Aa
Recurrent herpes or something else?
Been a bit paranoid lately about genital herpes so I finally decided to ask a question after reading a lot of posts.
I'm a 33 y/o make. In October 2014 I had unprotected vaginal and oral sex with an old friend. I wasn't sexually active at all after this. Never had any symptoms other than what appeared to be minor folliculitis on both inner thighs. I have eczema so I'm used to this.
In early April 2015 I developed what I thought was a urinary tract infection. Red inflamed meatus, urinary retention, dysuria (although not terribly painful), and urinary frequency. It finally faded away after three or so weeks. Since then, it has come back two times though not as bad. I've cut down my caffeine intake and I think that's helping. What concerns me is that I also developed a sore anus with pain when wiping. Admittedly, it came after multiple bouts with diarrhea and lasted two weeks. I had another standalone episode of diarrhea and it came back for two more weeks leading to now. It seems to be slowly getting better.
My question is does this seem at all like recurrent herpes infection? Can recurrent herpes infection happen in two locations at the exact same time (urethra/meatus and anus)? I know that all of this would be atypical with the length of recurrent infection (3+ weeks) as well as the time in between (sometimes less than a week) and I'm leading more towards prostatitis but figured it wouldn't hurt to get someone else's opinion. Again, im slightly paranoid. I've also had mild testicular pain and mild back pain from time to time. No visible lesions though.
Thank you so much!
I'm a 33 y/o make. In October 2014 I had unprotected vaginal and oral sex with an old friend. I wasn't sexually active at all after this. Never had any symptoms other than what appeared to be minor folliculitis on both inner thighs. I have eczema so I'm used to this.
In early April 2015 I developed what I thought was a urinary tract infection. Red inflamed meatus, urinary retention, dysuria (although not terribly painful), and urinary frequency. It finally faded away after three or so weeks. Since then, it has come back two times though not as bad. I've cut down my caffeine intake and I think that's helping. What concerns me is that I also developed a sore anus with pain when wiping. Admittedly, it came after multiple bouts with diarrhea and lasted two weeks. I had another standalone episode of diarrhea and it came back for two more weeks leading to now. It seems to be slowly getting better.
My question is does this seem at all like recurrent herpes infection? Can recurrent herpes infection happen in two locations at the exact same time (urethra/meatus and anus)? I know that all of this would be atypical with the length of recurrent infection (3+ weeks) as well as the time in between (sometimes less than a week) and I'm leading more towards prostatitis but figured it wouldn't hurt to get someone else's opinion. Again, im slightly paranoid. I've also had mild testicular pain and mild back pain from time to time. No visible lesions though.
Thank you so much!
Members here can't diagnose based on fears and symptoms. Since you are at the point where you can test, please work with a doctor to determine whether you have herpes or not.
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How common is autoinoculation during the first four months of being infected? As it's been pointed out (rightfully so), I'm being paranoid but asking questions is calming. It makes me feel like I have a little more control while I'm gathering up the courage to get tested. Would whitlow with no blisters be atypical or impossible? The recurrent burning fingertips and itching is a bit scary but there are never blisters. It looks like I have some white spots under the skin right now but I guess I'll figure out in the morning if they actually blister. I've been scared since my encounter because I also started getting recurrent styes which I've never had before ever! They're pretty textbook presentation and have occurred in both eyes so I don't think it's herpetic but it's just frightening when you have so many things go wrong that never have before after a sexual encounter. I've had styes, burning fingertips, uti, itchy thighs, leg pain, you name it!
Thank you so much for responding! It's incredibly appreciated. I'm just trying to take a deep breath and calm myself down. It's been one of the worst years of my life (partially the reason for my drunken one night encounter) and I've been going crazy. The confusing thing about herpes is that it seems to be a disease that's made up of a lot of BUTs. Bumps or blisters will appear BUT it could be confused with a UTI or hemorrhoids (both of which I've been struggling with). Recurrences happen 4 times a year and last 5 days BUT they could happen weekly and last for weeks. PHN is associated with shingles BUT some people report it with HSV2. It's just hard to get under control.
Hi none of what you mention would suggest herpes and herpetic nerve pain is mostly from shingles not hsv1 or hsv2
Anyone?
I also currently have a dull ache running from my left buttock sometimes all the way down to my foot. Would herpetic nerve pain present that way? The pain is more intermittent but pretty persistent although I will randomly feel an ache in my right calf and foot as well. Any answers would be super appreciated!
I'm no expert but everything I've read on here says that the type specific blood tests are more reliable than the combo tests as long as they are done within the proper time frame which is around 4 months. In saying this I mean it as politely as possible, you may want to keep your questions within your own thread and get your answers there. I still have opinions I would like to get on some of my questions and I fear no one will respond if they see there are like 20 comments on my question. I hope the information I provided was able to help calm you a bit and based off reading your own post, herpes probably should not be your main concern. Best of luck to you!
You Mean to say that only type specific igg results are accurate...combo igg blood test are worthless???
I know prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and issues with the pudendal nerve could cause what you're going through amongst many other things. . I'd say with clear type specific blood tests, you should no longer be worried about herpes as a possible cause. Your symptoms would be atypical anyway.
What could be other diseases whose symptoms are like this??? I did combo igg hsv 1/2 test whose result was positive...then I ordered type specific igg blood test seprately for hsv 1 and hsv 2 that came out negative..
I am also having the same condition ..I did sex four years ago since then I am not sexualy active now I am having urine retention problem...tingling on legs and gentials continously from three months,sometimes white discharge during defectation...weakness of legs...i am also confused what is this all going on...
Again man, you probably don't have it, honestly. There's a million things that replicate the symptoms of Herpes. Just think about the odds. On top of that, you don't even have the traditional symptoms (such as blisters). But one thing you don't want to do, is prolong it, you're just adding to the depression by doing that. Seriously, go in and get that test, do it tomorrow. As soon as you do, you will feel a sense of relief, trust me.
Give you my word. You will be fine either way!
Give you my word. You will be fine either way!
Thanks for responding! As I'm not sexually active at the moment, I'm trying to get the courage up to get tested. I know that genital herpes isn't the end of the world for most people but I've suffered from severe depression for many years, am having a run of bad luck, and I'm worried about how I would handle a possibly positive test result. I've always been shy with girls and I doubt this would make that any easier. I've done tons of research on here but there's just a few problems I can't find the answer to (recurrent infection in multiple locations at the same time, etc). Sorry to hear you're going through a scare. I keep trying to convince myself that the odds of transmission during a single sex act are low and that all my symptoms would be atypical but it doesn't work. What symptoms are you having?
I'm not a Doctor, but honestly, it doesn't sound like Herpes to me. I'm currently engulfed in a scare of my own, and have been doing a ton of research on the subject. As well, I've been tested various times.
Since your incident was 8 months ago, I would go ahead and get some blood work done. Ask for a type specific IGG test for Herpes 1 and 2. IGG is a permanent antibody that one develops, usually between 3-6 months after initial infection, and that's what they look for, when testing for Herpes. Do NOT get the IGM test. IGM is the first wave of antibodies that one develops shortly after infection, soon replaced by IGG, which again is permanent.
Get that one asap, so you can stop worrying about it. And even if you did have Herpes, keep in mind, it's entirely reasonable to live with. 80% of people with Herpes don't even know they have it. And that's because most either don't show symptoms, or disregard symptoms, cause they're so minimal. Which to my understanding, is why the general "STD test" doesn't include Herpes.
Again, get that **** done!
Since your incident was 8 months ago, I would go ahead and get some blood work done. Ask for a type specific IGG test for Herpes 1 and 2. IGG is a permanent antibody that one develops, usually between 3-6 months after initial infection, and that's what they look for, when testing for Herpes. Do NOT get the IGM test. IGM is the first wave of antibodies that one develops shortly after infection, soon replaced by IGG, which again is permanent.
Get that one asap, so you can stop worrying about it. And even if you did have Herpes, keep in mind, it's entirely reasonable to live with. 80% of people with Herpes don't even know they have it. And that's because most either don't show symptoms, or disregard symptoms, cause they're so minimal. Which to my understanding, is why the general "STD test" doesn't include Herpes.
Again, get that **** done!
I guess I should also add that I've been getting a thick clear discharge that is most prevalent after having a bowel movement that can sometimes lead to the meatus being stuck together, my urine stream is no longer straight (it shoots left) and I've been having nerve pain down my legs. I think it's just the recurrent nature of these things that has me a bit scared.
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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.
