Gay: How Do You KNow If You Have HIV?

Question

I am a 22 year old gay male. I've been with 9 different guys in like 7 years, since I was 15. Out of those 9, I've bottomed three times and topped 4 other times. I have always used condoms, ALWAYS! I've never taken an HIV test cause I can't afford it and I am not out of the closet. How would I know if I have HIV or not?

I have not had gay sex in more than about 3 weeks and it was just kissing and oral.

Can you pick up HVI from just kissing and or oral? As I said, when doing anal, I am always making sure other guy has no cuts around his butt or his penis and always using condoms.

Answer 1

I used to work as a DISEASE INTERVENTION SPECIALIST at the Health Department. HIV tests are free in all 50 states AND they are confidential. If people know you in your local health department, go to a different one. If you are HIV infected, the best chance you have at controlling the disease is right now. But you can't unless you know.

The path of HIV infection is interesting. HIV is an RNA strand. White blood cells attempt to kill the HIV by swallowing it. However the RNA overtakes the white blood cell and turns it into a factory that can produce up to 30 copies of the HIV RNA strand. Those 30 can create 900, 900 can create 2700, and etc. When the white blood cell realizes it is in trouble it heads straight for a lymph node where thousands of white blood cells wait to destroy the infected cell - unfortunately it releases the HIV RNA into a buffet of white blood cells. It really does not matter how careful you are. Even with condoms, they only have an 86% effectiveness rate EVEN WHEN USED PROPERLY. Condoms were made to prevent pregnancy, not disease. HIV is so small it can sneak through the condom. That doesn't mean that you immediately have HIV. There are numerous other factors that your local Disease Intervention Specialist can tell you about.

The best symptom of infection is flu-like symptoms, not bumps or sores.

Anyone who attacks this posting has either been misinformed or is attempting to misinform. Trust the facts and get tested.

Answer 2

The only way to really know is to get tested.
Also your safest bet is to either totally abstain or stick with one partner.(Best yet both of you get tested before you even have sex) That goes for both gay and straight people. Every time you have a new partner you face a new risk. There really is no such thing as totally "safe sex" even though people try to say that to make themselves feel better. The only safe sex is none or with only one other person who does not have any diseases at all. (So your partner testing should be as important to you as you testing). That's one of the many advantages of marriage and monogamy. The more partners you have and the faster you are to have sex, the more you will have to worry about those things. It's nothing personal on you, those are just consequences everyone (gay and straight) have to face.

By the way the same rules all apply to both gay and straight people. You don't have to tell your orientation or even your history to get tested unless you want to. You may be asked, but it will not affect your results. You either have it or you don't. Also there are local health clinics that offer free or cheap HIV tests. Do some research in your area for it

Best of luck.

Answer 3

It takes an ocean full of salava (spit) to get aids from kissing. It is possible to get it from giving oral sex the rates are verry low of this method type infection but possible. If you had safe sex with condoms always you should be okay.
The bottom has a 1 of 10 chance of cathing aids if you dont use protection.
The top has about a 1 out of 100 chances of cathing it from the bottom unprotected.


To get tested simply give blood and in a few weeks you will get a card with your blood type on it or you will get a note saying they cant use your blook because it is infected. This is the free way. Also it can take up to 6 months to a year1/2 for hiv to show up once infected.

Answer 4

Well you can get HIV from kissing and oral but it is not as likely as from intercourse, unless you have bleeding gums and you get semen in your mouth etc. It's good to hear that you use condoms when you have sex. If it's really bugging you, then maybe you should get tested as it will put your mind at ease. HIV isn't the only thing you can get from oral and kissing for instance, if you give someone oral and they have HPV (warts don't always show up even though someone has the virus in their skin), herpes. Or from kissing if a person has cold sores (herpes type1). Just take care of yourself ;)

Answer 5

^^^ Really rude answer.
Anyway, you can contract HIV from oral sex but not so much from kissing. I don't know what to tell you if you can't afford a test because that's the only sure way of knowing. At least you're using condoms. Keep up the good work =)

Answer 6

Get tested - you know nothing of the previous partners of the people you have had relations with. While you are doing everything right as far as sex is concerned, the slim risk of catching this disease is still there through the transmission of body fluid. (oral or anal - condoms have been known to split and break, etc)

There will be charities close to you that provide free aids testing to both hetero and gay people. Find out for sure and lose the doubts that are undoubtedly causing you grief.

Answer 7

You can only REALLY find out through an HIV test.
You CAN get it from body fluids, period.
Do you know if any of your partners had HIV?
I guess that is really the only other way you can tell if you have it or not, or if there is a chance you have it. There aren't really any symptoms.

Answer 8

You can pick up HIV that way.

You don't have to say you're gay to get tested.

Answer 9

If you are not comfortable consulting with your MD, there are home HIV kits that can be purchased at most drug stores for around $15.

Answer 10

they offer free hiv testing all the time.. check to see if you have a local std clinic.. they will check you for stds and hiv and its either free or very very cheap!!

also, if you have health insurance your doctor can do it for just your co-pay..

I get tested every year.