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So day 0-SW contact
Day 4-Unprotected contact
Day 7-beginning of foreskin swelling and itching with LOTS of pain urinating and cloudy smelly urine (though I and many other foreigners noticed the urine odor living in China consistently anyway)
Day 11-outbreak of three ulcerations, one which evetually led to scarring (and I was TOTALLY hands off with it so it isn't from itching etc)--all under foreskin area (I am uncircumsized) and NONE anywhere else
Day 13-Went to doc, first general practitioner with extensive exposure to herpes cases on a cruise ship who said it looked NOTHING like herpes but referred me to a specialist who at first said it didn't look like herpes performed syplillis, gonnorea, clymidia (spelling is awful) tests on me, along with white cell body count---all negative.
He then TOLD ME UNEQUIVOCALLY it was herpes, gave me antiviral cream and pills and immune booster, told me I needed an IGM test if I wanted to confirm but it wasn't worth it, then said with bad english "no unprotected oral sex ever!" and told me if I didn't have an outbreak not to worry at all
I ended up Ignoring his advice for an IGM test, got an IGG test about DAY 70---so ~65 days after symptoms/possible exposure and it was 100% clear for BOTH types 1 and 2
Now, through this whole time I had sort of reddish sections of what looked like irritated skin along with folliculitis on the legs...but he told me I had herpes FOR SURE it just didn't show up yet, when I asked him for titer levels he told me yea he'll get them to me and never did, mind you this is an english speaking money making foreign hospital in China
Now, for the next few months I had regular burning when peeing and reddish foreskin and glans---chalked it up to herpes and simply became depressed
Here is where the story in my mind changes---I had a long standing lower intestinal bowel pain from china with bloating---and so I guess around 6 months after initial symptoms I took CIPRO for this and my pain urinating simply disappeared
I also saw a wrinkled glans with reddishness and large sections of my INSIDE foreskin only turn pinkish with tiny tiny skin colored bumps and transient itching under the foreskin and right where the foreskin starts to be exposed to the outside in a normal position there is cracked LOOKING skin (no actual bleeding/cracking) and extreme dryness
Now I'm going to a local youth clinic tommorow (free as my canadian insurance hasnt kicked in yet)
For those that scan, a rundown
Non painful sores (after exposure to person with history for cold sores and possible yeast infection?) with scarring then 65 days later, completely negative IGG, followed by nagging itching and redness and pain urination. Pain urinating taken away with antibiotic, wrinkled glans, pinkish shiny foreskin with bumps INSIDE and dry cracked shin OUTSIDE, time course a matter of 5-7 months overall
Should I insist on HSV blood testing (very very hard to get in canada) or should I just take it at face value?
Am I crazy about worrying about HSV? It is really hard not to with all the info that says basically ANY symptom could be HSV, from itching to pain to bumps to pain urinating, and when so many people freak at this common disease and insist on COMPLETE disclosure?
Please please help, I need some opinions and my savings are running dry, should I pay out of pocket for HSV testing?