Aa
Here we go again
Sorry for the long post. Of course the (burning) question is: did I contract herpes?
Some context: had been working like a dog for 2+ months, getting sometimes < 2 hours sleep due to work. So it's fair to say I was generally feeling quite exhausted, and perhaps my immune system was low.
Here is the course of events:
t=0: received and gave unprotected oral to a local, paid asian lady. Also vaginal sex, but protected.
t+2: felt very tired, burning eyes, almost feeling like having a fever (but no temperature)
t+3: penis feeling very itchy, and often wet like if I had some kind of discharge
t+4: in the shower, see that my penis glans is chafing and red; went to a local clinic that does some free STD exams & testing. The doctor things it's yeast balanatis, prescribes Clotrimazole. They also take a urine sample and test for GC and Chlamydia, as well as NGU. Spun and looked under microscope: no large amount of white cells. Sent the rest of the sample to the lab. One week later GC: negative, Chlamydia: negative. They used PCR. Later that week used Clotrimazole every time I went to the bathroom, and this seemed to help. Color of penis progressively getting back to normal, except for urethra opening that is still a bit red.
t+10: returned to the clinic: very sore left testicle, reminding me of an epidydimitis I had as a teenager. Shot of ceftriaxone and gave me a course of 10 days of 100mg Doxycycline twice a day.
t+14: left hip very itchy, upon close examination I see a tiny dot (1mm) that is raised. Later two even tinier ones appear. The location is exacly where the opening of the jeans pocket is.
t+17: very bad night, almost no sleep, feeling panicked. Feeling of dry mouth, thick saliva. Tongue is covered white. Might be side-effect of doxy.
All that week, the raised dot has grown a bit, but no liquid can be seen inside. It looks more like a small red dot, but very itchy. Never had anything like that except when I had chickepox as a kid. The other spots don't grow much. The whole area is itching like crazy. Epsom salt baths help. After one of those baths, I noticed there is a tiny yellow crust on top of the dot.
t+18: urethra and penis still very itchy. I need to urinate all the time (I'm drinking a ton of water and cranberrry juice). Tea tree oil on the hip doesn't help. But Carmex does. Epsom salt baths help too. I visit my GP who looks at the hip, says herpes unlikely because of location, although at this stage it's hard to tell; but then she also suggests taking an IgM, so I'm a bit surprized based on what I learned here about the unreliability of that test. Given epididyme still quite tender, and bladder a bit painful, she prescribes cipro. I take the prescription but not the med --I want to see how it evolves.
t+19: in evening, took the last pill of doxy. Feeling quite depressed and itchy. Red skin on neck.
t+20: small rash on left butt cheek where I sit. It hurts more than it itches. Meanwhile the spot on the hip is slowly healing; it is only 2mm but still very itchy. Mouth still irritated, tip of the tongue red and painful. One spot on the side of the tongue is feeling raw, but I don't see lesion.
t+21: still pain in epididyme, pain/itching in urethra, in bladder, feeling urge to pee often. Having read about CPPS on wikipedia, I try my best to "relax down there". There are times where the pain goes away or is not noticeable.
t+22: butt/rectum very itchy today. I almost have trouble sitting. Seem to be having a little pimple (2mm), but it feels a bit like a rash. Penis has become quite itchy again. I put some more clotrimazole on it and it seems to help with the itch. Needed to urinate less often, pain in testicle decreased through the day, as I was actively focusing my attention away from it.
Overall in the last three weeks of this hell, I've felt almost unable to concentrate, and extremely tired. I thought I was having a fever several times, but the temperature was normal. No appetite whatsoever. Eyes are burning, mouth is burning, I have itches in several places but no "sores" like you see on herpes pictures. However little dot on hip and pimple on butt are concerning me.
What am I to make of all of that?
Some context: had been working like a dog for 2+ months, getting sometimes < 2 hours sleep due to work. So it's fair to say I was generally feeling quite exhausted, and perhaps my immune system was low.
Here is the course of events:
t=0: received and gave unprotected oral to a local, paid asian lady. Also vaginal sex, but protected.
t+2: felt very tired, burning eyes, almost feeling like having a fever (but no temperature)
t+3: penis feeling very itchy, and often wet like if I had some kind of discharge
t+4: in the shower, see that my penis glans is chafing and red; went to a local clinic that does some free STD exams & testing. The doctor things it's yeast balanatis, prescribes Clotrimazole. They also take a urine sample and test for GC and Chlamydia, as well as NGU. Spun and looked under microscope: no large amount of white cells. Sent the rest of the sample to the lab. One week later GC: negative, Chlamydia: negative. They used PCR. Later that week used Clotrimazole every time I went to the bathroom, and this seemed to help. Color of penis progressively getting back to normal, except for urethra opening that is still a bit red.
t+10: returned to the clinic: very sore left testicle, reminding me of an epidydimitis I had as a teenager. Shot of ceftriaxone and gave me a course of 10 days of 100mg Doxycycline twice a day.
t+14: left hip very itchy, upon close examination I see a tiny dot (1mm) that is raised. Later two even tinier ones appear. The location is exacly where the opening of the jeans pocket is.
t+17: very bad night, almost no sleep, feeling panicked. Feeling of dry mouth, thick saliva. Tongue is covered white. Might be side-effect of doxy.
All that week, the raised dot has grown a bit, but no liquid can be seen inside. It looks more like a small red dot, but very itchy. Never had anything like that except when I had chickepox as a kid. The other spots don't grow much. The whole area is itching like crazy. Epsom salt baths help. After one of those baths, I noticed there is a tiny yellow crust on top of the dot.
t+18: urethra and penis still very itchy. I need to urinate all the time (I'm drinking a ton of water and cranberrry juice). Tea tree oil on the hip doesn't help. But Carmex does. Epsom salt baths help too. I visit my GP who looks at the hip, says herpes unlikely because of location, although at this stage it's hard to tell; but then she also suggests taking an IgM, so I'm a bit surprized based on what I learned here about the unreliability of that test. Given epididyme still quite tender, and bladder a bit painful, she prescribes cipro. I take the prescription but not the med --I want to see how it evolves.
t+19: in evening, took the last pill of doxy. Feeling quite depressed and itchy. Red skin on neck.
t+20: small rash on left butt cheek where I sit. It hurts more than it itches. Meanwhile the spot on the hip is slowly healing; it is only 2mm but still very itchy. Mouth still irritated, tip of the tongue red and painful. One spot on the side of the tongue is feeling raw, but I don't see lesion.
t+21: still pain in epididyme, pain/itching in urethra, in bladder, feeling urge to pee often. Having read about CPPS on wikipedia, I try my best to "relax down there". There are times where the pain goes away or is not noticeable.
t+22: butt/rectum very itchy today. I almost have trouble sitting. Seem to be having a little pimple (2mm), but it feels a bit like a rash. Penis has become quite itchy again. I put some more clotrimazole on it and it seems to help with the itch. Needed to urinate less often, pain in testicle decreased through the day, as I was actively focusing my attention away from it.
Overall in the last three weeks of this hell, I've felt almost unable to concentrate, and extremely tired. I thought I was having a fever several times, but the temperature was normal. No appetite whatsoever. Eyes are burning, mouth is burning, I have itches in several places but no "sores" like you see on herpes pictures. However little dot on hip and pimple on butt are concerning me.
What am I to make of all of that?
Hi again,
I just realized that the itchy spot on my hip is precisely where maximum friction occurs with the lady's inner tigh when having sex in cowgirl position. I remember that during my July adventure we did quite a bit of that (in addition to unprotected oral). At that spot the skin seems quite thin & fragile. I also happen to have stretch marks there due to weight gain in past decade or so.
Now, the itch hasn't disappeared. It still comes and goes, between a mere tingle to outright itch (in fact, the descriptions I've read for herpes of "creepy feeling of crawling under the skin" sometimes feel dead on). There are also tiny pinpricks or red spots, but so small that they are barely noticeable. The first one that came through in July was larger (1mm), grew and eventually crusted over. Never any blister, but not all hsv outbreaks do produce blisters, right?
I have three questions:
- I plan to go to a dermatology clinic to have it inspected. Can they take a swab for tests even if there are no blisters? Should I mention a concern for herpes?
- if that spot was in fact a primary infection of herpes, is it possible that this infection was responsible for the other symptoms I had (general illness feeling, fever, itchy urethra, pain in the groin, pain & pressure in the lower abdomen and swollen lymph nodes)?
- does primary infection through skin (while somewhat rare as I understand) lead to a slower build up of detectable antigen levels?
Thanks!
I just realized that the itchy spot on my hip is precisely where maximum friction occurs with the lady's inner tigh when having sex in cowgirl position. I remember that during my July adventure we did quite a bit of that (in addition to unprotected oral). At that spot the skin seems quite thin & fragile. I also happen to have stretch marks there due to weight gain in past decade or so.
Now, the itch hasn't disappeared. It still comes and goes, between a mere tingle to outright itch (in fact, the descriptions I've read for herpes of "creepy feeling of crawling under the skin" sometimes feel dead on). There are also tiny pinpricks or red spots, but so small that they are barely noticeable. The first one that came through in July was larger (1mm), grew and eventually crusted over. Never any blister, but not all hsv outbreaks do produce blisters, right?
I have three questions:
- I plan to go to a dermatology clinic to have it inspected. Can they take a swab for tests even if there are no blisters? Should I mention a concern for herpes?
- if that spot was in fact a primary infection of herpes, is it possible that this infection was responsible for the other symptoms I had (general illness feeling, fever, itchy urethra, pain in the groin, pain & pressure in the lower abdomen and swollen lymph nodes)?
- does primary infection through skin (while somewhat rare as I understand) lead to a slower build up of detectable antigen levels?
Thanks!
At 7 weeks, 80% of infected people with be positive for HSV antibodies. 12 week testing is required to be conclusive.
However as indicated all along, you had no real reason to suspect your symptoms were related to herpes.
However as indicated all along, you had no real reason to suspect your symptoms were related to herpes.
Great news, I got my results earlier this week, both negative:
HSV-1 IgG type-specific Ab: <0.91 (negative)
HSV-2 IgG type-specific Ab: <0.91 (negative)
The test number was 164905 from LabCorp.
My question is, the blood was collected a bit early (50 days after last possible exposure). Should I bother to check again in another 9 weeks?
PS: white spots on the lips, I found pictures of Fordyce spots that looked exactly the same, plus a post from Grace indicating that if they don't change much, they are probably fordyce spots. So all good.
On the negative side, pain in scrotum and swollen epididyme, itchiness inside the penis keep coming and going. Another urine amplification test for chlam and GC negative again. Not sure what's up with that but will go to urologist for further exams (possible prostatitis?)
HSV-1 IgG type-specific Ab: <0.91 (negative)
HSV-2 IgG type-specific Ab: <0.91 (negative)
The test number was 164905 from LabCorp.
My question is, the blood was collected a bit early (50 days after last possible exposure). Should I bother to check again in another 9 weeks?
PS: white spots on the lips, I found pictures of Fordyce spots that looked exactly the same, plus a post from Grace indicating that if they don't change much, they are probably fordyce spots. So all good.
On the negative side, pain in scrotum and swollen epididyme, itchiness inside the penis keep coming and going. Another urine amplification test for chlam and GC negative again. Not sure what's up with that but will go to urologist for further exams (possible prostatitis?)
Aughhhh, now I have a bunch of tiny bumps both on the left and right upper sides of the upper lip. Feels a bit like sandpaper.
Thanks Fleetwood,
My concern level is rising again as I have three more small bumps that now appeared on my hip next to the initial sore and where it has been super itchy again for the past 2 or 3 days. I also seem to have a few red bumps on my left buttock, and it hurts to sit on a chair (like a slight burn).
What I don't understand is, if that is indeed a recurrent outbreak, then why did I never feel an initial outbreak there? And it seems, from what you are saying and other info I read onilne, that it is very unlikely to have this presentation for an initial outbreak.
Feeling bumped, stupid, depressed, etc. And the worst of it is to try and keep a straight happy face in the family while all of this is unfolding and I have to search for places for herpes testing, figure out how for it to not appear on bills, etc.
My concern level is rising again as I have three more small bumps that now appeared on my hip next to the initial sore and where it has been super itchy again for the past 2 or 3 days. I also seem to have a few red bumps on my left buttock, and it hurts to sit on a chair (like a slight burn).
What I don't understand is, if that is indeed a recurrent outbreak, then why did I never feel an initial outbreak there? And it seems, from what you are saying and other info I read onilne, that it is very unlikely to have this presentation for an initial outbreak.
Feeling bumped, stupid, depressed, etc. And the worst of it is to try and keep a straight happy face in the family while all of this is unfolding and I have to search for places for herpes testing, figure out how for it to not appear on bills, etc.
I'd agree that the symptoms are not correlated with you having herpes or not. As you state, most people just get mild symptoms, particularly once their antibodies are in place. It is possible you have had herpes (HSV1 or HSV2) for a long time, but then that will not be causing these symptoms.
Hi again,
After some diminished symptoms during a vacation in warmer climate, I came back a couple of days ago and got a sore throat with a 4mm white boil located on the back of the throat, just visible if I depress my tongue. It made it pretty hard to swallow (not that I have a lot of appetite anyway). After a bad night of sneezing and clearing my nose and throat, I'm feeling a bit better in the mouth, but alas the itching on the spot where I had a tiny blister on the tight (itch that never quite got away completely, even though the area healed), has returned with burning vigor. Additionally, butt and rectum itching came back, as well as pain in the epididyme.
While I completely aknowledge your expertise and knowledge of herpes, and humbly recognize my own ignorance on the subject, I am disturbed by what I have read on reputable sites such as westoverheights.com, www.cdc.gov/std/herpes and ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/herpes. In particular, most infected people have symptoms so mild that they can be unnoticed. The other descriptions of possible symptoms may fit some of the symptoms I feel I have had. Also, statistically, since I am close to 50 yo and because of my bad choices/sexual habits (~4 to 6 visits to hookers per year), it seems that I would be likely to have HSV-1 and/or 2.
I plan to go on Monday get a first IgG test. That is 6 weeks past last potential exposure, but there have been many before that, although only another one after which I felt symptoms. Regardless, I need to know. If I test negative, then I will repeat the test at 16 weeks.
One quick question re. the renewed symptoms: if there was indeed a primary infection 6 weeks ago, and my itchy urethra etc. was a very mild outbreak with no visible lesions, is it possible to get a new outbreak now?
Best regards and thank you and the other resident experts for your great work here.
After some diminished symptoms during a vacation in warmer climate, I came back a couple of days ago and got a sore throat with a 4mm white boil located on the back of the throat, just visible if I depress my tongue. It made it pretty hard to swallow (not that I have a lot of appetite anyway). After a bad night of sneezing and clearing my nose and throat, I'm feeling a bit better in the mouth, but alas the itching on the spot where I had a tiny blister on the tight (itch that never quite got away completely, even though the area healed), has returned with burning vigor. Additionally, butt and rectum itching came back, as well as pain in the epididyme.
While I completely aknowledge your expertise and knowledge of herpes, and humbly recognize my own ignorance on the subject, I am disturbed by what I have read on reputable sites such as westoverheights.com, www.cdc.gov/std/herpes and ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/herpes. In particular, most infected people have symptoms so mild that they can be unnoticed. The other descriptions of possible symptoms may fit some of the symptoms I feel I have had. Also, statistically, since I am close to 50 yo and because of my bad choices/sexual habits (~4 to 6 visits to hookers per year), it seems that I would be likely to have HSV-1 and/or 2.
I plan to go on Monday get a first IgG test. That is 6 weeks past last potential exposure, but there have been many before that, although only another one after which I felt symptoms. Regardless, I need to know. If I test negative, then I will repeat the test at 16 weeks.
One quick question re. the renewed symptoms: if there was indeed a primary infection 6 weeks ago, and my itchy urethra etc. was a very mild outbreak with no visible lesions, is it possible to get a new outbreak now?
Best regards and thank you and the other resident experts for your great work here.
More symptoms. Now the balanitis has returned about 5 days ago, redness and itchiness under the penis glans where the skin folds (I'm uncircumcised). This time Clotrimazole doesn't seem to reduce the inflammation, even though I put it on every time I go to the bathroom. I also still feel "full", bladder and inguinal sides hurting a bit. I read somewhere that balanitis that doesn't respond to anti fungal/yeast treatment can be due to herpes. Also my urethra is still itchy and irritated. Perhaps the prostate too (I always feel there are a few more drops that I should expel).
In terms of probability, what are the odds that it's herpes?
In terms of probability, what are the odds that it's herpes?
Herpes is never even on the list as being a probably cause of what you describe. I'm afraid there are too many possibilities. But many of these sound fairly naturally occurring issues from time to time that you are simply freaking out about.
Some new symptoms today: the back of my tongue (hard to see) is covered with pimples or pustules. Lymph nodes in the neck a bit sore, but not swollen as far as I can tell. Also I get this feeling of having a fever a few times a day, but no temperature. On the down below side, I have what looks like a pacth of evenly distributed red dots on both butt cheecks, just where the pressure with my work chair is the highest (each spot is ~ 5 sq.inch or so, the dots are ~1mm and at roughly 1/4 inch interval from each other). The top-most lymph node in the inguinal, horizontal group, was a bit swollen this morning and a bit sore. That is about 4 inches away from where I had that super itchy little dot for all of last week. Wearing thight pants at work made the pain worse. But now it doesn't seem swollen anymore.
Trying not to freak out... How can all these things be happening and what causes them, if it's not herpes?
Trying not to freak out... How can all these things be happening and what causes them, if it's not herpes?
Yes those i believe are side effects and will pass within a few days of completing the course.
Thank you for your quick answer Fleetwood. They didn't swab me (there was nothing to swab). They spun a urine sample and looked for white cells, found none (or very few I was told). This was to look for GC/Chlamydia/NGU. Then they sent the rest of the urine to the lab for PCR (again, just for GC/Chlamydia --both negative).
I will try to relax (really not feeling great right now, headaches, burning eyes, sore throat, etc.) and I will get tested in 9 weeks.
Thanks,
One quick question --not really on herpes, but: I think the Doxy gave me a huge dryness of the mouth, and I felt extremely sensitive to light (I had to protect my eyes). How long could those effects, if indeed they are due to doxy, could last?
I will try to relax (really not feeling great right now, headaches, burning eyes, sore throat, etc.) and I will get tested in 9 weeks.
Thanks,
One quick question --not really on herpes, but: I think the Doxy gave me a huge dryness of the mouth, and I felt extremely sensitive to light (I had to protect my eyes). How long could those effects, if indeed they are due to doxy, could last?
Stress, genitally focused anxiety is what I suggest.
This is on top of a fungal infection. Did they test your swab for HSV using PCR? Was that negative?
I do not believe this to be herpes. Have you tested before? To be sure, you need to test 12 weeks after exposure.
This is on top of a fungal infection. Did they test your swab for HSV using PCR? Was that negative?
I do not believe this to be herpes. Have you tested before? To be sure, you need to test 12 weeks after exposure.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
