Herpes?

[oviot]

This is a question regarding a possible herpes infection.  I have had sexual intercourse with two partners in the past six months.  The last time was about one month ago, and on every occassion I used a condom.  About two weeks ago I noticed what appeared to be a white-head pimple just below the pubic hair-line.  After a three or four days I noticed another.  Thinking it was either an insect bite or in-grown hair I popped them.  The next day I found a third.  They began healing with small scabs.  There were only three, they were never painful (only slightly itchy for the first day or two) I never had a fever, or felt ill in any other way.  They never appeared on the genitals, just 3 or 4 inches below the belt line.  I get pimples like the ones I described from time to time in other areas, just that the location of these have me concerned.  My Doctor, who is notorious for making very quick diagnoses based on visual inspection said it was herpes and prescribed Acyclovoir (the best I can read his handwriting) 800mg.  What made me more suspicious was that he said this medication would be a permanent cure, and I am pretty sure there is no cure, just control.  These lesions are healing, and I read you  can only be tested when having symptoms.  To end this long story...what can I do to know for sure if this is herpes, and should I take the medication or wait for a more definitive diagnosis?

[guyinneed]

i also have developed a pimple on the bottom of my testicle, i had unprotected sex with a girl about a month a go (give or take a week) i think i had underwear on while we had sex though....anyways im concerned about why i have a pimple down there all of a sudden, or whether or not its a pimple. when i popped it, some white discharge came out (as normally would with a pimple) and there was a little bit of blood too....after that, there was a small amount of clear discharge. please help me out.

[peckerproblem]

I notied this rash on the head of penis its red and has little bumps that if when i scratch it they get redder and irritated. When i take a shower and wash it it burns. I am realy concerned and want to know what it is, or what can i use to make it go away. It dosent look too tasty for the ladies u know what i mean.

[peckerproblem]

I notied this rash on the head of penis its red and has little bumps that if when i scratch it they get redder and irritated. When i take a shower and wash it it burns. I am realy concerned and want to know what it is, or what can i use to make it go away. It dosent look too tasty for the ladies u know what i mean.

[PartyPooper]

Be very very careful if someone tells you that you have herpes.

I had a sore and inflammed foreskin for ages before I went for help.There was a milky white discharge under the foreskin and the glans developed blotches.THERE WERE NO BLISTERS
When I was referred to a dermatologist, I was told that I had herpes and that I was to go on a program of Zovirax Acyclovir tablets to 'fix' the problem.
When the symptoms persisted, the dermatologist increased the dosage but still there was no improvement.
Firstly the dermatologist didn't take any tests other than to ask me of the symptoms and to physically examine me.Also , it's common knowledge that herpes is incurable and drugs can only control it rather than 'fix' it.

Finally I sought a second opinion and was referred to an urologist who conducted several tests on my penis by taking urine sample,swabs and blood tests.
I was tested for a number of STDS and HIV/Aids.In each case the tests came back negative.

Finally the urologist diagnosed that I had balanitis.This is non-transmittable sexually and is merely an irritation of the penis which can be fixed by taking a fungicidal cream and by frequent washing of the affected area.

Sorry for being long-winded but I have two points to make here :-

1.Because of the negligence of the dermatologist ,I suffered two years of depression and unhappiness and was sexually inactive because of the shame and anxiety.
Always seek a second opinion !

2.Make sure that the expert that you see conducts a urine,blood and skin test and get tested for all of the major STDs.
It may cost you about a hundred dollars to do this but it is WELL WORTH IT.
I got checked out and I now know that I don't have herpes,chlamydia,gonorrhea,syphillis,HIV or AIDS.

It's nice to know for certain one way or the other !!!

[The_Rajah]

You are smarter than your doctor. Herpes cannot be cured, even by antiviral meds like acyclovir. Also, there are blood tests that do not require an active lesion to work, but a culture from one is the best test as it can type the virus as well as define the location. A blood test is, obviously, not location specific.

Regarding the dose, as was pointed out to you here 800 mg is the doseage for shingles and will probably not be harmful, but why take more meds than you need?

Here are a couple of links that may help with more detailed information. The first is a summary of testing info: http://racoon.com/herpes/main/Testing.htm

This second one is a very good article written oriented toward the clinical setting, but is a wealth of good information written by one of the world experts on herpes diagnosis and treatment: http://www.hosppract.com/issues/1999/02/cesacks.htm

For support and further info, we'd be glad for you to visit our site at http://racoon.com/herpes

Good luck,

The_Rajah

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your description does not sound like herpes.  The dose of acyclovir for herpes is 200 mg per dose.  800 mg is the shingles (zoster) dose.

I advise you to leave the lesions alone, and the next time you get one (if you do), get another opinion.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff