Nobody knows what I have

[scareddude]

About seven months ago I was in Pattaya. I met a girl and we went back to my hotel room. I have always been extremely conscious about wearing condoms whenever I have sex, especially with women that I do not know.

Well, I was pretty plastered and having a great time with this girl. The only light in the room was the TV behind me, so I really couldn’t see what was going on downstairs. We engaged in regular sex first, then went to anal sex for about an hour. It was not rigorous sex where my penis was bent in crazy positions or anything like that. Because I was drunk, I didn’t realize the condom broke at some point during sex. I didn’t realize it until after I had ejaculated into her rectum and pulled out. I told her that the condom had broken. I assured her that I was disease free (which up until that point in time, I was 100% positive I had nothing). Then I asked her if she had any diseases. She said no and I left it at that.

I have been getting HIV tests every month ever since then. All have come back negative. However, within 2-3 days after having sex with her, my penis felt numb like it wasn’t a part of me. It was kinda the sensation you would have in a finger after someone number it with Xylocaine. A few days later, the numb sensation went away but then my urethra had a burning sensation, my bladder hurt, as did my testicles. I freaked out and went to the clinic. The UA they did came back negative. They put me on Cipro and Erythromycin and gave me a shot of Bicillin. None of it helped.  

I was seen by another clinic a month later. Again they did a UA, HIV, and Hep tests. All came back negative. The sensations were even worse than before. There was no blood, no discharge, no swelling or discoloration, only pain. Again I was put on Cipro, and it kinda seemed like the sensations were beginning to subside, but only slightly. They only gave me enough for 2 weeks and told me to come back if it didn’t work. Also, Pyridium had no effect on the symptoms.

Well, here I am in January some 8 months later, still experiencing a lot of testicle, bladder, and urethra pain. It does not burn when I pee. My urethra just constantly has a burning sensation. My bladder feels like there is a 30lbs weight on it, though I don't have the urge to pee until my bladder is full, and I am constantly aware of the pain in my bladder. My testicles constantly feel like someone squeezed them too hard. I also have some radiating pain around my bladder now in my lower abdomen. Every time I go get a UA, the docs all say, "There is nothing wrong with you." If they could only feel what I am feeling, they would definitely not be saying that.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on what this is, what kinds of tests i can have done besides a UA, and how it can be treated. Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I would like to help, but no online source can provide answers that aren't apparent after repeated professional evaluation.  And if health care providers who have directly examined you say there is nothing physically wrong, that also is my opinion.  Anyway, neither HIV nor any other STD causes such symptoms.  However, they are classical for genitally-focused anxiety, magnifying normal body sensations.  You might benefit from professional counseling, or you might just have to live with the symptoms.  You can be certain they don't mean anything harmful that will ever seriously affect your health or that of your future sex partner(s).

You have been grossly overtested for HIV.  You don't need any more of that.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[strata]

SD,

Based on the time since exposure and the panoply of tests you've already had, it's clear that HIV and other STDs are not the issue. I'm confident that the doc and many of the other forum members will concur.

Your post indicates that you've gone to clinics (presumably ones focused on HIV/STDs), but what about your PCP or a urologist? HIV/STDs are not the concern, so you need to move on and look for other possibilities.

Another possibility is that guilt and anxiety from the potential exposure is causing you to experience physical symptoms. Counseling might help you to deal with any issues of guilt remaining from the incident.

Best of luck.

[scareddude]

Thank you all for the replies. I have no guilt over the encounter, though I was fairly anxious about the potential of catching something because I ended up having unprotected sex with a Thai female that I met in Pattaya Beach.

I went to the Urologist, who prescribed Cipro for two weeks. He also said there was nothing physically wrong with me after looking at my urine culture. He said the next step would be to use a scope and look up into the bladder. Trust me, at this stage, I am willing to try whatever it takes to figure out what is going on down there.

It's very difficult for me to accept that this is some psychosomatic issue rather than something that is pathogenic...especially after this length of duration and persistence of the symptoms. I've always been the kind of person that was "immune" to psychological trauma, epsecially due to my previous profession. Maybe I struck a "nerve" that my psyche cannot ignore.

I guess all I can do is take your advice, talk to someone about it, and hope the symptoms reside on their own. Thanks for offering me your advice.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It's always hard for people to accept that such symptoms might be psychogenic; don't feel like the Lone Ranger.  Just remember that it's a normal human event for discomfort to develop or persist without indicating a serious health problem.  Millions of people live with unexplained back pain, headaches, twithcy muscles, or innumerable other symptoms.  Often the symptoms start with some definable medical problem, but persist even when that problem goes away.  Once medical evaluation has excluded any serious health concern, most such people accept that it's just the way things are, not a sign of disease, and learn to live with their symptoms.  The genitals have a special place in our psyches, but the principle is the same.

HHH, MD