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Herpes, chlamydia, or something else?!
Hello all and THANK YOU ahead of time for taking some time to read this!
I am having symptoms and was wondering if you pro's could help me out. I've been scouring feeds, blogs, and photos for what it could be via my symptoms but it kinda seems my symptoms are across the board. I'll do my best to describe my situation and I am going to the doctor tomorrow to get tested.
-22 year old male
-Sexually active who has had a number of unprotected partners
I was fully tested 3 months ago after chlamydia symptoms came about from a partner and was given antibiotics that rid of my symptoms and thought all was well. ALL tests (gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes 1 & 2, Syphilis) all came back negative even though I'm positive it was chlamydia and the antibiotics removed it so I'm assuming the chlamydia test was a false negative.
Since then, I've had unprotected oral and vaginal sex with two partners and oral sex with a third. All of which promised they had no STI's, and I did not as my tests came back negative and the antibiotics removed the chlamydia I thought I had.
About five days ago, I started having a very difficult time to urinate due to the immense pain (that tends to lessen as the day goes by as I drink more water..?) the pain was only at the tip of my penis and hurt for a minute or two after urination as well as during urination and then it disappeared. The tip of the head of my penis at the urethra is very sensitive to the touch and I have slight discharge (clear... Always clear, not milky or yellow/green). All of which aligns to being chlamydia again, eh? I mean I am at a college and sorority girls don't have the best reputation so I assumed so.. Until the next symptom appeared.
Three days ago I saw a small sore on the side of my shaft (right side, below the head). The sore was red at first and looked as if it had a black dot in the middle of it. Since then the sore opened but doesn't leak or anything, but it switched from being sore to the touch, to itchy if I were to touch it... Does not bother me if I don't touch it. Then a second VERY small sore appeared on the head of my penis (right side, about 2 cm below the urethra) about 12 hours after I saw the first.
It's been three days, the two small sores remain there and no new sores are present, one on my head isn't bothersome but still present and the one on my shaft remains itchy if touched but not problematic if left alone. The tip of my penis is still sore to the touch and looks a bit inflamed. Urinating still hurts to an extent but not as bad as five days ago. Small bits of clear discharge remain as well
My question: what do these symptoms say to you?
-burning (not itchy) urination
-sore tip of penis
-urethra at tip looks a bit inflamed
-two tiny sores, one on shaft, one on head
-clear discharge
-sore lymph nodes in groin
Most symptoms scream to me Chlamydia, but the lymph nodes and two small sores say HSV2... Praying to god it is not hsv2 as I have vowed to wrap it up every time I have intercourse now :-/
I've seen some websites saying chlamydia CAN cause a sore to come and can affect lymph node inflammation/soreness. Also, I haven't read anywhere about discharge being a symptom of hsv2 so what is your take on this? Any help to relax my nerves would be much much much appreciated and thank you so much for reading. I will keep the thread updated after my doctors visit as well.
I am having symptoms and was wondering if you pro's could help me out. I've been scouring feeds, blogs, and photos for what it could be via my symptoms but it kinda seems my symptoms are across the board. I'll do my best to describe my situation and I am going to the doctor tomorrow to get tested.
-22 year old male
-Sexually active who has had a number of unprotected partners
I was fully tested 3 months ago after chlamydia symptoms came about from a partner and was given antibiotics that rid of my symptoms and thought all was well. ALL tests (gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes 1 & 2, Syphilis) all came back negative even though I'm positive it was chlamydia and the antibiotics removed it so I'm assuming the chlamydia test was a false negative.
Since then, I've had unprotected oral and vaginal sex with two partners and oral sex with a third. All of which promised they had no STI's, and I did not as my tests came back negative and the antibiotics removed the chlamydia I thought I had.
About five days ago, I started having a very difficult time to urinate due to the immense pain (that tends to lessen as the day goes by as I drink more water..?) the pain was only at the tip of my penis and hurt for a minute or two after urination as well as during urination and then it disappeared. The tip of the head of my penis at the urethra is very sensitive to the touch and I have slight discharge (clear... Always clear, not milky or yellow/green). All of which aligns to being chlamydia again, eh? I mean I am at a college and sorority girls don't have the best reputation so I assumed so.. Until the next symptom appeared.
Three days ago I saw a small sore on the side of my shaft (right side, below the head). The sore was red at first and looked as if it had a black dot in the middle of it. Since then the sore opened but doesn't leak or anything, but it switched from being sore to the touch, to itchy if I were to touch it... Does not bother me if I don't touch it. Then a second VERY small sore appeared on the head of my penis (right side, about 2 cm below the urethra) about 12 hours after I saw the first.
It's been three days, the two small sores remain there and no new sores are present, one on my head isn't bothersome but still present and the one on my shaft remains itchy if touched but not problematic if left alone. The tip of my penis is still sore to the touch and looks a bit inflamed. Urinating still hurts to an extent but not as bad as five days ago. Small bits of clear discharge remain as well
My question: what do these symptoms say to you?
-burning (not itchy) urination
-sore tip of penis
-urethra at tip looks a bit inflamed
-two tiny sores, one on shaft, one on head
-clear discharge
-sore lymph nodes in groin
Most symptoms scream to me Chlamydia, but the lymph nodes and two small sores say HSV2... Praying to god it is not hsv2 as I have vowed to wrap it up every time I have intercourse now :-/
I've seen some websites saying chlamydia CAN cause a sore to come and can affect lymph node inflammation/soreness. Also, I haven't read anywhere about discharge being a symptom of hsv2 so what is your take on this? Any help to relax my nerves would be much much much appreciated and thank you so much for reading. I will keep the thread updated after my doctors visit as well.
Thanks for your input!
Didn't mean to downplay that one bit as it still is worrisome to me. I am abstaining from sex until a blood test can be done but he said the % chance of an accurate reading would be extremely low until 4 weeks out from my first symptoms and it's almost been two. He said the antibodies in my body need to grow and if you do it prior to four weeks it'll likely come back negative when it could be positive.
The problem about swabbing was these two spots were A.) extremely small and B.) when they appeared, by the time I got to the doctor (2 days later) they had already closed up and were healing so it couldn't be swabbed. This also didn't concern him because he said a normal herpes outbreak is much more than just one or two bumps in a first outbreak and the sores last for around two weeks which mine didn't last 48 hours even!
Nevertheless, I totally understand your concern and I didn't mean to come off as someone who thought everything was over with. Waiting on these tests of chlamydia and gonorreah to come back and if either are positive, I'll know it's that, and if they come back negative, ill do the four week HSV2 test in two weeks
Didn't mean to downplay that one bit as it still is worrisome to me. I am abstaining from sex until a blood test can be done but he said the % chance of an accurate reading would be extremely low until 4 weeks out from my first symptoms and it's almost been two. He said the antibodies in my body need to grow and if you do it prior to four weeks it'll likely come back negative when it could be positive.
The problem about swabbing was these two spots were A.) extremely small and B.) when they appeared, by the time I got to the doctor (2 days later) they had already closed up and were healing so it couldn't be swabbed. This also didn't concern him because he said a normal herpes outbreak is much more than just one or two bumps in a first outbreak and the sores last for around two weeks which mine didn't last 48 hours even!
Nevertheless, I totally understand your concern and I didn't mean to come off as someone who thought everything was over with. Waiting on these tests of chlamydia and gonorreah to come back and if either are positive, I'll know it's that, and if they come back negative, ill do the four week HSV2 test in two weeks
Not to instill fear in you, but if your doctor visually diagnosed you as NOT having HSV without proper tests, I'd say that was pretty irresponsible of him.
Did he take a swab of your lesions for HSV? If not, how can you assume those lesions are not herpetic. I'm surprised you wouldn't press this versus now having to guess if it was or not.
Any sores on your penis should be swabbed within 48 hours of their appearance. This way it gives the best chance of an accurate result. Please get this lesion swabbed right away.
A blood test for HSV IGG should also be done at 12 weeks post exposure. I know you're in college, but it's vital you get a blood test done to see where you stand after this time period. If you continue to have sex, it's like a moving target. Your symptoms would concern me because I had the SAME EXACT ones minus the sore on the head.
To give you some solace, my results have been negative through 22 weeks, including a WesternBlot, but I never trusted a doctors visual diagnosis. Herpes can present itself in atypical ways at times.
Dude get that thing swabbed! You kidding me.
Did he take a swab of your lesions for HSV? If not, how can you assume those lesions are not herpetic. I'm surprised you wouldn't press this versus now having to guess if it was or not.
Any sores on your penis should be swabbed within 48 hours of their appearance. This way it gives the best chance of an accurate result. Please get this lesion swabbed right away.
A blood test for HSV IGG should also be done at 12 weeks post exposure. I know you're in college, but it's vital you get a blood test done to see where you stand after this time period. If you continue to have sex, it's like a moving target. Your symptoms would concern me because I had the SAME EXACT ones minus the sore on the head.
To give you some solace, my results have been negative through 22 weeks, including a WesternBlot, but I never trusted a doctors visual diagnosis. Herpes can present itself in atypical ways at times.
Dude get that thing swabbed! You kidding me.
Update time!!
Finally got into the doctors office this morning after having to jump through hoops left and right just to get the darn test done! The doctor took a look at my symptoms and it was a huge relief in regards to HSV2! He said that the two sores did not look like Herpes as Herpes normally has a much larger outbreak the first time you have one. He also said exactly what you said Life360 and said he has come across HSV1 and 2 on penis's and has never seen sores on the head itself. His diagnosis was Chlamydia as he said the pain in my urination would have been progressively gotten worse rather than easing up to a manageable level and that my discharge was not the usual color of gonorrhea.
I got tested for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea and said my test should be in by Monday but gave me these two large pills and said it is a one time antibiotic that should start to clear it up and it should be gone in 7 days but if the test comes back as positive I will go back in and get a shot in my tooshie.
Sighs of relief coming from this 22 year old today as I was REALLY stressing out I might have gotten HSV2 and couldn't have intercourse with people unless they were okay contracting it too. Thank you Life360 for you input, you really put my mind to ease until I got to see the doc. I will update when the results come in, but until then, I think I should be A-okay!
Finally got into the doctors office this morning after having to jump through hoops left and right just to get the darn test done! The doctor took a look at my symptoms and it was a huge relief in regards to HSV2! He said that the two sores did not look like Herpes as Herpes normally has a much larger outbreak the first time you have one. He also said exactly what you said Life360 and said he has come across HSV1 and 2 on penis's and has never seen sores on the head itself. His diagnosis was Chlamydia as he said the pain in my urination would have been progressively gotten worse rather than easing up to a manageable level and that my discharge was not the usual color of gonorrhea.
I got tested for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea and said my test should be in by Monday but gave me these two large pills and said it is a one time antibiotic that should start to clear it up and it should be gone in 7 days but if the test comes back as positive I will go back in and get a shot in my tooshie.
Sighs of relief coming from this 22 year old today as I was REALLY stressing out I might have gotten HSV2 and couldn't have intercourse with people unless they were okay contracting it too. Thank you Life360 for you input, you really put my mind to ease until I got to see the doc. I will update when the results come in, but until then, I think I should be A-okay!
Doctor can accept walk-in's today but can't do the testing until tomorrow, go figure with my luck they'd make me wait another day eh?! So I will be seeing the doctor tomorrow morning and getting testing done as well. Hopefully he doesn't think it's HSV2 either, will keep everyone updated because who knows, maybe someone will have the same thing as me in the future and read this!
Thank you both on your responses!
PrizeFighter - I am aware that I have something going on "down there" as I wouldn't be having symptoms if I didn't. I'm off to see the doctor within the hour so I will update when I do!
Life360- I will request a swab be done while I am in there as well as a trich test as well. the discharge and discomfort makes me believe it is an infection as well but herpes couldn't be ruled out. it is comforting to know that sores don't normally appear on the head with herpes but I haven't found many reputable places saying infections cause sores outside of a 1-2% chance. I had the herpes test done at the end of December and since then have had three partners. tests for hsv1&2 both returned negative then but couldn't rule out possibly getting it from one of these new partners.
thanks so much for your input and I will update after the doc sees me shortly!
PrizeFighter - I am aware that I have something going on "down there" as I wouldn't be having symptoms if I didn't. I'm off to see the doctor within the hour so I will update when I do!
Life360- I will request a swab be done while I am in there as well as a trich test as well. the discharge and discomfort makes me believe it is an infection as well but herpes couldn't be ruled out. it is comforting to know that sores don't normally appear on the head with herpes but I haven't found many reputable places saying infections cause sores outside of a 1-2% chance. I had the herpes test done at the end of December and since then have had three partners. tests for hsv1&2 both returned negative then but couldn't rule out possibly getting it from one of these new partners.
thanks so much for your input and I will update after the doc sees me shortly!
Hi also, at this point you need to go back to the clinic and have a urethral swab since most of the discomfort is at the tip. Herpes sores show up on the shaft most of the time not the head. Have the sores swabbed also. How long after your last sex exposure did you have the herpes test?
You should also test for trich which is a parasite and could cause the symptoms your describing. Bottom line is if your having a white discharge and urethra discomfort that is a symptom of an infection. Sometimes a second round of antibiotics is needed to knock these infections like chlamydia out.
You should also test for trich which is a parasite and could cause the symptoms your describing. Bottom line is if your having a white discharge and urethra discomfort that is a symptom of an infection. Sometimes a second round of antibiotics is needed to knock these infections like chlamydia out.
It sounds like you have an std. You need to stop having protected sex. You should go see a doctor asap. You also should do a HIV test.
another quick update...
After sleeping, I've awoken to more discharge this morning, white-ish in nature, and the sores scabbed up and not very sensitive to the touch or itchy anymore.
After sleeping, I've awoken to more discharge this morning, white-ish in nature, and the sores scabbed up and not very sensitive to the touch or itchy anymore.
Just a quick update, I wanted to say that I took a closer look at discharge and although it isn't milky like my previous chlamydia outbreak I had, it does have a tinge of white to it. I've read multiple places discharge from herpes is very very rare and very painful and that's not the case with me. Anyways, just thought I'd update a bit, thanks for reading
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
