Hiv In Thailand

[whattodowhattodo]

about 45 days ago, I arrived in thailand. I had a one day layover before I continued to Bhutan on a tour. All part of my 3 months of backpacking through Asia. That first night in bangkok, I made a terrable mistake on my 24 hour layover. I met an American. I did not know where I would be staying that evening, and he suggested we split a cab to his hotel where I could also stay. I agreed. Later that night, we got some beers and ended up at a girly bar. I did not know that is where the night would end up, though my new friend did.

That night I got extremely drunk and did something I had never done. I did invite a thai woman upto my room and our first time there was protection, however, during our second encounter that evening none was used as I was so incredibly intoxicated. By that point the Chang fully sank in and I was too inebriated to put it on. I was too drunk to realize what I was doing was incredibly, incredibly dangerous.

I was incerdibly scared, but too drunk and jetlagged for it to entirely sink in the following moring. All I could do was leave and take a cab to the airport that morning. I should have stayed in the airport for my layover.

Over the next two days, I realized the danger of my deeds and realized I had played a deadly game of russian rullete. Before I left I read in Lonely planet of the terrable HIV situation in thailand, but in my drunken stupor I forgot about all of that. I just convinced myself to enjoy your three months of backpacking and deal with it when you get home. For in teh west, we are told that HIV can not be tested until three months after exposure.

After two weeks in nepal, I returned to thailand where I would be spending three weeks before proceeding to other southeast asian countries. Two weeks after arriving baCK IN thailand, I began to feel symptoms (Rash, Depression) which were also cultured by paranoia and Fear from reading HIV related sites on the internet almost everyday in Internet cafes all throughout thailand.

Exactly 33 days after possible exposure, I had returned to bangkok from the north where I was hiking and river rafting. I worked up the balls to go to teh hospital to get tested. The doctor was confident I was fine. The test did come back negative. I gave him a hug.

I convinced myself that the rash was simply hives caused by my stress. I felt 100 percent fine. energetic. healthy. Two days later, I found myself in the islands of thailand, visiting my american friends whom were also travelling through. The Rash started again. And over teh last week I have felt a bit lethargic and constantly feel dehydrated and also have a sore throat.

I am now back in bangkok. It is now 13 days after my initial test, and almost a month and a half since possible exposure. I am afraid to go back as I fear this time I will get a positive result. i know I should go back to get tested. But what happens if it comes back positive? will I be deported? Should I cut my travel short and return to america and get tested there? I dont know what to do. Thanks for your advice. I am a young kid (under 28)and made a big mistake that could possibly affect me forever. I am scared. But It is also just possible that I have a bug caused by the stresses of constantly moving around. Unfortunately, from reading so much on the internet, I know way too much about the disease for someone whom is (hopefully) not part of the HIV community.

But what happens if I go to the hospital to get a test and it comes back positive? will they deport me? This is of concern to me because if i return early, I will have explaining to do to my family and girlfriend.

[lopburi3]

But what happens if I go to the hospital to get a test and it comes back positive? will they deport me? This is of concern to me because if i return early, I will have explaining to do to my family and girlfriend.

If you have HIV you would keep it from your family and girlfriend?

See a doctor to treat whatever you have. It is more likely a heat rash than anything major.

[sbk]

Go to a large reputable hospital and get yourself retested, talk to a dr who is fluent in english to find out if it will even show up yet. There are several that have been recommended on this forum already.

This will put your mind at ease and then you may probably find your other symptoms go away. But, regardless, get the dr to test you for other things, like parasites, dengue fever etc. Just to be sure.

[Sheryl]

You need to be tested for Viral Load rather than the usual HIV test which is for antigens, because they (antigen) do not appear for 3-6 months. It is an expensive test (for Thailand -- i.e. about $300). Up to you if worth it for peace of mind or if you want to just wait and have a normal antibody test done in 3 months.

You will not be deported or anything of the kind if your test is possible. You'll be given medical advise.

The symptoms you describe could be a lot of other things besides HIV. Suggest you consult a good infectious disease specialist and tell him the whole story. Dr. Asda at Bumrungrad is one I can recommend. Good luck.

[mittheimp]

You will not be fully satisfied until you have another test - but its amazing what symptoms paranoia can bring on!

[whattodowhattodo]

You will not be fully satisfied until you have another test - but its amazing what symptoms paranoia can bring on!

I am writing from an internet terminal at Bumrungrad, where I came today to get tested for the second time.

This time, I consulted with an Infectious Disease/HIV specialist. Like the Doctor I saw two weeks ago to get tested, whose specialty was Artheritis, He was very confident my symptoms were not consistent with Accute HIV Infection. Rather, maybe I just have a run of the mill viral infection which was excaserbated by all the crap I have been reading on the net. It has done a good job of scaring the pants off of me in light of my deplority six weeks ago.

At six weeks, Antibody tests are 90-95% accurate. They are 99% accurate at 3 months. Plus, if my symptoms over the past two weeks were seroconversion, the test will likely show as positive.

The Dr. told me that In thailand, there is a 1:150 chance of HIV being transmitted heterosexually from woman to man. So a man would likely have to have unprotected sex with an infected woman more than once for the virus to transfer. It is a game of russian roulette, and a game where there are more than six shots in the barrell, but it is still not a game with chances worth taking, at least in my book. I mean look, the revolver didnt stop at the right chamber for Magic Johnson.

I return to the Doc in 1/2 hour for my results, and I hope to write back with good news!

Thanks for all your help and support. You dont know how scared I have been the past week, and your comments helped bring me back to the hospital. Now lets just hope I can write back soon with good news.

Regards.

[whattodowhattodo]

I am OK 100%. I know have peace of mind. i dont know what i would have done otherwise. I will never do such things again.

Hey kids, be careful out there. Its a dangerous world and this version of russian roulette is a torturous game to play.

Regards

[Mossfinn]

Good news,

But its a lesson I guess you wont forget.

It should have been a lesson learnt long before, but heck all sorts of lessons are forgotten during the beer haze.

You were also lucky any number of scams were not carried out.

Good Luck on your travels

Moss

[mittheimp]

You will not be fully satisfied until you have another test - but its amazing what symptoms paranoia can bring on!

I am writing from an internet terminal at Bumrungrad, where I came today to get tested for the second time.

This time, I consulted with an Infectious Disease/HIV specialist. Like the Doctor I saw two weeks ago to get tested, whose specialty was Artheritis, He was very confident my symptoms were not consistent with Accute HIV Infection. Rather, maybe I just have a run of the mill viral infection which was excaserbated by all the crap I have been reading on the net. It has done a good job of scaring the pants off of me in light of my deplority six weeks ago.

At six weeks, Antibody tests are 90-95% accurate. They are 99% accurate at 3 months. Plus, if my symptoms over the past two weeks were seroconversion, the test will likely show as positive.

The Dr. told me that In thailand, there is a 1:150 chance of HIV being transmitted heterosexually from woman to man. So a man would likely have to have unprotected sex with an infected woman more than once for the virus to transfer. It is a game of russian roulette, and a game where there are more than six shots in the barrell, but it is still not a game with chances worth taking, at least in my book. I mean look, the revolver didnt stop at the right chamber for Magic Johnson.

I return to the Doc in 1/2 hour for my results, and I hope to write back with good news!

Thanks for all your help and support. You dont know how scared I have been the past week, and your comments helped bring me back to the hospital. Now lets just hope I can write back soon with good news.

Regards.

is the 1:150 chance if the woman is infected with HIV, or just generally? Does it refer to protected or unprotected sex? anyone know?

[whattodowhattodo]

You will not be fully satisfied until you have another test - but its amazing what symptoms paranoia can bring on!

I am writing from an internet terminal at Bumrungrad, where I came today to get tested for the second time.

This time, I consulted with an Infectious Disease/HIV specialist. Like the Doctor I saw two weeks ago to get tested, whose specialty was Artheritis, He was very confident my symptoms were not consistent with Accute HIV Infection. Rather, maybe I just have a run of the mill viral infection which was excaserbated by all the crap I have been reading on the net. It has done a good job of scaring the pants off of me in light of my deplority six weeks ago.

At six weeks, Antibody tests are 90-95% accurate. They are 99% accurate at 3 months. Plus, if my symptoms over the past two weeks were seroconversion, the test will likely show as positive.

The Dr. told me that In thailand, there is a 1:150 chance of HIV being transmitted heterosexually from woman to man. So a man would likely have to have unprotected sex with an infected woman more than once for the virus to transfer. It is a game of russian roulette, and a game where there are more than six shots in the barrell, but it is still not a game with chances worth taking, at least in my book. I mean look, the revolver didnt stop at the right chamber for Magic Johnson.

I return to the Doc in 1/2 hour for my results, and I hope to write back with good news!

Thanks for all your help and support. You dont know how scared I have been the past week, and your comments helped bring me back to the hospital. Now lets just hope I can write back soon with good news.

Regards.

is the 1:150 chance if the woman is infected with HIV, or just generally? Does it refer to protected or unprotected sex? anyone know?

dont use these odds as an excuse not to wrap it up. Eventually, it will catch up to you. Maybe you will not be so lucky and it will catch up with you the first time. It is like pulling the handle of the slot machine. Most of the time you get nothing, every now and then you get a return. This is not a return I dont think anyone wants to get.

[mocean]

I am OK 100%. I know have peace of mind. i dont know what i would have done otherwise. I will never do such things again.

Hey kids, be careful out there. Its a dangerous world and this version of russian roulette is a torturous game to play.

Regards

You have peace of mind, but did you think about your girlfriend? You cheeted on her and took a big risk. I think a guy like you don't deserve her if you now feel in peace with this.

[Head Snake]

I am OK 100%. I know have peace of mind. i dont know what i would have done otherwise. I will never do such things again.

Hey kids, be careful out there. Its a dangerous world and this version of russian roulette is a torturous game to play.

Regards

You have peace of mind, but did you think about your girlfriend? You cheeted on her and took a big risk. I think a guy like you don't deserve her if you now feel in peace with this.

What a ray of sunshine you are mocean!! But, really, what of his girlfriend? Do you think she didn't cheat or maybe slip and have a kiss or 2? Jeez, the guy just got some good news and now you want to make him worry or feel guilty. I mean really, His girl maybe just caught a mild case of cold sores; but, you think she'll tell him why??

Edited July 23, 2006 by Head Snake

[Digger]

Sounds like a good example of why going to seeing a specialist doctor is critical in these kinds of circumstances - just imagine the outcome if you were positive and did not see a specialist doctor - the cost of the doctor was probably around 500/600 baht for a consultation - small price to pay for the peace of mind.

[Sheryl]

is the 1:150 chance if the woman is infected with HIV, or just generally? Does it refer to protected or unprotected sex? anyone know?

The odds of getting HIV from a woman who is not infected are, of course, zero.

The odds he cites refer to unprotected sex with an infected woman but are a little misleading in that it is an average and many factors affect the odds in a particular situation. Such as:

- the viral load of the infected person (which you have bno way of knowing): if it is very high the chance of transmission is much more than if the viral load is low

- if you are uncircumsized you are more likely to be infected than if you are.

- if you have any cuts, abrasions or other breaks in the skin anywhere that came in contact with her genitalia, there is more chance of infection.

But in any case, the fact that the odds of transmission from a single encounter aren't that high is no reason to take risks. All the people who have HIV got it from one exposure. There's no way to know which one will be the one.

By the way, it is possible to prevent infection by immediately taking a 6 week course of antiretrovirals; this is called post exposure prophylaxis and is routinely done for health professionals when they are accidentally exposed on the job (needle stick, etc). Also given to rape victims when the HIV statuis of the rapist is suspect. It is >90% effective. The drugs are not pleasant to take, and doctors vary in their willingness to prescribe depending on the degree of risk that was incurred. Most docs would prescribe it if it was sure that the person you were with was HIV+. Would be worth tracking down the partner if possible and persuading them to be tested. But if that is not feasible and anyone reading this is ever in a situation where they think they may well have been exposed, it is an option to consider. You'd need to see an HIV specialist and specificaly ask for PEP )post-exposure prophylaxis) and you need to do it as soon as possible. Like within 1-3 days. The earlier the better.

[britmaveric]

Hmmm been legless out of my mind and the use of condom always came to mind. (survival instinct perhaps???)

[kasi]

Getting HIV from a normal heterosexual encounter is very rare for men.

Women usually get it from IV drug using boyfriends who have it.

Men usually are exposed from sharing needles or rough anal sex.

If you woke up hung-over the next morning with your underpants around your ankles and covered with blood with a vague recollection of being with some katoeys you might have something to be concerned about. Consider yourself lucky and wear a condom next time.

Get yourself tested again at 6 months. It can take that long for the virus to get you. If you actually get HIV the initial symptoms are like a severe flu.

For the rash you got pick up a tube of "bethasone-n cream"( a mild steroid in a neomycin creme) . Works wonders on the heat rash which many of us suffer from periodically.

[Sheryl]

Getting HIV from a normal heterosexual encounter is very rare for men.

Women usually get it from IV drug using boyfriends who have it.

Men usually are exposed from sharing needles or rough anal sex.

What you describe is the case in North America and Europe. it is NOT the case for HIV in Asia and Africa, where transmission is overwhelmingly through heterosexual sex.

The reasons for this are accidental, having to do with the sub-populations in which the virus first entered and with patterns of sexual behavior (males frequenting prostitutes common in Asia/Africa; general heterosexual promiscuity in Africa vs relatively low heterosexual promiscuity/commercial sex but high promiscuity&comemrical sex among homosexuals in the West).

In Thailand (and also Cambodia, and Africa) most men are infected by prostitutes and most women are infected by their husbands. There are millions of men so infected, so I wouldn't call it "rare". It is true that the virus passes more readily from man to woman than from woman to man but this fact is outweighed by the very high viral loads of many prostitutes and the sheer frequency with which men visit them. Homosexual sex places a minimal role in HIV transmission in SE Asia and IV drug use only a small role (none at all in Cambodia).

]

[Sheryl]

I should add as an addendum -- and so as to not offend any gay readers -- that the gay communities in the West are no longer very promiscuous. Unfortunately, at the time the virus entered the West, there was a pattern of very widespread promiscuous behavior in the gay community which provided a ready vehicle for spread of the disease. Actually, heterosexual behavior was also pretty wild back then and it is in part just good luck for straights that the virus didn't enter the heterosexual population at that time. Those of you my age will know what I mean!

[dammage]

hey i am new here

unfortunaley i too made the mistake of not protecting my self.

i made a mistake with the same thai lady 2wice

i am so scared, she told me that she was clean.

both times i finished inside her and i cant eat or think properly.

when can i have a test?

[SamuiJens]

Go to a good Hospital, and talk to a doctor about it, like now or tommorrow, since you sould really bad off. And don't freak-out, whats done is done and like most say it's 1:150 chance.

I wish you a clean bill of health, but to freak-out now is no going to help you as if you've read of others here that do, all they get out of it is a depression, etc.

Good Luck

[boes]

hey i am new here

unfortunaley i too made the mistake of not protecting my self.

i made a mistake with the same thai lady 2wice

i am so scared, she told me that she was clean.

both times i finished inside her and i cant eat or think properly.

when can i have a test?

Read the posts earlier- especially sherryl seems to have special-knowledge.

They(the barladies) will tell you everything, you want to hear if they think you have the money ! Never-Never NEVER trust a barlady !

Wrap it up - ! in the future. You are probably allready doing that when you go with the prostitutes in your homecountry? Or What ?

Six weeks from the exposure you can make an HIV - test ( 90-95 %) secure. 5-10 % false negative results.

Hope you make it - you are not thefirst expat to encounter this problem.....

[mobiryder]

go to the hospital and ask for a DNA/PCR HIV test.. its accurate up from a couple hours to a week of exposure. I'ts a DNA test. Problem solved. Good luck.

It will cost you about 3.5k bht

[steveromagnino]

>>patterns of sexual behavior (males frequenting prostitutes common in Asia/Africa; general heterosexual promiscuity in Africa vs relatively low heterosexual promiscuity/commercial sex but high promiscuity&comemrical sex among homosexuals in the West).

>>In Thailand (and also Cambodia, and Africa) most men are infected by prostitutes and most women are infected by their husbands.

>>Homosexual sex places a minimal role in HIV transmission in SE Asia and IV drug use only a small role (none at all in Cambodia).

]

I would be interested to see the study that revealed these results, and also to see the methodology they used, as this seems quite at odds with a recent conversation with a senior HIV NGO person who told me that the rates of infection at saunas in BKK have shot up, and that there is a 'mini HIV explosion' in the gay community here.

I would also guess that a large number of men here are married yet may be unwilling to reveal they engage in homosexual activities.

Condom usage rates are falling, but odds of transmission are sigificantly lower with hetero vs. homosexual anal sex despite the variations in viral load etc, as I understand it. However lots of other nasties to pick up from prostitutes should put off the idea of non condom sex; VD, herpes, and so on.

And finally, within BKK anyway, you would be fairly hard pressed to find massage parlours willing to engage in non-condom sex on their premises; mind you on any given night I am told by western friends that around 50% of the women working in places like Nana Plaza are willing to not use condoms for a price, and an even higher number for ladyboys; no idea for the gay side of things?

Therefore, to say homosexual sex plays a minimal role would seem to be (perhaps) possible, but surely it is rapidly increasing?

Sheryl - most of the gay men I have ever met are set records far beyond mine in the area of promiscuity; again, I would be curious to see a study that can support this belief of no longer being promiscuous. Certainly, some of the few gay men I know here are sexual athletes who must (hopefully) keep Durex in profit year in year out?

Dan Savage, boring writer IMHO that he is, certainly seems to suggest that promiscuity among the gay community is increasing again. I can only look into this world from outside, but any studies proving one way or the other would be of interest, so at least I can appear vaguely informed the next time I meet the expert lady.

Edited August 9, 2006 by steveromagnino

[steveromagnino]

Furthermore, based on this study, it would seem MSW have a pretty rate of HIV infection already, and the activities they engage in are high risk?!

Surely, this must mean that even though the % of gay people in Thailand is low, with such a high infection rate, that at least some gay people would be fooling themselves if they think that HIV is a predominantly hetero disease in Thailand?

http://www.hivnat.org/download/04.ppt

Edited August 11, 2006 by steveromagnino

[phibunmike]

But in any case, the fact that the odds of transmission from a single encounter aren't that high is no reason to take risks. All the people who have HIV got it from one exposure. There's no way to know which one will be the one.

I would like to add to Sheryl's post... if 1:150 doesn't sound high, just think about lottery tickets. People happily buy tickets with a 1:40,000,000 chance of winning, and plan how to spend the money they are going to win; if the odds for a win were 1:150, I bet you would be buying tickets like mad !

Play safe

[SamuiJens]

People who buy lottery tickets can usually afford it, but can you afford a dose of AIDS/HIV???

[Alreadyinuse]

SamuiJens,

A bright comment.

Please dont use a negative answer from the doctor to do the same mistake again. Your scare is your lesson, learn from it. The scare is legit. I think you just used up one of your lives but unfortunately life is not a game and we dont have unlimited lives.

In respect

[Alreadyinuse]

SamuiJens,

A bright comment.

Please dont use a negative answer from the doctor to do the same mistake again. Your scare is your lesson, learn from it. The scare is legit. I think you just used up one of your lives but unfortunately life is not a game and we dont have unlimited lives.

In respect

This was meant for the people that initially posted on the forum, not to you SamuiJens, sorry about that

[bennyboy0102]

If someone does test positive for HIV, is it possible at all to get rid of it?

[Alreadyinuse]

If someone does test positive for HIV, is it possible at all to get rid of it?

Research still ongoing however so far there is no cure, not that I know of.