Too many coincidences to not be herpes?

[RonMexico14]

I haven't had oral or vaginal sex in the past year and a half, I have mutually masturbated with two different partners during that time.
In February, I had a pain in my groin area.  I noticed a small circular bump right near the top of where my pubic hair ends, about an inch in from my thigh.  This bump felt like it was inside of the skin, everyone that has felt it has had it felt like an ingrown hair.  Is it possible that this was a swollen lymph gland?
The pain went away but it came back again in April and the bump was still there.  I trimmed my pubic hair and noticed that I had an awful rash in my pubic region.
I went to see my doctor on 5/18 as I noticed 3 reddish bumps on the underside of the shaft of my penis and 1 bump on the head right around where it meets the shaft. The doctor said she didn't know what the bumps on my penis were a result of and she said the rash I had developed was a result of Psoriasis.  She sent me to a dermatologist and he agreed with her and prescribed me Olux foam which allowed the rash to heal after about a week of use.  He didn't however tell me anything about the bumps on my penis.  They weren't on the same base like I've seen in most herpes pics but spread out a little bit between each bump.
The bumps on my penis went away after about a week around the same time the rash went away but I went to an STD clinic to get tested everything came back negative but they didn’t have a herpes test. The "ingrown hair" went away shortly after but there is still a brown mark on my skin where it was.
From 6/14 to 6/19 I had an intense pain in my penis, it hurt a little when I started to pee and it was painful to sit or lay down.  Is this prodrome?
On 6/22 the pain went away but I noticed 9 to 10 bumps on the shaft of my penis, they were spaced out like the other ones.  I went to the clinic and they said they were sebaceous cysts.  What is the difference in appearance between herpes and sebaceous cysts? Should I be concerned it's still herpes?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Since I"m not with you, I can't really give you good advice about your bumps, but I can tell you that many people get concerned about hair follicles (that don't have hair coming out of them) on the shaft of the penis.  Sebaceous cysts often happen on the scrotum, but not often on the penis.  Regardless, this sounds nothing like herpes to me.  However, if you are concerned, and you've had intercourse in the past, you could get a herpes IgG antibody test.  If you've only had mutual masturbation, this is a waste of your time and money, and presents no risk for genital herpes.  And what you describe doesn't sound like herpes, from your description.

Terri

[RonMexico14]

A quick correction, the intense pain lasted from 6/14 to 6/21, so when the pain stopped the bumps appeared on my penis.

[RonMexico14]

Thanks for the quick response doctor.  The bumps on my penis are starting to "shrink" or "heal" (not sure of the correct word to describe it).  One of them is now about the size of a pen point and feels hard, kind of like a scab.  Is this normal for sebaceous cysts or the hair follicles that you described?  The other bumps aren't hard but seem to be going away after 8 days or so after I noticed them.  Thanks again.

[RonMexico14]

Thanks for the quick response doctor.  The bumps on my penis are starting to "shrink" or "heal" (not sure of the correct word to describe it).  One of them is now about the size of a pen point and feels hard, kind of like a scab.  Is this normal for sebaceous cysts or the hair follicles that you described?  The other bumps aren't hard but seem to be going away after 8 days or so after I noticed them.  Thanks again.

Sorry for the double post but I didn't put the message to you so I wasn't sure if you would see it!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Again, I'm just not sure about your symptoms but if you've had intercourse in your life and are worried about herpes, the IgG test would be your best bet to provide you with reassurance and/or information about your herpes status.

Terri

[RonMexico14]

Hi Terri,

I've set up to get a Herpeselect test through tstd.org as I've had trouble finding somewhere to get a herpes blood test done.

My symptoms have not cleared up.  It seems when a few sores heal and start to go away a few more appear.  So it's been 32 days since I noticed the first sore.  Does herpes ever behave like this with sores coming and going in waves?  Sorry if I'm bothering you but this has been driving me crazy for awhile and just want some answers while I await my blood test.  Thanks in advance.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Its unlikely for herpes to behave in that way.  The best thing you could do is to have these lesions swabbed when they are present.  The antibody test is fine, but you need to be certain that you wait long enough from possible infection to blood antibody testing, which should be 3-4 months for greatest accuracy.

Terri

[RonMexico14]

My last possible exposure to Herpes would have been 8 months ago.  I just got my results back from an IgG antibody test that I took on Friday and the results were negative for both Type 1 and Type 2.  Thanks for all of your assistance Terri :)

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

You are most welcome.

Terri