I've been reading on HIV/AIDS just to educate myself, but the more I read it the more I try to think back on the guys I met up with from day one. Now I'm becoming very anxious, because there were two instances where I had unprotected anal sex. They were at least a couple months apart, and the second guy I had unprotected anal sex was back in late July/early August this year. I've also read the HIV Part 1 and 2 somewhere on this site, but what confuses me is the fact that HIV symptoms may not develop for as long as 10 years, but begin to develop as early as a couple weeks following infection. What does this mean? I plan to get tested again very soon. I'm not developing any symptoms at the moment, other than some headaches here and there, but I haven't experienced anything severe that has required hospitalization. I was last tested in about late July/August. Any clarification would be appreciated.
Once you contract HIV, the virus will start to replicate itself. Within the first few weeks, you might get symptoms similar to the flu. This is called Acute Retroviral Syndrome, or ARS. Not everyone gets these symptoms, but they're often quite debilitating. After this initial stage, the person becomes asymptomatic (or shows no symptoms) due to treatment or the body increasing CD4 count to compensate for the loss in CD4 cells. This asymptomatic stage can last as long as 10 years. Once the HIV has advanced to the point of AIDS or near AIDS, you will start to develop conditions that are associated with individuals who are immunocompromised, like thrush on the tongue, diarrhea, muscle wasting, and weight loss. You probably already know this, but there is always a chance of spreading HIV during any stage of the infection, but especially during ARS. Hope this helps.
This information About HIV may help. It is a UK website, so the treatment options may not apply in your country, but the basic information about HIV is accurate and reliable. The answers to your questions should be explained there. Definitely get tested. That's the most important thing to do right now.
