Trying to figure this out.

Hello, Bare with me please as I try to explain the problems I have had the last year. Around a year ago I had unprotected sex, about a week or so later I noticed a small red bump on the head of my penis. I knew instantly something was not right and made a appointment at a urgent care clinic. Went in and was examined by a doctor, and also had blood work done which came back positive for herpes, but not for anything else. In his opinion he thought I was developing a herpes sore and prescribed me a antibiotic. I went home and started taking them expecting to see results in a few days or so but things only got much worse, the sore started getting bigger and more painful every day, it eventually turned into a open sore and would bleed every easily if bumped or rubbed. After taking all of the meds. and things only getting worse I decided to see a different doctor, this time at a health care clinic. The doctor began the exam and definitely knew it was not herpes, He then told me he was going to check my pelvic area and see if there was any swelling. When he did this I was in  pain and he said the area was severely swollen. I had remembered the prior weeks feeling pain in the area but not thinking much of it. The doctor said the thought that I could have a rare Genitourinary disease called Chancriod and prescribed me another type of antibiotic. A few day after taking this new antibiotic the bump healed and turned into and scab that eventually healed. I was so happy that this was finally over and had learned a huge lesson about unprotected sex. After a week or two I started to notice a strange rash forming on my penis. The skin was inflamed and irritated, and the top layer of the skin looked like it was peeling, almost like what happens when you get a sun burn. I did some research online and thought that it could have been some type of yeast infection caused by all of the antibiotics I had taken. It was getting worse day by day and I decided to make a appointment with a dermatologist. So I went in and this new doctor really didn’t know what to make of my problem, I told him about my research and asked if it was even possible for a man to get a yeast infection on his penis. He examined me and then decided to prescribed 3 types of topical creams Cordran SP 0.05%, Epiceram, and Ketoconazole cream 2%. I used these three for about a month and the problem was not getting better and the area began to become painful. I then decided to stop taking it and go back to the doctor that diagnosed me with Chancriod, he was surprised that the dermatologist had prescribed me the Cordran SP cream because it was a very strong and was not supposed to be used on that area of the body and was probably why the yeast infection had not gone away. The doctor told me to stop using the Cordran cream and the Epiceram, and continue using just the Ketoconazole cream alone. This helped a lot and in about a week and a half the rash/yeast infection was gone. I did notice that my penis seems very dry and has stopped producing Smegma (I am uncircumcised). To this day my penis just is not the same as it was before and always seems irritated and dry. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the Cordran SP cream could have done some type of damage to the glands that produce the Smegma and now the area is unable to protect itself from bacteria or other things. I know this is a lot of information to take in but please take the time to read and help me out.

Thank you very much,
Eric Martinez.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It is good that the diagnosis of chancroid of the penis was diagnosed and you got the appropriate treatment for that. Ketoconazole is a low potency topical antifungal and is the first line of treatment for penile fungal infections. Cordran SP contains a potent steroid and is not used for fungal infections but for eczema and dermatitis skin.

I would suggest you to get it evaluated from a dermatologist because dry skin of the penis could be due to eczema skin. Hence it is important to get eczema skin ruled out.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.