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Penis Irritation Comes & Goes......Herpes?
Received unprotected oral sex from woman I didn't know on April 12/10.
One week later began to panic and suffer severe anxiety.
Suddenly I began to experience genital itching and an overall feelinb of being ill including lack of appetite.
Two weeks later, still itchy and suffering from severe anxiety, I began to wash my penis in a vigorous manner using a strong anti-bacterial soap. Public health doctor says she sees no STD.
Week 3, the itch would come and go so I switch from anti-bacterial soap to salt baths. I used large amounts of salt b/c I wanted the itch to stop. After a week, I noticed some dryness and irritation around the head of the penis. Wasn't sure if it was from the different soaps or possible herpes outbreak. Clean test for gonorrhea and clamydia.
Week 4, stopped the salt baths and went to back to regular soap, also started using an anti-fungal cream. The itch still came and went, some irritated skin only around the rim of the penis. Saw a different doctor who says she sees no sign of STD but thinks my sysptoms may be psychological.
Week 5 I have 4 days feeling 100% back to noraml and then all of a sudden I began to get a sore throat. The sore throat leads to more itching on the head of my penis. Only visible sign is some redness and irritation on the rim of penis in the same spot.
Week 6 I feel fine for 2 days without symptoms but the itch continues to come and go. Viisible irriattion also comes and goes. I stop using the anti-fungal cream.
Week 7 I return to the doctor for a follow up. She still says she sees nothing but suggests that maybe my constant cgange in hygiene might be the cause of my penis irritation. She says that if the irritation comes and goes, it is like JUST an irritation and not an STD.
After this visit to doctor I go 6 days of feeling 100% without symtoms or itch.
Presently, Week 8, after the 6 days of feeling great, my itchhas returned for the past 3 days and there is a slightly visible irritation that I would describe as an irritated penis rim with slight redness.
I know I'm being long-winded BUT what can possibly be casuing an intermittent itch on the rim of my penis that also includes an intermittent visible irritation when 3 doctor visits have ruled out Herpes?
I have not had any fever, no discharge, no penis pain, and no blisters. But I have had itchiness, irritation, discomfort, fatigue, anxiety, some soreness in testicles and an overall feeling of being sick.
ALL symptoms for the past 8 weeks have been intermittent.
Any ideas?
One week later began to panic and suffer severe anxiety.
Suddenly I began to experience genital itching and an overall feelinb of being ill including lack of appetite.
Two weeks later, still itchy and suffering from severe anxiety, I began to wash my penis in a vigorous manner using a strong anti-bacterial soap. Public health doctor says she sees no STD.
Week 3, the itch would come and go so I switch from anti-bacterial soap to salt baths. I used large amounts of salt b/c I wanted the itch to stop. After a week, I noticed some dryness and irritation around the head of the penis. Wasn't sure if it was from the different soaps or possible herpes outbreak. Clean test for gonorrhea and clamydia.
Week 4, stopped the salt baths and went to back to regular soap, also started using an anti-fungal cream. The itch still came and went, some irritated skin only around the rim of the penis. Saw a different doctor who says she sees no sign of STD but thinks my sysptoms may be psychological.
Week 5 I have 4 days feeling 100% back to noraml and then all of a sudden I began to get a sore throat. The sore throat leads to more itching on the head of my penis. Only visible sign is some redness and irritation on the rim of penis in the same spot.
Week 6 I feel fine for 2 days without symptoms but the itch continues to come and go. Viisible irriattion also comes and goes. I stop using the anti-fungal cream.
Week 7 I return to the doctor for a follow up. She still says she sees nothing but suggests that maybe my constant cgange in hygiene might be the cause of my penis irritation. She says that if the irritation comes and goes, it is like JUST an irritation and not an STD.
After this visit to doctor I go 6 days of feeling 100% without symtoms or itch.
Presently, Week 8, after the 6 days of feeling great, my itchhas returned for the past 3 days and there is a slightly visible irritation that I would describe as an irritated penis rim with slight redness.
I know I'm being long-winded BUT what can possibly be casuing an intermittent itch on the rim of my penis that also includes an intermittent visible irritation when 3 doctor visits have ruled out Herpes?
I have not had any fever, no discharge, no penis pain, and no blisters. But I have had itchiness, irritation, discomfort, fatigue, anxiety, some soreness in testicles and an overall feeling of being sick.
ALL symptoms for the past 8 weeks have been intermittent.
Any ideas?
Best Answer
this doesn't sound at all like herpes going on.
I think you've overly irritated your skin and have a lot of anxiety about this encounter in general to be honest.
grace
I think you've overly irritated your skin and have a lot of anxiety about this encounter in general to be honest.
grace
Thanks for the response, Grace.
If not Herpes, should I be worried about Genital Warts then? Would an HPV infection cause such an intermittent irritation and itch? Can symptoms last for 8 weeks based on psychological factors?
Can these feelings simply be chalked up to a combination stress, anxiety, over-washing and over-inspecting myself?
8 weeks just seems like sucha long time to be experiencing this itch & irritation.
Thanks again.
If not Herpes, should I be worried about Genital Warts then? Would an HPV infection cause such an intermittent irritation and itch? Can symptoms last for 8 weeks based on psychological factors?
Can these feelings simply be chalked up to a combination stress, anxiety, over-washing and over-inspecting myself?
8 weeks just seems like sucha long time to be experiencing this itch & irritation.
Thanks again.
I knew full well that washing wouldn't remove an STD but my panic attacks and anxiety had my "scrubbing" and washing my genitals quite vigorously at the time.
I've gone back to a normal washing routine for about 3 weeks but I still get flare ups on the top rim of the penis head.
As for my anxiety and panic attacks, I still go those on a daily basis.
You input and responses are greatly appreciated. Thanks very much for you words.
I've gone back to a normal washing routine for about 3 weeks but I still get flare ups on the top rim of the penis head.
As for my anxiety and panic attacks, I still go those on a daily basis.
You input and responses are greatly appreciated. Thanks very much for you words.
I should add, another strange thing is that after a nice cool shower, my irritation and redness goes down and I feel better in the genital area.
The odd part is that this week (wk 9), I feel like my groin and/or testicles are a little uncomfortable.
Considering that my sexual activity has almost stopped for 8 weeks, can the lack of activity (ejaculation) actually cause testicular discomfort?
The odd part is that this week (wk 9), I feel like my groin and/or testicles are a little uncomfortable.
Considering that my sexual activity has almost stopped for 8 weeks, can the lack of activity (ejaculation) actually cause testicular discomfort?
I have yet another question:
I have had Oral HSV 1 for most of my life. Is it possible to also get Genital HSV 1 even though I already have it orally? If what I feel on my gentials (no outbreak yet) turns out to be Herpes, is there a greater chance of it being Type 1 or Type 2 if the act in question was unprotected oral?
I have had Oral HSV 1 for most of my life. Is it possible to also get Genital HSV 1 even though I already have it orally? If what I feel on my gentials (no outbreak yet) turns out to be Herpes, is there a greater chance of it being Type 1 or Type 2 if the act in question was unprotected oral?
I've heard of it happening, but very rarely. You have a natural immunity to contracting HSV1 at a second locale, after having developed the initial antibodies. It's certainly not impossible, just not likely.
Hmmm, thanks sadgirl789
But don't i also have antibodies that help protect me against HSV 2 or that totally different?
I'm just so stressed b/c the symptoms have been intermittent for 8 weeks. One day I'm convinced I have something and the next day I feel fine. The same with the physical skin on my penis, it seems to get worse, get better, then get worse again.
It's a vicious cycle b/c part of this may be pschological and it really affects the mental side and then back n forth and back n forth....
I know I have Type 1, I just really want to know if I picked up Type 2 and then deal with it from there. The sex helpline keeps telling me NOT to do the test b/c it will only make me more worried if it comes back positive.
But don't i also have antibodies that help protect me against HSV 2 or that totally different?
I'm just so stressed b/c the symptoms have been intermittent for 8 weeks. One day I'm convinced I have something and the next day I feel fine. The same with the physical skin on my penis, it seems to get worse, get better, then get worse again.
It's a vicious cycle b/c part of this may be pschological and it really affects the mental side and then back n forth and back n forth....
I know I have Type 1, I just really want to know if I picked up Type 2 and then deal with it from there. The sex helpline keeps telling me NOT to do the test b/c it will only make me more worried if it comes back positive.
Hmmm.....I believe that having HSV2 can protect you against acquiring HSV1, although the opposite isn't true.
Why not go to the doctor and get a viral culture of the lesions? Go to the local STI clinc; they'll likely have the PCR testing (swab of lesions).
Personally, I'm not sure "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to testing vis a vis not testing. You are nervous and likely will remain so until you have the definitive answer. Why live in limbo? Test and you'll know the score.
Why not go to the doctor and get a viral culture of the lesions? Go to the local STI clinc; they'll likely have the PCR testing (swab of lesions).
Personally, I'm not sure "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to testing vis a vis not testing. You are nervous and likely will remain so until you have the definitive answer. Why live in limbo? Test and you'll know the score.
At 4 weeks AND 8 weeks the public health doctor felt that I had no visible signs of a herpes lesion and therefore no culture was taken.
My concern is that I still get symptoms and itchiness and irritation and some skin changes and these symtoms are intermittent. In my own mind, I have convinced myself that I have Genital HSV 2.
My concern is that I still get symptoms and itchiness and irritation and some skin changes and these symtoms are intermittent. In my own mind, I have convinced myself that I have Genital HSV 2.
I totally get what you are going through.. I am going through almost identical situation as you. I am on week 5 1/2, and have a constant itch and groin pain.. some dryness/redness at base of penis and a couple of spotty little marks scatttered around pubic area that are real small, barely noticeable, and both my primary and dermatologist disregarded it, saying it was irritation/natural skin variances and def. not herpes. I have been extremely stressed as well, anxiety on a daily basis (though of late it has reduced) and I suffered a few very bad panic attacks over this.. I am not admitting that its totally anxiety and stressed related in my case, but I am starting to slowly consider this as a large part of whats going on because its been for weeks and I haven't had any OB's.. so I dont know, I hope this helps, and please keep posting as maybe we can learn from each other's situation. BTW, I am also experiencing some symptoms that may indicate I have an infection of the bladder/kidney/or testicles too.. so you may want to look into that for yourself as a possibility.
Thanks for your input justcurious25. I had no idea so many people where going through this.
Of my 3 doctors visits, all seemed to believe that my symptoms were partially psychological. That gave me some optimism at the time but it's very frustrating to still get intermittent symptoms this long after the incident in question. It's this very situation that makes me disregard a doctor's opinion and has me searching to prove to myself that it MUST be HSV 2.
It's an old cycle that I wish I could get out of. Heck, even today, I can home and had a shower. The skin irritation seems to have calmed down but I still have a general itch in the genital area. Weird or what? No lesion, no blitser, no discharge, no pain, JUST itch and visible skin irritation.
Of my 3 doctors visits, all seemed to believe that my symptoms were partially psychological. That gave me some optimism at the time but it's very frustrating to still get intermittent symptoms this long after the incident in question. It's this very situation that makes me disregard a doctor's opinion and has me searching to prove to myself that it MUST be HSV 2.
It's an old cycle that I wish I could get out of. Heck, even today, I can home and had a shower. The skin irritation seems to have calmed down but I still have a general itch in the genital area. Weird or what? No lesion, no blitser, no discharge, no pain, JUST itch and visible skin irritation.
yep, i have the same thing, but I do have little marks (Just a few in scattered locations) but these arent really even visible and according to my doctors are just irritated skin glands.. no resemblance to a blister at all. I hear ya about the cycle too, and its almost as if you want to be told you have HSV just to get over the fear or not knowing but it seems like its a fight. I think both you and I will end up not having it, but I just hope we are able to find out what is causing this. Its been effecting my life seriously, i have had no sexual activity, been passing up things in fact, and cant seem to shake the thought. How would you describe your groin pain? Mine is on both sides, on the fold where the thigh meets the testicles, its sorta red/irritated and feels like its bruised. It is intermittent as well, and i would classify as a mild ache. Same with testicles, occasional, mild, sometimes though it comes on strong for a a minute or so. At night when i lie down it sorta bothers me... I have had this before though (just the testicular discomfort) a few years back, forget the diagnosis but I saw a urologist and he gave me antibiotic and I was better.. I believe it was some sort of infection of testicles, he said urine possibly shot into them and thats what was causing heavy./dragging/discomfort feelings.
My testicle discomfort just came on over the past week which is roughly the end of week 8, into week 9. It's right in the testicles and not "painful" just very uncomfortable. Not sensitive to touch but I know it's there. Today it feels better.
The rim of my penis seems to get irritated and it's almost like it gets a little "puffy" and "bruised" looking. No blisters as of yet. The inflammation swells up and then goes back down. If I shower and then lie naked on the bed for a while, it feels good. It seems that friction from my clothes casues it to flare up.
What about you? What do you see/feel?
The rim of my penis seems to get irritated and it's almost like it gets a little "puffy" and "bruised" looking. No blisters as of yet. The inflammation swells up and then goes back down. If I shower and then lie naked on the bed for a while, it feels good. It seems that friction from my clothes casues it to flare up.
What about you? What do you see/feel?
do you think part of our testicle/groin discomfort could be from a sudden lack of sexual activity?
Hmm your pain is different from mine. I dont have any swelling, and I got my pain 3 weeks post encounter. its a mild ache in my testicles.. a heavy/dragging feeling at time.. and a tender feeling on both flaps of my groin (where thigh meets testes) and there is redness there. The feelings I get are weird b.c its not really painful, just discomfort and its just THERE. I think you know what I mean. No I know its not due to a lack of sexual activity. Def. not. Thing that is killing me is that I am passing up activity because I am not sure if I have something and can spread it.. whether it be herpes/infection/fungus/or whatever...My doctor says I am arrite to go but I really don't know if he is correct on that one.
one strange symptom i forgot to mention:
when i get the itch on my penis head, at the EXACT same time, i get the EXACT same itch on my left big toe. and sometimes, all of my toes tingle on my left foot. Is that odd? does that lean more towards it being eczema/dermatitis/psoriasis or something?
when i get the itch on my penis head, at the EXACT same time, i get the EXACT same itch on my left big toe. and sometimes, all of my toes tingle on my left foot. Is that odd? does that lean more towards it being eczema/dermatitis/psoriasis or something?
hey natch, i have noticed that if i pull on my pubic hair in a certain spot, the top of my right hand tingles with a stabbing pain. i think that is just nerves that are somehow connected to other parts of the body. just guessing.
to natch and justcurious, i am having something similar to you guys. i am not sure if it is herpes or something else (urinary tract infection, another std, or psychological). first sore throat, then legs broke out with bumps in many places which is not common with me, then noticed a bump on right side of foreskin, then more recently two small bumps on left side of foreskin. none of these bumps have ever broken out. now they are just there. i have some weird sensations/aches in legs, butt, penis and testicles. this is the part i'm unsure of, because i fear it might be psychological from all the anxiety.
my doctor looked at my genitals and said it was def. not herpes. he said i should not have a blood test (w/ much the same attitude as the sex help line that was mentioned above) based on the idea that, in his opinion, its a waste of money because a person may have been exposed and had an immune system kill off the virus completely before it could progress to the point where you aren't able to get rid of it, i suppose. this sounded crazy to me, because i always heard that once you have it you always have it. what do u guys think? i mean, he is saying that many test are false positive, because the blood test shows an exposure, but the virus is no longer in the body to cause any hard or possibilty of transmission to someone else. is he crazy?
another problem i'm having is intermittment burning when i pee/ejaculate. only once when ejaculating recently. more often with urination. seems like when it rains, it pours! good luck fellas, and it is nice to have someone to bounce this stuff off of.
to natch and justcurious, i am having something similar to you guys. i am not sure if it is herpes or something else (urinary tract infection, another std, or psychological). first sore throat, then legs broke out with bumps in many places which is not common with me, then noticed a bump on right side of foreskin, then more recently two small bumps on left side of foreskin. none of these bumps have ever broken out. now they are just there. i have some weird sensations/aches in legs, butt, penis and testicles. this is the part i'm unsure of, because i fear it might be psychological from all the anxiety.
my doctor looked at my genitals and said it was def. not herpes. he said i should not have a blood test (w/ much the same attitude as the sex help line that was mentioned above) based on the idea that, in his opinion, its a waste of money because a person may have been exposed and had an immune system kill off the virus completely before it could progress to the point where you aren't able to get rid of it, i suppose. this sounded crazy to me, because i always heard that once you have it you always have it. what do u guys think? i mean, he is saying that many test are false positive, because the blood test shows an exposure, but the virus is no longer in the body to cause any hard or possibilty of transmission to someone else. is he crazy?
another problem i'm having is intermittment burning when i pee/ejaculate. only once when ejaculating recently. more often with urination. seems like when it rains, it pours! good luck fellas, and it is nice to have someone to bounce this stuff off of.
also forgot to mention that i do have some intermittent itching on scrotum and penis. and something else that is really bugging the crap out of me is a sweeling of my penis head on the top. the middle part of the top of the penis head. where it meets the foreskin. it is hard to describe......where the head comes back and sinks in to meet the shaft at the foreskin, on top, its as if there is new flesh right there that was added behind that part, not on top. i guess its swollen. i shaved recently and thought that might be irritation that swelled it when it touched the newly shaved hair. i'm afraid that its a big blister forming, but its been there 3 to 4 days and hasn't changed. much like these bumps, its like my skin is changing, and then staying that way, with no break outs. very confusing.
As grace said, none of this sounds like herpes. Your anxiety has got the best of you is my opinion.
anxiety shouldn't cause new bumps/abnormalities of the skin and swelling to appear. maybe my case isn't herpes but when a doctor tells you its nothing to be worried about and you know things are changing, you get a bit worried. he doesn't see my penis every day! lol
If you have symptoms, see a doctor. However, your symptoms don't sound like herpes. Bumps randomly on your legs would not be herpes. Did your doctor give you a diagnosis? And pulling on your pubic hair? Well yes, of course it hurts!
As to being tested, your doctor is wrong. Anyone can have a blood test to determine their herpes status. It would be an IgG type specific blood test.
As to being tested, your doctor is wrong. Anyone can have a blood test to determine their herpes status. It would be an IgG type specific blood test.
i wasn't referring to the bumps on my legs. i was referring to the bumps on my penis. he gave a diagnosis of nothing, not herpes, nothing. i don't make a habit of pulling on my pubic hair. i did once, for whatever reason (to get a better look at something i suppose) and noticed that it created pain in the back of my right hand, which would imply some type of neurological connection to that area. i was making a comparison to natch's mention of itching in his toe that happened when he itched elsewhere.
i wouldn't normally think that bumps on my legs would be herpes, but since it happened at the same time the other things did, i got nervous and thought it might be an outbreak. i guess some of the stories of outbreaks on calves and ankles (below boxer shorts area) and other body parts got me worried. i think i just got lots of pimples on legs from anxiety from it all and freaked out. am i right in saying that stress can make you break out, often with pimples?
petal, do you believe that false positives occur at all? and also, please comment on the reliability of the blood tests in light of cases where folks would test positive, then negative, then positive again, or any combination that would imply an inconsistency. thanks !
i wouldn't normally think that bumps on my legs would be herpes, but since it happened at the same time the other things did, i got nervous and thought it might be an outbreak. i guess some of the stories of outbreaks on calves and ankles (below boxer shorts area) and other body parts got me worried. i think i just got lots of pimples on legs from anxiety from it all and freaked out. am i right in saying that stress can make you break out, often with pimples?
petal, do you believe that false positives occur at all? and also, please comment on the reliability of the blood tests in light of cases where folks would test positive, then negative, then positive again, or any combination that would imply an inconsistency. thanks !
Any changes I noticed on my penis where, according to my Doc, irritated skin or marks so small that i probably never noticed them before.
And even though it's hard for us to believe, psychological factors CAN cause skin conditions. Here is a simple example of how our minds can affect our bodies: stress & anxiety can cause a heart attack. a heart can cause death. See the power our minds can have over our bodies?
And even though it's hard for us to believe, psychological factors CAN cause skin conditions. Here is a simple example of how our minds can affect our bodies: stress & anxiety can cause a heart attack. a heart can cause death. See the power our minds can have over our bodies?
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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.
you've irritated your skin quite a bit. it'll take time to undo that.
as a fyi - washing up after sex and for days after wards doesn't do anything except to reduce your natural protective skin flora that keeps you from having issues. std's are transmitted during sex, they don't lay on the skin to work their way down into your body.
yes indeed psychological factors can cause itching for this long!
grace