Mono or AIDS?

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Ok so I am extremely fucking sick right now. About 6 weeks ago had unprotected sex with a woman like 5 or 6 times and thought I had an STD. So I went to the doctor and he stuck a q-tip up my dick and also suggested I get an HIV and Syphilis test. I went back two weeks later and he told me everything was negative.A week ago I got really sick and thought it was strep, my tonsils look like cottage cheese and I even thought of just cutting them out myself with a knife. So I go back to the doctor and he says most likely mono and has me take a blood test. He asked me if I kissed any girls with mono lately and I said there was a girl 6 weeks ago maybe and he just says "no that's not how you got it." Also when I was with this girl one time she mentioned something about her having some tonsil condition and probably she would get them removed, one time she had very foul breath like infectious smelling.So now I'm just extremely scared it's AIDS because I read a lot of people go to the doctor with symptoms of mono and find out it's "acute HIV." I've only had one sexual partner in the past 6 months, one girl. Also when you think of someone who you catch HIV from I mean, they probably aren't going to be a 19 year old college girl, right? I know technically anyone can get it but usually the people who do live on the edges of society and have been doing high risk behaviors for years. Also I read that there is a 1 in 2000 chance of getting HIV from having sex with a girl who actually has it. So I just want to know, if I tested negative at the beginning of December, is is possible it would just suddenly develop 3 weeks later or would I have tested positive then if I actually had it?Also I think doctors are full of shit because he goes and tells me it takes 1 week to develop mono after being exposed and everything else I read says 5-6 weeks. And he told me I caught mono from going to the grocery store. Why are doctors such assholes and think they know everything?I probably won't be able to find out the results of the mono test for a few days because of the holidays but I feel like they're just going to tell me "negative" and then I'm going to assume it's HIV.Please answer me ASAP. For some reason I have this extreme phobia of AIDS and that I'll get it.

It is extremely unlikely it would be AIDS. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV : "HIV infection has basically four stages: incubation period, acute infection, latency stage and AIDS. The initial incubation period upon infection is asymptomatic and usually lasts between two and four weeks. The second stage, acute infection, which lasts an average of 28 days and can include symptoms such as fever, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), pharyngitis (sore throat), rash, myalgia (muscle pain), malaise, and mouth and esophageal sores. The latency stage, which occurs third, shows few or no symptoms and can last anywhere from two weeks to twenty years and beyond. AIDS, the fourth and final stage of HIV infection shows as symptoms of various opportunistic infections." Your doctor does appear to have got his facts wrong. If it's mono you could well have got it from kissing the girl. You are not likely to get it from a grocery store.But from the symptoms you have described, it seems quite likely it could be strep throat or some other throat infection.

I had a throat culture done last week because I initially thought it was strep, rapid test came back negative but they gave me antibiotics anyways. Why do doctors always love to push antibiotics? They said they were doing some kind of secondary test but that came back neg. too for strep.Doctors are such pricks, I never had a doctor I felt actually gave a damn about me, most of the time I feel like they don't even bother examining me that much and then just shout out diagnoses. Seriously, I could put on a lab coat and be a much better M.D. than any real one I ever met. I mean they make $100,000+ a year and do about as half-assed of a job as a McDonalds fry cook. Thanks though.

How can I get rid of the pus on my tonsils? Yesterday I was so disgusted by the taste in my mouth and throat that I just took a pen cap and started digging, I was spitting out a LOT of blood but at one point I had a huge clump of the shit on my tonsils but not matter how much I pryed it stayed stuck in place. Gargling with salt water, listerine, etc does nothing.Also now I have red lines going from the corners on my mouth vertically down my chest, what is that? I know it isn't a scratch.

You need to stop self treating and find a doctor you can trust NOW. Digging at your throat is not smart. The red lines could indicate a serious infection.

Originally Posted By: readytogoYou need to stop self treating and find a doctor you can trust NOW. Digging at your throat is not smart. The red lines could indicate a serious infection. Actually I think the red lines might have been stains from red Gatorade dripping down when I spilled by accident, I can't really see it in the mirror now.If it's mono isn't "self treating" the only thing to do? Doctors can't really do anything for mono besides just tell you you have it, correct?

There are now anti-virus medications available if necessary, and they can also ameliorate the symptoms if they get too bad.If you are serious about any of this.

Originally Posted By: IneligibleThere are now anti-virus medications available if necessary, and they can also ameliorate the symptoms if they get too bad.If you are serious about any of this. What, like you actually think I'm just making this up? Also I think if there were anti-virals that were worth prescribing maybe the doctor would have said something, I mean they get a commission for every RX they push so why miss an opportunity?And this is like the 5th topic I posted related to health that someone said "serious emergency, go to hospital ASAP," at least the other 4 times I didn't die.My symptoms are getting better at least so I don't see a reason to flip out.

Who is saying "serious emergency" here? You have a doctor who has taken a test as to whether it's mono or not, so you should hear soon enough. In the meantime, you have been given a course of antibiotics, in case it is bacterial, or in case there is a bacterial secondary infection (made more likely by your digging at it) - keep taking them until you finish them (this is important to prevent resistant bacteria developing).My remarks about anti-viral medication and symptomatic treatment were because you thought doctors could do nothing about mono. My comment about seriousness were the result of your remarks about red lines and Gatorade, which frankly sounded like a joke.

Originally Posted By: IneligibleWho is saying "serious emergency" here? You have a doctor who has taken a test as to whether it's mono or not, so you should hear soon enough. In the meantime, you have been given a course of antibiotics, in case it is bacterial, or in case there is a bacterial secondary infection (made more likely by your digging at it) - keep taking them until you finish them (this is important to prevent resistant bacteria developing).My remarks about anti-viral medication and symptomatic treatment were because you thought doctors could do nothing about mono. My comment about seriousness were the result of your remarks about red lines and Gatorade, which frankly sounded like a joke. No it wasn't a joke, but on second thought I do not think it's Gatorade stains. For the past 18 hours or so I've been experiencing periodic red lines that shoot down my neck, I also had a vertical red streak run down my neck. They go away after a while but it worries me.I finished the last antibiotic yesterday so there's nothing I can do there. I won't dig at my tonsil but sometimes when I cough hard I see a bit of blood in the sputum, will it eventually close up and heal if i scratched my tonsil?I've also been coughing up some of the tonsil coating but it's only coming off a little at a time so it's frustrating and it makes my tonsils itch. Some of it's dark black, it's disgusting.

Tonsils will heal themselves, like other parts of the body. Red lines worry me also. When is the next appointment with the doctor?

Originally Posted By: IneligibleTonsils will heal themselves, like other parts of the body. Red lines worry me also. When is the next appointment with the doctor? Don't really have another appointment but I figure I will call tomorrow and see about the mono.What could the red lines be? I tried looking it up on Google using terms like "red lines running down neck" and it gives me nothing besides links to maps for various "red line" subways.

Have u ever considered acute or chronic Tonsillitis? Most of your symptoms match that. If the infection is chronic then you may find pus and blood in your sputum.

As far as the "shit", as you put it...stuck in your tonsils...look up cryptic tonsils. About the red lines occuring on your neck....that may be due to chronic infection. And the black stuff maybe blood that has clotted and gone dark brown or black.

Please see your doctor, take antibiotics on time, dont poke in ur throat with anything (you seriously dont want the anaerobic bacteria to travel deeper towards your jugular vein and cause serious problems)....if u so wana poke around your tonsils use your tongue its a better choice.

Try taking some lozenges. They do help. Use warm water + salt for gargling.

I hope you get well soon.

Yeah I pretty much came to the conclusion that the black was old blood. I've never had white shit on my tonsils ever, at least not since any age I would remember.Also I've been doing A LOT of reading into Mono and pretty much everything mirrored how I felt: not being able to eat, throwing up everything, too weak to stand up, sore throat...Since yesterday I've been feeling well enough to get up and walk around, I've even been driving and making trips to the store and whatnot. I also still am not eating as much as I used to but I can eat food again. Yesterday all I managed was a bagel from Brueggers and 10 mozzerella sticks. Today I had a piece of a cheese danish so far but I'll probably eat later on.My tonsils are almost all pink again now except for one stubborn white patch that all the salt and Cepacol in the world won't rub off. I think I need to use some mold and mildew tile cleaner and a brillo pad to get it off.As far as the red lines go, they typically appear after I blow my nose, cough hard, or open my mouth wide to look at my tonsils.Still don't know if it was officially Mono, due to the stupid christian holiday holding everything up i won't be able to find out probably for several days. thanks though

Ok so I do have Mono. Certainly the worst part of the symptoms are over but now I just feel weak and tired easily. Yesterday I got a burst of energy which allowed me to clean my entire apartment and then I was just zapped. I'm finally starting to work up a normal appetite but I don't know if that's due to my finally being able to smoke pot again or what, I stopped smoking for about 3 days during the worst of the symptoms and whenever I stop smoking pot I generally don't want to eat anything. How can I deal with the fatigue and energy drain? I have a great fear that I'll just never be the same again after I recover. Also, will this ever strike me again like it did a couple days ago? Because if I ever have to go through this again I'll just put a bullet in my head. I think people with terminal cancer have it better, at least they get morphine. And how long am I contagious still for? I don't want to pass it on to anyone I know at least, I'm worried if I share a bowl or bong with my friends they will get it. I told one friend I had Mono and he just flipped out like it was Ebola. I owed him some cash so I went over his place to drop it off and he was standing 20 ft away from me with a paper towel over his mouth and nose and a can of Lysol disinfectant in his hand, he just told me to throw the money on the floor and get out.

The fatigue will gradually go, but it will take quite a while. Depending how bad it was, it can take six months or more to get fully back to normal.There is a lot of uncertainty about how long you are contagious for. It is possible that you could be contagious still for many weeks. Your friend over-reacted, but you shouldn't share a bong or cup or plate or fork or things like that until you are back to normal.

I don't know if what I had constitutes "severe mono" but I was still walking around to some extent even on the worst days. I was sick and confined to bed for about a solid week. I anticipate it should all be over mid to late January. What if my friends hold a flame up to the mouthpiece of the bowl or use an alcohol swab? We often do that when one of us is sick. Plus I don't like slobber on the mouthpiece so there usually isn't much saliva on it.

An alcohol swab should be effective if used properly. A flame is also effective if it makes the mouthpiece very hot - merely waving a flame around is not effective.

You think I can drink alcohol yet? I've been "better" for like a week and I miss getting drunk.

If you are no longer on medication you probably can, if you can trust yourself not to do anything stupid.