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Please help, a donation sent from oz!
Sep 28, 2010

Dear Dr Bob, Thank you for all that you do on this website and the countless questions you answer. I'll be sure to send a donation of $150. I've had a look through the archives and I couldn't find something similar to what happened to me so please if you could answer my question that would be amazing. I woke up this morning at 3am, I went to the toilet then washed my hands, whilst in the bathroom I had a look in the mirror at what appears to be a boil on the inside of my lip. I knew it was there but to my horror on the right side of my lip, slightly inside my mouth and maybe a centremetre and a half from the boil I noticed a spot of blood, I searched my mouth looking for cuts but all seems intacted and the boil isn't popped. I'm currently staying at my boyfriends and he is negative but what if it's from someone else? From his dog? Please help Dr Bob, I'm losing my mind as to where this blood come from and if I should be concerned about possible HIV infection. Thank you in advance :) all the best and stay well. Hope to see you in Oz one day!

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hello Aussie,

Your fears are unwarranted. Let's start with Toto. Canines (or felines, by the way) cannot transmit (or acquire) HIV! The "H" in HIV stands for human. Doggies and kitties can't give or get HIV. So don't blame the pooch!

As for "someone else," how would Mr. Someone Else get his blood in your mouth without your noticing? Just how soundly do you sleep? And besides, does your boyfriend just happen to have a lot of profusely bleeding people scattered about the premises?

I can't determine over the Internet where the presumed blood came from. Most likely it's yours -- perhaps a blood blister related to pressure on your cheek or perhaps it's related to your "boil" problem. It's also possible that it is not blood -- could it be a marinara sauce? Ketchup? At any rate the chance this is blood and that the blood is HIV tainted and that this fresh HIV-tainted blood wound up in your mouth without your knowing how it got there is nonexistent, unless you're a sleep walking vampire! Hey, that must be it. I'd suggest you check your boyfriend's neck for puncture marks. Please note, since you know he's HIV negative, you still have "no worries." OK mate?

Now go pet a koala or eat one of those icky Vegemite sandwiches and stop worrying about HIV, OK?

As for seeing me in Oz, I'll be in the land down under and New Zealand in February.

Be well.

Dr. Bob

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