Persistent general itch

[Maxwell4321]

Hi there,

I had unprotected sex 8 days ago with a girl I met in a bar. Around 3 days afterwards my testies, the shaft of my penis, and my inner upper thighs started to itch. I've had this generalized itch for the past 5 days and it shows no signs of going away. I don't have a rash or any lesions, bit the itch does tingle a bit. Is there a possibility this is Herpes or should I be looking at other avenues?

Thanks in advance for you advice!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I think you should look at other possibilities. Genital herpes presents with more specific symptoms than just persistent genital itching.  If you begin to have a rash or sores or bumps, then you should be concerned.  Have you ever in your life had a blood antibody test for herpes?  About how many lifetime sexual partners have you had in your lifetime?  Not how many with condoms, but just how many?  Statistic suggest that one if four women have genital herpes, so you can bo the math for your own sexual situation.

Terri

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I would recommend that you go to an urgent care setting and have the blisters swabbed for herpes.  If it looks like herpes, they may also want to give you some medication.

Terri

[Maxwell4321]

Hi, bad news for me... This morning I noticed I have a cluster of very small blister like bumps on my penis. I'm also running a fever (a bit dizzy, aching arms and legs). So I'm guessing I've got Herpes... I'm away on holiday and I don't get home for 2 weeks. Will it be ok to wait that long before seeing a doctor or do I need to see one asap? Is there anything else I should be doing in the meantime? Thanks for your advice.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Then I think you might want to consider a type specific antibody test at some point for herpes types 1 and 2.

Terri

[Maxwell4321]

Thanks for the advice, although that's a worrying statistic! I had a full STI screen 5 years ago and was clean. But I've not had a specific blood antibody test for Herpes as far as I know. I've probably had around 15 sexual partners in total.