quick question, are your answers still exactly the same with that other worry of mine taken into consideration in relation to the event above, event 1? Again, what would be most helpful to me would be a straight to the point answer something like "Even with your other worry taken into consideration, my answers remain exactly the same"
Question for Dr Sean please, most appreciated.
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