Safe to say I am okay?

Dr Rockoff,
I am a long term forum reader and poster and as always I appreciate this service you provide. I have been wondering lately after months and months of uncertainty if I am ok or not. The concern is Herpes. I doubt you will recall cause you answer a ton of posts but I have written prior about an irritation on the shaft of my penis that starts out red and forms a scab and crusts off in a dry skin like manner in 3-4 days and clears in that time. This has happened to me 3 or 4 times last year. I at first thought it was due to mastubation, I have enevr used lotion in my life and have at times had rough mastubation, and all of the incidents occurred after masturbation or the next morning. I decided after the third or fourth time to change practice and start using lotion. Since that practice I have not had the problem again, and it has been 5 months since the last time.

So in general the previous condition which was not a blister that I could see just a rough area of skin in the same general area on the shaft of my penis that would become red and sore looking then flake and scab a tiny bit and in about 4 days would be healed, I had 3 or 4 occurences of this in a 3 to 5 month period last year about July-November. Since November changing my practices in masturbation I have not had any occurances like this. Do you think it is safe to say that this was irritation from the masturbation and not Herpes? or should I get to a doctor to get a test. I am time restricted and never manage to get time away from work, and unfortunately am a bit of a hypochondriac. No history of partners that know they have herpes, however I have had Molluscum years ago and one of my old partners was permiscuous.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you so much doc!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your description sounds like irritation, but to rule out herpes, considering the many recurrences, you would benefit from a herpes 2 blood test.  Once you find out that it's negative--and I think you will--you can stop worrying.  That's worth one visit to a doctor, don't you think?  Employers have to let their workers gop to the doctor now and then.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[scaredcmd]

thank you doc, just some clarification would a symptomatic herpes infection act this way, 3 recurrences within 4 months then none for 5 months? and would they heal in that short of a time period 4 days typically? The herpes in foo on the internet is drastically different here and there and I find it hard to get accurate answers about my probability or symptoms. I was starting to feel comfortable with the fact that the problem has stopped since changing my routine and using lotion, that a premature thought I suppose?

I appreciate the responses as always and applaud this website and your service.