6 month rash on scrotum

[uptownnotown]

I had sex back in june with someone i didn't know.  A couple days later I felt a mild itch on my testes.  A couple days later I noticed small bumps on the shaft of my penis.  The bumps weren't discolored and were very small.  About a month later my testes were itching a bit more and the bumps on my penis were the same.  I felt some discomfort around the bumps (like pins and needles) that I hadn't felt before.

Went to my primary care doctor and he told me I had jock itch.  I used every imaginable jock itch cream/powder over the next 2 months.  After one kind didn't work after 2 weeks my doctor would recommend somthing else.  Well, nothing worked.  They even had me on an anti-fungal pill.

The bumps pretty much stayed, but a rash spread over my testes and penis.  Everything eventually turned red.  Veins were showing up close to the skin that hadn't been there before.  Big and small.  Everything started burning.  no scaling or flaking.

Dermatologist told me that I'm just irritated and gave me densonide.  It didn't help or hurt.  

I've been back to my primary care doctor and he's put me on anti-biotics which haven't helped either.  Been back to the dermatologist after the rash moved between my legs and he still said that nothing was wrong and gave me hydrocorozone 2%, but that burnt when I put it on, so i never used it.

It's now been 6 months all totalled.  With the last 3 months being the worst with the burning.  Somedays the burning is worse than others, but it's been pretty consistant for the past couple months.  It's starting to consume my life.

I've been concered from day 1 that this was an STD, since it happened right after sex.  I haven't had any blisters or discharge and my doctors all scoff at the idea that it's an STD.  

I've abstained from putting anything on it this past month, but that hasn't helped either.  I've been using sensitive skin body lotion to clean recently.  

I'm at a loss.  Please advise.

Thank you so very much,

[uptownnotown]

Yes.  It sounds like we have the exact same thing.  There are several people with all of these exact same symtoms.  The frustrating thing is that no one knows what it is.  I only had itching the 1st week or 2.  That never came back.  Try looking up (if you haven't already) "Chronic Red Burning Scrotum" online.  You'll see many people with all of these same symtoms.  Please let us know if you find out what this is and I'll do the same for you.  And please join us online so we can help one another.  None of us know what it is and no doctors have helped at all.  People have had this for months/years and have yet to find an answer.  The thing is, is that some people that have it test negative for hsv 1 & 2.  No one that's had this has had blisters of any kind.  Perhaps one of us will find a doctor that can figure out what this is.  I am at a loss now.  

[ohsoworried]

I have pretty much exactly the same symptoms as you that appeared a few days after my encounter. My left testicle is now completely red and the edge of the right one looks like it is beginning to spread there too. The Base of the shaft of my penis is also getting red. All areas unprotected from condom use.

I have read up alot about this online, many people having exaclty the same symptoms, red rash after contact with a someone in same area (saliva, fluid etc) despite using condom, no blisters etc... after some reading I can only conclude (although im not a doctor) that this is some type of virus dermatologists are unaware of (unlikely perhaps) or my most recent assumption is that it is HSV 2.

Reason being most people 6 in 10 people carry HSV 1, having contracted cold sores as kids, and therefore when contracting HSV-2 later have much milder or no symptoms (this is documented). So could these red rashes that spread across the testes/scrotum be HSV 2 in very mild but colourful form?

My only difference from uptownnotown is that I do not itch (yet), and every doctor on this site seems to agree that persistant red rash on scrotum is unlikely to be HSV.

How can we check? i think a HerpesSelect test is the only solution , it will probably make us feel worse if i am right, but i would rather know than not know...

I would be interested to hear from others with similar experiences here.

Good luck all!

[willy851]

No Not more than usual, The skin is very thin so it always appeared to have veins popping out. Today was a good day. I didn't use anything and it wasn't red or irritated. I used vinegar again the other day. That seems to work while prescriptions make it worse.

[uptownnotown]

do you have visible veins popping out everywhere too?

[willy851]

This sounds like the same problem I have been dealing with for six months. The scrotum burns and sometimes spreads to my leg creases. I was told it was just about every conceivable disease.
When I use cortisone it spreads fast. When I use fungal sprays it clears up for a few days and comes back while I am still using medication. When I try using nothing it burns like hell. It does not itch or resemble eczema in any way. My allergist is going to perform some type of test to see if my immune system is compromised in some way related to fighting fungus. They did cultures and it always comes up positive but nothing works.
I was tested multiple times for std's and diabetes. The doctor made an appointment with a real dermatologist at Penn because he agrees that my current DR. is an idiot. After prescribing cortisone that didn't work and multiple other eczema medications, that didn't work. He refuses to accept that fungal sprays and creams work.
When I use the prescription creams for fungus it turned the area into a ball of fire. They gave me diflucan which cleared up my scrotum and gave me rashes everywhere else. Maybe I'M allergic to anti fungal creams. All the ones that end in zole make it worse.
When the area burns like hell I can spray Lotrimin on it, and it feels better in seconds. Apple cider vinegar actually worked, but the doctor said not to use it.
Maybe we can find a real DR somewhere. I'll go anywhere for a DR that will actually test and think, rather then ignore the patient and say the textbook says it's this. The text book is never wrong!

[uptownnotown]

I don't think that it's any sort of normal STD myself.  None of the symptoms match herpes, warts, or any other std.  

I can't very well move on though, since my penis and testes are constantly burning.  I'm wondering if it's red (bag) scrotum syndrome?

If it was just anatomical variants I'd be fine.  I could care less what it looks like.  I don't care if there are veins popping out all over the place.  But there is a distinct rash on my testes as well.  It's about the size of a dime and it shows up in different places.  It's extremely painful at times. And that is my concern.  I just want the burning to go away.  

What can I do to make the pain go away?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

From what you write, I feel there is nothing wrong with you at all, othet than fear of STD's.  I don't even think you ever had jock itch (fungus), because that doesn't match your description of essentially normal anatomical variants on the scrotum.  If you need another opinion in person to confirm this, please get one, but I think you need counseling to stop obsessing about diseases you don;t have and move on.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[slacker101]

STD's don't last this long!! If you are worried about herpes, herpes doesn't last months. Warts are the only thing that stays a while but they don't grow over night and they are slow growing painless lesions. Nothing you have described suggests and STD at all!!!!