Did I Just Contract HIV? Signs and Symptoms of HIV

It's sometimes possible to recognize when you've recently contracted HIV from signs and symptoms such as fever, rash, or swollen lymph nodes. This video will teach you how to recognize signs and symptoms of primary HIV infection that are experienced by between 40 and 90% of individuals after they are first infected with HIV. Primary HIV infection occurs during the first few weeks or months after a person first becomes infected with HIV. Symptoms include rash and/or fevers, possibly in combination with one or more of the following symptoms: malaise (which is a general feeling of weakness, discomfort, and fatigue), loss of appetite, weight loss, a sore throat, sores in the mouth, joint or muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, fatigue, night sweats, nausea and vomiting, headache, or genital sores. The symptoms usually last from seven to ten days, and rarely more than two weeks. There is an incubation period of a few days to a few weeks between when the person was exposed to HIV and when the symptoms begin. If you have any of these symptoms and think there's even the slightest chance you might have been exposed to HIV, such as through recent sexual activity or sharing a needle, even with someone who you believe is HIV negative, you should see a doctor and ask to be tested for HIV. When you go to the doctor with any of these symptoms, it's very important to mention any risk factors you may have for HIV so they could test you. If you have ever had unprotected sex, even once, have used injection drugs, or think you might be experiencing primary HIV infection, make sure to tell your doctor. This video is freely downloadable from http://www.archive.org/details/aidsvideos_contract . Disabled accessibility: The transcript for this and many other AIDSvideos.org videos can be downloaded from http://aidsvideos.org/translate.shtml . Visit http://www.GlobalLifeworks.org and http://AIDSvideos.org to learn more. [Do you want to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? Are you fluent in a language other than English? Then volunteer to translate our videos into other languages! Click http://AIDSvideos.org/translate.shtml to to learn how you can help!!! © Copyright 2007-2011 Global Lifeworks. All rights reserved. This work is licensed to be used for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.]

Category:

Education

Tags:

• hiv
• aids
• primary
• infection
• symptoms
• test
• fever
• rash
• lymph
• nodes
• fatigue
• nausea
• vomiting
• sore
• throat
• mouth
• genital
• joint

[moocowpunk]

im 17,and my father has HIV.i was devistated when i got the news from my fathers docter.all i can ever think about now is to keep him healthy and him stress free.its not what any kid wants to hear,we had our differences but i put all my emotions to the side for him.i cant lose my father,not so early.im doing my best to be strong for him and i just hope a cure is around sometime in the future.i love my dad and to lose hope means to lose him,and ill never lose hope.

[AIDSvideos]

@moocowpunk: Sorry to hear about your father's diagnosis. Your father is lucky to have a child who loves him so much. It's good that you want to help him. But remember that your father wants you to have a full life of your own too. When I read "All I can ever think about now is to keep him healthy," I worry that you may be taking too much of the burden of your father's diagnosis on yourself. Make sure that you're thinking about and living your own life too. That will make him happy and proud.

[AIDSvideos]

@moocowpunk You may want to read the books "Boundaries" by Cloud and Townsend (which is a Christian book, incidentally) and "Codependent No More" by Melody Beattie to make sure you define healthy boundaries to clarify what is your problem vs. his problem and what is your responsibility vs. your responsibility. By living a healthy life of your own, you'll best be able to help others including your father going forward.

[MessageInBlood1]

i haven't had sex for serveral months and i feel a lttle fatigue right now. Do i have hiv?

[AIDSvideos]

@MessageInBlood1: This is Eric; I'm not a doctor. No one can diagnose anything over the Internet. See a doctor and get tested for HIV just to be safe.

[Malkohut]

So I heard that getting Cancer cures AIDS, and getting AIDS cure Cancer, is this true?

[AIDSvideos]

@Malkohut: Getting cancer does not cure HIV infection or clinical AIDS. Developing clinical AIDs does not cure cancer. You may have hear a confused retelling about the "Berlin patient," an HIV+ man who received a bone marrow transplant to cure leukemia or lymphoma (can't recall which) from a donor with natural resistance to HIV. This put his HIV into functional remission, but the technique can't be generally used for HIV since there's a 30% fatality rate on the bone marrow transplant procedure.

[xXLikeAbosSXx09]

THANK GOD IM A VIRGIN!

[MrAUFANATIC]

When I got tested for the first time, when the doctor checked my blood pressure I was literally in the clouds. I made an excuse and told the doctor that high blood pressure runs in the family lol. I was so freakin' scared. But this is what I find that's funny about the ones who are nervous. We tend to link (google every symptom), and we have a few (due to anxiety/stress) and the ones that freak out are the ones who actually negative. Practice safe sex folks. Use a plastic bag if you have to. Lol

[dinzellfirst]

guys plz relax hiv thos not kill you if you do what the docter says ur okay cancer on the other hand wont kill but its its tougher than hiv just listen dont quite on living and YOU WILL WIN dont let a virus stop you

[emosho1000]

@moocowpunk My heart goes out to you. However, having HIV doesn't mean he's going to die soon. As long as he's on antiretroviral medication, exercises regularly and is on a healthy diet, he'll be just fine. I know people who have lived with HIV for 10 to 20 years and are still going strong. It's definitely not a death sentence. I wish you all the best.

[TheMeljanCABALE]

this made me cry... it's too late for me but i know where to put myself now... REGRETS are over. now i'v got hiv at age 21. rashes in my chest and back and hairfall..my mind is floating in the air when i first recievd the result of my hiv test.. evryday is a breathless and choking day of my life.. i dont know what to do...daddy is still alive but i think he is not around when i need him the most... im becoming crazy... God help me..