groin, & thigh discomfort, STD or other?

So as not to ramble, i'll be as brief as possible.  Unfortunately its a long story....

8 months ago I slept with a new partner, the first 60 seconds of which were unprotected.  2 days later a slight burning icy/hot feeling developed on my thigh and leg area.  I had a general feeling of depression and illness for about a week or two.  I went to a doctor who said he didnt see any visible signs to be worried about, and gave me a month of pills of terbinafine to treat a possible fungal infection.

A month later the skin on my thigh continued to feel infected.  It had a burning sensation, and became itchy around my groin.  Also, i felt pins and needles several times a day in the groin and thigh area.  A red spot on my penis developed, as well as a slight fleshy bump.  A different GP referred me to a urologist and prescribed lotrisone to treat a possible fungal infection.

The lotrisone didnt help the red spot on my penis, and I continued to itch in the groin and thigh area.  My visit to the urologist resulted in another prescription of lotrisone.

A follow up visit resulted in a half-and-half treatment of lotrisone and bactroban, to treat both fungal and bacterial problems.  Neither assisted the redish area or the bump on my penis.  

My next visit resulted in stopping the lotrisone and only using bactroban, no changes.

Next he suggested I see a dermatologist, who told me I didnt have much to worry about, refreshed lotrisone prescription, and suggested zinc oxide cream for friction relief.  No success.  She didnt think I needed a biopsy either, which the urologist suggested i ask her.

The urologist then sent me to a seperate dermatologist, and told me that he felt I would get better treatment from a dermatologist who would be more familiar with the symptoms.

A new dermatologist prescribed "Vusion" (an antifungal cream with zinc oxide combined).  No relief to date noted.  I am waiting for the 3rd week to schedule a follow up visit.

I still itch daily, and have pinching, tingling, and sore feelings in my groin area.  The red area and bump are still present on my penis.   My biggest fear is that this never happened prior to sleeping with the girl 8 months ago, so I may have an STD.  

Everybody seems to think fungus, and i'm trying to keep the area clean and cool (although its hard to keep cool and dry all the time).  I've been using over-the-counter treatments for jock itch periodically as well (miconazole nitrate powder, clotrimazole cream).

Any suggestions?  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms although the symptoms are suggestive of intertrigo, yet the possibility of herpes sores need to be ruled out. Herpes also presents with red itchy blisters which scab over. Herpes simplex is most easily transmitted by direct contact with a lesion or the body fluid of an infected individual. Transmission may also occur through skin-to-skin contact during periods of asymptomatic shedding.
The only way of ruling it out is by getting yourself tested for genital herpes. Laboratory tests include: culture of the virus, direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) studies to detect virus, skin biopsy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to test for presence of viral DNA. I sincerely advise you to consult a dermatologist and get it ruled out. Regarding the red area, it needs to be biopsied to rule out any fungal infection. You can also get a KOH examination of the skin scrapings done.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.