Red bumps on penis head

[Tantalus]

I’m a 52 year old uncircumcised male.  I’ve had prostatitis for about 6 years. I workout and walk briskly (5 miles) , routinely.  I sweat a lot between my legs, and often have jock itch, chafing and irritation. I shower daily, and keep my foreskin clean.  I also have hemorrhoids. On Feb 13, I had protected sex with a sex worker.  On 2/19, I did my routine walk. Later that week, I noticed a burning sensation on the underside of my scrotum. I figured it was due to the walk (my inner thighs rub against each other, as I am slightly overweight).  The sensation continued for days. There were no bumps, sores, blisters or any physical, just an annoying irritation. I did some research online, and discovered that herpes is sometimes mistaken for jock itch. I freaked out, and started reading your forum which gave me some comfort. The problem lasted, off and on, for weeks. I applied the regular creams, switched to antibacterial soap, etc. I had also noticed that my urine was cloudy and burned when I urinated, so I went to my urologist (in April), thinking that my prostate may be acting up again. He gave me a course of cipro, which cleared it up. Later, I started feeling a burning sensation in my buttocks (at the creases where the cheeks joined the legs). Again, no physical signs of blisters, sores, etc. Nothing but sensations, like something wanted to break out but didn’t.  These lasted for a few days then went away.  Here’s the real kicker. I had convinced myself that I would stop panicking every time these sensations arrived because I could never see anything. Clearly, there was some chafing and irritation. My hemorrhoids flared up, so there was irritation there. But no blisters, sores, or lesions anywhere. On 11/29, I had sex with my wife. On 12/1, while watching some porn, I masturbated hard with a foam rubber hose. On 12/4 (298 days after the protected sex with the sex worker), red dots appeared on the head of my penis. Since, I had some sensations in my buttocks, the timeliness of the red bumps was unnerving!  At first I thought it was the herpes outbreak that’s been wanting to occur for months, but finally made it through, then I figured that it may be due to the masturbation.  I put some carbolated petrolatum on it, and the head of my penis got inflamed. I think the bumps would have gone away on their own, but have done that, it wasn’t until 12/15 that I was all cleared up. Again, there was never any blisters or sores. Just redness and swelling from the inflammation.  I had sex on 12/15. On 12/20, my prostatitis flared up with all the classic symptoms, i.e., frequent urination, weak stream, pain in buttocks, etc. On 12/23, I noticed that the red bumps were back (about 3 of them, one in the same spot, the other 2 in a different location).  It’s not 12/26, two of them are gone, I can still see one, although the redness is gone. My question: Could this be related to the masturbation episode 3 weeks earlier, sex with my wife (who says that she’s fine), the prostatitis, or herpes (over 300 days after the protected sex)? Please help! (I have made an appointment with my urologist.)

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Way, way too much information, my friend.  Nothing in your narrative reminds me of herpes in any way.  Some of it is irritation, from masturbation or otherwise, and some is sensation from worrying about this.  You really have better things to do than keep track of the number of days since the contact with the sex worker (298!)

Here's what I think you should do:
1) See the doctor and learn once and for all what these red dots are (and aren't).
2) Ask the doctor to order a type-specific herpes blood test, which will most likely be negative and permit you to stop worrying about herpes.
3) Find a way to come to terms with the fear and guilt you obviously feel because of your encounter--counseling, marriage counseling, whatever it takes.

And no more internet "research," please, for your own sake.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[Quickstep]

Maybe if you weren't a sick &$*% you wouldn't have to worry about that.  Try not picking up hookers and that could do a lot to stop your worries.  Idiot.

[liebe_marzipan]

did that make you feel better, quickstep?