Does this sound like herpes?

[Jake324]

A month ago I had protected vaginal sex, unprotected anal and oral with a stranger. I recently found white stuff attached to my pubic hair and a day later my entire pubic area became unbearably itchy (the top, sides of my scrotum and under my scrotum). I was convinced that I had crabs or something. The next day I put aloe Vera lotion all over the area including my penis. That night my penis head started to burn but the itching went away. For the next few days the head of my penis burned and I had to pee frequently. My abdominal area started to have discomfort as well. I was tested for all stis except for herpes because there were no blisters or anything. The itch and burn comes and goes daily for 2 weeks now but just kind of on my scrotum and side of scrotum now. Still no blisters or anything.  I'm hoping it's just a fungi or something and not herpes. What do you think it could be?

[gracefromHHP]

yes, typically topical steroids trigger herpes to be more active.

topical steroids don't help in the long run with fungal infections though so it's important to treat them properly.

[Jake324]

Thanks grace. I started taking the hydrocortisone cream and after a day the itch and burn seemed to have almost cleared up. I've read on the Internet that if it was herpes the hydrocortisone creme would have made it worse or not affect it. Is this true?

[gracefromHHP]

no, you can't routinely get herpes igg blood testing in canada unless you pay out of pocket for it.

not likely you'd have just itching and no obvious lesions.  

most likely this is a fungal infection. if your regular provider is stumped, ask to see a dermatologist.

[Jake324]

Is it normal for a herpes outbreak to be just itching all over and a rash for 2 + weeks with no blisters?

[Jake324]

Thanks for responding. The doctors said herpes symptoms usually show up 2 weeks or sooner if they are going to. The woman I was with said she was tested a month before and she was clean but she also isn't tested for herpes because they don't do a blood test for that in Canada I don't think. The itch and burn comes and goes throughout the day. I have to add that I work outdoors and in jeans an this started after the hottest week so far this summer. I'm curious as to why the tip of my penis hurt so bad. Im thinking of doing the aloe thing again to see if the same thing happens even tho it hurt for almost a week after. I still see white stuff on my pubic hair after I get out of the shower and my entire scrotum is almost sticky. Like my penis sticks to it but my doctor said he didn't see any fungus. He prescribed me hyderm 1% hydrocortisone cream for it. Still no blisters or anything. Should I be worried that this is herpes or am I just panicking. I've lost my apple tire because it's all I think about.

[gracefromHHP]

have you tried treating for a fungal infection yet?  when you were seen for your testing, what did they think was going on?

since you had unprotected anal sex, you need to cover your std testing bases at the proper times. the only testing that was accurate 1 month post encounter was gonorrhea, chlamydia, ngu and trich.  syphilis testing can be done after 6 weeks post encounter. herpes, hepatitis and hiv after 3 months.

believe it or not, aloe vera can be an irritant for some people. since symptoms got worse when using it, not a good idea to use it again in your genital area.

grace

[Jake324]

I forgot to say. These symptoms started a month after the exposure