Periodic swelling of penis and scrotum

I read the following post (Scroll down) on this site this evening and realized this is exactly what I am suffering (I am 44 yo male). So I signed up to explain my situation, in case it helps someone. I was just diagnosed with recurrent erysipelas. The reason it reoccurs is that the lymph nodes have been compromised and the bacteria can actually live in the lymph tissue. We think the route of inoculation is from when I had chronic eczema on my perineum and had sex with my wife who was group B strep positive in her vagina. I was tested for everything - complete workup for Crohns  and sarcoidosis due to a granuloma found in a biopsy - but nothing panned out. Even the biopsies didn't show anything, which is odd given this is a bacterial infection. However, sounds like it is common that biopsies for erysipelas are negative.

Right now I am on a long-term, prophylactic antibiotic regimen - IM bicillin injection every three weeks.

Hope this helps someone.

Original post:

About every two months for the past 3 years my penis and scrotum swell to almost double in size.  Penis hurts while swollen, scrotum is very tender/large.  I also get fever, shivering and it is so bad I have to lay in bed for the first day when it �hits.�  Penis turn very red, but no lesion or skin breaks.  Second day I can get out of bed, feel normal, but swelling is very bad.  3rd day swelling subsides, and 4th day is starts to go down.  Then both penis and scrotum itch a little, and top layer of skin sheds/peels (due to the excessive stretching?).  been to doctor, urologist several times.  Not STD, not angio edema.  I caught herpes 25 years ago, but have not had that out break for 15 years.  (doc said this couldn�t be related, as I get NO herpes pimples)  The worst swelling �episode� also turned my butt bright red, seemed to connect via the medial line from my puffed up scrotum, and my head hurt so bad I was crying,.  It feels like the worst flu you have ever had at onset.  The �seam� up my scrotum always swells, feel tender.  It always hits VERY fast, sometimes feeling like pliers pulling on the bottom of my scrotum, then bad fever and chills with-in 1 hour, very frustrating.  I have to get to bed immediately!  after a week, back to normal.  Doc did CAT scan too � nothing wrong.  You can�t imagine how frustrating this is.


This discussion is related to Re-Occurring Penis AND Scrotal Swelling, with feaver.