Folliculitits/Yeast Infection/Herpes???

[ry2fly]

Hi Doc,

This forum is great and it looks like people are getting the info they need. In mid december I had a one night stand (unprotected)with a woman whose STD status I did not know. A few hours after sex I had burning on urination and high frequenct, but it went away later that day. Later that week I experienced discharge upon urination. I went to the hospital and tested negative for chylmadia/gonnorhea and was diagnosed with NGU and treated with antibiotics. A couple weeks after that I still had high frequency of urination at was placed on Levaquin for 10 days. My symptoms got better, but I still get pain in testicles from time to time and am currently undergoing tests with my urologist for possible prostatitis. 8-9 weeks after the encounter I tested for syphillis, Herpes II (I have type 1), and HIV which all came out negative and was advised by the STD clinic I did not need further testing. I took the Herpeselect test. The doctor at the clinic told me I had jock itch along the thighs and groin area and advised me to use Lamisil to clear it up. 2 weeks later I noticed a triangle like shape on my scrotum while showering. While examining it, it started to bleed and drained. I called the STD clinician and they said it was a fungal infection, maybe yeast. Paranoid I went in and got examined by a nurse at the clinic. She said it did not look like herpes (she claims shes alot of herpes)but didnt know if it was an ingrown hair or a yeast infection. I have yet to see a dermatolgist but I saw a MD who prescribed me some antibotics for cold and ketoconozale for the infection (he never examined me but prescribed it to me). There now seems to be some slight red blotches on the right side of my scrotum, but looks better with the ketoconozale cream  .I have had folliculitis in the past by shaving my pubic area, but never on my scrotum (Or i have not noticed). I have also been on 4 rounds of antibiotics since the sexual encounter (2 for possible unirary tract infections, 1 for dental work, and currently for cold infection). My questions are:
1)Does this sound like something you seen before and what is the treatment?
2)Could this be caused by  the jock itch on my groin rubbing up against my scrotum as I play sports and workout often?
3)Do I need another Herpeselect test or is Herpes still a possiblity (I've heard 4-6 weeks is valid, but some people take longer)
4)Do I need to see a dermatologist?? I have an appointment with my urologist this Friday and he is highly regarded in his field and has seen my folliculitis (from shaving) and didnt think it was cause for alarm.

Thanks again doc. I just wanted an opinion from an expert in the skin field. I know Im paranoid about STD possibilities and have had some counseling for it. Cheers

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I think you probably have more than one thing, but that none of them is herpes or an STD.  The blotching of the scrotum may just be normal for the area, only you're paying unnecessary attention to minor and unimportant skin changes.  Jock itch generally doesn't affect the scrotum.  I don't think you need another herpes test.  Yes, indeed, you should see a dermatologist.  meantime, leave the scrotum alone and untreated, so the doctor can tell what's going on or, as is more likely, that nothing's going on.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[ry2fly]

Thanks for the reassurance Doc, it is appreciated. I was also concerned with the antibiotics because overuse of them can sometimes can lead to a yeast infection. The red blotches are minor but when I play sports there is a minor disturbance on the feel but nothing visible on the skin. I know I pay too close attention to it and it could be just psychological. I probably wont see a dermatologist anytime soon as my insurance is already unhappy with all my treatments and testing which should be fun to pay. Good thing our government has enough money to spend on a war and not on the health insurance its own people. No wonder diseases spread and people are left untreated. Thanks again for the great forum and clearing things up as knowledge is power.

[itsnouse]

I am surprised to see these three diseases grouped together I wasn't aware they were connected.

I don't know what exactly I have, but it appears to be either a dermatitis eczema or severe acne that is metastising. My HMO dermatology did a biopsy on it that didn't show any cancer so they dropped the ball. I went to a private dermatologist behind their backs and even had to lie to my doctor about it when she asked.

This private doctor said that it was treatable and actually prescribed some pretty serious antibiotics that helped but didn't completely cover the area. I went back and got an anti-inflammatory to calm me down because I am so frustrated with my HMO.

Now, the problem seems to be that I may need even more anti-biotics or something and I don't think these doctors know what they are looking at. I have spent a little time when I was young in Africa and the Middle East so I am wondering if I caught something. It seems like I have had this ongoing for a long time, but when I am stressed out it just flares up like nothing can stop it.

The way it looks is like acne, but these are so infected that they don't heal and when they do it looks like a crusty rash. A couple of them full of puss and tender and just won't heal. In addition, they itch like crazy and there is an existing product called Atavan that is really cheap, but my HMO doctor has never offered it and refused it when asked.

I am so frustrated.  I feel like they are waiting for me to get cancer, become incapacitated, and die. It makes no sense to me. At the least I would like my skin to be healed and so then I can maybe work on some of the other problems that I am having. Thanks for listening.

[ry2fly]

Hey doc. Saw my urologist and he diagnosed it as Molluscum.

[kjmjr]

My skin and groin area keeps breaking down- slips open-very bad smell. use vingear and water mix when not open. when open use saline.try using different creme-none work.sweat a lot down in that area.I am avery heavy man< weights about 425. retain a lot of fluid. please tell me what I should do as it smarts and burns very much. thank you kenneth meade

[girl05]

hello,
i am new here & i would like to post a question. im not sure if this is follicalitus or herpes. heres the story:

about 2 weeks ago i had sex w/ my boyfriend of 8months. we are monogomous & used a condom at first but we havent in a long time. well, 2 weeks ago i shaved my entire area before i saw him that night (dry shave which was dumb on my part) & while we were having sex if felt uncomfotable for me. it was painful & the vulva/lips area felt like there was too much friction & it just wasnt a pleasant experience so we stopped. a couple of days later i noticed my right lip was swelling up a little & a bump started to form. it wasnt red at the time. i passed it off as a slight irritation & went about my life. i kinda touched it a lot b/c i kept examining it & im thinking i might have irritated it. so i stopped & didnt bother with it.

then a few days later i noticed my other lip was swelling & a day or so after THAT i noticed 2 more bumps on my lips but it wasnt directly really near the first swollen bump the newer 2 ones were on oposite lips but directly across from eachother. the swelling was still present. and it felt irrateted & very uncomfortable. concerned, i told my mother about it & she took a look at it & said thats nothing soak it in a warm bath & keep it clean. its probably an infected ingrown hair which turned into puss filled boils. a day later the 2 boils touching eachother ruptured & drained an amber colored liquid & have been constantly draining for the past 2 days so i use panty liners & change them every couple of hours. swelling started to go down & it wasnt as irratable anymore. thinking i was healing but still paranoid we made an appointment to see my gyno & i went today. my Dr. said after examination that i definitly have a yeast infection. and she says it looks like herpes2. :( i cried in her office for hours! and she said it seems that it was contracted about 2 weeks ago. i told her about the thoughts i had about follicalitus with the combination of this yeast infection & she said its possible but shes leaning more towards herpes. she took a culture test & ill know in a couple of days. she also took a blood sample. she prescibed me Valtrax for 7 days & a 1day pill to get rid of the yeast infection. as well as a Dermo spray to eleviate any irrating uncomfortablness.

i will know in a week the results...the bumps werent clusters of bumps but more of a few isolated ones that turned into boils. im really a healthy person & have no other health complications. do yu think this is just a bad case of Follicalitus combined with a yeast infection or actual herpes? :( my BF went to his Dr. today as well. he has no symptoms but his doc wrote him a prescription to his local hospital to get blood work done. he's going tomorrow i think.

please any thoughts on this would help dearly. thank you so much for listening to me i have been a mess. :(

sincerely,
~*girl05*~