Question about Lymph Nodes

[DDDDD618]

Thank you so much for all you do on this site.  Very helpful!!!  23/M - I had unprotected sex with a girl I used to date a month or two ago.  It happened a few other times also.  I have been sexually active over the past seven months.  I have been using protection except for this past girl and one other one.  Don't really know how many partners she's had since we stopped dating but a few days ago I woke up and felt my neck and it feels very stiff.  It doesn't necessarily look swollen but it sure feels like it is (I did receive unprotected oral sex the night before from a girl I had just met and then protected sex but I know this neck thing probably had nothing to do with that encounter).  I don't know if my lymph nodes are swollen or not but I can tell the sides of my neck are swollen when I try to swallow.  It is just a real uncomfortable feeling that I have never felt before.  My throat isn't sore but it feels different also.  Should I be alarmed or is this just some type of common virus rather than HIV.  I went to a clinic today to see if I had HPV - I noticed  some bumps that had been on my scrotum for awhile.  Anyway she did say that it was HPV and prescribed me Aldara.  She also felt my lymph nodes in my groin area and said they were not swollen.  I should of asked the Doctor to feel me neck and check but I forgot to.  Don't know if this is the cause or not but does this even warrant a HIV test?  I almost went ahead and got one today but figured it was probably not even worth it.  Thank you.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The exposure you describe and your symptoms do not warrant an HIV test.  It sounds as though you may have had a plain old sore throat.  This could certainly cause swollen nodes in your neck but that should not be taken as an indicator of HIV.  In fact, symptoms are a TERRIBLE indicator of HIV.

Having said that, your post also indicated that you have had unprotected sex with at least 2 and possibly more partners.  Thus you qualify for periodic HIV/STD "screening” (testing in the absence of symptoms) because you have had multiple partners over a period of less than a year.  As a matter of personal protection, we recommend annual HIV/STD testing for anyone who has had two or more sex partners in the past year (we consider this to be health maintenance- we also recommend you get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly).

Hope this helps.  Get an HIV (and other STD) tests at your convenience, not because of your recent symptoms.  EWH