An Unsettling Encounter

[HoratioCaine]

First up, let me say that this post is not for the faint of heart. While I am trying to stay within the bounds of "family friendly," this might be unsettling for some, as the title suggests. I know it was for me. I am actually looking for some advice and input from those who might know something about what I witnessed today. However, if the mods see this post as crossing a line, I understand if you need to delete it.

I was driving to the gym today when a woman on the side of the road flagged me down. Thinking she might have been in trouble, I stopped. From a distance, she looked "normal," moderately attractive and put together - not someone I'd worry about stopping for. Since I drive a convertible and had the top down, we were conversing from a fair distance away. She explained she was lost and couldn't find the place she was looking for. She threw some street names at me that I didn't recognize, but her directions contained enough recognizable landmarks that I figured I might be able to help her find her destination. Although I was a bit hesitant, I offered her a ride. As she came closer, I began to wonder how unwise I had just been with my impulsivity. She was dressed...how shall I put this...like a "working woman," complete with fishnet stockings and garters (honestly, I didn't notice this until she got closer to the car, after I had already offered her the ride), and had a good number of large tattoos. As she got in the car, I could see she had lesions all over her body - at least on the parts of her exposed skin that I could see, including her shoulders, arms and legs. They were raised, red/pink bumps with hollowed-out centers; some were quite large, like the size of a large mosquito bite, whereas others were small, about the diameter of a pencil eraser. She also didn't smell too good, suggesting she hadn't showered in a while. She said she was here to visit a friend, and was from a part of Portland known to be a bit rougher than the suburb where I live. She shook my hand as she introduced herself. I was able to find her "friend's" house in under ten minutes. As she got out of the car, she hugged me as a thanks for my kindness. That was the extent of it.

She was very nice, but it was clear to me something was a bit off with her. I don't want to pander to ignorance or invite intolerant responses, but I'm a bit concerned by those lesions. I'm wondering if I've exposed myself to anything, or if I should take any cautionary steps, such as disinfecting the car seat, or something like that. I don't know what her lesions were; they could have been Kaposis Sarcoma, but I really have no idea. Any ideas or advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[slcsteve]

Get your affairs in order.........

 

[JimBow]

Get your affairs in order.........

+1

 

[mdunn]

im no expert on the matter, but unless she rubbed one of those sores on a cut or in your eye or something, you should be alright.

you know what they say - no good deed goes unpunished

 

[HoratioCaine]

im no expert on the matter, but unless she rubbed one of those sores on a cut or in your eye or something, you should be alright.

They didn't appear to be open or oozing. I've wiped down the car seat with a Lysol wipe, and I'll be washing my gym clothes ASAP.

 

[dpm802]

If they were Karposi's Sarcoma (a visual symptom of AIDS) ... you are wise to be concerned, but you are probably not in any real danger from the contact you described.

The HIV bug does not live very long outside the human body, so it is unlikely that your car seat needs to be disinfected, and hopefully, you washed your hands prior to eating anything. (You should be doing that as a matter of habit, anyway.)

If you are truly concerned, get yourself tested for HIV, and test again after six months.

(Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and I am not gay. But I did lose two close friends to AIDS, and another who died as HIV+ but was asymptomatic when he passed away from other causes. After a little research, I did not hesitate to give them a ride in my car or to casually shake hands with them.)

 

[adonnellyr]

im no expert on the matter, but unless she rubbed one of those sores on a cut or in your eye or something, you should be alright.

you know what they say - no good deed goes unpunished

+1

Unless you went wound to wound you're fine.

 

[HoratioCaine]

David, thanks for the advice. I'm not too worried about HIV. I remember when AIDS first hit the scene, there were all these public service announcements telling us we could not get infected from public toilet seats. Fluid transfer is the culprit in HIV transmission, and I can't see how there were any fluids transferred anywhere in that brief amount of time. I'm more concerned because that article I linked to says Kaposis Sarcoma is caused by a form of the herpes virus. Man, my mom was right - never pick up strangers off the road...you don't know where they've been.

 

[Nadir M]

Ah heck, I wouldn't be worried. If all you did was shake her hand, I especially wouldn't worry. Did you have any open wounds on your hand? If not, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[HoratioCaine]

I just went to the Wikipedia entry on KS (I won't link to it...look at your own risk), and what this woman had looks nowhere near as gnarly as what's shown in the Wikipedia entry pic. Can hard drug use cause the sort of skin abnormalities she had?

Anyway, I've decided to call my doctor tomorrow. I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but better safe than sorry. Thanks for all the input, guys.

 

[Nadir M]

David, thanks for the advice. I'm not too worried about HIV. I remember when AIDS first hit the scene, there were all these public service announcements telling us we could not get infected from public toilet seats. Fluid transfer is the culprit in HIV transmission, and I can't see how there were any fluids transferred anywhere in that brief amount of time. I'm more concerned because that article I linked to says Kaposis Sarcoma is caused by a form of the herpes virus. Man, my mom was right - never pick up strangers off the road...you don't know where they've been.

She was right, I love to help people as well. No rides here though, you're much nicer than me.

 

[Stubblefield]

She said she was here to visit a friend, and was from a part of Portland known to be a bit rougher than the suburb where I live.

That pretty much sums it up.

Disinfect the seat, take a long shower, and forget about it.

 

[JimBow]

I guess mother really DOES know best.

 

[dpm802]

I just went to the Wikipedia entry on KS (I won't link to it...look at your own risk), and what this woman had looks nowhere near as gnarly as what's shown in the Wikipedia entry pic. Can hard drug use cause the sort of skin abnormalities she had?

Anyway, I've decided to call my doctor tomorrow. I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but better safe than sorry. Thanks for all the input, guys.

Its not necessarily from hard drug use, but some people like to inflict injuries on themselves by burning themselves with cigarettes. Or, she could be a victim of an abusive relationship. Could the wounds you saw possibly be burns, or scars from a knifing?

Good idea to consult your doctor. Let him sort it out and put your mind at rest.

 

[Tolduonce]

Must say when I first read this I was thinking needle tracks and nothing else. That may account for the "off" behavior. You are fortunate you didn't get pulled over. There could've been some 'splainin to do.

 

[ginantonix]

My first thought would be lesions from crystal meth use. Users will pick open sores on the skin.

Again, there is almost nothing bad you could pick up from the casual contact you had, except for the usual colds, flu, etc. Sorry if you're squeamish, but fecal contamination could spread Hepatitis A but if you washed your hands before eating you should be fine.

Hep B or C needs mixing of body fluids - again, I wouldn't worry from what you said.

 

[ClubmanRob]

My guess? Speed bumps. Crystal Meth makes the skin itch like crazy, and the accompanying malnourishment often leaves the skin open to infection. Meth heads scratch and rub until the skin breaks, causing a lesion. Just my guess.

I see that you're in Portland, though, so it could very well be infected track marks. Either way, Lysol and a shower and you're good to go. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Could the wounds you saw possibly be burns, or scars from a knifing?

Must say when I first read this I was thinking needle tracks and nothing else.

That was my first thought when I saw them, too: track marks. But they were all over, her shoulders, her legs, not just on her arms or other areas easy to access for self injection. Burns or scars? Maybe, except they were pretty uniform in shape. Their size and intensity of color varied, but they all had a similar shape and look to them.

You are fortunate you didn't get pulled over. There could've been some 'splainin to do.

Man, you aren't kidding. I thought the same thing the second she got in the car and I could see what I had gotten myself into. It's amazing how something so simple and quick can really make you think. This could have gone wrong in any number of ways. If all I get out of this is a good scare, I got off pretty darn lucky.

 

[Isaac]

Im an ER nurse and see lots of these types of sores on drug users. its not necessarily Speed that cuases it..but a multitude of drugs. Drug users do indeed scrath and pick at their skin. We call them poppers..because their skin pops.

 

[JimBow]

Yikes.