Is this a sign of Herpes?

[Xstrandman]

   On February 27th I had unprotected sex with a woman. Roughly two weeks after the encounter, and 3 days after freshly trimming my pubic region, I started to feel irritated. This irritation felt better when I was naked or when I spread my legs apart which allowed for minimal contact with clothing. The feeling would come and go and was more annoying than an intensive burn. So far I have no other obvious symptoms. It would be relieved with lotion, antihistamines, benadryl gel and caladryl oil. It also felt better when I was naked or if it was bothering me while standing at work I could simply sit down, remove my pants and then the feeling would go away. It started in the genital region before I noticed the feeling in my forearms and on my inner quad above the knee.On a few occasions I feel the irritation in all of those areas at once.I did notice that my mother changed laundry detergents so I thought maybe I was having a reaction to the fresh shave and laundry detergent. I noticed that jeans, boxers and black sweater usually provoked the irritating feeling in all listed spots. Upon washing my clothes in hot/cold water, w/o detergent, I was irritation free for 4 days. But then it started again while working. It seems friction, pressure and moisture play a vital role in the length and degree of irritation.
   I am very conflicted. Some experts, like Dr. HHH on this forum, say that "No STDs alone cause skin irritation and burning and that sores and ulcers only cause irritation and burning." But I also read people's testimonies that they have tested positive for HSV2 and have never had sores but do get the burning/irritation feeling in the genital region.
   Should I get tested at 6 or 7 weeks to get an idea if I'm positive and then again at 12 weeks? I don't have a GP but I am going to make an appointment with one just to cover all of my options. I know my story is long with a lot of details, but what is an expert opinion on the likelihood of me contracting HSV2?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I would agree that stress and anxiety are making you very aware of every little sensation in your body, and you are interpreting these are herpetic!
I so hope that soon you will be able to believe your negative results and move on.

Terri

[Xstrandman]

The scrotum is definitely better, but still isn't back to normal. My cream treatment ends on Thursday. But lately I've been having itch attacks on random parts of my body, but still no rash. Just saw a Dr. this morning and he really believes it's anxiety and stress. He told me to take Claritin during the day and Benadryl at night to see if it helps, but he also recommended I see my counselor again and engage in activities because I haven't been doing much lately but wondering what's wrong with me. It's frustrating to think I've been going through all of this and that it's my own fault but the Dr. said "if it was an infection or bacteria you would show other signs, and right now, red scrotum aside, you don't have anything else going on with you." And he's right - I wasn't even happy when my negative test results came back.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Well, good, then you have some answers that feel reasonable to you.  I'm glad you feel resolution.

Terri

[Xstrandman]

Had my apt with the dermatologist today. Once I showed him my scrotum he immediately knew what it was. Basically I managed to irritate the skin down there to the point where my body's natural defense system caused the skin to get red and hard and leathery to protect itself. The burning of my inner thigh is probably from rubbing the skin and causing chaffing. He prescribed me a steroid cream in hopes of relaxing the nerves in my groin area and scrotum. When I asked him why sometimes it feels like someone is rubbing fiberglass insulation on my forearms and legs he said, "Not really sure but it's probably sympathetic nerves. I've had people with redness on their feet but complain of irritation in their hands. Let's treat the immediate source and call me on Tuesday to let me know how things are going."

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Good plan, strandman.

Terri

[Xstrandman]

All test results came back negative and I'll be back at 12-16 weeks for a final HSV test. As of right now, my scrotum is still very red, dry and scaly but the irritation between my legs is pretty much gone. Overall I feel a lot better but have noticed itching on my forearms and quads above the knee. Going to see my dermatologist on Friday to see if I am allergic to anything (creams included).