I'm very scared right now.

I've been quite afraid for a number of weeks now that I may have contracted AIDS. I donated blood to the Red Cross 2 weeks ago, on Thursday. At about 4:05 PM today, I had sex with my girlfriend for an hour. Now, every time I have sex with her, I believe I have contracted this disease. And then sores are in my mouth, then a headache, then it all goes away, then diarrhea, etc, etc. Then the blood tests came back: I was clean. She was, therefore clean. But then she tells me on Saturday, she had sex with her ex. Now, besides the obvious "Cheating" factor, I am now convinced I have some kind of a disease. And I can't donate if I can't get to the Red Cross, and therefore get tested!!! So, I just gotta wait for an opportunity.... oh well...


Do you know how ######6 scary this has been? I hate this. Its incredible paranoia. I ######6 hate it. I cannot stand this ######6 mess. I hate it so much. I love her, and I know she loves me, but this? This is a ######6 horrible mistake; why should I have to suffer so we can get laid? Please, let me focus on anything else, but no, I have to be careful of our health, especially if theres a chance we may have ######6 AIDS. So, please, somebody tell me this isn't ######6 real. Please, ######6 tell me it happens to you, also, that you experience some kind of paranoia on this scale. Please.

Just take a deep breath a be cool kiddo. The chances of you having AIDS are really fairly slim. Plus, I don't think symptoms show up that quickly. That said, I'd really recommend strapping up, particularly if she's been sleeping with other people. Believe me, I know condoms suck, but I just try to remind myself that they suck less than STDs.

I definitely think you're being paranoid, but that's ok. I understand paranoia. Personally, I believe that a little paranoia is a good thing (One of my personal mantras). The key is in defining the line between a little and too much...and then staying on the proper side of that line. I think it's important to recognize possible risks and threats, and plan for ways to deal with them. To me, a little paranoia is alertness, awareness and perceptiveness and a complete lack of paranoia is naivety and obliviousness. Too much paranoia is when that alertness becomes suspiciousness and distrust. I try to keep myself on the right side of the line, at all times, but I'm certainly not always successful. Sometimes the fear and paranoia become overwhelming and it's hard to convince myself that my fears aren't real. I guess it's important to recognize those fears, but the key is to try to step back and objectively analyze their likelihood and validity and to try as hard as you can to keep that tenuous grasp on reality. All we can do is try to toe that line as best we can without crossing it.

That actually makes a lot of sense. But how do I control it and get it to less paranoia?

That's the tricky part, I suppose. I think the key to battling paranoia is to fight it with logic. Paranoia is an illogical fear or suspicion.

For me, when the paranoia sets in it can be pretty powerful. It's all I can think about at first. I have to try to take charge and slow myself down when it starts. Recognizing the paranoia is the first step I guess. Try to realize when you're being paranoid, because you can't fight it off until you're aware that it's happening.

The next step for me is to calm myself down. Deep breaths, or whatever works for you. Once the fear starts to set in it can escalate. You have to try to prevent that. Once I've gotten myself calmed down a bit and have stopped the escalation, I start to use logic to remind myself why my fears are unfounded. At this point it pretty much becomes an inner debate in which I remind myself that I'm being paranoid and try to analyze my fears objectively and convince myself that they're illogical. Once you win the debate the paranoia might linger a bit, but it becomes more controllable.

I know how hard paranoia can be to deal with. Hopefully that will help some. Good luck.

I have tried being logical, but then I get things like random sores in my mouth or a zit, and it just HAS TO BE CONNECTED TO AIDS. So trying to be logical is hard when the source won't shut up about it!

Still, I thank you for your tips. Recognising it was something I hadn't really considered. Its fighting it off that seems to be near impossible. Thank you, though.

Well good luck to you kid. I understand how hard it is.

Donating blood is pretty clever, by the way. You help people in need and get a free test out of it. That's what I call killing two birds with one stone. Try and get back out to donate as soon as you can. Nothing will ease those worries like a negative test result.

Thats what I'm hoping. Yeah, I feel really smart coming up with that. It technically kills 3 birds with a shotgun, but whatever. Technical terms... science...

But thank you! The place is 5 blocks from my school, so I can just walk there afterward, donate, and be relieved in a week. Thank God.

Perhaps some education and research regarding AIDS. You would first need to contract HIV. AIDS is a later illness and does not happen right off the bat. Perhaps, that can abate some of the concern. Research is always a good way to focus I have found at times. (Jay)

Jay, I appreciate that, but even a 5th grader understands how HIV/AIDS works. I'm saying AIDS as a general term. Yes, I'm aware of how it works, no I don't like how, despite my comments saying "Must be linked to AIDS!!!", you assume I know nothing of the subject matter. I have studied this to a finite point, understanding the base causes and roots, and I am scared to death that I may have contracted this through her ex.


I'm gonna keep this up. Just so he can see how ridiculous he sounds. FYI, Zack, I got a sore throat from eating pie my sick brother ate off of, NOT FROM AIDS. It doesn't work that quickly.

I hope you understand, Jay. This is to help him get it: He doesn't have it.

Good - good. Glad someone gets it You would be surprised how many don't... Then again, maybe you wouldn't be surprised.