painful bumps surrounding outer anus.

A couple days ago I have had this as I thought to be a rash. So I didn't really think anything of it so I just put baby powder. Then I started getting sick, running a fever and flu. This has been going on for a week. But a few days ago, it was so painful and uncomfortable to sit and stand up and walk properly. Also just to mention, I had anal sex a week prior to these developments. And my partner who was someone I didn't know unfortunately, ejaculated around the area where these bumps appeared. I though my "rash" had just gotten worse. Then I went to buy regular baby diaper rash cream. It was burning me after an hour of applying it. So my sickness got worse. I had to see a doctor. He looked at my "rash" and gave me a shot and medicine for other symptoms that I have. The rash was my main concern. He described it as looking like warts but were white from the top and the seem to be draining and they bled sometimes. He said it may be just a bacterial infection and he prescribed me Mupirocin ointment. I've been applying it three times a day as recommended, but its just so painful to use the restroom and especially to wipe since they are located around the inner sides of my buttocks. Do you have any ideas as to what this might be?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Since the bumps are painful these can be due to boils, herpes sores, external hemorrhoids or anal fistulas. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak.

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.
I hope it helps. Take care and regards.