Guilt or genuine fear ?

[jet712]

Hi folks,

This is a topic that I've been waiting to broach for some time and now seems as good a time as any.

Just over three weeks after I returned from Thailand (not my first time sampling the delights of LOS but my first ladyboy experiences) I came down with an infection...headache, swollen glands, fever, night sweats, aches and pains etc.

I went to the doc (a local GP, as I was too sick to travel to my own doc) and he diagnosed tonsillitis. However, after a few days, I still hadn't developed a sore throat and it became obvious that this was a viral infection rather than bacterial.

It was at this point that I made the cardinal error of researching my symptoms on the internet....I put the symptoms into Google and, to my horror, I saw page after page of HIV, AVS, HIV...

Now, before I go any further, I have to put things into perspective...I used protection for everything bar oral sex (I only had oral sex two times, once with a GG and once, very briefly, with a LB).

Despite this, I completely lost the plot....went to my own doctor and told him everything about what I'd been up to in Thailand. He was very good....calmed me down, told me that he wasn't worried and that it was my guilt that was building the whole thing up into a big deal....well, I was brought up a Catholic after all...

Anyway, he gave me a note to get a HIV test carried out and prescribed me some Xanax to take the edge off. Unfortunately, my doctor then went on holidays and for one reason or another it took about five weeks before I received the results. During this time, I ran out of Xanax and had about five mini nervous breakdowns...I can't even begin to describe what I went through...I managed to convince myself beyond any doubt that I was HIV Positive....it was sheer hell !!!

In the end I went to my doctor to see if he could contact the viral lab and get a result and, to my surprise, he just said "oh,yeah, i've got a negative HIV result back for you...would that make you feel better ?"....damn right it would !!!

Now, bear in mind that the test was carried out only five weeks after possible infection but, in the context of my fears about AVS, I should have tested positive at that stage if it really was a seroconversion illness....for those who aren't aware, AVS is Acute Viral Syndrome and is the first sign of HIV occuring approx. 2 to 4 weeks after infection.

I'm still not out of the woods and have just had my three month blood test this week...if this one is negative, then I should almost definitely be ok.

Now here's the issue....having gone through this ordeal I've more or less decided that the payoff from a trip to Thailand just isn't worth the fear of finding myself in this position again.

I had a great time in LOS, I love the Asian TS website and there are so many girls that I'd love to have some fun with on future trips. I'm just not sure that I can justify the risk....the terror I experienced over the last couple of months has left some serious scars and I think I'm just one of those people who isn't good with perspective and rationale when my health and life is on the line....is anybody ?

So what I want to know is....am I overreacting ? has anyone else had a similar experience ? should I just cover up for every type of sex and carry on regardless ?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated !

[andre459]

I have been to Thailand 4 times now and never had any health problems. I take the necessary precautions - I've had all my shots, use protection and try to be sensible in what I do. Maybe I'm just naive (ignorance is bliss) but you have to accept there will be risks in the P4P business. Normally the only thing I'm worried about when I get home is how long it will be before I can go back.

Seriously if it has caused you this much anxiety maybe it's best to stay home because you go to have fun which it can't be if your worried the whole time. If you have look through the forum there have been some good discussions about STDs and risks.

[Groundhog]

If you are playing around the LB bars, then you have a chance of picking something up; though the chances of picking up HIV are almost nonexistent (here is a chart from wikipedia).

Estimated per act risk for acquisition of HIV by exposure route[21]
Exposure Route	Estimated infections per 10,000 exposures to an infected source
Blood Transfusion	9,000[22]
Childbirth	2,500[23]
Needle-sharing injection drug use-	67[24]
Receptive anal intercourse*	50[25][26]
Percutaneous needle stick	30[27]
Receptive penile-vaginal intercourse*	10[25][26][28]
Insertive anal intercourse*	6.5[25][26]
Insertive penile-vaginal intercourse*	5[25][26]
Receptive fellatio*	1[26]
Insertive fellatio*	0.5[26]
* assuming no condom use

Do get Hep A/B shots, and I would generally stay away from girls with lots of tatoos, piercings and signs of injectable drug abuse (i.e., from all of the Rainbow bars). This is where HIV will run rampant

[dummy_plug]

Well, any risk is still a risk - no matter how big or small. You fuck a LB prostitute and you roll the dice, any way you put it. You have to decide for yourself whether or not you want to play this game. That said, if you play smart and use the safety precautions then maybe that will help you sleep better at night, but I think that if you engage in this type of activity and you're the nervous nelly type (sounds like you are), then you're always going to have this in the back of your mind.

[Bravo]

Sore throat and swollen glands? Sounds like the usual infection many farangs get here from the polution, water etc.

[Guest]

i went through the same thing.
remember you can get sore throat from anything. panic ensues. you convince yourself youre going to die. then you test negative. you then thank god (suddenly you believe!) and swear off sex with hookers. a month later youre drunk and you see the bulge in a gorgeous girls panties and you break down and suck it like a crack pipe.
you'll never walk away from it. if you can, you will be safer. but if you gonna give in, be safe.
i never fuck without a condom. safe. i never suck em off without a condom. safe. i let them suck me no condom. slight risk. i eat hooker pussy. maybe slight risk? but i think i have eaten out between 100-200 hooker girls pussy and no hiv for me. but needed antibiotics a few times for dirty throat.i could be playin with fire. when in doubt be safe. it wont be worth it to get that bad news from the doctor. i know its not fun to use condoms but i cant imagine it be fun to be on medicine the rest of your life.
i wish someone here would chime in if they have HIV. use a new name. help us learn something.
the thing we all must remember is that some of these girls and LBs for sure have the HIV. and these girls work sex cause theyre poor and supporting families. if they get HIV, they cant just stop working. then no one eats. so they keep working. you think they are going to tell you they are sick? sorry but thailand , as wonderful as it is, just has NO safety standards. they will fuck any way you like. also i believe some may carry resentment, angry that some customer gave them HIV. and be more than willing to pass on the misery. misery loves company.
sorry to come on strong, but if one person dont get sick... worth it.
overall, you should be able to enjoy sex for $ with anyone, just be smart and take the risks out of it. if you want bareback, get her tested reputably. have fun.

[PigDogg]

Definitly get your Hep A and B shots.

Make sure u cover up for anal and vaginal sex.

Stay away from the yabba users. If you have a bad vibe , stay away.

If you're going for the joy/novelty of ladyboy sex, consider finding one that you want to spend your time with. That cuts down the odds.

Look, you can't give up sex altogether just like u can't give up crossing thestreet.

Play safe and have fun!

[PigDogg]

(jonkeyes @ Sep. 14 2006,10:44) youre drunk and you see the bulge in a gorgeous girls panties and you break down and suck it like a crack pipe.

[stogie bear]

So what I want to know is....am I overreacting?

Yes!

[Guest]

Sage advice

If you are going to do something that makes you feel guilty, don't do it. But if you do do it, don't feel quilty about it.

Worry is dangerous to immortality

[Guest]

I would just add to the good advice here, Jet:

I don't have any numbers in front of my, but I would guess anytime you take a trip, you're stressing your immune system, and it's pretty common to get a sore throat or a cold and whatnot at some point during the trip or after you return. You're stressed out from travel, you've probably been drinking and partying a lot, not getting as much sleep as you normally would -- all of which hampers the immune response somewhat. That's coupled with the fact that you are spending x number of hours on the way home on a plane, cooped up with a couple hundred other people, breathing the same canned air they are breathing.

Plus, no matter how careful you are about drinking bottled water, only eating well-cooked food at restaurants, etc., anytime you travel halfway around the world, your body is exposed to all sorts of new bacteria and viruses and such that the locals are used too. Bacteria and viruses that it could normally handle, but between all of the other stuff going on, your body's defenses aren't 100 percent. I'm guessing what you experienced is rather common -- I know it's happened to me more than once.

Heck, my last trip, I spent so long in China, I had trouble readjusting to American food. I was back two weeks before I stopped getting gut-bombed every couple of days and my intestines got reaquainted with good ole' American bacteria In fact, I had more trouble coming home than I did the first week I was there, lol.

So I wouldn't worry too much if you get a scratchy throat a week after you get home from your next Shag Tour of SE Asia. If it lasts three months, then I'd worry.

[Guest]

I nearly always come back from Thailand with a minor illness such as sore throat, upset stomach etc.

Usually this is caused by very little sleep, massive amounts of alcohol, disturbed sleeping patterns, some jet lag, sampling of the local food and over indulgence in the local cultural activities .

[Torurot]

>such as sore throat

Too much deep throat from Mint & Ming Mr Ozzie?

[Groundhog]

(Winston @ Sep. 14 2006,10:07) If you are going to do something that makes you feel guilty, don't do it.

How do you know until you do it?


(and if you do it after feeling guilty, does that make you a pervert?)

... or just an aficionado of guilty pleasures?

[69billy]

KARMA...What will be, will be....