VIH

[javiercm]

Hello,I'm spanish and I'm scared about HIV.well I'm learning english so I'm going to try to explain as well as possible.Since a long time ago my lymph nodes from my armpits started to inflame,its not very painful but you know i know they are inflamed and its annoying,sometimes it hurts but just a little but not right now,now i feel sometimes that the lymph node is maybe inflamed but not painful,Checking by internet says that one of the HIV's synpthoms is that one so I'm scared.Furthermore,sometimes my testicles hurt,sometimes the left one,sometimes the right one...I dont know but buf its a long time with this in my mind.And to get worse the things, In my right leg I have some red circle,two to be exactly.The doctor said that is capillaritis due to my varicose veins,I have a good ones...and my father my grandfather you know but well,its no so common to have red circles not so big in my leg under the knee in front of the leg.I wanna test my blood and i dont know where i have to go because i'm new in the city.Please if you could reply this post telling me about this and saying where i should to go to test my blood I'd be very grateful.I've been wondering a long time about this matter and I want to know what's going on...Thank you very much.I'm looking forward to seeing your answer.Regards

[Dr Richard Ma]

It looks like there could be a number of things going on and I can understand why you are worried.

Some of the things you have described may be completely harmless but if you do have painful testicles and painful lumps in your armpits, it might be worth getting them checked.

If there are specific things you are worried about and you want some tests to find out eg HIV, then it may be reasonable to get these done so that you get an answer one way or another. It might help to put things to rest.

You do not have to be registered with a general practitioner (GP) to use NHS health services. The HIV test can be offered through any sexual health clinic or walk-in centre. It is sometimes a matter of personal judgement if your feel your problem is urgent enough to go to your local Accident and Emergency department. Details of all these services can be obtained via NHS Choices website: www.nhs.uk.

It sounds like you might have many anxieties about your health. I would suggest the best person to help you to make sense of these is your GP. Again, NHS Choices can help you find some GP surgeries in your local area. If you feel you need help with English, you can ask for an interpreter when you book an appointment to see your GP.

I hope you can find some answers soon.

[Dr Steve Taylor]

Dear Javier,

Thank you for your query. I think the simple asnwer to this is that you should go and get yourself checked out for sexually transmitted infections, and have an HIV test included in that.

If you're negative for these tests, then you can stop worrying that one of these infections might be the cause of your symptoms. Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of HIV, but can also be enlarged because of a great number of other infections - such as glandular fever, or even a local infection in the armpit.

You can find your nearest clinic by using the clinical finder tool on our website http://www.savinglivesuk.com. You can talk to a doctor there about your symptoms, and hopefully they will put your mind at rest.