burning inside tip of penis

a little over a month ago, i had unprotected sex with a female who approximately 2 weeks later was diagnosed as having HSV2.  i still haven't presented with any of the obvious symptoms such as bumps or warts on my penis, but i've experienced an on-again off-again burning sensation just inside of the tip of my penis.  most of the time i would say it's simply irritating, though for a day or two about a week ago it did move up to what i would call painful.  i went to the doctor on the second "painful" day and he ran blood tests for herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhea, all of which came back negative, and he also did a urine analysis, which came back clean.  after seeing my doctor, over the holiday weekend, i pulled the tip of my penis apart and looked in (it hadn't occurred to me to do this prior for some reason) and saw what looked like might've been a cold sore type wound about 1/4 of an inch inside.  i couldn't really get a very good look at it, but it appeared grayish.  the area immediately around it didn't appear to be any more red than the nearby skin.  i had actually assumed it had healed up and was going away because over the past weekend, it didn't bother me at all, but then suddenly today the burning sensation has come back again (to irritating level, not painful).  i haven't had any sexual activity since october 30, which was when i slept with the girl that turned out to have herpes.

i realize that a blood test for herpes can come back with a false negative if done too soon.  my blood test was done approximately 4 1/2 weeks after the exposure, but am i wrong in thinking that, since i had this sore (assuming it is herpes) for a full week prior to testing, wouldn't i have developed antibodies by then?  also, why would the burning go away for upwards of 3 days and then return?  any thoughts/suggestions are welcome and appreciated.  thanks.

[Borat1]

Mirvus,  

Looks like you and I have simular symptoms.  Around 3 weeks after a possible contact I bagan to have a slight stinging/burning sensation at the tip.  I saw 2 red spots that went away in about 2 days.  The stining and burning waxed and weened for the next 7 weeks.  In this time I've had tests done at 4 weeks and 7 weeks, both negative for everything including HSV 1 and 2.  The red spots inside my urethra have never returned, and just recently my symptoms have started to go away.  I've been wondering how much of this was anxiety driven causing chronic pelvic pain syndrome like urethraits....  Although it worries me to see the simularities in your and my symptoms (I don't know the HSV status of my possible cause).

To answer your questions,

Most people that have HSV 1 and 2 will test positive between 12 and 16 weeks so that is what they recomend for testing.  However, there is some new research that shows with the herpeselect test (IGG) that 60-75% of people will test positive by 6 weeks.  Around 1 in 5 don't build enough antibodies until 6 months to test positive.  

I've read alot about herpetic urethratis and from what I've seen the symptoms are supposed to be very painful...  Grace loves this one, but "like pissing on the third rail on the subway" or pudding if you mistype like I do :)  Basically it's supposed to be extremely painful.  

I'm really hoping that neither of us have herpetic urethratis and that the symptoms are just anxiety driven.  When I've described this situation to Grace and others, they don't think it sounds like herepes.

When did your symptoms appear?  Have your sores returned?  If they do, go back to the doctor and have him do a viral swab.  You'll be able to know right then if you have herpes.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk more off line.

Borat

[mirvus]

thanks for the response, borat!

i haven't seen any red spots at all, and the sore that i thought was healed is, evidently, still there.  i tried to get a better look at it today, and it's still a grayish color in the exact same spot as i'd noticed about a week ago.  it doesn't appear to have gotten any larger or smaller, it's just idling,  so to speak.  my doctor is on vacation tomorrow, of course, so i have to wait until monday before i can see him.

i've been very anxious about this whole situation, too, and had thoughts wondering just how much of this was in my head and how much of it was the real deal.

in regards to the herpetic urethritis, what little i can find on it mentions discharge and pain during urination, which i've had neither.  the burning sensation i have is very random, and as i said, not to the point of being painful necessarily, just very irritating.  if i'm up and walking around and busy with something, i don't even really notice it.  it's just when i'm sitting or laying down doing nothing that i really start noticing it.

[Borat1]

Sorry to hear your doctor won't be around tomorrow...  If you can get the spot swabbed you may be able to get a clear answer one way or another.  I've read a bunch of posts on hear from guys with urethral pain, usually burning on the tip.  From what I've gathered a bunch of them are guilt ridden or have extreme anxiety.  I would put myself in the extreme anxiety box and hope that's what's creating the symptoms.  It's kind of humorous, but after I read that research on 60-75 % of people with HSV test positive at 6 weeks...  my symptoms seemed to completely withdrawl (withdrawal).  The thing that makes me conitnue to worry about this (besides a stinging and burning penis tip) is the two little sores I saw around 10 weeks ago.  I haven't found any good sources for what may of cause those to occur and hence I'm in the same place as you.  I will be taking a HSV test again next week (will be close to 12 weeks).  Hopefully it will be negative, and I'll pass you the results.  

If you are still in contact with the girl you had sex with, I would ask her if she had an outbreak or symptoms anywhere near your sexual encounter.  While she could of had asymtomatic shedding, you're chances of contracting it are smaller if she didn't have any visible sores or physical symptoms.  

Do your best to try and relax (trust me I know this is hard to do) and not think too much about it.  The mind is a powerful thing and can cause all kinds of symptoms to pop up that are not related to an actaul illness.  

By the way, did the symptoms start before or after you found out she tested positive for HSV 2 and how long after the possible exposure did the symptoms start?

[mirvus]

well, the story with the girl goes that she and i had intercourse on october 30.  on november 11, she started in with what i presume were prodromal symptoms - low grade fever, fatigue, that lot.  by november 13, she had started to break out with blisters and sores, and by november 16 it was full tilt boogie.  she said it felt like someone had taken a sandblaster to her naughty bits.  and this was her initial/primary breakout that happened, so i'm really not sure if i could've got it from her prior to her prodromal symptoms, or if maybe i contracted some kind of weird bacterial infection from her and that's what's causing this, or... what.  i'm assuming for the time being that it's herpes, though.  when we were outlining the timeframe, she said she'd slept with another guy on november 9, and he broke out with blisters and sores almost immediately; i think she said it was 3 days after intercourse that he broke out.

anyway, my symptoms started not quite a week after hers did (she was positively diagnosed with hsv on november 16) - november 18, i believe, was the first day i noticed a burning sensation, which would've been 19 days after the exposure.

[Borat1]

So the guy that she slept with on the 9th could of had herpes and not known it, and given it to her...  or vice versa.  From what I've read, close to three weeks is a bit delayed if you are going to have and outbreak after being infected, but the norm is 2 - 20 days so who knows....  For me it was three weeks until I started to feel the stinging and then burning.  If you can't get to your doctor, any planned parenthood can take you as a walk in or via appointment.  Trust me, from someone who can't get a sore swabbed and know the answer for sure for a while....  I would go to PP and get the test done.  

Your symptoms started after finding out she was HSV postive, so the anxiety thing still plays...  Hopefully that's all it is.  

Grace, as I'm no expert on this subject....

Please chime in and tell us nutcases what you think.

[mirvus]

oh, i don't know how i could've possibly forgotten to include this - the girl found out a guy she had dated previously (through the month of october) had herpes, so he's very likely the person who gave it to her.  she didn't sleep with him through the entire month save for twice, both times around the very end of the month, october 23-26, somewhere in there.  so that's very likely when she was exposed, because she gets tested for stds roughly every three months anyway, and she had tested clean as recently as october 1.

of course, it's totally possible she had gotten herpes before then and it just wasn't showing in her test results because she might not have had it 6+ weeks yet, but based on what i've read, i don't think it follows the norm for her to have gotten it way back in august or september and then have a huge initial outbreak in the middle of november.  or am i wrong there?  (cause i'm certainly no expert here)

[Borat1]

Well, the norm for herpes seems to be there isn't one.  They say the norm for a symptoms to poop up is 2-20 days, although I believe most people that do have breakouts have them in the first week or so.  With that being said, people can have HSV2 and be asymptomatic for years, and have a random break out later.  Regardless, it sounds like the chain went this guy to her then to the next guy and you may be in the middle.  It's frustrating that there is so little information about herpetic urethratis.  I only found one post from around 2006 on another forum that details two guys that have it.  No discharge, no external sores, just really bad urethratis.  However, unlike us, they have extreme pain and they both seemed to have a symptom like battery acid travelling through the urethra following ejaculation.  Other than that I found a medical journal from the 1930's depicting an obreak of urethral herpes in a male.  Very different from what we are going through.  

The best thing you could do is go and get the sore swabbed before it goes away...  that way you'll know for sure if you contracted it or not.  Seeing how we seem to have simular symptoms, I'll let you know how things work out with me next week.  12 weeks isn't a 100%, but it's in the thick of the bell curve for people buildig enough anti-bodies to test for HSV2.  

Grace is like an angel on this website...  I'm sure she will chime in when she gets a chance and tell you what she thinks.  Keep posting if you have any other questions and I'm hoping the best for you brotha.

Borat.

[Borat1]

awesome...

poop up.

To bad there isn't an edit function on here :)

[Borat1]

Mirvus,

after posting with you my symptoms returned..  I've had a stinging to burning right at the tip since around 12 last night.  Not sure if it's the anxiety again, or just the cycle that's been going on for 10 long weeks.  

Hope you're feeling better today,

borat

[mirvus]

i'm sorry to hear that, borat.  i've got some very,  very mild burning this morning, which is basically par for the course for me by this point.  i called my doctor's office this morning, hoping maybe to get an appt with one of the other doctors in the building, but nobody had anything open (the clinic closes at 1 on fridays).  i'm not sure where the local planned parenthood chapter is, but i probably couldn't get away from work as it is anyway... looks like i'm waiting until monday.

[trojan77]

     I too had the same symptons as you. about 2 days after sex, I tip of my penis hurt reall bad. the first night was unbearable, but later was tolerable. about 3 1/2 weeks I got tested for HSV1 and 2. problem is I don't know what type of blood test. I was told all blood test were 100%. When I went to get tested the doctor didn't see anyhing visible. I got my test back and it just said it was positive for HSV 1 and 2. No numbers and my Dr told me that there were no such things as false positive. I knew I had HSV1 but not 2. I am really hoping my test was a false positive. I am going to get a type IgG test when  I get back to the states. It's been 8 weeks and my penis still burns a little. but not as much. The possitive herpe test really freaked me out. and started getting tingling feeling. But I believe that is comming from anxiety. I was told burning on the tip of your penis for that long is not a herpe sympton.

[Borat1]

Grace just replied to my other post " urethral herpes? Please help". She still doesn't think this is herpes.  Your positive test could if been an Igm test that tend to have alot if false positives, and if you don't know if they tested for HVS 2 or not there's no way your doctor can say you have it.

When you get back get an igg test,

I'll let you know how this works out from my side, if it is anxiety then hopefully it may be for you guys as well.

Mirvus,  you'll be the first one with results if they do a viral swab on Monday.  Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Borat

[trojan77]

    Even my Dr told me it didn't seem like Herpes and told me the pain was in my head. I was told I was becoming a hypocondriate (sp). I am really hoping it's not herpes. Once I started educating myself about possible false possitive and anxiety level went down. the itching and numbness in my pinkie finger went away. I have had that in the past when I got real nervous. I was expressing myself one morning and I had a long golden crytsal type came out of my penis. I was hoping it would be kidney stones. I thought that might be the reason my penis was hurting but it continue. it's starting to get better 8 weeks from the start. I just can't wait to get home.

[trojan77]

   One more thing, It never hurt when I was urinating. I thought it was odd. I have two very small lesion on the uretha but my doctor told it wasn't anything.

[trojan77]

    The Dr gave me a hand a hand out he printed from the computer and it just saidn HSV1 possitive and HSV2 possitive. I also read that 3 to 4 weeks to pretty early get tested.  I started googling burning senation on tip of penis and started to freak out. I just don't think it's normal herpes sympton to be going for 8 weeks. I started to think maybe HSV2 gave me NGU. but no lesions.

[mirvus]

i went to the doctor today.  the burning had stopped completely for the better part of a week, but starting coming back day before yesterday, and had actually progressed to a light stinging sensation by this morning.  so went to the doc, and had to see a doctor which isn't my regular, but one of his partners.  i showed him what i thought was the aforementioned sore just inside the tip of my penis, and he said he barely saw anything at all.  the sore is ever so slightly smaller than what it was a week or so ago, but just barely.  anyway, he decided against performing bloodwork or getting a culture (he didn't see much to get a culture FROM, he said, and i was just tested with bloodwork two weeks ago) but still wrote me a prescription for valtrex just in case.  he said if the burning was still bothering me in a week to come back and they'd do blood work again and see if it had turned positive (i'll be seven weeks post-exposure by that point).

all in all, i guess it's a relief that he didn't believe it to be herpes, but i'm still in the same boat that i've been in where i don't know for sure one way or the other.  i'll be glad to get bloodwork done again in a week, because i figure that will likely be my answer, for better or worse.

[Borat1]

Mirvus,

glad to hear the doc thinks you're HSV clear!  My 11 week test results came back
negative, and ever since I started to doubt this was herpes related my symptoms have almost gone away.  I'm still not sure if it was just anxiety or what, but it doesn't look to be HSV.  This is good news for you as we seemed to be in the same boat as symptoms.  If you get a test done after 6 weeks it should be 60-75 % accurate for antibodies, that should give you some peace of mind.

Good luck and let me know how it comes out.

One last thought, I read a big about CPPS and it talked about muscle relaxing.  I noticed I was finding my muscles that stop urine flow/move the penis contracted alot.  I started trying to relax them, like the feeling when you urinate and it seemed to help.  Anxiety may of caused the muscles to over react and thus the stinging and burning.  Let me know if that helps.  Have a great weekend!
Borat

[hopeful111]

Mirvus/Borat,

sounds like we are all going through pretty similar situations (not to say we necessarily have the same thing going on in our bodies). Borat, it's definitely very encouraging to hear your HSV 11 week test is negative!

So for the past 1.5 months I have been going through the same tingling/irritation at tip of penis, some short stretches where it seemed to go away then come back. I was checked twice by an std clinic, chlam/gon/ngu negative no physical problems. never any pain during urination, sometimes right after but usually i would already be having pain before anyhow. never was treated as they could not find anything.

a new symptom for me this week was a dull ache in my left testicle that was coupled with small amount of clear/mucus like discharge. happened twice this week so I went back to a new std clinic in my area and the dr decided to treat me for the first time.

i received a shot of ceftriaxone and azithromycin orally. as he explained it, even sometimes the ngu tests can be too sensitive and there can actually be something there. plus my testicle ache/discharge was a classic example of possible epididymitis.

Mirvus - have you been treated at all with any medication? it can't really hurt i dont think and if may also help you out anxiety-wise.

[mirvus]

the doctor gave me two prescriptions today - one for generic valtrex (twice a day for a week), and an antibiotic called azithromycin that he said was used for some urinary infections and chlamydia (even though i tested negative for chlamydia two weeks ago).  i took the antibiotic, but i'm holding off on taking the antiviral just yet since i'm not actually broken out.  i figured i'd give the antibiotic a couple of days to do it's thing, and things aren't getting any better, i'll move over to the antiviral and see if that does it.

[livelihoodlost]

So is hopeful the only one in this thread(besides myself now) who has had testicular pain?  Any others?  2 days after the dreaded intercourse which was on the night of the 18th, I began to feel the tingling in my thighs and tip of penis.  It was the feeling as if it were being pinched at the tip.  Three days after the incident and bringing anxiety to the woman involved she noticed a "bump/blister" on herself.  It did sting to be inside her but I hadn't had skin contact in so long I thought this might be a little okay.  Though on the way home I was sure something was wrong.  Even before I was sure something was wrong, like the world was screaming at me to not go see her.  I almost shut my phone off but didn't want to be rude.  Wish I had.  Or just call to talk instead of going over to hang out per her invite.  Last tues she had a positive culture.  She slept with a guy in October, not sure how many times and before then was in a 9 month relationship and before then was married for x years.  

Anyhow last Sunday, the 2 1/2 week mark, my urethra and testicles became swollen.  I can't remember any urine discharge but it just hurt so much in general.  And this was during work where i'm on my feet the whole time.  I walked as if i'd just ridden a horse.  Upon returning home the pain somewhat subsided as I wasn't so stressed.  I went to the store and bought L-Lysine and Zinc and the swelling went away that night.  Although I had taken about 5 pills of bayer and aleve that very early morning when the pain begain after midnight.  Urine had smelled foul and was dark but after that it hadn't been so much.  Was dark today but I drank a glass of tea.  Burning still there a little in my thighs, teste pain is mostly gone aside from a light throb.  Haven't noticed blisters but I saw little bumps on each side rear.  A little bigger than goose bumps.  I should have waited for later this week(4 week post exposure) but the hsv and planned parenthood counselors suggested I get it done for ease of mind.  That I could wait but since I was so high anxiety to just go have it done.

You guys seem supportive of each other and I could use some too.  So far i've only told two trusting coworkers.  I fear I might have spread the infection via a small cut on the top of my index finger to my lips and eyes before I found out she did have herpes.  Eyes itch but could be to lack of sleep, lips also, maybe from not drinking enough water.  Your 11 week results are wonderful and I hope I can join in when the time comes but I fear come tomorrow or tues my Hselect will show positive.

[mirvus]

from what i understand, if you do have herpes, it Can be spread during the initial breakout, but only if you did something touched an open herpes lesion and then within a very short time (a minute or two) rubbed your lips and eyes with the same finger.  i could be totally wrong there, but that's what i've been led to believe.

you say you've seen bumps, but are there any red areas surrounding the bumps, or just simply bumps?  it's real easy for the anxious mind to trick you into seeing things that aren't really there, or making what is there into something that it's not.  if there are red splotches surrounding these bumps, i'd make an appointment with your doctor immediately and have a culture done.  if they're just bumps on normal looking skin, it may be something you've had for who knows how long and are just now noticing because you're looking so closely.

all that being said, though, burning sensations and testicular pain/swelling are both evidently common early symptoms of herpes, but then, they're also symptoms of several other things as well.  best advice i can give you, beyond trying to stay relaxed and calm, is to make an appointment and talk to your doctor about all this.  he can get you pointed in the right direction.  good luck to you.

[mirvus]

meanwhile, this burning sensation i started this thread over is starting to drive me up the wall.  it's been going on for almost a month now.  i'm almost starting to believe that it's not herpes related, because herpes - so far as i know - wouldn't burn for a week, go away for 3 days, burn for another week, go away for 3 more days, then come back and burn some more.  it'd just burn straight through until it had run its course, right?  plus with the doctor not seeing any obvious herpes lesions and the blood test at 26 days post exposure (for whatever it's worth...) coming back negative and all... i don't know.  by this point, i'm more flipped out about "what IS this?!" than the burning sensation itself, although the burning sensation is most definitely more pronounced now than it was when i originally made this thread.

i can't find  anything on the internet that even comes close to fitting my symptoms, under neither herpes nor urology related items.  it's really starting to bug me out, and it doesn't help that the burning is strong enough now that i have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep because of it.

i took the antibiotic that the doc prescribed to me on friday, which doesn't seem to have done anything 48 hours later, so i started taking the valtrex tonight.  i guess if this suddenly clears up in the next few days, then we can probably thank that, which means it's herpes after all.

[hopeful111]

livelihoodlost - please keep us updated on what your hsv test results are, and more importantly stay positive and calm as hard as I'm sure it is. I think it's important to realize there is something going on (we're not going out of our minds, these are not just anxiety related symptoms) but at the same time all is not lost.

the glaring facts which really support this not being herpes is that as we've ALL experienced, herpes is not supposed to come back every 3 days or every other week etc. we've all had for the most part constant symptoms (a few good days here and there) also WITHOUT blisters/lesions and herpes from everywhere I have read and from Doctors I have seen is not supposed to work this way.

my symptoms have gotten a little better but i still dont feel 100% but I'm also waiting to see what tomorrow brings.

Mirvus - hope your pain gets better soon, let us know, if symptoms do improve for a prolonged period will you consider getting an hsv test again for confirmation?

[mirvus]

i'm going to be scheduling yet another appt with the doctor today to request another urine analysis and another blood test for hsv2, though this feels now like a full blown UTI of some sort.  the pain was enough that i only got a few hours sleep last night, where before i could usually still pull down a good eight hours. and hopefully he'll write me out some antibiotics that (fingers crossed) will do the trick.  i'm thinking that i've got some kind of bacterial infection in there, and the fact that i was exposed to a girl with herpes is masking the proper diagnosis, since that obviously is getting all the attention.  i haven't presented any *obvious* herpes symptoms from the get-go, so here's hoping it's just something some antibiotics will knock out in a few days time.  but just the same, like i said... this is week six, post exposure for me, so i'm going to get another blood test anyway to see if it's turned positive.

[hopeful111]

sorry to hear your pain has gotten that bad. definitely i keep thinking this to not be herpes. previously i was concerned i could be one of the "few" with herpes that didn't show symptoms but a Dr reminded me that hey, I am having symptoms. so it would be symptoms or no symptoms and the ones I do have (we all have) do not sound like herpes.

let us know how it goes. hope all goes well.

[livelihoodlost]

I've been calling localstdtesting counselors to ask about the self infecting issue and I mostly talk to the same one but have spoke with 2 or 3 others plus a local planned parenthood nurse and they say it's very rare to self infect yourself.  The counselor i've spoke to the most says that once it's in your system it can't be spread.  I brought to his attention that i've read it could take 3-6 weeks until your immune system has means of controlling this from happening but he assures me it's very uncommon.  Earlier I asked if the virus sheds immediately and if so could I have had my hand resting on my thigh(before knowing the girl had herpes) and then rubbed my lip or eyes.  It would be most unfortunate if I have done so.  The burning on my thighs I didn't notice yesterday and barely feel anything today.  I wonder if the Lysine, Zinc and Vit C have controlled it.  Just thought of that so I won't take any today.  I should have waited til this week to have bloodwork done.  I really wanted to know already and it had only been 23 days post exposure.  I keep thinking I have it because I felt the sting inside her and she must have had sores on her cervix.  

[mirvus]

yeah, that's about what i had heard - that during the "primary" breakout it is possible, but it's not very probable.

i don't know about stinging sensations, but another guy who slept with the girl that i did - he slept with her about three days before she was actually broke out, and he said there was a rather unpleasant odor, but he didn't say anything about stinging sensations.  i guess maybe it's different for each person.

also, the way i understand it is that unless part of your body comes in *direct* contact with an open herpes lesion, you can't get it.  just resting your hand on her thigh wouldn't pass it to you unless she wasn't wearing pants, had open sores on her leg, and you ran your fingers around in these sores, and then almost immediately afterwards rubbed your lips or eyes.  i'm guessing you didn't do all that, hehe, so i wouldn't fret too much about that issue.  if you did get it, it would've been through sexual intercourse, and it'll be confined to just that one spot.

i'm not an expert, of course, but that's what i've come to understand from talking to my doctor and reading practically every herpes article on the internet over the past month.

in other news, my doctor took a culture today from what i thought might be a sore - though he said (same as his partner doctor last friday said) that he doesn't believe it to be a herpes lesion, but he wanted to get it just in case.  i'm guessing i'll have the results back on that in a couple of days.  he also prescribed some antibiotics, because he said what i was describing sounded far more like a urinary infection than anything herpes-induced.  sooooo... here's hoping.

[livelihoodlost]

I hope for you also.  And the concern for my eyes is because they feel lightly irritated as do the sides of my lips.  But it could be from not enough sleep although I have been sleeping well the past 2 nights.  I do stare at this screen for the most part of the day also.  But the irritation, it makes me so nervous.  Under the belt, although it's what i've dreaded for years, I can live with, but on my face...I can't imagine that.  I wonder if she did have lesions on her cervix because it stung and also if the friction opened them.  She mentioned that it was feeling so wet.  I finally told my best friend awhile ago.  He brought up a girl in the past who told him she had it a week after they had unprotected sex.  I started to feel hope, but it ended up she didn't have it at all, her ex just thought he did.  As the night goes on I feel burning sensation returning to one of my thighs again front and rear.  I get my far too early to tell lab results tomorrow or wednesday.  I don't know what to say to my family if it comes up positive.  And if it is on my face, oh geeze.  I did this to myself, I had a choice to make and I really hesitated but gave in.  

[mirvus]

i know it's hard to keep cool in a situation like this, but i - and others too, based on what you've said about talking to counselors - really don't think you would've had the opportunity to self-infect your face.  believe me, i know how easy it is to get so apprehensive about something like that.  for a week or so there, i was afraid maybe i'd self-infected my anal region without meaning to - i couldn't even think of HOW i would've done that, but once i had the notion in my head, it simply refused to go away for several days.  and for those few days, i would've sworn to you that i had a kind of "full" feeling around that area.  every 30 minutes i was looking in a mirror trying to see if there was any kind of swelling or lumps or anything at all.  of course, nothing ever came of it - everything still looks a-ok.  i'm sure you're just going through a similar period of paranoia, so just deep breath.  it'll be okay.

[livelihoodlost]

That was me Friday before last at work, every 15-30 mins or whenever I felt tingling I ran to the restroom and examined my legs.  Nothing has still shown up.  So how did you believe you self-infected your sphincter?  I was thinking perhaps there is a small lesion in that area but I couldn't see one althought it felt like there was a small bump there.  As for my finger I notice a small red area and a faint hint of where a tiny cut may have been.  I just recalled on another post that one counselor or nurse said if there is tingling on my finger, not to rub anywhere else until it's gone.  But I didn't realize why it was tingling and it's just 1/2-1/4 inches from the knuckle...prime eye and lip rubbing area.  

Also since you thought you had it anally did you notice an odd odor?  

[mirvus]

well, you can take comfort in the fact that, in everything i've read, if you experience tingling or other prodromal symptoms as they're called, they're usually only a day or two in advance of the lesions showing up in full force, so if you were feeling it over a week ago, i think you're in the clear and it's either nothing at all, or totally in your head, or something else completely unrelated to herpes.

i honestly didn't think i'd infected my anal area - when i found out about self-infection, the first thing to cross my mind was, maybe i have a lesion, maybe i touched it, and then maybe i went to the bathroom and wiped and it got on my hindquarters like that.  turns out that's just not realistic at all, as the virus can only live a very short time out of the body, plus i would've had toilet paper between my fingers and my anus.  it was just a classic case of paranoia.

[mirvus]

meanwhile, i may have found a possible cause for my discomfort.  i was talking to the girl that i had slept with, and we were swapping symptoms and stories thus far, and she said what i had sounded like a yeast infection.  this had never occurred to me.  i frankly had no idea men could get yeast infections.  but after reading the common symptoms, it fits almost to a T.  i'm going to buy some cream for yeast infections tomorrow and try rubbing it down and see if it does me any good.  the yeast infection symptoms sure sound a whole lot closer to home than the urinary infection or herpes diagnoses.

[hopeful111]

mirvus/livelihoodlost

thanks for the updates, this has been very supportive and I hope both of your symptoms only improve and this turns into simply a lesson learned for all of us.

mirvus, i was rereading some of your earlier posts - specifically regarding testicular pain being an early symptom of possible herpes, but I assume this would be coupled with the more obvious lesions/blisters? i hope so. my symptoms had gotten slightly better but then today my heart was racing when I though i finally came across the start of possible herpes blisters near the base of my penis/start of scrotum. i pulled the skin every which way, it seemed almost shiny unlike any other part down there and i was really scared. now it doesn seem that way anymore and looking at it again i feel it is most likely just a hair follicle. but in a short span this evening i felt a sudden heat wave in my general crotch area, specifically more intense on my inner thighs. this lasted maybe 1 hr and now seems fine.

I have also had leg pain only on my right leg, concentrated from knee down through calf but i really hope this is just coincidental or anxiety or cold aches.

i had also recently come across a post online mentioning what Borat said about muscle relaxing coming into play. it mentioned some kind muscle tension being the problem, muscles referring pain to the tip of penis or testicles. Dont know what to make of this possibility but I'll say I do sit a TON for work. I used to work out reguarly but had been going much less right before my exposure. and now after I go even less as I barely have the motivation with everything that is going on.

[mirvus]

testicular pain and/or swelling was something my doctor mentioned to me the first time i went in to be examined and have blood work done.  he was a little vague about it, in hindsight, because all he said about it was "sometimes the testes will swell up or be painful just before and sometimes during a breakout."  i was normal in that regard, so he didn't elaborate further.

and i know exactly what you mean about not having the motivation - i signed up for a gym just three months ago, and when i got hit with the news that this girl i slept with has herpes about a month ago, i haven't been back to the gym since.  i figure once i get a confirmed diagnosis (for better or worse), then i can deal accordingly and start getting my life back in order.

[Borat1]

Hey Fellahs,

I hope you guys are feeling better today...  
Here's some kinda of encouraging news.  My symptoms have continued to lessen now in my 12th week post encounter, but a new one has popped up.

The burning/stinging has almost completely withdrawn but I started to get this wierd tingling sensation that kind of stemmed from my prostate to my penis.  My penis seems much more sensative that it ever did and almost has a ticklish kind of sensation to it at times.  This could just be a transition period of getting over what ever we/I have have...  or it could be due to prostatis.  I've pretty much ruled out HSV with the 11 week test and the absence of sores, but believe me, when I was in the amount of discomfort you guys are in (worst around a month after symptoms started) I almost couldn't believe it could be anything else.  Anxiety had a direct relation with how bad the symptoms were.

Some form of CPPS (Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome) seems to be the only thing I can figure.  Whether it was caused by a bacterial/viral infection or just an anxiety related issue remains to be seen.  Hopefully this is the receding storm of the symptoms and you guys will follow my recovery around 12 weeks.  

Things I found that helped, and they seem to recommend these with CPPS as well.

Hot baths, actually a jacuzzi is perfect, but soaking in a very hot bath seemed to help.

Thinking positive and trying to get your mind off the symptoms.

Stopping over examination of self, especially pulling apart the urethra looking for sores.

And what I hope will come for you guys, getting a negative test around 12 weeks.

One of the things that helped me the most was the information that a negative HSV test at 6 weeks has a 60-75% chance of being correct (or rather 60-75% of people develope antibodies by then).

I hope we can all get over this thing and move on with our lives, but it's been really nice to have the support this site offers.

Thanks again to Grace and all those who give their time to help out!

Keep posting and hopefully we can get an idea of what causes men to have these issues.

Borat

[hopeful111]

Thanks for the update and great to hear your symptoms continue to improve!

my symptoms are slightly better i think, the irritation at the tip seems much less pronounced and less frequent, sometimes right after urinating i think i start to feel something but lately it has just been in my mind. my leg pain was gone around this morning and i have still not shown any obvious herpes blisters/sores or anything close so the thought that that might be a prodrome is leaving my mind finally. although the pain did come back today a bit but I noticed it's mostly after i sat for a while - i do a ton of sitting for work and I now think prostatitis may be behind everything. a lot of it makes sense since often symptoms would be worse as the day progressed (once my time sitting increased) and i would usually wake up ok.

i came across a site that listed these as symptoms of prostatitis:
burning at the tip of the penis, groin heaviness, pubic pain, urethral irritation, low back pain, and radiating leg pain.

i guess its possible the was initially a bacterial infection (although from the start i was neg for chlam/gon) and triggered what looks like could be prostatitis. i'm going to limit alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, drink tons of water and generally try to take it easy on my prostate. i hope this continues improvement. will update here.

thanks to everyone for their input

[mirvus]

well, my symptoms have practically been confirmed as a yeast infection.  i started taking over the counter pills and applying a cream, and within 24 hours it's gone from extreme burning/irritation to a very, very light burning.  another few days at this rate and i'll have it knocked out.  of course, that doesn't mean i'm out of the herpes woods, of course.  i should have the results of my culture today or tomorrow (though i fully expect that to be negative), and i'm going to get another blood test done on friday, with results early the following week.  it'd sure make a great christmas present to get the culture and blood test both back as negatives (would be the 7 week mark for me).

[hopeful111]

that's great news - what otc pills/cream are you taking?

did you ever experience any other symptoms outside of just pain/irritation at the tip of penis? anything anywhere else on legs or other sensations besides irritation?

truly hope your test results come back negative as well

[livelihoodlost]

I was diagnosed for chronic prostatitis 4 years ago this month.  Something that had bothered me for 2 or 3 years now and again before the testicular pain shifted from right to left.  When that happened I started imagining cancer and went to a urologist right away.  So i was wondering if coming into contact with hsv2 might have triggered that up again but I just can't get the hsv out of my head.  I'm less stressed about it now for the most part though.  No more burning sensations just some ache on the left teste.

[mirvus]

i'm taking azo yeast pills three times a day and using a monistat knockoff cream twice a day.  and no, never any symptoms beyond burning/irritation at the tip of my penis.  the tip is still really sensitive - it gets really irritated whenever i apply the cream because i have to massage it into the skin, but even then it's not as bad as it was a few days ago.  it's downgraded from a "burning" sensation to more of just a general discomfort in that area as of today.

[hopeful111]

when you were diagnosed for prostatitis 4 yrs ago, what were your primary symptoms? just testicular pain? any sensitivity/irritation at tip of penis or other pains in your body?

good to hear no more burning sensations for you now, could all this just be prostatitis related for you again? what makes it feel different this time around (just the concern for eyes?)

[hopeful111]

thanks - hope this does the trick for you, keep us updated!

[livelihoodlost]

Testicular ache and swelling was the primary symptom.  Also the tubes felt a bit swollen.  It begins as an ache on the right side and will shift to the left.  Nothing to do with penis though.

And why it feels different this time around is because I had unprotected sex with a woman who a few days later grew her first outer lesion. I'm thinking she had them on her cervix which went unnoticeable except by me when I told her it stings inside.

[mirvus]

well, the saga continues.  although i'm still relatively certain my burning symptoms are either a yeast infection or what's evidently called balanitis, i've noticed tonight small white bumps on the tip of my penis, but not accompanied by the red splotches that are associated with herpes.  plus, in my reading, it's my understanding that small white bumps are fairly regular in yeast infections and balanitis both.  they can even progress to blister state, much like herpes.  i'm going to make (sigh) yet ANOTHER doctor appointment tomorrow morning and have things double checked - they can do a culture, i presume, and verify one way or the other if it's a yeast infection or (god forbid) herpes, and hopefully i can get some prescription medication to knock this out, because the three pills + cream don't seem to be doing much of anything at all for me now.  it took it down a barely noticable notch and then that was it.  after suffering through this for almost exactly a month now, i'm ready to be done with it.  i'd like to get some bloody sleep, haha.  it's been painful enough for the past week that i can't sleep at all on my stomach, and sleeping on my back/sides is only minimally more comfortable.  if i manage 5-6 hours a night, i consider myself lucky.

[Borat1]

Mirvus,
Sorry to hear the pills didn't knock it out.  When I had the worst symptoms, I noticed some bumps on the head, but I'm pretty sure they were always there, but they were just enlarged by what ever is causing this.  They never blistered or anything and are still there but barley noticable (I found the definition for them online, but can't find the link).  

As I mentioned above, things have gotten better, however the symptoms seem to stem more from the prostate than any where else.  Strange how early on I only had the stinging and burning tip.  After 3 ejaculations over an 8 hour period, (girl friend was getting energetic),  my prostate was a pretty sore and although I don't have the burning, my urethra is a bit sore.  

Im starting to think this thing has got to be prostatis, which when I start looking on the forums, has a lot less known about it than HSV.  

When you see the doc, you may want to ask him if he thinks prostatis could be a player for you.

Hope you all are feeling better,

Borat.

[hopeful111]

If you still have no obvious lesions I would hold hope this is not HSV related and possible anxiety related. have things gotten better for you?

[hopeful111]

Mirvus - sorry to hear this taking another turn but again, from everything I/we have read does not sound like herpes though I hope it is not. let us know how the dr appt goes

Borat - thanks for the update, my symptoms are also getting a little better, the stinging at tip is much more rare but there is still a feeling of uncomfortable/tenderness at times. my leg pain has gone away mostly and still no signs of blisters/sores so i am hoping that really wasn't a prodrome. i have been thinking this could be prostatitis for me too and have been careful as much as i can, drinking tons of water and cutting out coffee etc.

was your exposure unprotected Borat and did you ever experience anything besides just the irritation at tip? pain anywhere else? Thanks.

[trojan77]

   I really hope you guys start feeling better, I too had unprotected sex.Here is a brief history if your interested. It was only brief encounter of sex and  maybe a few minutes then some genital rubbing. approximently 2 days later I had a pain at the tip of my penis, then flu like symptons for two days. I also blewout my left eardrum a 4 days prior. Didn't think much about it. Well the I had the stinging in the penis for about 4 week's, I also had to pee alot and noticed my urine was cloudy and had some crystal's comming out. Boy did that hurt. When I was exprssing myselft at about 4 week's later had a somewhat long goldish brown crystal that came out. It hurt bad like a razor blade went throug my uretha. At that time I wen to the Dr to get tested. I had to wait for a month for my all of my STD result's.  about two weeks's ago I was told I have HSV1 &2. I didn't have the type IgG specific test. I was kind of shocked that I had HSV2. I didn't have any lesions during that time. Ever since I was told I had the HSV2. I only got 2 to 3 hours of sleep a night.I started to think I had all the symptons without any lesions. I posted here a few times on this board. I started to feel relieved that Borat brought up CPPS. I actually started to feel better and started to think that prostatits could be the cause. Well for the last two week's the burning in the tip of my penis have been feeling alot better by know, I have noticed another sympon's on an off for the last 2 week's. I have started to feel a my left thigh burning then goes to my back. Right know I am feeling pain on the inside of my left knee. Yesterday I noticed a purple spot the size of a dime halfway down my thigh. There is a little bit of red around that area. Hair is still in that area. I don't know if that matters. Also the sore never blisters. it's like it's just there. also HSV2 can't alway's blister right?  I am in a situation where I can't get it checked out. but once I get home I will get it looked at if it's still there. I am  hoping it's not to late to get it looked at. I am also wondering if it's possible to have possible padrome symptons on side of lower body then have a lesion on the other side. I kept reading how this is virus present's it's way differently person to person. I just wanted to share my story with you guys. I am not feeling upbeat right know. Everytime I feel possitive that it could be something else, I start to think it's herpes. I am more upset how I let this brief 5-8 minute encounter accur. I hope your guy's situation get's better than mine. I will keep you guys posted.

[livelihoodlost]

Well guys I think this is it...I just started feeling a sharp pain on my left inner thigh in the V line.  Earlier I noticed small red bumps on each side of my legs that look more of an irritation than vesicles but now I feel this needle pain and I can see a tiny follicle looking bump on the left leg/pelvic crease(V line to me).  

I was just feeling very confident today that it's been 30 days post exp and perhaps I'm one of the lucky 7 of 8 who do not get infected.  Well let's just hope it is just a follicle thing, going to try and get checked out tomorrow at a planned parenthood.  I've been wanting some sort of exam besides my own self checking in mirrors.

[Borat1]

Hopeful111,

My exposure was unprotected oral followed by protected drunk stupid sex.  My symptoms started as lymph node pain, stinging/burning at tip, two red spots inside urethra for 2 days that never returned, followed by a good 10 weeks of pain (who woulnd't think herpes?)  With the pain mellowing out I have some slight burning, tingling every once in a while in the groin and legs and sore between the genitals and bung.

I've been doing kegel exercises, and short term, they seem to be helping.

http://www.kegelexercisesformen.com/kegel_exercises_for_men.html

Now I'm no expert, but from the experience I've had over the last 12+ weeks and the research I've done on the internet....

I think we have CPPS.  Check out this page and see if it fits your symptoms closer than HSV.

http://prostatitis.hostei.com/docs/prostatitis-sex-destroyer.pdf

My theory is that in my high stress job, I've been building tension in the past, this stupid encounter with a high risk partner put the stress and anxiety level over the limit and CPPS started up.

Another reason I think this is CPPS related, when I found out my 7 week negative igg test was negative and it had a 60-75 % chance of being correct (due to percentage of people that produce measureable antibodies by 6 weeks), my symptoms went down.  When I read the next day about someone that was in contact with a person with HSV having the same symptoms as me, within 3 hours I was in full on burning tip mode.  Couldn't sleep all night, pain all day, etc.  

Once I chilled, it was better.  After negative 12 week igg test.  Things are better but still not right, kind of like a foot ball field after the game is over, needs some mending.

I've been working on relaxing and doing kegel exercises and I'm hoping this will pass...   The body and mind are crazy things and I think CPPS is the body's way of saying, "Stop effing up."

livelihoodlost,

I hope everything show up negative.  If it helps, I had some pimples on my thighs a few weeks back, but I think it was due to the "leaking" caused by what ever is causing these issues.  Urine can be pretty harsh on the skin.  See if it looks like the correct area for you, and if so, keep it clean and put some moisturizor on it and see if it helps.  Obviously, get it checked just to be sure, but it could be a million other things than HSV.

Trojan,

Hang in there bud.  Sounds like you have a very supportive wife and you should be back state side soon.  Your docs sound like complete idiots and should be court marshalled.  Sorry to hear about the ear drum...  Afghanistan?  

Try and relax.  If you still haven't had any sores but are having this burning issue, I'd bet money that you picked up some thing that caused the crystals, it cleared up and now you're dealing with extreme anxiety and CPPS.

Mirvus,

Hope the doctor visit went well, let us know how you're doing.

Everyone, try and relax and get your mind off herpes.  I know it's hard to do, but until sores break out or you have a positive test, I'd think it was CPPS or something else.

Borat.  

[mirvus]

well, the herpes culture i had done on monday came back negative, but i had basically assumed all along that was how that would come out.  the urinary analysis also came back clean, so all that basically confirms (to me, anyway) that what i've been experiencing is a very obnoxious yeast infection.  i've continued taking the pills and applying the cream, and i guess maybe all it needed was a few days to get rolling because since thursday night, i've had almost no burning whatsoever.  i've slept 11 hours both thursday night and last night - i guess i needed to catch up, after only getting a few sparse hours for a full week before.  though, i'm hesitant to get TOO excited just yet - there were lapses before where the burning went away completely for 3-4 days and then came back just as strong as ever, if not stronger.  so if i manage to make it a full week without burning (or at least a minimal amount that still allows me sleep), then i'll start celebrating.

the negative herpes culture is encouraging too, of course, but once again, i'm hesitant to break out the champagne for anything prior to a blood test at the end of january, which will be 12 weeks.  at that point, if i come back clean for herpes (as well as hiv, which i don't have any reason to believe i have, but it's always lurking in the back of my mind).

[Borat1]

Mirvus,

Great news!  Hopefully it's just a yeast infection and will be a thing of the past soon.

[hopeful111]

Borat-

thanks for the extra details. just to clarify, so even now, you are still having some slight tingling every now and then PLUS also pain/tingling in the legs? (any area in particular in the legs?)

It is so encouraging to hear about your negative test results. my biggest recent worry was with some leg pains i was having but i have read that prostatitis could also cause this.  ps, could not open that pdf in the link, seems to be broken.

livelihoodlost - hang in there! great chances this is just a follicle or related issue and not hsv. i am sure our anxiety levels are all through the roof much more than we actually think.

Mirvus - great to hear things are better! and i hope they keep getting better for you, let us know how it goes.

[livelihoodlost]

So the next morning the follicle looking thing was gone, I was feeling fine all day.  And then last night Verysaddude made this comment in my newest post, "when I contracted HSV2..I experienced burning/tingling in those same areas and have yet to have a blister...that was in March. I still experience the burning/tingling to this day."  Well that just made me so sad, I was about to get ready to meet a couple friends and just had to bail out.  That plus the herpes.com site that says 75% of those exposed get infected.  I don't believe that to be very true though.  I feel better now after a nice rest but I really want to have another test already.  I'll anxiously wait 3 1/2 more weeks(to be 8) and have another test done halfway to 16 weeks.  I no longer feel the sensations on my skin so here's really, really hoping.

[mirvus]

in regards to the "75% of those exposed get infected," i would think that would have to mean either if you were exposed to someone who was going through asymptomatic shedding (because if they were fully broke out and you had intercourse, your chances are probably about 100%), or maybe if you were regularly having relations with someone who has herpes, then your odds are 75% that you will *eventually* get it.  there's just no way your odds are 3 in 4 of getting it from someone who has herpes but isn't broke out.  there are married couples the world over where one person has hsv2 and they haven't transmitted it to their partner (though they use condoms and suppressive therapies, i assume).

in other news, last night the burning came back shortly, but i think i'm starting to get a handle on this thing.  it's definitely on the outside tip of my penis - i had played golf yesterday and walked 9 holes (about 2 miles total), and on the drive home i noticed the burning starting to come back.  i'm assuming here that the constantly rubbing/chaffing while i was walking irritated it, because i applied the cream and lay in bed on my back, as still as i could possibly be, and the burning subsided within an hour or so, i managed a good night's sleep, and it isn't burning as of this posting.

meanwhile.... 50 days post exposure now and still no obvious herpes symptoms.  i keep trying to take comfort in that, but it's irritating to know that a large percentage of those who have it display no symptoms at all and don't know they even have it for months or years after contracting it.

keep up the hope, everyone.  hang onto those positive attitudes.  we'll all get through our respective dilemmas, one way or the other.

[mirvus]

i just realized my "you've got about a 100% chance of being infected if they were fully broken out" line may have come across as kind of scary and grim sounding and paranoia inducing - i didn't mean for that to sound that way.  while it is the truth - my doctor said herpes is VERY contagious and all it takes is one little touch on an open herpes lesion for you to contract it - from what i've read of yours, this girl probably wasn't "fully broken out."  if she were broke out, from what i understand, she would Know it.  it would hurt her.  the girl that i was exposed to, she said that when she broke out, it felt like someone had taken a sandblaster to her vagina.  so if your girl wasn't saying that she's feeling a very strong burning/pain, i don't think she'd qualify for my "fully broken out" statement.  just wanted to clarify there.

[livelihoodlost]

Definitely would have known if there was a full break out.  But what i'm very concerned about is what might have been going on with her inside.  I never found out if, when she was examined, any sores were on her cervix where they supposedly begin most of the time for initial infection.  We no longer are in contact after that due to me, quite understandably, completely freaking out and pressing for questions which she vaguely answered and then just couldn't take the news herself.  She had no symptoms that she noticed at all and her last partner was about a month before.  I didn't realize she had not used protection but I should have figured it out if she was going for the same with me.  I hesitated with discomfort but allowed her to go on after a moment.  Wish I never allowed myself to be in that situation and if I make it through this clean...I'll be sure to continue on with my on vow to wait until someone who is worthy of marriage comes along.  I absolutely hate that just a little over a week before I was laughing to myself about a time years ago when I was focused on the tv and my sister walked by and saw me, looked at the tv and looked at me again with an odd face.  I realized then it was a valtrex ad and she prob thought I had herpes.  Oh I laughed....but not anymore.

[Borat1]

Fellahs,
I hope this helps, but as you guys know, same symptoms you all had...  Convinced it was the Herp.  Good news, things are continuing to get better.  I'll get a 4 month test just to be sure, but I don't think any of us has HSV.  

As time goes along, I hope you guys get the negative HSV tests I did, and you will start recovering as I have.  I'm not sure if CPPS makes your muscles tired or what, but the keggle exercises listed in the link above have helped reduce the pain a good amount.  

I'll keep checking in, but if I was to put money down on the table, I would say you guys are HSV negative.

Borat

[hopeful111]

Borat -

thanks for the update and vote of confidence. I'm trying real hard to maintain a positive attitude. things are improving but not 100% yet. the tingling/irritation at tip is much better, i maybe think i feel something once or twice a day and even then it's for minutes not hours. the sensations/pain i thought i felt around my legs/knees are pretty much gone for now and i hope it stays that way.

did you have any similar sensations around the legs/thighs also?

I truly hope everyone else has negative HSV results.

mirvus - i completely agree that sometimes it's hard to take comfort in not having any obvious symptoms since we keep hearing about the large percentage who display no symptoms - but i would bet (this is just my speculation) that a lot of those were cases where symptoms were so mild they went unnoticed and the person had no other symptoms like the ones we are all experiencing. so they had no reason to even check down there every 30 mins like a lot of us were at some point. even the mildest of symptoms down there i bet one of us would have locked onto so i try to take comfort in that at least.

everyone please keep up your positive attitudes as much as you can. get out, enjoy the little sun we have (i imagine also timing with weather isn't much help) and do your best to make it through each day. this will all be behind us.

[mirvus]

well, here's hoping i'm not jumping the gun on this, but it seems my burning symptoms have finally subsided and gone away.  it's been five days now, and only once have i experienced any burning.  and that came after i had walked almost 2 miles, and i expect the tip of my penis was irritated from rubbing against my clothes through all that.  other than that, it's been less and less with each passing day, and now isn't much more than the occasional dull ache in my groin.  here's hoping by next week it's completely out of my system.

i had originally planned to get another IgG blood test done this week, but i thought to myself it'd probably be cheaper and more effective to just go ahead and wait until the 12 week mark around the end of january.  i'd be going back then to get a test done anyway, so may as well just wait and get the FINAL answer then rather than a "well, this may or may not be accurate" answer now.

but i'm over the hump here - whenever the girl first told me she had broken out back around mid-november, and i started reading up and realizing i'd have to wait 75 days (it'd been about 15 days post exposure at that point) before getting an accurate, conclusive blood test, i really didn't know if i could make it.  i thought the apprehension would get me long before the herpes actually did, haha.  but i'm 7 1/2 weeks in now, still no actual herpes symptoms, and maintaining as much of a positive attitude as possible.

if i get out of this unscathed, it's going to be by the skin of my teeth (i expect several of us are in the "skin of our teeth" boat).  but, honestly?  i'm optimistic for once.  normally i'm such a pessimist, but in this situation, after having 2 months to really look at things and think about it, i think things might be okay.  i'm hoping, anyway.

[hopeful111]

mirvus - that's great to hear! keep up the positive attitude. very happy to hear your symptoms are subsiding. hopefully this will be 100% behind you very soon and for the rest of us as well.

[traviskelly]

Hey guys,
Been reading your threads and my problem sounds similar.....I had sex about a month ago, protected penetrative, but genital rubbing without protection for a while...About a day or two later I noticed a tingling sensation in the very tip of my penis. It wasn't painful, nor was it itchy, just tingling, doesn't sting to urinate either...I think my groin glands were slightly swollen? But I don't check them very often so had nothing to compare them to. I woke up one night covered in sweat and felt like I may have been coming down with something? Went to the Dr and got checked out for chlamydia and gonorrea, both came back negative, he looked around my penis and couldn't see any evidence of herpes.  Since then the tingling has subsided (that lasted about 2 and a half weeks) but now I just have a slight irritation about an 1/8 or an inch inside my urethra.....I can see something on the skin inside, it's very faint, not a blister or a red spot, looks more like a small circle......Does it sound like herpes? Or would a herpes sore in the urethra be very painful (which this isn't, just irritated).....HELP put my mind at rest! I'm going nuts! advice, knowledge, experience anyone!!!!!! The problem is I'm beginning to not know what is real and what's not? Anxiety I guess....contacted the girl and she says she's never had anything???? She could be asymptomatic though, right  

[mirvus]

i *thought* i saw something just inside the tip of my penis as well - evidently either my eyes were playing tricks on me and making me see things that weren't really there, or it was something that's always been there and i just never noticed.  either way, i had it cultured, and it came back negative for herpes.  it's actually STILL there now, so i'm guessing it's just some kind of mark that i've either always had, or i developed at some point in the not too distant past and it's harmless.

also, the tingling is very likely just anxiety driven - with herpes, when it comes to what's referred to as "prodromal symptoms," which include tingling, burning, itching, etc., those symptoms usually only last a day or two before the actual red spots and blisters appear.  if you've been having this tingling for 2+ weeks, then i think it's safe to assume whatever it is - if it's anything at all - is not herpes.

[traviskelly]

Thanks Mirvus,

Yeah the tingling did last for a few weeks, then anxiety took over, I wasn't feeling well though and did wake up in a cold sweat one night, but as one blogger puts it "The mind is very powerful and can make phantom symptoms come and go!" Having said that, the tingling did diminish after a few weeks (i really wasn't imagining the tingling)  what was left was a little pain/discomfort (not painful or itchy) in the spot where I could see something inside my urethra. What i thought I could see was sort of a raised circle, tiny, it's still there now but I guess like you, if it doesn't disappear then it always was there!
So, if it all comes back, I'll head on down for a herpes test I guess!

[livelihoodlost]

Well, I really don't want to be over my head about this but I think I MIGHT be having an OB.  I see a few small bumps on my rear right where I sit, i'm thinking it might be it and also where my thighs feel itchy I can see a tiny little dark red dot.  I'd been feeling that area tingling alot the past couple weeks but hadn't seen anything.  I guess because it's so small.  Not sure if I should spend the money on getting it cultured or just wait 3 more weeks for an 8 week blood test.  Can they culture something a millimeter in size?  Teste pain has returned and I had been eating some mixed nuts the past 2 days.  Had been going for coffee, chocolate, potatoes, anything I could think of that would cause a reaction but nothing had happened.  Pain/tingling was gone a few days and I don't know, perhaps the mixed nuts did it.  Or maybe it's just returned by it's own will.  Oh I hate this.

[mirvus]

i honestly wouldn't worry much about that.  i don't think i've ever heard or read about an initial outbreak of herpes happening anywhere other than directly on the genitals or mouth.  you're just looking way too hard and getting way too anxious about it, i think.  granted, of course,  if that red spot gets bigger, if blisters appear, yeah, head to the doc, but something that's in a not terribly common spot and only a millimeter in size... you've probably had that 1mm red bump your whole life and just never saw it until you started self-examining for herpes.  just be cool and breathe easy.

[livelihoodlost]

Yes i'm taking it easier today, I hadn't been looking much over the last few days.  I just check for anything noticeable and that's all.  This little thing though, I had been feeling light irritations so I rann my hands across my pants(so not to touch skin) and feel a tiny dot so I decided to pinpoint and saw it.  I see 2 on each leg, far apart, one upper inner thigh and the other is low, out of boxer brief coverage.  Read that OBs could look like follicle bumps but i'm just going with whatever it may be.  Will wait for blood work.

[hopeful111]

hope the small bumps on your leg are gone, i honestly too wouldn't worry too much about them, although OBs sure could start out looking like follicle bumps they should turn into more obvious blisters later on. Obviously we are all worked up about any little thing on our bodies. as small a factor as it may be, i think the weather also has something to do with things, drying out skin etc.

hope everyone is feeling better/more positive after the holidays

[Borat1]

Livelihood lost,

I had those same thing a while back.  Freaked me out, but I noticed they were inline with where my CPPS penis? might of been leaking urine on my thighs causing a zit or two to break out.  I washed the area with mild soap, put on some lotion in a day or two they were gone.

See if you think that may be what's causing yours.

Borat

[livelihoodlost]

Thanks Borat that makes me more comfortable, I was just going with it being herpes until proven otherwise.  I did notice some extra dots today, about reach of penile leakage so I would hope this is the case.  But i'm just dreading on what it likely is.  My skin is burning and I read obs could be 1 to 3 millimeters in size.  these are all one, very tiny.  Testicle pain has returned with lots of pain but not as much as I was in for 20 hours 3 weeks ago.  I feel small skin spasms, stretchy feelings up near the crease of my leg and just now also a few inches lower than my ankle.  

[hopeful111]

hang in there, I think it's definitely possible skin sensations could just be a result of heightened anxiety. the testicle pain I would also not worry about as being a herpes symptom as I have actually read a lot that says this is not a typical symptom at all. Even Grace has said so.  Have you been to a urologist yet? if the pain is severe I would say get it checked out by one if you can.

Sorry if I missed this up above but did you already have a Herpes blood test early on? Even as early as 2 weeks, a negative can be around 50% accurate, one of the Dr's on this site has confirmed.

hope you are feeling better.

[trojan77]

I haven’t posted here in a while. I got home last weekend and went to the ER about the burning/Irritation at the tip of my penis, along with a purplish rash with some red.  I was also having some tingling in my left leg and butt pain and etc for on and off for 2 ½ months. First the Dr told me that all herpes serum’s are a 100% I know it’s not true as I received my ASHA testing book I ordered.  Then I did my own swab for Chlamydia. That was different.  Then I was given 4 antibiotic pills that would wipe away any bacteria in case I did have some. The Dr told me that my rash was eczema.  My rash hasn’t gotten any better or worse in 1 ½ weeks.  After taking the antibiotics I’ve noticed that the irritation in my penis has subsided dramatically.  And after a few days the tingling sensation has gone away and no pain in legs, or back. Of course I was keeping a positive attitude and I wasn’t freaking out like I was for the previous 12 weeks.  The Dr also told me that I wasn’t having a herpes symptoms and it was anxiety.  I am trying to stay positive; it’s so hard not to think all your problems are not going to be associated with a herpes outbreak.  Then you start paying attention to every detail on your body that you would never pay any attention before.  I am going to have to wait to see my provider and get a type specific IgG test. It’s also how many medical practioners aren’t aware of the flaws with other test.  There are can be other reasons besides herpes that are causing your issues.  I hope you guys take care. I am already past my bed time. I have to get up early for mass. I don’t know you all, but I am going to pray for everyone.  I don’t wish this on anyone.  Stay positive and have a great New Years!

Borat1- Thanks’ for all of your support.  

        

[livelihoodlost]

I had a negative result at 3 weeks post.  Was told it had a good chance of showing a trace of virus so that's the reason I didn't wait another week for the standard early 4 week test which I apparently read a few posts on here about.  A urologist diagnosed me with chronic prostatitis this month, 4 years ago.  I had been having a dull pain in right teste for an extended period of months.  It seemed to only ache when touched, then after about a year and a half after first noticing the pain was constant I really started wondering what it could be.  Had fears of testicular cancer, then when the ache shifted from right to left teste, I began to worry.  The pain grew from there but I couldn't feel lumps, I did notice the testicular tubes were widening and I then passed on all family practitioner offices and went straight to a urologist.

I asked the std clinic last month if this encounter could have caused some bacterial reaction and triggered prostatitis but she didn't really know and only advised that if it continues, return to the urologist for a checkup.  At the time I didn't know the bump on the girl had been herpes so they really didn't think herpes was a risk.  It was later confirmed a positive culture.

This part is a little disgusting but the anus is part of prostate.
I did another self exam awhile ago because I noticed some stinging around my anus during work. Every time I crouch to a mirror it just smells like something bacterial going on, I can't tell what might be a blister and also can't see up inside there so I want to get looked at somewhere soon.  I noticed over the several tiny dots about my thighs, one in particular about double in size and red, right in the crease of my leg and pelvis.  Erections hurt a little and I wonder if there are tiny sores in the urethra but if they were the same tiny dot size as ones on my leg would that even cause urination pain?  I don't notice it at all.  I did notice last week, after a prolonged erection some semen dripped out and that made my skin feel like it was on fire.  

So i'm thinking I may get some sort of herpes exam and prostate checked out.  Will call a clinic again tomorrow and see what they can do, although the last time I called one nurse stated that if you are exposed to herpes you've got it too.  I don't know if I was exactly exposed but i'm think I was since 2 days later the girl noticed a bump that suddenly grew.  So i'm thinking I absorbed the viral shedding.  How unfortunate.

trojan77 - Thank You for including us in prayer.  I also do not want anyone I know have this virus.  It's not even confirmed but it's already changing my life.  The pain is slowing me down at work, I no longer have the will to be talkative and humorous with coworkers.  I hate it and I hate the fact at how many chances I had to prevent this encounter from happening.  I only had to say "No" and stick with it.  

[livelihoodlost]

Okay one of these tiny dots either grew or something just popped up about the size of a mosquito bite, this is dreadful.

[mirvus]

like grace said in another thread - i think you're just looking way too hard for stuff that might be herpes.  people have told me, though, that once the herpes outbreak starts up, it happens Quick.  a friend of mine who has herpes, he says that in his initial outbreak, he went to bed fine, and the next morning he had red splotches and was starting to develop blisters.  of course, it's different for everyone, but i think that if you haven't developed very obvious herpes-like lesions within 48 hours (i see it's already been 24+ since your post), then you can probably rule out the herpes outbreak.  plus, the thigh is a real uncommon place for a breakout to occur.  if it's not directly on your penis or testicles, then it's probably safe to assume it's not herpes, whatever it may be.

in related news... still no obvious symptoms on my part.  the yeast infection has almost entirely cleared up.  only very, very mild occasional burning/aching for maybe an hour at a time once every four or five days.  on the herpes front, i'm going in for a blood test tomorrow.  it's been 60 days, and i know that it still won't be conclusive at this point, but i'm going to go mad if i don't at least check and see if i'm positive yet.  i think a negative result would do wonders for me and get me through to the end of january, when i'll be tested again at the 90 day mark (assuming i'm not positive this time around).  wish me luck.

[livelihoodlost]

Thanks for the calming support!  I've been keeping calm mostly through the day finally trying out a game I bought 2 months ago.  I'm just getting annoyed now and then because it's really fun and it's what I was going to open up the night I went out and met my infected partner(I usually ignore all contact when first trying out a game).  

I really hope this is something else but I just can't see any other logical thing.  Penis tip is burning again, it hadn't since a month ago.  I can feel little tingles around my butt as well as around my lips, but that would hopefully be from lack of water.  What other suspicions could it be? I talked to another counselor today and she said testicular pain isn't quite common with herpes, so that's good.  But she couldn't really speak much when I mentioned the tiny dots, she did say I should have waited another week before getting tested(at 3 weeks) and a 6 week one would be good but 8 weeks is up to me.  But a guy from same lab said 3 weeks is fine so that's why I did it.

I am just so dreary about what's going on because I would have made contact right in her shedding stage if she developed a blister 3 days afterwards.  If I can escape this and HIV which i'm now curious about, oh I think I might want to be a priest or something.

[hopeful111]

hope your symptoms are improving, I agree with mirvus that unless you have the more obvious symptoms that herpes is most likely not the culprit here. plus you should really expect it to show in your genital area, not your legs.

good to hear you are at least allowing other parts of your former life to creep back in (playing games). i really think this is important for all of us as I'm sure our lives have been turned upside down going through all of this.

i hope things get better for you, and everyone else.

thanks to everyone for their support

[trojan77]

Happy New years to everyone.  I went to see my PCM on Tuesday. The Doctor tends to think I have protatitis or NGU, I also showed her the lesion on my leg which is going on 3 weeks.  And I am having butt and left leg pain for 6 weeks on and off.  I was told herpes symptoms don’t last that long and I am still waiting for my results before I get treated.  The only problem I have is the Doctor is retesting me for everything except HSV2. She said there is no need, and once you’re positive you’re positive as HSV1 and 2 tests are the most accurate of test. I told her I didn’t have type specific IgG test and it would be a piece of mind knowing that I had the right test.  I even brought the ASHA herpes testing book incase this happens.  I also gave her the ASHA website on HSV testing. She also examined me and found nothing. The Doctor also told me that the best way is a culture test.  I was told by a previous DR that my knee pain, butt pain and leg pain were anxiety symptoms.  I am so frustrated with how everything is going.  All I want is some proper testing to be sure.  This is so frustrating.  The Doctor is to call me back on possible further testing for HSV2.

[Borat1]

Trojan,

I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to get the HSV2 test.  Worse case you can always go to a planned parenthood and pay to have a herpes select done.  

As for an update to my symptoms,

Things seemed pretty good until around the 24th.  I had felt like I was almost completly back to normal and then the burning at the tip kicked up again.  It has lasted for the last week and I'm back to getting some tingling in the legs and genitals.  I tested negative at 11 weeks for HSV 1 and 2, and the only thing that would explain these symptoms is CPPS.  I don't think herpes has any way of causing these kind of symptoms for so long without having a visible outbreak.  I'll get my 4 month HSV check later this month just to be a bit more sure.

If it is CPPS, I wish they had the kind of support online like herpes does.  The information on the net is pretty vague and the four kinds of CPPS tend to point to anything from NGU to anxiety to muscle spasms to bacterial infection.  

The thing I find amazing is how many men are online having these burning tip NGU like symptoms...  most of them occuring after a sexual encounter with a shady partner.  

I just wish their was more documented on it and a possible cure.

Happy New Year all,

Borat.  

[hopeful111]

Borat-

thanks for the update, sorry to hear that  some symptoms have come back.

are you noticing that its maybe less irritating/painful than previous? I think you've been doing the soaking in hot water right? have you also done any dietary changes since? I guess that might be more for prostatitis but CPPS seems like its related anyhow? not entirely sure. Did you ever go to a urologist?

my symptoms are better in some areas, mostly the tingling at tip although maybe it comes back for like under a min on some random days. sometimes i do have just a feeling of soreness in that area that maybe lasts longer than that. but recently i have been having a steady off and on pain in the perineum area. nothing that stops me from doing things but noticeable.

i'm going to get this looked at by a urologist as prostatitis seems like a possibility. I am much less concerned about herpes since there seems no way it would come like this, plus with no sores/lesions to date.

it's definitely amazing that yeah i read SO MANY posts fromguys in basically our exact situations, some protected, some unprotected but for the most part almost always unprotected oral at least and then this discomfort at tip of penis. and ALWAYS after a super regretful experience.

again what's comforting is that there are basically no cases where herpes explained those symptoms. its still a mystery though as to what is going on. I am just really hoping that we may just need more time. sure it really sucks to think i may be looking at another couple months of this (i'm just barely past 2 months myself) but I can live with that if it means i was lucky enough to not get an STD.

best of luck to everyone, and thanks to everyone for keeping everyone else updated on their situation

[livelihoodlost]

Alright I was doing okay thus far but I just read posts about how it just takes one time and you've got it.  I actually don't feel anything in the region other than testicular pain and light anus ache today which is odd but good I suppose.  My lip keeps feeling as if it's growing a bump out but I don't notice any change in color however it does feel bigger on that side than the opposite.  I'm still very suspicious about the red bumps on my hips and kind of want to have them swabbed or looked at.  I kept thinking about my encounter today and all the opportunities I had to prevent it.  It's so frustrating.  Please let us all come away std free and lessons severely learned.

[trojan77]

      I am pretty frustated.1, I have this purple/redish lesion on the back of my right thigh almost in the middle. next week is going to be a month that it's been there. I had 4 Dr looked at it and told me that it's not HSv2 lesion. 2 I've been having on and off right leg pain sometimes it's going from butt or thigh, foot, or knee. that's been going on for about 2 months. 3, my Dr doesn't want to give me another test. and the pain at the tip of my penis has been going on for 13 weeks. I didn't have a type specific test. I really think the pain in the tip of my penis is Prostatitis, but I am not sure about the pain. I am hoping it's anxiety. My Dr keeps telling me that I have and don't worry. 4, PPH dosen't test for HSV2. I just keep reading that you can have chronic pain anywear below the waist. (hopefully it's anxiety) I am trying to stay possitive but it's so hard. At this point I just want to get a proper test. I am in Oahu so there is not alot of places I can go. well hopefully everyone esle is doing so much better.  The good thing is my Dr does think I have prostatitis.I am just waiting for the rest of my labs.

[livelihoodlost]

If it's a month next week, from the many things i've read that is too long for something herpes related to hang around.  Weird that Dr can't diagnose what it is.  I'm guessing they didn't say what else it would be.  Will no place there do a culture swabbing?  If they don't suspect it to be H, then probably not but they should if you ask, you gotta have peace of mind.  

[Borat1]

Hopeful,

I'm going to wait for my 4 month HSV test (mid Jan) to be negative and then go see a urologist about prostatis/CPPS.  I'm afraid they will just want to put me on anitbiotics for long term, but it's getting to be time to have my prostate checked out.  I agree we are for the most part all in the same box...  Regretfull actions followed by these symptoms.  You would think that if this is the case, it would of been more documented by now.  

It's a New Year, with a chance for us to get better and start living our lives again.  Hopefully we will all get better and get to do just that.

[trojan77]

   There is no better way to start the new year off with a car accident. Dam! I am feeling a little bit better. I found out that I had a combined test. I know I have HSV1. I read that there is not reliable. does anybody know about combined test. all my labs came back negative, the Dr wants me to take levaquin for 7 days and see if my symptons clear up. if not the Dr is thinking prostatiitis. take care and try to stay possitive.

[rancher70]

Hello,

I had similar pain\irritation at the tip as you did (No leasions, just some red irritation and pain for weeks and weeks (Started a few days after sex with my GF).These two links make sense, read through the entire threads. I took the tea tree route and used it full strength, it worked in a few days. If that did not work I would have looked into the  Floxin. I think I have an enlarged prostate and will get checked soon. I had all the same STD tests you guys had,  etc all neg. The tea tree worked great at full strength. I hope this helps.

Good Luck


http://www.*************.com/prostate/c/2154/12669/comments/

http://www.*************.com/prostate/c/2154/11967/comments

[trojan77]

  Your not going to believe this. I called PPH twice! and they told me they don't test for HSV2 and just visually, Well I called again and told me that they do test. I am going this week and I am hoping that it's type specific IgG. Well My labs came back neg and HIV and was prescribed Levaquin for a week. well it will be 13 weeks after exsposure. I will keep you all posted.

[mirvus]

well, i definitely got some good news on this end.  first off, that yeast infection that caused me to start this thread in the first place seems to be well on its way to clearing up.  i still get the occasional murmur out of it, and from what i've been told, it sometimes takes weeks or even a month or two to get it totally cleared out, but it's definitely on the downward slide.

and then, the big news... i just got my test results back on the bloodwork i had done a few days ago.  at just over nine weeks (66 days), my IgG results are still less than 0.9, which is super duper encouraging.  i read an older thread on here from Dr. HHH saying that at 9 weeks, as a rough approximation, 80% of people who have herpes will test positive.  i'll test again at 12 and 16 weeks just to make sure, but at this point, i think i can safely assume i don't have hsv2.  *fist pump*

[livelihoodlost]

Glad to hear!  I wish I will be able to join in on being negative but as I've been posting here and there, things aren't seeming to well and I really think I may have it.  But i'm hoping for a chance that I don't.  It's just that today, a couple hours ago, burning at tip started real bad and I noticed change on the left side of urethra opening and there was blood there.  I must admit prior to that I was forcing out semen because I read somewhere about prostatitis and testicle pain, that sexual activity is good as it releases the bacteria in ejaculation.  Hope it's just from that and not herpes related.  A test result showing I am negative will be absolutely magical after 16 weeks is up.  

[Borat1]

Mirvus,

Great news on the 9 week check.  

LLL,

Red semen can be an indication of prostatis.  Any chance that's what you saw?  Do your symptoms increase and decrease with stress levels?  HSV doesn't act that way, try relaxing and getting your mind off herpes for a while.  

  

[hopeful111]

Mirvus-that's awesome to hear, really happy for you.

livelihoodlost - try to keep a positive outlook! a lot of the thigh issues you were having can be attributed to prostatitis as well. plus again, if she had lesions inside her you would really expect a breakout on your penis and not this far out either. as Borat said, try to block this out of your head

update on my end - I went to urologist today. explained everything and he really seemed to think a lot of it was anxiety intensified. he said nothing sounded like herpes and that it was possible there was some bacteria that made its way to the prostrate and that it might be diffucult to reach given the anatomy of the prostrate. my urine same came out clear (although i was told this literally 2 mins after giving the sample so I wasn't exactly super thrilled). he made it sound like this might be something i just get used to.

but definitely things have been better the last couple weeks. the most annoying thing right now is a pain in the perineum/anal area that has been lasting most of this week. i've had this previously and I dont think it's lasted this long so I hope it gets better soon. not debilitating but defintely gets my attention and not too comfortable when i sit for a long time.

The dr did give me Cipor 500mg to take 2x/day but after reading some scary side effects stories (ruptured tendons) I am really hesitant to take this medication. has anyone here taken it or heard similar stories?

[livelihoodlost]

Semen is still clear but I do see red just at the urethra opening.  I am concerned it could be associated with a first sore as the left end of the tip is where the pain is at and it appears to be a small bump there.  I look at the area almost daily and although I know there is a very tiny clip of raised skin on the right, I didn't notice it much on the left.  It doesn't hurt to touch but I have a sensation of something there.  I noticed urination sting yesterday right after I saw it but not just a moment ago.  Was wondering if the activity could have irritated up a sore or it's just that, irritation.

The thigh issue, I am really hoping is just something that has always been or is due to prostatitis.  Though as i've been reading along most outbreaks do not look like they do with enlarged bumps and blisters, those are just severe.  So I was thinking it could be a "typical" outbreak with very small bumps that look like bug bites.  From what I read at different sites, that is one description, there can also just be a single one mistaken for hair follicle infection.

So I hope these are just irritations and bacteria things and not herpes going on.  I will try to block it out it's just so tough as I feel at very high risk with her discovering a blister days later and also how it burned/stung inside her vagina.  Which I hope is associated with bacteria and not viral shedding or vulva sores.

[moneytb]

Gentlemen,

I have been follow you post on the sidelines for over a month now.  I have been dealing with the same thing for almost six months now.

Same symptoms as most of you have described, on and off for close to six months.  Have spent close to $2,000.00 on test and treatment, hell I even had negative Herpes test at 16 weeks and still think I have it.  Stop WASTING TIME AND MONEY!!!

While I still have doubts about it being anxiety and stress, I am starting to by in.  My Primary Care has diagnosed me with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  Same thing people have post war.  I am on Zoloft anti-depressant and it seems to help.  

Now for my theory about our problem. I believe that yes, I initially had some kind of Bacteria infection or viral that set this into motion.  Then the mind took off, AIDS HERPES, you name it I talked myself into having.

Next phase internet research into problem.  Bad Idea!!  I started rubbing creams for yeast, anti-fungal, jock itch, popping vitamins, and numerous trips to Dr, months of various Antibiotics.  I read it, I tried it.  STOP!!  You’re making it worse.  Your junk just needs time to heal from all the stuff we keep putting on it and all the picking and poking.

Try this is seems to be what has gotten me over the hump.  Stay off the net for a week, take a quick shower wash off  junk as fast as possible, blow dry do not rub.  Apply a small amount of Vaseline to tip of penis, Get dressed and Find Anything to get your mind off of it.  Important no jerking off, time is what is needed to heal.  After you pee make sure you shake yourself empty.  Dry tip with towel, seems that Urine irritates tip and keeps it from healing.

Guys, step back and think about it.  Every time you examine yourself you find something that has to be HERPES.  Stop looking, try to ignore the sensations.  The more we focus the worse they get….Now I am no expert but I can tell you I have spent months with 90% of my time focused on crotch.  You have got to find a way to ignore and move on.  

In summary, we all had something bacterial or viral to start with, we all cannot stop worrying about it, we all have tried potions and lotions to fix and nothing works.  Leave it alone, we need to mentally and physically heal.  If you don’t think you can, talked to your Doctor about Zoloft or other treatment.

[hopeful111]

livelihoodlost - pls try hard to continue to stay postive. yeah sure they only post the worst of the worst online but that she broke out with blisters herself and you still none and also none of this on your actual penis i think bodes well. plus outside of your boxer shorts area is super super not common from what i have read. at this point worrying about it as much really is not doing you any good right? trust me i know how super hard it is, i am just getting to that point where i am not as much. hope things improve for you.


Moneytb - thanks much for your input, really. I read some of your previous threads. the common thing I see is basically we all had unprotected oral. sure it might have been possible we all got some bacteria in our urethra this way. but i agree at this point our minds may be more to blame here. i will be the first to admit my life the last couple months has been NOTHING like ever before. even on my "good" days I can't help but feel a little sorry for myself and I can't enjoy the simple things I used to and i get a bit depressed about it. But I am trying really really hard to get back to how it was.

I think what you say about staying off the net and reading about symptoms for a plethora of things is great advice. I am going to try real hard to do that. I will continue to check out this thread since the support here has been great but i will try to stop looking at other sites etc.

The urologist I saw stressed this about 20 times to me, stay off the net (see medical student syndrome) and to just move on with my life. i asked him directly and he did not doubt my symptoms were real (not in my head) but at this point there was either a) not a whole lot that could be done obsessing about it/taking meds b) things would get better in time.

i really hope this doesn't come off as "we're stuck for life" but this it only for the now. I am trying to be positive about this. I am not planning on taking the Cipro for now b/c of the horror stories I have read, again people only post the worst on the net and maybe I could be fine if I did but for now I am not.

moneytb, have you undertaken any other lifestyle changes? diet changes? no caffeine, alcohol, tons of water? any other change you have done that you are trying to now incorporate into your life before this? wish the best for you and hope things continue to improve.

I hope we can all keep each other updated and that we walk away from this some day soon.

[moneytb]

To your question of lifestyle changes, tried everything you mentioned, none really played a part.  As for cipro, I used for 10 days, really ddn't bother me and i continued to run daily with no tendon problems.

Agian the one the one thing I learned from all of this is the mind is powerful, these physcial symptoms are real and maybe nothing new....always had.  We just have extreme sensitivity and focus to them.

Find something anything to think about other than your junk.  Idol minds allow us time to focus on the negative

[mirvus]

well, i had a whole new symptom pop up today - the meatus on my penis is a very dark red and there's been mild stinging in that area as well.  i had stopped using the monistat cream 2 days ago, i don't know if this is a result of that, like the yeast infection (assuming that's still what it is...) suddenly sprang back to life as soon as i stopped treating it, or if the yeast infection thing was just a misdiagnosis entirely and the sudden onset of redness is coincidental.  it doesn't appear to be particularly swollen, and it's not nearly as painful as the burning was a month or thereabouts ago was, but this morning everything looked the same as it ever had, and about 4pm when i went to urinate, suddenly the meatus - and nothing around the edges is red.  it is strictly ONLY the meatus.  and of course this would happen at 4pm on a friday afternoon when all the doc offices are closing down for the weekend, so i guess i'll just have to tough it out until monday morning.  either that, or... hopefully this doesn't happen... a trip to the emergency room should it become painful or somehow worse than what it is right now.

[mirvus]

oh, i forgot to note that, of course, herpes is crossing my mind, but given my negative 9 week blood test, and the fact that this stinging crap has been going on almost constantly for 2 months now, and this sudden redness is almost strictly ONLY on the meatus, i'm pretty sure that this isn't a breakout.  *crosses fingers*

[livelihoodlost]

I too am experiencing something similar.  There is a tad of red just inside the urethra and a bit on one side of the meatus.  It slightly hurts when I put pressure on it but not stinging when I urinate.  The stinging feeling in various spots on my thighs and glutes has returned today.  I noticed a few more tiny red dots on my upper thighs in the pelvic area that appear to be on follicles and also some that are almost black in color.  One of them has me wondering if it was an ulcer as it has a black ring midway around it but it's too small to tell.

[mirvus]

well, i did the ol' white vinegar diluted with water routine (which has knocked out the stinging sensation wonderfully before) just before bed, and that calmed it right down.  i got up this morning and it's still somewhat red, but nothing near what it was.  and, blessedly, no blisters, so whatever it is, it's still not looking like it's herpes.  i'm going to make an appointment on monday with a dermatologist, which i really cannot afford, but i'm willing to shell out if they can tell me what this is and how to cure it.

[p38thundar]

hey guys, i too have been monitoring this thread as i too have been having similar symptoms. i had unprotected sex with my ex gf and i too thought i caught some type of STD. she however, claims that she is clean and has no such type of infection. however, i do have almost all the symptoms you guys have, except the tip of my penis, near the opening, has almost like a redness inflamination or rash. it does not hurt to urniate or ejaculate, and it has been there for about a month. i assumed the worst at first, herpes, genital warts, some type of STD, but it has progressed or regressed, the redness just sort of stayed the same. im really confused and not sure what to do, i think a trip to the doctor is what i really need.

[hopeful111]

mirvus - good to hear the new symptoms are going away and yes this really sounds nothing like herpes. your negative 9wk test is definitely in your favor. let us know what the derma says

moneytb - thank for the followup. yeah i dont know how much the diet thing helps. i used to drink coffee frequently so i may start drinking here and there. will definitely keep drinking lots of water and i was never a big drinker so ill keep that to a minimum. feels like sitting (which i do a lot for work and in general) makes things worse but then again a lot of the time when I am sitting I am usually in front of a computer and looking up any new symptom i may have. so im sure that is related. but have been trying to not do that this past week.

pls continue to let us know how things go with you. i hope it just keeps improving for you.

p38thundar - definitely first things first get checked out by a doctor. do a search for a std clinic in your area, these are usually low cost or no cost even. from what you say, it doesn't sounds like herpes and if not obvious discharge or burning when urinating doesnt sound like chlamydia or gonoorrhea but pls get yourself checked out asap

for me things are improving in some aspects but come and go. the perineum pain which lasted a better part of the week subsided. i have this sensation at the tip which comes and goes, not really a burning or irritation but something. sure this could be my mind intensifiying an otherwise normal sensation. so hard to say.

[p38thundar]

hey man, hang in there. thats good that some things are improving, even if it does come and go. i too have been having a lot of the same symptoms as you. I will try to get to the doctors sometime on monday. I was maybe thinking i may have a yeast infection as this rash seems like a clear symptom of it, and i do drink a lot of beer (im in college). I really do not think any of us have herpes, as we do not have any clear signs of it. Im pretty sure that if you do catch herpes, it will usually show up 2-20 days after being exposed. Any longer after that and its usually unlikely. it usually shows up in this time period because its very contagious, and usually the first outbreak is the worst and hits ur immune system the hardest. So for it to be dormant for a certain amount of months is usually rare. So, i believe that since none of us have had obvious symptoms yet, which is usually the red bump blisters that are very painful and open and puss, but usually do not bleed in the genitial area,  that its about a 75% chance we do not have herpes. Just hang in there and be tough. I think a lot is anxiety related in all our parts, especially mine. I hope everyone keeps us updated, and ill let everyone know what the doc thinks after i visit.

[hopeful111]

thanks for the support and great to have you sharing your experience

yes, each day i feel a little more confident this is not herpes. it doesnt add up. the 'scariest' moments - the leg pain that lasted about 4 days and the one day of tingling/burning along my inner thighs was already about 45 days out. that and no obvious symptoms, which i know, they only post the worst on the net. but still nothing even i would consider mild (just the above which i though were prodromes but nothing happened). also lastly, i have never in my life had a cold sore, so i would have expected to not get a mild case as hsv1+ people may, or to get something orally maybe as i did perform unprotected oral on her, but nothing there too.

its still frustrating obviously to not know what is going on. i fight anxiety and slight depression each day but it gets a little better each day too i think. some days i have some setbacks when i think about it too much. this board has been great.

at this point i can only imagine it is either, prostatitis or yeast infection. i didnt dwell as much on the yeas infection as i never really had a rash or anything odd looking on my penis. just maybe it seemed red or inflamed here or there but i think i may have just seeing things i never noticed before.

now that ive gone to the urologist already and had mixed results i may try to see another specialist later this month unless i see a ton of improvement.

what type of doctor would be best to diagnose yeast infection? dermatologist? or back to the urologist? i still havent seen just a general practioner since i wasn't confident they could properly evaluate me.

[p38thundar]

well, i just got back from urgent care. the doctor took a quick look at my penis, and she almost immediately thought that i had what appeared to be a yeast infection of some sort. she took a urine sample just in case to test for other STDs and other infections, and prescribed me an antifungal cream called Miconazole Nitrate 2%. i am apply the cream twice a day to get rid of the yeast infection. hope all of your guys symptoms improve, as i think maybe we call just got a case of a yeast infection. the doctor sounded like it was a common occurence and it was no big deal.

[hopeful111]

that's great they were able to diagnose you. i'm curious now if you could elaborate on some of the symptoms you've had, yeast i thought was possible for me but i never really got a rash or any white bumps etc. but then again, i know they only post the worst pics on the net.

did you ever have any other symptoms outside of just tip of penis discomfort? any pain in legs, thighs? any testicle pain? any dull ache in the perineum area?

thanks and hope your symptoms go away with the antifungal cream.

[p38thundar]

yes, i in fact had pain in my legs, thighs, and groin area and went to the same urgent care place to get it checked out. they just thought i was sore from working out and thought it was nothing. it felt like a slight stinging or stabbing pains in my legs. im curious as to if that had something to due with the yeast infection. this was about a month ago.

[p38thundar]

i almost forgot, i too had a slight dull pain in my testicles. also it seemed to get very warm and hot at times in my testicle region. i also experience a very weird feeling near my anus every now and then. hope what i have described helps you. keep me updated on your status, and stay strong.

[hopeful111]

thanks for clarifying, has helped a lot

basically ALL of those symptoms are in line with what I have been going through and what a lot of the other people here have had as well.

initially i had thought maybe yeast infection then i moved away from that as i never had the rash or anything like that. in the first month, after symptoms were getting a bit better, i did have a strong resurgence in symptoms, a heavier burn, after a weekend of heavy drinking. I haven't really done that since, and had not noticed any other strong correlation but I suppose its possible for me too and may be a mild yeast thing going on after all. i had been leaning prostatitis (thinking the alcohol had maybe irritated my prostate) especially with the aches in the perineum area as I had not read yeast infection could cause that.

the cream they gave you is the same as Monistat. I had bought some early on but only applied for a couple days and stopped after one of my clinic visits where I was told I was fine just upon visual inspection. I think i will resume tomorrow and go from there.

thanks and let us know how it goes with you.

[livelihoodlost]

And those keeping track

Well these recent posts help me a little bit but I also feel like i'm slowly spiraling down.
My mind just won't let me escape the thought that this could be something else.  How could this be some other reaction if the girl had just gotten herpes from some hypocrite scum.  I feel light itching near on thighs near testicles, the shooting needle feeling is gone again.  Still see small red bumps on sides but not many.  Testicle discomfort comes and goes, feeling warm right now.  I just can't make any sense that since she had her first OB 3 days later, how I did not catch it.  Also she was on birth control, which increases viral shedding.  Although Grace says it wouldn't increase it by much.  

Opinions from here still go for this not seeming like herpes but I just can't understand how it wouldn't be.  I honestly think i'll get a positive test result but I really hope that I don't.  I had dreams already, one last week that I took a test and it was close to equivocal and a recent one that showed me growing bumps.  Weird long ones that looked more like moles but saying about herpes.  I feel weird sensations in my thighs and lately on my back, where her hands would have been.  

I'm getting so paranoid and I can't stand this waiting.  I have been disgusted with myself for breaking personal values and vows that slipped my mind.  I had avoided sex for so long I was not expecting anyone to come around and tempt me.  Let alone this desperate person, just one more day and I would have realized I seriously need to avoid her.  But I gave her benefit of doubt and a chance and here I am, most likely infected by herpes.  So much self loathing it's unbelievable.  

[hopeful111]

hope you are doing better man, i know its super hard to not let your mind think the worst but really you need to stay strong, the sensations on your back i would be really hard pressed to believe that is herpes, the dr's here have said countless times it would be so uncommon for it to show outside of your boxer shorts area. the virus has to be rubbed in remember. so her placing her hand on your back is the same as sharing a towel and they say sharing a towel is 100% not the way to transmit this virus.

the dreams should tell you, you are letting this take over, again i know its hard but hang in there man. we're all here supporting.

[livelihoodlost]

Well I got extremely freaked out today and I asked her to call me about any other symptoms.  My anus felt prickly so I dabbed it with tissue and some blood was there.  HIV I start thinking.  She actually called back in almost a month and said she experienced nothing more than the single "blister" that she was treated for with valtrex.  She was vague before when I asked about the size of it, saying, well it's not huge, it's a blister you know.  No I didn't know and I pressed on that today because she began with it again.  Give me something to compare it to.  

She said it was very tiny and had a white top.  I'm guessing it was not much bigger than the tip of a pen.  It was cultured at her VA place and returned positive as mentioned before.  

Well, i've seen tiny bumps too, one or two may have been similar with a top that I think I mentioned seeing at the crease of my leg/pelvis.  I've definitely got tiny bumps going on for around 3 weeks now and it was close to a month after the encounter when they appeared.  My upper thighs have been feeling somewhat of a light burn or irritation, same as back.  I felt light tingling around base of spine today and had felt it a very short bit before.  

But when she told me that hers was a single tiny thing as that, I pretty much lost my thread of hope.  It burned and itched she described about it the first week of December when she saw the VA.  I wonder if it was there when we made contact.  At least the virus may have been shedding.  

Tonight makes the 8 week mark.  I'm really hating myself for ruining what was beginning to be my brand new life with a great outlook to the future.  As I keep going on about, my mind was trying to stop me from leaving here to stay in and rest but my body was hyped up on caffeine and excitement from work and didn't want to lay still.  That's all I can think of now, all I had to do was....
I figured I may as well just wait for testing, I did lose my thread of hope that this is not herpes and will test just after 12 and then see if I can get some other diagnosis for what's making my testicles hurt.  The pain came back today after a few days to a week gone.  I still have a thought that if this turns out to somehow not be, i'd be an extremely lucky person.

[mirvus]

well, i'm on the countdown over here.  in 8 days it will have been 12 weeks and i'll have my conclusive blood test done.  the nine week test gave me a lot of hope, and i have no real reason to expect the 12 week result will be any different (knock on wood).  gonna get an hiv test done too on the same day, though i could tell you i'm like 95% certain i don't even need to be worrying about that, but hey... it'll be peace of mind.

in other news, finally have an appt to see a dermatologist tomorrow.  my regular doc prescribed me an antifungal cream last week that's combined with a steroid, but it doesn't seem to be doing much more than keeping things from getting any worse.  i'm confident the dermatologist can get a culture, identify for sure what's going on, and prescribe me something that'll knock it right out.

[livelihoodlost]

glad you're on the way to being std free!  wish I kept myself on that track, it's so depressing.  had ideas and soon to be plans and my eye on one of my good friends of the past 10 years.  Like a stupid fool I allowed a stranger to enter my life and ruin it in just 4 days

[mirvus]

it's not over for you yet.  until you get that blood test back telling you you've got it, or unless you suddenly get some classic herpes symptoms that can't be argued with, like the red splotches and blisters, then i wouldn't be so quick to jump to the idea that you're just definitely without a doubt infected.

[trojan77]

  I just want everyone to keep the faith. If you all have read my post. I had the same symptons burning tip of penis,  left butt hurting constant leg pain  lower back pain and the I even had the tingling, I even thought I had sores and etc. Your mind can do amazing things. I had tested POS at week 4. Later I found out that it was not an type specific IgG test. I had so many Dr told me that all HSV blood test are 100%. Yes I made a terrible mistake wich I regret. This has made my marriage closer. I do have the best wife in the world. How many spouses would have stuck by with there significant other.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I had my results back and I am Neg for HSV2. test results are after 13 weeks after exposure. Herpes Simplex Type 1 Ab IgG 5.00 and Herpes Simplex Type 2 Ab IgG is 0.09. I just wanted everyone to keep possitive. I know it's hard. I can say this has changed my life forever. I would like to thank everyone on this forum.

Livelihoodlost- I really mean keep the faith. I had the same symptons and even tested POS. In the end I tested Neg for HSV2. You can read my origanal thread to Terri Warren. To give you some hope. I was so depressed and thought about suicide. Just keep strong and I am sure everything will o.k. This has changed my life for the better.

[hopeful111]

that is GREAT news, very happy for you!

I cannot imagine what a huge load off your mind this is. I truly hope you can move forward forever changed in a very positive way from all of this. have you noticed that now with this news any remaining symptoms have gone away? hopefully anything still going on will just fade away.

let us know how it goes.

[trojan77]

  I am in still in disbelief, but I have noticed the tingling in my legs, butt and butt are gone. I like everyone else started looking at every nick on my penis and etc. The Dr told me that alot of my symptons were caused by anxiety. but I am still having problems. I have another Dr  Appt. they think I might have prostatitis. I am just glad I do not have HSV2. I just want to let everyone know that herpes is not the only thing that can cause discomfort down there. Prostatitis can cause alot of problems as well as well and like Borat told me CPPS. I will get one more test in a month just to make sure. I am in just such disbelief and shock. I will keep everyone else posted as I go to the Dr.

[Borat1]

Trojan,

Great News on the test results!  

I'm glad to hear that things are getting better.  I've still been dealing with minor symptoms that tend to point towards prostatis/CPPS.  It looks like the stress of possibly having HSV kicked off CPPS and it can take a while to calm down.  

There are some books out there such as "A Headache in the Pelvis" that address cures for CPPS/Prostatis.  I'm about to head down that road and see if I can get back to being completly normal.

Trojan, just to compare....

Symptoms I have that tend to wax and wane (had a 5 day period with nothing last week!) are incontinence, slight urethral discomfort, tingling in the area between the scrotum and bung (prostate area), and weeker bladder.

hopeful and livelihood lost, stress can cause all of the symptoms that you guys have mentioned....

Keep the faith.

[Borat1]

Thought I'd paste this here..  from the experts forum.

by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Nov 02, 2007 02:07PM
Without visible blisters or sores, a "burning" sensation of the penis is not a herpes symptom.  Most likely your urologist already reassured you about herpes.  You might not have an inflamed prostate either.  By recommendation of the American Urological Association, most cases of what used to be called chronic prostatitis are now called chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).  The change in terminology is fairly new, so some urologists--including some very good ones--still use the old name.  CPPS is not an infection and the prostate gland may not even be involved in most cases.  Since the actual cause is uncertain and infection is hard to disprove, many urologists still prescribe antibiotics and cipro is a common choice.  If you discuss this with your urologist, s/he probably will acknowledge that the cipro was given to you with the hope it might help, but knowing that it might not.  (It is also possible that your urologist found a definite infection.  But the lack of response to cipro suggests no infection in your case.)

Lots of excellent online information is available.  Google "chronic pelvic pain syndrome" and start your reading with the Wikipedia article, which is quite good.  As you will learn, in addition to penile pain, aching or pain anywhere in the genital and low abdominal area (testicles, groin, lower abdomen) also are common symptoms.  The leading theory about the cause is pelvic muscle tension, which is often (usually?) a manfiestation of stress or anxiety.  Most important, CPPS is harmless:  uncomfortable, but without any known serious health outcomes either for affected men or their sex partners.  Definitely not an STD.

I hope this helps.  Read up on CPPS then discuss further questions with your urologist.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[hopeful111]

thanks for the support.

I've been applying Monistat since Tuesday so I will just continue through the weekend.

But again, everything else seems to be pointing again towards prostatitis/cpps.

have you had any stretch of time where you have had dry bowel movements? i've been going through that for the better part of a week now. i'm not too concerned about it but wondering it its related. it doesnt really hurt to have a bowel movement but sometimes it does seem to cause pressure down there.

and today i have been pretty pain free for the most part but since dinner have this pain in my very lower left abdomen (have had this before and always seems to be in this area). i think this is common cpps symptom?

thanks all for the continued support. it's definitely comforting to think this is not HSV or a really a STD but something I just have to tough out, and hopefully not for ever or much longer.

[mirvus]

well folks, the herpes scare is officially over for me.  i got my hsv I & II IgG results in just a few minutes ago.  the test wasn't type specific, it just checked for any and all herpes antibodies, and i'm a resounding negative with 0.2 after exactly 12 weeks.

i saw a dermatologist a week ago regarding the burning on my penis, and... well, he was basically useless.  he spoke to me for all of a minute, i think, but i manage to coax some pills and a more potent cream out of him.  within 24 hours of starting the pills, the symptoms were cut in half, and within 48 hours were almost entirely gone.  i think i may need another run of them, though, because he only gave me 5 days worth (which ran out wednesday), and by friday i had a very light burning sensation returning.  but if nothing else, that is practically proof positive that what i have is something fungal and can be easily dealt with just as soon as i can make the medical establishment listen to me and give me some diflucan or something.

anyway... thank you everyone for your support through all this.  let me be an example for those of you in similar situations and think you're doomed - i sure would've told you i was completely screwed this time two months ago, but hey - happy endings can and do happen.

[hopeful111]

that's great news! really happy you were able to finally resolve the hsv scare. thanks for keeping us updated as well - I'm taking comfort in the fact that we have some overlapping symptoms and I hope my results are the same. my worry is less and less but I still can't get it out - I need to get the testing and will do so this coming week I hope.

what meds did the Derm put you on?

my symptoms are improved but still that slight tingle at the tip and sometimes just a feeling of slight pressure along the shaft, seeming to radiate from within. no sores or anything like that, there was some slight peeling last week but I think it could have been due to the Monistat I had been using. maybe if this is something fungal after all I need something else.

Also this ongoing slight pressure from the pernineum area/anal area. I don't think you've had any of this right?

Well keep us updated and great to hear you can at least put this part of the puzzle behind you!

[livelihoodlost]

Lucky for you mirvus.  Very, very lucky.

The reasons I feel i'm doomed and 98% sure i've got this.  Also a timeline of what I can think of, sorry for long post, can't edit as I should be driving to work already!

Her vagina burned my penis, ph levels i guess, from what i've read about and grace posting that birth control causes higher levels, i think.  But also that it contributes to viral shedding.  

She got herpes sometime in october, our encounter was around 1am nov 19th.  Nov 21 I notice tingling throughout my thighs and possible lymph node swelling but there was tingling and burning to be absolute.  

Nov 22 she has been worried and checking around her area, noticed a "blister" i'm guessing the size of a pen tip.  Said it itched and burned to the touch.  

The night of Saturday nov 29th testicular pain intensifies, throughout the night it becomes more painful and I can't sleep.  I pop about 3 aleves, 2 bayers plus about 2 more in the morning.  Go to work Sunday morning, can't walk right, people think I hurt my leg and limping around.  Testes feel very heavy, penis shaft hurts.  Upon looking, I notice the shaft is swollen in various spots, lumpy appearance.  I buy lysine and zinc vitamins, take as directed.  9-10pm pain has subdued. Lumpy penis returns to normal the next day.  Pain completely gone.  continue vitamins for about 10 days or so.  Tingling, burning, testicle pain stopped that same monday for a few days before returning.

I notice my urine is cloudy and later becomes dark as if bloody but this could be due to drinking lots of tea at work.  It did not burn to urinate.  Urine smells foul.  Dark, foul smelling urine continues for at least a week and stays cloudy a little longer.

I get latex gloves and feel around the area, using mirror to check anus as it tingles some and also has a disturbing bacterial odor.  Can't distinguish anything abnormal but it very slightly hurts to press on sphincter.  

Dec 11th I succumb to hsv select test to see if i've got it, too early, test negative with results on tuesday 15th.  Pain is very light to almost gone around this time but returns again.  I notice red bumps on my hips and rear.  

A week later I notice 2 small red specks on each thigh, inches apart.  Later I notice more.  Burning/tingle goes on. This began my Dec 18th "is this my ob?" post.

Many worries between then and now.  I notice a larger than speck sized tiny bump in crease of thigh and another just less than 2 inches away.  I do not recall if it had a white top which would probably be just like the one the girl vaguely described.

I see dark gray to almost black colored specks, very high up on thighs near the crease.  These are still there, been almost a month I think if they didn't appear in early Jan.  

Recently, Thurs or Fri I notice the base of my spine is tingling.  I've been playing games and watching tv leaning back at the top of my bed so it could be that.  But it persists almost daily after waking up.  Today I can't feel it but my thighs have been  feeling like a flame was held next to the skin.  I've experience itchiness the past week, before i felt the spine thing.  Friday or Saturday penis head felt the burn as well which is still going on.  I thought I noticed urination sting but can hardly feel if it is.  

Other weirdness, knees have been itchy along the sides and on caps, I noticed a bump behind left knee a couple weeks ago and then one behind right knee.  This light cold feeling on my left calf has been going on for about a month.  I feel pricks like a cactus needle on spots of lower leg, mainly right side.  

I thought the tailbone thing was the last straw.  That's where the virus groups at isn't it?  

Today I had the thought that I was tested by god.  I barely go to church but I prayed to help me make my life better, I was going out and drinking too much this year and hurting myself.  I have been scared of warts and somewhat herpes more than anything, didn't know enough about herpes.  When it came to make the decision to see this girl at her apt or stay home and cough my lungs apart from congestion I didn't want to go, then figured I should see her one more time before closing her out of life, then told myself not to even take the risk and ignore her, finally forcing myself out the door.  I made a weak attempt by saying I think I want to go now and she talked me down to staying.  Worst mistake ever, temptations of the devil I say!

[mirvus]

the cream he put me on is a generic version of vytone.  it's good at relieving the burning sensation when it comes, but i don't think it's doing much for cleaning things up.  the pills he put me on were 200mg of generic nizoral, which i'm all but certain were the main thing to knock out my symptoms.  they're potent stuff, though - people are cautioned against taking more than a month's worth as they can cause liver damage.  they'll wipe out damn near anything fungal or bacterial, and like i said... within about 24-36 hours of taking the first pill, i was already feeling relief, and within 24 hours of stopping, the symptoms started creeping back.  i'm going to see my doctor the end of this week hopefully and ask him to give me 10 or 15 days worth of them.  surely that'll knock it out for good and i'll still be in the liver-safety window.

[Borat1]

Mirvus,

Great news on the test results.....

Livelihoodlost,  hang in there.  Still doesn't sound much like herpes.

I'm heading to a urologist soon as I still have patterns of discomfort.  I'm pretty sure it's CPPS, especially after getting Dr Wise's book "A Headache in the Pelvis" off of Amazon.  

I'm pretty convinced most of us don't have herpes or a fungal issue.  Our symptoms seem pretty simular, and seem to wax and wane.

Mirvus, just curious, but do you think the pills help because they reduce anxiety and could be allowing the symptoms to go away for a few days?

I've found that when the symptoms return, meditative breathing as well as trying to massage the muscles that may be causing this problem helps out.  

I'll let you guys know how the Urology appointment goes...

Hopefull,

I do have pain in the perinium area, very slight pressure from time to time.  That is a major symptom of CPPS.  I've found massage in the perinium and lower upper thighs tends to relieve the pain.  

The book goes into more details on self therapy, if anything, I'd recommend getting it just to see if CPPS could be what is causing your symptoms.

Keep the faith,

Borat.

[hopeful111]

mirvus - great to hear things are on the up! really hoping that all your symptoms have faded by now

Borat - thanks for support. yeah i have been thinking more lately that something like CPPS could be at play here. I still have not had a herpes igg test but I plan to do so this month soon as I am well into the range where results should be conclusive. Symptoms wax/wane so this sounds nothing like it, 5 Dr's now who have seen me and they don't think it could be that, but i know the time will come for it for peace of mind.

A couple of weeks ago I did have a negative HIV test and I can't even say how much of a load that was off my mind. although I didnt fear it at first, like much else, it managed to creep in there and start to eat away. I knew i would do it no matter what to be sure but those last couple weeks of waiting for the time to do it were very hard.

The perineum pain comes and goes, never debilitating but it does stress me out when i feel it more and i'm sure just feeds that "pain cycle". as i mentioned, i did see one urlogist before but he was not much help excep giving me cipro and sending me on my way. i still have not taken it and am not planning on it anytime soon.

If CPPS really is what is going on I truly hope that with time the healing process will get better. it took me 3 months to get to this point so maybe it will take 3 more to recover. I have tried to get my life back on track, with little things like drinking coffee again etc since I dont think that ever really did much harm.

going to try to start some yoga as well and just maintain a positive outlook.

Please let me know how it goes with you, hope we all get through this soon!

[moneytb]

Pasted the six month mark over the weekend.  Took an HIV test for peace of mind, came back negative.  It's been close to a month since I have had any symptoms so hopefully i am past this living HELL.

Good luck to everyone, you get past this.  You just need time to heal emotionally and physically.

[tribu]

i think i have the same problem.... Its been going on for 2 months now. Off and on, pls check my post and comment??

[OttMar]

Ive read through most of the postings wow I can say I have suffered for months with something similar. I got head from a "working girl" week later clinic diagnosed me with NGU (had burning before/after urination, greenish discharge)

Was tread with...get read for the long list:

2g Z-pac, 400mg suprax - Didn;t do anything still had feeling of something in urethra.

5g Pencillin 4.8g Amoxicillin a day for 14 days. - Bad bad heartburn, severe bladder pain. Maybe from overdosing.

1G Cipro/ 200mg doxy for 2 weeks - No idea what that killed.

2 weeks of 1.5g of flagyl a day. - Seemed to help. Difucan on top of it.

After the Z-pac I had frequent urination, bloated, no appetite, night sweats. At 7.5 weeks post exposure I got tested for Syphilis, Hep B/C and HIV - all neg.  

Herpes Test - at 15 weeks 3 days post exposure Immunoblot type specific IGG HSV 1 and 2 Negative.

For some reason I still think this is HSV. and Grace is telling me to forget  it since I was tested at 4 months. I never had any lumps, bumps, bruises, zits sores. Just my urethral irritation comes and goes. I get very very nautious, low back pain, makes me wana scratch it all time When I took Difucan everything ebbed off....so it MIGHT be yeast. But how and why? Had sex with my wife after she got BV supposedly so I might have got it from her.

I just want this to be over. LAst time I had these symptoms was begining of dec. and they returned in end of January for 5-6 days.

So if I tested for HsV...what the hell is it.......it was almost like pulling hair to get the HsV test.  Tip of penis itchy, feels like I have mild irritation in urethra scrotal skin and foreskin feel warm, burning sensation, yet no visible issues so far and itchy anus.......

[Joe239]

It is amazing to read this thread. I feel like I am reading my own story. I recieved unprotect oral from a woman who was HSV 1 &2 positive...Which of course I found out after the fact. I had the exact same symptoms of burning at the tip of my penis and the feeling of irritation about 3/4 " down from the tip. Plus I had frequent urination plus an irritated meatus. Along with what I thought was conjuctivitis another sign/symptom of herpes. But I never saw any actual blisters or lesions. This burning feeling is the second time this has happened to me. The first time about three years ago when I was with another partner. I have run all test which have come up neg. (gon,Chlam,Hep, HIV, HSV 1 & 2). I tested with a herpselect Elisa at 25 days, 49 days and 79 days. At the three month mark (13 weeks) I just took a WB and I am waiting on results. I have been freaking out the entire 3+ months. It has been hard for me to focus on anything else but Herpes. I did get the stinging to go away using miconazole probably was not a recomended solution but it took the edge off and the stinging has not really come back. What I do have which has been constant is lower back pain, near the tailbone as well as in the thighs and buttocks.... There is a strange burning / icy/hot feeling I get....mostly in those areas(back/tailbone, thighs and buttocks) but sometimes in my shoulder, upperback and even in my lower legs like ankles. I have seen my GP, urologist, 3 nurses at planned parenthood and a dermatologist and no one has identified any lesion. Whow knows who or what to believe at this point. They say even professionals misdiagnose herpes 1/3 of the time. It has been very frustrating. My plan is this....to get the results from the WB if those come back neg it may still have been to soon at 13 weeks, then on Feb 15th it will be 16 weeks and I was planning on getting the Herpeselect immunoblot. I like Moneytb have spent over a $1000 on test and doctors visits for what seems to be very little reassurance or any type of definitive answers. I pray for everyone on this site that it all works out well. It is so frustrating.

[livelihoodlost]

Same here with the tailbone mentholy feeling as well as ankles, lower legs, mid-back.  I was thinking perhaps I might have a chance of not getting herpes but this really threw me off.  I still don't really know.  This is 11 weeks now, going to test just around 13 weeks for some kind of answer.  I don't think it will be good.  Been acting a little crazy the past week, cursing self out in mirrors, punching/slapping face, I last knocked my head monday and damn that really left a hurting.  Wish I was this hard on myself when making the decision whether or not to go see this new stranger, perhaps friend who ended up having herpes.  I decided NO but then made myself get ready anyway and since I was, I went on over.  Almost turned back twice but I was trying to make changes in life to not be so quick to judge and gave this girl a second chance.  Did not like her first impression, I told myself to stay away yet for whatever reason, the very next evening I went on over to her apartment when I really wanted to hang out in public for fear of her pulling some fast moves on me.  Didn't think she would do that so quick even though she was invading my personal space and asking personal questions about sex like an interview for our first meeting.

So flash-backing on all the obvious warning signs that she is probably a desperate nympho I really feel so stupid and hurt myself so I never forget to stick with my feelings.  Also I remember now how I attempted to leave but didn't stand up and get my coat and dvds, wish I cared then to surrender the one that was playing just as long as I got myself out.  And then I stopped her because she didn't want to use a condom, telling her I have some just not with me for it was unexpected.  And my mind thinking how great that was and i'm going to get away after all.  But I grabbed her and said okay if you say it's safe we can do this.  How stupid!

If this ends up being unrelated to herpes and hiv, amazing.  But I doubt it will.

[Joe239]

After reading your post livelihood, I am not feeling all that great. How can so many people with the same symptoms not have what we think we have. Petal did give a great example about lice but that usually only last for a day or so....then again until everyone knows they don;t have it. This has lasted for almost 3 months... At first I did not recognize it but after about 6 weeks I was like hey this feeling  (burning) never has gone away what is it.  

My WB results should be in Monday. I am not very confident.  When ever I am sitting or put my laptop on my lap I feel the menthol or icy/hot pain in my thighs and buttocks. At times it is terrible most of the time it is just there as a reminder. It is very uncomfortable. The lower back is also affected. Since the WB was drawn at 13 weeks it may have been to soon. If the WB is negative I will test at the end of the week with an immuno blot that will put me at 16 weeks.

Here is hoping and praying for the best for all of us!

[Borat1]

Fellahs,

It can be more than HSV!!!

I haven't had a test since my 16 week test, but it was negative for HSV 1 and 2.

The symptoms have gotten alot better, but it's taken a lot of time.  Now I'm pretty much dealing with incontinence (dribling after urination), and I deal with that by using toilet papaer and trying to remove as much urine as possible so as not to irritate the urethra.

I'm still waiting to see a urologist...  they are book up it appears they days.

I was sure this was herpes, but now believe it was some kind of infection that cleared, but then I developed CPPS.  It wasn't until reading "A Headache in the pelvis" that I became confident that CPPS was causing the issues.  Whenever I feel discomfort coming on either in the tip of the penis or in the perinium area I take a deep breath and try to relax.  My symptoms are definetly increased by anxiety, and that's something that HSV wouldn't react to so quickly.

CPPS is real and effects a bunch of us, I think the situation we put ourselves in...

i.e. regretable sexual encounter that had a high risk of STD's

causes the kind of anxiety that is the boiling point for CPPS.

I've had all of the symptoms listed here and have tested negative for HSV at 16 weeks with a herpeselect test.

Additionally, I haven't see one person with herpes chime in to say...  yeah, that's how it was for me.

Burning urethra, no sores, sore perenium, inconstinence, anxiety driven symptoms, occasional itchy anus....

All symptoms of CPPS.

Do this for a minute....

After you read this, put down the computer.  Sit on the floor indian style and close your eyes.  Take several deep breathes, slowly in and out.  Think about your pelvic area relaxing.  

After you've done this, see if the symptoms are a little better.

I think Grace is right, and we have something else...  Unfortunately, this is the best support group I've seen for these symptoms anywhere.

Let me know how the relaxation helps out.

Keep the faith,

Borat

[Joe239]

I wanted to follow up here because in so many of the threads they end abruptly and you never hear back.

As you know I had the WB test run at 13 weeks and I just received my results back and they did come back negative. So this makes 4 test all negative....

25 days Herpeselect Elisa   3 1/2 weeks
49 days Herpeselect Elisa    7 weeks
79 days Herpeselect Elisa    11 1/3 weeks
91 days Western Blot           13 weeks        

HSV1 & HSV2 All negative

I am going to come to the conclusion that I am negative. I still think I may run one more test at the 6 month mark. I really need to move on and use this as one harsh learning experience. You know they say life is the thoughest teacher it gives the test first and then the lesson.... How true it is.

My thoughts and prayers are with each of you. I understand how stressful this can be. Hang in there and keep the faith.  It has been emotionally hard for myself and believe me it is not over. There are other things I have to deal with but for now I am going to live my life like I was before with some modifications to keep me out of harms way.

If I do test at the 6 month mark I will post just so others can look at the threads and compare time lines, symptoms etc.

Joe

[livelihoodlost]

Joe that's fantastic news!  Get out there and live life to the fullest!

Over the last days I have slowly been picking up where mine was left off at the time of the encounter.  Hopefully I test negative for this and other stds as well.  A coworker I really like was recently assigned to be cross-trained by me and I really have to hold back the flirting.  Don't like it.  So here's to hoping.  13 weeks is actually tomorrow night but i'm going to wait another, or longer if I can.  How much was the WB?

[Joe239]

I did the test through quest. I asked them to try to run the bill trough the insurance if it gets rejected I will have to pay around $240. Good luck with your testing as well. I am starting to think the icy hot/menthol feeling may have always been there just never really paid attention to it. I really do not know.

This has been the hardest thing to get out of my mind. I still am not 100% convinced and I am going to therapy to see if that will help.

Let us know what you get for results.

[hopeful111]

Thanks all for continuing to update this thread. As Borat said, this is the best support group for these symptoms by FAR, and obviously we all know that since we have all scoured the internet regarding our symptoms.

moneytb - happy to hear you are finally past this! I think a lot of us are on track now, time is what we need.

Joe239 - That is GREAT news, congrats. I know how hard this must have been for you to get to this point. I truly hope you can now begin to move on from this. your results also make me feel that much better about my situation. and should give anyone else hope as well.

Borat - thanks for the update, i agree that something else is/was at play here. CPPS or something along those lines, nothing viral etc. positive thinking and relaxation are key. my symptoms are much much improved and I think a lot of it has to do with my mental state improving. with the support of a loved one that I finally confided in, I have been now been able to start clawing my way out of the hole that I dug myself. I have been trying the relaxation techniques you recommended and I believe they are helping me. will let you know how it continues.

I don't want to make any assumptions but I would imagine that many if not all of us kept this whole ordeal very secret aside from the doctors etc. unfortunately I am sure this just made the hole that much deeper to get out of. this has been probably the most emotionally draining experience of my life. the anxiety and mild depression that it caused me affected every part of my life. now I feel much more optimistic for the future and my symptoms are much improved. it is rare when I feel a slight tingle here and there and the perineum pain is much much less if at all there.

I think the key for a lot of us is to truly start to believe that we are fine. we had a regretable experience but this shall pass! the change won't happen overnight but it will happen and one day you will wake up and not even think about it. I look forward to that day.

If you need help, therapy, I say seek it. don't let this become a worse problem.

hope the best for everyone and stay positive.

[mirvus]

i'm due up in a couple of days for my final herpes blood test (i'll be just shy of 16 weeks).  i'm certain it'll be negative, though, so that's the good news.  bad news is the burning in my penis is STILL hanging around.  it comes and goes, seemingly as it pleases.  i'll start a course of treatment, and things will seem to be on the up and up, and then it regresses back to the same ol' same ol'.  i finally saw a urologist today after my general practitioner and dermatologist said they didn't know what it was, and the urologist said the exact same thing "i don't know what it is."

i swear up and down it's an inflammation of the meatus right around the urethral opening, and just for whatever reasons it's not healing.  if i rub it, even lightly with my bare finger, it becomes red and irritated and slightly swollen.  usually after about six or seven hours of being at work, it gets fairly irritated and starts in with the burning/irritated routine.  when i get home, typically i strip down completely and just relax in my recliner for a couple of hours, and this seems to do wonders.  the irritation/burning never goes Entirely away, but it decreases a fair bit i think.

however, the urologist seems to think it might be prostate related, even though after a prostate exam (ugh) he said that everything in that area seemed to be normal.  the dermatologist basically said he didn't see anything at all, and my general practitioner said the same.  no one seems to want to even entertain the notion that it's just an irritation that isn't healing.  it seems so glaring to me, i don't know if i'm just not explaining myself properly to these doctors, or if i'm just being stubborn and convincing myself it's something that it isn't.

so frustrating... sigh.  i'm ready to just cut the damned thing off and be done with it.

[Joe239]

I wish I could put this thing past me. If I was not experiencing this I would not believe these symptoms. The burning/tingling in the thighs, buttocks, and back continue. I also have some discomfort again on my penis/tip of penis. I have also experienced some sharper pain and also now some tingling on my tounge and gums along with headachs and pain near my ears. IT is amazing! Either I am so intouch with every sensation in my body or this is just something that will never allow me to e the same again.

I did some other google searches and it is amazing how many other people have the exact same symptoms, burning thighs,buttock, back, groin along with  pain in penis/tip of penis. And they have been throught a regime of doctors with no soltuion. Many of them had this happen after a sexual encounter some oral, some vaginal, some anal... one thing in common it was all unprotected. I am also amazed how many don't see lesions. After 4 months of this I can not imagine feeling like this for the rest of my life.

I just got on some meds to try to bring the anxiety down they say it will take weeks for these to kick in, I spoke with a buddy of mine who has been strugling with pains below the belt since college. His stemmed from getting Chlaymdia. I truly hope for all of us we get back on track so we can live how we were prior to all being here.  

Mirvus..I understand how frustrating it is... explaining this to doctors and they make it seem like no one else has ever had these symptoms

Hang in there and think positive!

[hopeful111]

Mirvus - sorry to hear this is still lingering. when you say your urologist did a prostate exam, was that the put on the gloves, ky jelly, feel around? I had this done the last time I saw a Dr at the std clinic and it was uncomfortable but not super painful. The Dr assured me they would have had to peel me off the ceiling if I in fact had an inflamed prostate. I don't know how accurate of a test that was, but at least I got it done and it was one more thing I could check off the list.

I agree there is some kind of "irritation" going on, I would definitely classify CPPS as falling in that category. we all had a pretty damn traumatic experience and ALL of us convinced ourselves we had herpes. that combo of things may take a while to get out of our systems. the negative test results help but we really have to honestly believe we are ok. I think time will sort this out. obviously this is hard but again, if it took you 3-4 months to get to a certain point, it may take just as long to get you back.

let us know how things go with you, hope for the best.

Joe239 - headaches and pain near your ear do not sound like any herpes symtoms (symptoms) i have ever read. after all your tests it really seems like herpes is not something you need to worry about. i really do think the mind is so much more at pay here than we give it credit for.

We shouldn't get caught up in the belief that just because none of us ever had these symptoms before that we must have picked up herpes or some other virus. the symptoms may be the only problem we have and just a result of the stress we have been through. you need to give your body time to heal physically and emotionally. it could be CPPS or just you being super in-tune now.

the other day I went out with some friends and was feeling fine for most of the day. on the ride back i started to feel a slight pain in the perineum again. for a min i started to get upset, thinking, oh here it is again. but as i started to stare out the window and just gazing at the view i let my mind wander. before i knew it, a good 5 mins had passed and had actually forgotten about the pain. when i focused in on it again i felt it was still there but already a little less. i kept trying to just forget about it and by the time we got back home i felt totally fine.

Its so hard to get your mind of it sometimes but it is not impossible. for me, things have been so much better ever since I confided in a loved one and they are helping me to get through this. I'm not saying you have to do exactly the same but it only makes things harder if you are trying to do it on your own. having additional support outside of this group has helped me a ton and honestly I do not know where I would be right now if I were still keeping this a secret.

I truly hope everyone can stay on the positive side of things. hang in there, this will pass!

[mirvus]

yeah, it was a gloves and jelly style exam.  it wasn't painful, though i did feel like i needed to go the bathroom almost all day after he did that.

anyway, i think i've pegged this (crosses fingers) and it's way simpler than i was making it out to be.  and, in the end, it is herpes related, though not herpes itself, haha.  what i think happened was, the day after the girl told me she had herpes, i very, very vigorously scrubbed my penis down in the shower with zest soap, which is reportedly a fairly harsh soap.  i felt a little bit of a burning at that point, but it passed in a few minutes, and i just thought to myself "eh, some soap must've got in there."

well, the first recurrence of the burning was a day or two at most after that vigorous scrubbing.  what i think happened was the soap was the start of it all - it irritated the meatus of my penis (the "lips" around the opening).  now me, i golf constantly, and i try to walk it as much as i can for the exercise, so my penis was constantly being brushed up against my underwear and pants.  and i Never just lounged around in the nude prior to all this (at some point along the way i noticed being naked seemed to help reduce the irritation), so my penis tip was constantly pressed up/rubbing against cotton or whatever fabric i was wearing that day.  also, i changed to a more powerful detergent about two or three months ago, which may or may not have had any effect on what's been going on.

ANYWAY, long story short, i think the soap was the start of it and it's just been needing some time to heal up, because i've sat around naked all this weekend (weather's been crap anyway, couldn't do anything outside if i wanted to), and i've had very nearly zero symptoms.  i've also been applying an over the counter neosporin antibiotic cream, which should help the healing process along a little bit, twice a day.

i really feel like i've got it pegged this time - the "just needing time to heal" makes perfect sense, plus it fits perfectly in with why i thought the nizoral was working - that weekend, friday coming home, i was rear-ended in traffic.  well, my neck was sore, so i was staying in and doing a whole lot of nothing.  that was also the weekend i got the nizoral prescription and vytone cream, so i just sat around naked applying cream and taking pills and relaxing.  lo and behold, symptoms drop off sharply.  i assumed before it was the pills or cream or both, but now i'm almost certain it was just being naked and giving it some time to mend down there.

so... in the end, i'm going to spend every moment i'm not at work just sitting around without my britches on, heh, and continuing to apply the antiobiotic ointment cream.  hopefully after a week or so of doing this, it'll have healed itself up and life can resume as per normal.  all this fretting, all these trips to doctors and specialists, and all i really needed to do was sit around naked for a few days.  how's that for silly.

[Joe239]

I am going to the doctors tomorrow. I just looked at the tip of my penis and well it is not good it appears I have about 10 red spots near the tip and there is another little patch near the bottom of the head. I have been in a lot of discomfort the last week or so feeling what I thought may be prodromal warnings and I saw nothing .. now I see this. I am freaking out. If this is herpes, they spots look very small and well now I am thinking I had this before.

Joe

[hopeful111]

mirvus - relaxing can only help, glad to hear you are going down that road. i do believe that along with the emotional side of things, we all need to heal physically too. with all the poking/pulling/examing im sure we are all still doing it probably only stalls things. plus the everyday wear of just moving around as you mention. maybe even something like getting aroused/masturbating/etc may stall things.

let us know how it goes with the relaxation.

Joe239 - hope you were able to get this checked out and that it turned out to be something else. didn't you start taking some new pills recently? hope those are helping out. if you thought you were having prodromal warnings for the past week, usually you would have gotten the real symptoms to follow (blisters, bumps, etc) really soon, like within 24hrs or so or couple days from what I have read. so does not sound like this is what you have going on.

hopefully this got sorted out for you, let us know and wish you guys the best

[Joe239]

Went to the derm and he did nto think it was herpes but he was not sure what it was.. I am like great I read even experts misdiagnose herpes 1/3 of the time. I tolkd him about my symptoms ...actually I guess they are alll our symptoms of the burning tip, burning in thighs, back, buttocks... etc. He said in his 35 years and he has seen a lot of herpes there was only one other person he knew who had symptoms like this and he said as he gained more assurance that he did not have herpes he seemed to think the symptoms went away .

I also just read an article by Dr. Anna Wald from U of Washington and it has her quoted where even people with lesions for HSV1 will even come up negative on the WB I was like great just what I wanted to read/hear. I do know that the person I was with tested positive for both HSV 1 & HSV 2. So I would imagine is she developed anitbodies there would be a good chance I would to if I had them....but then again who knows. I have now taken 5 test at diffeent intervals all neg. HS Elisa 3 1/2 weeks, Captia 7,11 weeks, WB 13 weeks and the HS immunoblot 15 weeks.  

[Joe239]

Any updates. The latest with me is the stinging at the tip of my penis is back and it is very uncomfortable. I did notice some white particles in my urine as well. Not sure what that is? I am trying to stay positive but the feelings/symptoms will not stop me from focusining on this. The pain in my back is still there as well as well as the burning/tingling.

[OttMar]

Good question. CAN HSV have symptoms as in couldy urine and/or white particles in urine. I have heard that it may be a number of issues including HSV or nothing at all. I get clody particles in urine from drinking lots of milk I think.

[Joe239]

I have to keep writing because I think I am going nus here: I want to list out my symptoms again and I want to know if peopel feel the exact same way.

I am trying to relax but htese symptoms keep reminding me of what I am dealing with

1. started off with burning at tip of penis - maybe not burning but being off
2. Took doxy for 5 days
3. some skin irritation
4. bad back pain which woek me up two nights
5. conjuctivitis
6. 5 weeks of all this and then again with the tip feeling uncomfortable - cloudy urine skin sore
7  Back sores along with burning/tingling in thighs and buttocks
8. Frequent urination - discomfort before and after urinating
9. on doxy again for 2 weeks
10. Still felt like thighs were tingling - penis burn finally went away with miconazole but skin peeled
11. now almost 6 weeks later the symptoms of leg burning back buring and now feet tingling with a sore tip of penis again is enough to want to make me go crazy......

all test and I mean all test from 3 weeks to 15 weeks all negative for 1 & 2......

What the hell is this?????? 1 . Either herpes or it has manifested in my head .... I think it is the first .... I waas fine before this one time encounter.

[Joe239]

not to mention even my anus feels a little weird. The back pain is on the lower right then moves to the tailbone then to the left buttocks, then to my anus.... I knwo this does nto sound like typical symptoms but they move around I keep thinking can anxiety real do this can my mind manifest this???? I don't think so

[okafor1989]

Hey was up man and everyone else. I was also having the same symptoms. The day after I received unprotected oral sex from a csw at the end of december. I had this discomfort/burning feeling. It was a pain in the ***, few days later that I got tested for the major stds, everything was negative. Doctor prescibed me with doxycycline and I was taking it for 4 weeks. When I finished the medication, a few days later my discomfort feeling felt better and is now back to normal. However, I've been having this joint/muscle pain on my arms and legs it started few days after taking doxycycline so I hope its from that not sure. I plan on getting tested for all the stds and hepatitis next week. I've also been having lower back pain every now and then and my anus feels itchy sometimes. I have no idea if something else is going on or what i can't believe getting a bj would do this

[OttMar]

Yes even BJ can really mess us up. Ive heard  that sometimes urethral infections can go into a prostate and cause prostate infections which bring in a host of other less welcome symptoms that can be non specific. This can also lead or be CPPS. So even IF our origional infection is gone and if some people have no true STD we can have secondary infections resulting from the origional. Ive seen Med articles on this on more then a few sites and read up on some studies. If its bacterial and not treated wright or at all it can cause a whole host of issues. If its viral then good luck since we have no cure for any viral infections............................all from one BJ that gave us 5 mins of pleasure and months or years of greif and suffering.

[Borat1]

OttMar,

As you mentioned...  we may of had an infection and then it triggered CPPS via anxiety or other means.

As I learn more about CPPS, I seem to think a bunch of us on this site have it.

CPPS is caused by the pelvic floor muscles (perinium area and others) tensing up due to stress and anxiety.  As these muscles contract and don't relax, they can cause the following:

Pain in the back
tingling in the upper thighs and groin
pain in the penis, either the base or tip are most common
painful urination
weakened urine flow
inconstinence (dribbling)
pain in the abdomen

And as they list the causes....

you will find "sexual encouter attached to high anxiety"

Kind of fits the bill for most of us.

I've gotten to a point where I can try and relax mentally, use some deep breathing, and it I feel either the tingling or burning in the tip coming on, it relaxes it.

I had a good spell of 3 weeks with no symptoms, then out of nowhere, had 4 days of discomfort.  It passed and now I'm back to trying to keep anxiety down with periods of relaxation and some basic external massage that the book "A Headache in the Pelvis" explains.

For severe cases of CPPS, the "Stanford Protocol" calls for internal massage.

I really don't enjoy haveing my prostate checked, let alone some of the methods they use in this book...  but if I seriously regress, would consider treatment.  Seems there are trigger points internal and external that can cause all of the symptoms we have experienced.  I'm still improving with time and what I'm doing now, so I'm going to hold off on any further steps and see how it goes.

It's too bad there is very little known about CPPS, but DR Wise seems to have figured out a cure for it.  This isn't snake oil, it's a method that works.

I know now that my symptoms are anxiety driven, and I can control them and hopefully completly eliminate them.

I think most of us would be helped by reading Dr Wise's book "A Headache in the Pelvis."

Just reading about how Dr Wise went through the same kind of symptoms we have and eventually discovered a treatment is reasureing, but reading the exact symptoms I've had when I couldn't find a match to anything else medical was a complete relief.

I hope this helps you guys out.

I found the cheapest place to get the book was on Amazon.

Keep the faith!

Borat.

[Borat1]

And no, I don't get any commision :)

Just trying to pass what helped me.

[Joe239]

I had looked into this months ago and yes the symptoms are there. I was wonder did you have any disomfort with irritated skin in your penis? For  me I had some and it was around the meatus or urethal opening to the underside which would indicate irritation from the dripping. This does makes sense an I do believe anxiety has driven way to much of this. Iguess what is scarry is how we all have the similar symptoms but we all have had anxiety, most if not all have tested negative. I think what we all struggle with is the uncertainty.

Thanks for the great information!

[Joe239]

For those that have the burning sensation in the thighs as well as the penis. I am also wondering if Post Herpetic Nuralgia can be the cause of this. Realizing his virus lives in the ganglia nerve as it moves around it causes these sensations. That would be a main reason why anitbiotics don't work because the pain and discomort is real.

Has anyone seen an infectious disease doctor? Most doctors will tell you that herpes does not act liek this ...it is most related to shingles....but doesn't it make sense. Unfortunately for me the pain keeps getting worse.

[OttMar]

How  much stress are you under because of this, seriously, do you tend to focus on the area in question? Does it seem like your mind concentrates at this area non stop agrivating any sensation that MAY occur normally? just asking.

I remember a while back after ejaculation I felt very very uncomfortable in the perineum area (between the testicles and anus) a hot/sore pressure feeling, very noticeable to me.  But only after ejaculation. I assumed it was due to hsv but from what I have read it could have been a prostate issue since Hsv does not give you that sporadic symptom in such a way.

[Joe239]

Forget the stress .... look at everyone else with these symptoms not just on this fourm. I can see a virus *herpes" causign this. Plus this tingling is insane..... I could not make this up if I tried..... I had the symptoms before I ever statred looking this **** up on the Internet. This just sucks. The test are only so accurate. I really believe this is just one disease that acts so differently yet so similarly for many that it can be misdiagnosed. I know petal gave the example of Lice and everyone scratches..... but this tingling /pain on tip of penis... all to coincidental with people who have all had some sort of unprotected sex.


I have tried to stay positive but the symptoms keep consuming me.

[Joe239]

for all those suffering the burning pain check this out ... patagraph #3 says it all

http://ezinearticles.com/?Genital-Herpes-and-Post-Herpetic-Neuralgia---How-to-Manage-Chronic-HSV-Pain&id=1970309

[zaidoon]

started searching on  the web about since lasy july  trying to find others out there
that share similar stories to that of mine. I found many people who have the same probs at that time and i still communicate with ..we update each other about our symptoms from time to time.  Its great that after so many months, so many doctors and so much let downs, to find out that there are
others who share our story.


maybe we can all help eachother through what for me at least has been a very difficult/ frustrating year:

My situation is as follows:

My problems all happened after my last sexual encounter which was on 27th of june this year.. It was fully protected.. she gave me oral with condoms .. and then i had vaginal intercourse which was also protected.

A few days after having sex with that girl i developed a pinky bump on the shaft which was not painful. I was very worried at that time of herpes. Two weeks after that, i went to GUM clinic and my docotor reassured me that after taking my history and examination, he was 99% sure that it was not herpes. He said it was folliculitis. I did all stds( but not herpes) all came negative. They swap culture the bump and came negative. Three weeks later, I started to have all the bizzarre symptoms which am suffering from until now

1- wierd nerve sensation all over ( burning- muscle twiching- bugs crawling etc)  and it is all over my body. It was in my lowee limb at first. But later it invaded upper limb.
2-Shooting and stabbing pain in genitals and groin area
2- Nausea-Loss of appetite
3- Abdominal pain
4- feels like to sleep all the time
5-bumps on my fingers( Which is think herpes whitlow but my gp diagnosed it as Dishydrotic eczema)
6-fatigue ( which is the worst. I have no energy at all)
7-Loss of intrest in most activities inluding sex
8- blurry vission
9- sinsitivity to light  
10- frequent discoloration of my penis. Everytime i show it my doctor, they say there is nothing abnormal.
11- Depression
12 -sleeping for  more than 12 hours a day :S
13- My head feels jerky. I cant make it stiff

at that time i noticed that:

My symptoms are worse first thing in the morning.. and get better late at night
2- Tight clothes triggers my nerve problems( muscle twiching , burning sensation in random areas etc)

3- Walking and exercising  stopp my nerve problems. Only when i set down i feel the  nerve probs

I was very depressed months. .im only 21 year old male who used to be very energetic with a very BIG appetite for FOOD AND SEX. But, i didnt feel the same after that encounter. There was a time when i was considering death everyday due to my symptoms that destroyed my life. I used to be a medical student .. to more years left for me to be a doctor.. but because of this ****** virus i could not do well in my last exams so they dismissed from the school!!!!

i still have some symptoms.. but they have lessned alot .. im feeling way better than 4 months ago... but still have nerve probs.. ejaculation probs.. mild fatigue.. i hope these symptoms disappear for goood

the reason why i shared this with u.. is to tell that our symptoms are reall... i did not make up the story... therey many people out there who had the same symptoms after having sexual encounters.. but docotrs dont believe in something outside textbooks unfortunately!

[Verysaddude]

I know what all of you are talking about....I experienced these symptoms after becoming infected with HSV2...I now think I have PHN from Genital Herpes ...and it sucks terribly...I have yet to find relief and its been a year...what an unfortunate event...

[Joe239]

I just took another test today ... If it comes back positive I will not be surprised however if it is negative again I will be like what is going on here. I know everyoe who is sharing on this forum can not be making this **** up. Sitting is the worse... however even when I am standing I can feel it as well... I have never felt so terrible in my life. Sleep is even work. How do you get back into a routine....I have appoinments with urologist, nuerologist and infectious disase specialist coming up.. I can not continue to feel liek this. Anyone else get a metallic type taste in their mouth? Or is this tingling? I don't even know anymore what normal is!!!!!!

[Verysaddude]

I totally agree. Most doctors and even some of the experts on this board act as though this is impossible! Even with lots of people saying the same exact thing! I have come across people on multiple boards...not just this one..who have these problems only AFTER having sex with and HSV1 or 2 infected person!!! I know exactly what you mean about the metal tastes bro! I have that frequently. I have been to over 10 doctors of various specialties and only 1 said that my symptoms could be from HSV2 (he was kinda going with HSV2 might have triggered something esle) but still not sure. I think the link you posted above EVERY doctor should read and research. Also, people on this board should too and stop being so quick to dismiss the possiblity. Isn't it logical to assume there is a connection when there are people who have these issues only after sex (and most times with someone who has herpes). I email back and fourth with a few different people on this board who have similar issues. If you have any questions about my specific situation..let me know...

[Joe239]

Any new updates... We know OttMar got Great News! Anyone else?

[whmag]

I saw another derm and urologist today - same old story - no way it is HSV but can't tell me what it is - recommended a psychologist

[moneytb]

Guys, I am now 2 months without any problems.  You all really need to seek mental health.  It was 6 months of pure hell until i broke down...started taking zoloft and wouldn't you know it symptoms started getting better. Trust me when I say it is in your head....the little bumps and tingles are magnified...same ones you have always had just your mind making them bigger and more painful.  

Not one person has mentioned a symptom and possible cause that I didn't also think I had (I can add a few others if you like).

Shame and guilt have allowed are minds to takeover.  I could not get past it on my own, and suspect that many of your are in the same boat.  Stop wasting your time and money (about $2,000 personally).  IT IS IN YOUR HEAD......REALLY IT IS.....I  KNOW!

[zaidoon]

Finally i found someone who has the cloudy urine! i have this.. bubbly urine.. with shrikage of penis.. when i was in the uk i couldn't do blood test since they dont offer it.. but now im in a place where i can have the test.. do u recommend me taking the test?

[Joe239]

I wish this was in my head. I have been told that by the doctors to a certain point. But in my case I know I was exposed to the virus and these symptoms I could not make them up if I tried. I have been on an SSRI for a few weeks now and it has calmed me down some but there is still pain. How do I explain the following:

Constant nerve sensations in my thghs, leg, buttock and back...Which do trael to other parts like arms and shoulder, face.

Shooting pains as well as significant abdominal pains

Pain in the groin area tip of penis get sore then better then sore again.

Skin on penis is very irritated at time and then seems to be fine.

metallic tase in mouth - This one is weird.

Muscles twitching

burning sensation in groin area. especially in the morning and night.

Have discomfort urinating before and after.

Frequent urination

white particle floating in urine

I have never had any kind of back pain in my life until all this and those sensations I would have remembered they did nto exist. Now the biggest caviat is that all of my test have show up negative. But I have read on hear where there are people who did nto becone positive via blood for 6 and even 9 months.

I pray you are correct that it is all just a bad dream unfortunately I think it is more like a nightmare!

[moneytb]

I am no doctor but I can tell you if you keep looking for symptoms your gonna find them and then your mind is going to make them bigger than life....

1.) nerve sensations - Stress is causing this. Find a way to relax and transfer focus to something else.
2.)significant abdominal pains  - IBS -Irratiable Bowel Syndrome.  Again stress related.  See #1.
3.)Pain in the groin area tip of penis get sore then better then sore again.  Stop picking and poking.  This is sensative skin.  Use mild or no soap to wash off....needs time to heal.
4.)Skin on penis is very irritated at time and then seems to be fine. Same answer as #3
5.)metallic tase in mouth - Drink more water.  Lots of water.
6.)burning sensation in groin area. especially in the morning and night. -that's because at night you cannot go to sleep b/c you are focused on it.  In the morning its bad b/c you are hoping you wake up and it is gone.
7.)Frequent urination - B/C of Stress Stress and more Stress. Will go away when you forget about it.
8.)white particle floating in urine. not abnormal....I had this when i was pumping myself full of vitiamin C, Lyzine, or what everelse I was reading online to take....Stop taking crap drink alot of water and it will go away.
9.)I have never had any kind of back pain in my life until all this and those sensations I would have remembered they did nto exist. Now the biggest caviat is that all of my test have show up negative. But I have read on hear where there are people who did nto becone positive via blood for 6 and even 9 months......Get of the Net leave it alone for a couple weeks.....WE ARE NOT ALL THE MOST UNLUCKY 1-1,000,000 person out there.

Agian, I am not expert just someone who has been down the SAME path....

Good luck to you all, I hope what help me can be of help to you....We are not bad people, we had a lapse in judgement.....

[Joe239]

Thanks for taking the tiem to write this up... You are correct when you say I am so focused on this. You give some logical explinations. I am going to try to disconnect here for awhile and see how this go. I will let people know my test results when I get them.

[Joe239]

Just got back some test results at the 121 days post exposure.

HSV 1 neg <.91
HSV 2 neg <.91

Great news I will be taking some of Money's advice!

[whmag]

congrats!

[hopeful111]

congrats! very happy for you, definitely take moneytb's advice. I think we have to think positively and it will help put this behind us.

again, great news for you!

[OttMar]

Neither HSV nor any other STD causes any shrinkage of penis. Unless you  stood out in winters cold its imposssible.  If std's caused this then there would be thousands or millions of men walking around with very small dicks.

I have bubbly urine too, amost like foam but it disapears in a few seconds, it is from what you drink and eat.

I had the 6 month Combined HSV 1/2 IgG, no antibodies detected. I know the test is not as accurate or does not type, but having a type specific test at 15 weeks and this at 6 months pretty much reassures me its not HSV....................................and guess what........I stopped thinking about it.......symptoms started to gradually disapear. No more examining myself 20 times a day. The mind can be a powerful thing. For some of us anxiety or stress syptoms (symptoms) can mimic almost anything and the list is looooong.

[Joe239]

I am convinced these test are not that accurate. Last night the burning from the nuerothopy was killing me. I am also twitching at night while I sleep. Yes twitching is normal for all when falling asleep but this has been a problem with me over the last two months to the point where I can not get any sleep. Now the buring in my thighs is back and it is worse then ever. I was also very incthy yesterday not with your usual itcjh but with very sharp shocks all over my body. This is just so bizzare. It is hard to put this all behind you when you have constant remindes. I have been so busy tryign to distract myself and the pain is real! This is the worst!

Check out this website for those with burning and tingong sensations

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm

[zaidoon]

i suffered from these symptoms.. but dont worry.. they will improve with time..though i still suffer from some of them...

i still wonder how u r herpes negative.. if that test is true.. then there must other reasons for what we have now !

[Verysaddude]

Damn Joe,

You almost described exactly what I was going thru when I first got infected with HSV2. I still go thru this to this day but its much less pronounced. This is unreal.

[Joe239]

That scares the hell out of me... I am still coming up negative on all these test

4,7,11,13,15,17 weeks post exposure all negative. WTF....

[hopeful111]

I got HSV tested this past Wednesday, 123 days/17.5 weeks post

HSV 1 neg < 0.91
HSV 2 neg < 0.91

So happy to have gotten these results, which I was at this point already expecting. it has been a long and very hard journey for all of us. I know just like every one of you how hard it is to stay positive in the face of unexplained symptoms.

I really think those of us with neg test results need to start believing and move on. Being obsessed with herpes will not get you anywhere. If there truly is something wrong with you, you are not helping yourself find the care you need by focusing only on herpes. If it's something like CPPS which is very likely, then the intense pressure you are putting on yourself is not helping. If it's something else then again you are not going to go down the right road if you are stuck on herpes.

I think the mental aspect of all of this is in play much more than we realize. as moneytb said we need time to heal physically and emotionally. and this process cannot start until you let it start.

if you are having negative test results and no obvious herpes symptoms (blisters/lesions) then you are not the 1 in a MILLION unlucky guy.

you need to start believing in your results and move on. stop beating yourself up over this experience. we are not bad people. we had a regrettable experience but you need to move on and be thankful you are not HSV positive or even HIV positive. do not let this consume your life because it will.

talk to a loved one for support, seek therapy if you need it, there is no shame in what we did or what we need to help put this behind us.

i really hope you guys can put this behind you once and for all soon.

[Joe239]

Great news for you! I am very happy to see your results come back the way they did. I have always been a very positive person but this thing is so scary. I was 121 post exposure when I took the herpeselect IgG. I still can not figure out these other symptoms and why they keep occuring. I want to believe these test results trust me when I say that. I want to get back to a "normal life"

[Mistakeguy789]

Joe I have been following your case for a while now.  I really feel that after looking things over you truly have nothing to worry about and something more is at work here.  Which I can understand is scary on its own.  But I think something that we kind of need to remember is sometimes we can be our own worse enemey.  You know what I mean?  Maybe some of this is truly in your head and not something you truly have going on.  You have had a boat load of testing to support you are negative and given even that one of the best tests out there.  That has to mean something... Have you considered the assistance from a mental professional and maybe even looking at anxiety meds?  I am not saying this to be rude but I seriously and would put money on it that you have herpes.  

[OttMar]

Has anyone thought of this? "cytomegolovirus"

Not an STD but can be transmitted by bodily fluids, very common with 50-80% of population in the US infected, mostly no symptoms of any kind and only issues arrising are for pregnant women who are infected for the first time.

[Joe239]

I know you are not being rude. I have actually gone that route as well. I am on some anit-depressants. They help some. Therapy is also helping as well.

[Borat1]

Joe,

You have tested negative at 17 weeks.  The chances you have HSV are pretty slim.  I was convince that I had herpes until I finally hit 16 weeks and still tested negative.  I never had a visual breakout, but for some reason thought it must be HSV.

I read an old post about a guy that tested positive for herpes, but had simular symptoms to mine.  Reading this, I was convinced I had it...  

Now, I believe that this guy had herpes and CPPS (Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome).  If you think you have herpes, or if you acutally do....  you are focusing a lot of time and pain on your genital area.  This kind of anxiety can cause CPPS to happen.  I feel there are people that have herpes, and assume everything that is happening down there is because of herpes.  Treatment for CPPS might be the answer for them just as it is for me.

I'm not a doctor, but there are more things that cause issues down south than STD's.

Keep the faith, and I'm sure you will keep testing negative.

Borat

[Joe239]

Thanks for the encouraging words. I am not as positive and optomistic. I want to be but the symptoms are still there.

[Joe239]

I took another IgG test this one at 21 weeks and 2 days so 149 days post exposure. This one was a Herpeselect Hsv 1 negative and HSV2 negative. Both less than .91 no numerical values given. I am still having the burning feeling which is in predominately in my lower extremities, but seems to travel to my shoulders, arms and face. I am guessing at this time herpes is not the cause of the problem. Well that is what the medical test are telling me. i have been tested for allergies, diabetes, back issues and other things and everything shows negative. I have taken anti depressant ...they have not helped, I am also in theraphy has helped mentally put the physical problems still exist. Not sure what else to say at this point.

[agentsmith]

You must have herpes Joe239. I mean its written all over your symptoms. You should tell everyone you have herpes dude and not have sex with anyone.

[takingastab]

I know this is many years later, but on the off chance that any of you still follow this post have any of you received any changes in your test results? Did any of you ever find out you had herpes, HIV, or any other type of STD? If so at what what time frame did you actually get diagnosed and by what type of doctor?

The reason I ask is that I am experiencing basically all the same symptoms that everyone listed:

one night stand of oral sex/no protection
after one week intense burning/sandpaper feeling at the tip of my penis
no lesions/bumps ever present
irritation and anxiety
other party claims to be fine and blood work has come back fine
My blood work at the 1 1/2 week mark was negative Igg for HSV 2
at 4 week mark was negative for HSV 1 + 2
Going back at 8 week mark in a week and a half.
I also broke out in red scaly patches all over my arms, legs, and face which has been diagnosed as psoriasis/eczema.

All my time lines point to herpes, but i've seen 3 MDs, 1 dermatologist, and 1 infectious disease specialist who all say that I am fine and that it is mostly anxiety related. I'm certainly hoping so. If anyone can offer any updates to your situations from before I would greatly appreciate it.

[hopeful111]

Hope this finds you feeling better, sounds like you are starting to go through what most of us went through. Anxiety can do so much more than you thought was possible. I never had another test after my 17.5 week test which was negative.

Even shortly after that I still had some minor symptoms of discomfort and some minor anxiety.

Slowly it all faded away. I haven't had discomfort in over a year and don;t even think about it anymore. I have been plenty stressed for other reasons (work, etc) and no cold sores on the mouth or anything that even makes me bat an eye.

You sound like you;re starting to go down the, "I fit the herpes bill" path, don't. I know it will be hard but you will get past it and I hope the test results help you get on your way. Anxiety can really cause all that pain/discomfort you felt. and once it builds up it wont go away overnight.

give it time. confide in someone you trust, do not go through this alone it only will make it harder.

wish you the best.

[CANNOTcope]

Sorry to bring up such an old thread, however I am expereing very similar symptoms as described. The constant discomfort around the tip of penis, with 2 teeny tiny pimple looking bumps under my forskin which tested negative on a culture, taken 24 hours after they appeared. also some lighter pink patches on my head. The blisters themselves did not hurt or itch at all, the pain started 3 days after they appeared. Also they never did crust over or anything it simply turned a little more pink.

I realize this is a medical forum but I also feel like this scare or whatever it may be has been the slap in the face I needed to realize that I am not doing things as I know I should be. I have started to go to church again and pray wihch I have not done in 7 years.

I noticed livehoodlost's comment about becoming a priest if this turns out to be negative, I am just curious if anyone else has reevaluated thier beliefs because of this. Also, I read the entire thread and was anxiously awaiting a verdict on livelihoodlost, so please post if you have any updates. I will do the same!

[gracefromHHP]

please start a new post with this.

our read before posting post is located under the "important announcements" tab on the forum with the rules of posting on the forum listed. thanks!

[BIChris1]

i dnt have sores or enything it jst stings i went to the doctor yesterday they said im clean i realy need to kno what this is. Is it soap irritation not drinking enough water cause it is kind of a smell when i pie

[gracefromHHP]

please start a new post of your own - thanks!

grace

[loplop12]

This might sound weird but I've only "dry humped" a year ago, and I'm getting burning sensation in the opening and tip of my penis. I didn't grabbed anything but the sexual organ. I opened the opening of my penis and it seen to me sores grayish and reddish on the sides. I'm hoping it is a yeast infection. This anxiety is killing me really bad! I'm looking for any other bumps, but like I've read it is just my mind playing games on me.  The burning is persistent can barely get some sleep just thinking about it. It is driving me nuts. Going to see a doctor in a few days to see what is up. Thank goodness I found this forum, it put some hope of answers to what I'm going through.

[gracefromHHP]

PLEASE, NO ONE ADD TO THIS POST!!!

Start your own post instead of adding to this already far too long old post of someone else's!!!!

grace

[Junome]

So, I have only had intercourse with one person and she has only had intercourse with me. I just recently though realized that I too have a little wound just inside the tip of my penis. I am only 17 and don't want to let my parents know so I can't get tests done yet... Also, I have had a wart looking thing for as long as I can remember. It hasn't cause me any problems but I am curious as to what it is.

[LunarDude]

Hello all,

I have just read this entire thread and and 100% similar to you all.  I however have been complaining about these symptoms for about 4 years.  They have been off and on.  At first I tested positive for Ureaplasma a bacteria that caused the painful sting at the tip of the urethrea.  A round of antibiotics later and the pain was subdued, certainly not what it was (It was horrible, I couldn't sleep at all etc etc) but still have a waning and waxing of stinging at the tip for a month or two here and there.  I retested during this time 5 times - negative for everything every time.  It seemed that when I had long lasting relationships it went away the most almost entirely, when I was not in those relationships and had casual sexual encounters it would come back for a while.  My doctors (4) all said it was in my head as well and like you all it seems IMPOSSIBLE - its too painful to be fake.  But I also believe in science and my doctors and also believe now that it may be prostititis or CPPS.  I don't have a disease or bacteria - i know that from extensive tests I just could never find out what this coming and going of pain was.  I realize it come during extremely intense times of stress and or stressful sexual experiences, and or just the mental f up from the first time I actually had something.

Im just6 wondering - from all the original dudes on here what has been the result of your stinging now a couple years later....  All just went away?  Some casual reoccurances which could be attributed to stress??  I think after reading all this I have enough to try to put this to rest in my head and stamp this out forever.    Please let me know!  I wish everyone the best.

[jts40]

If you get the time, read over some of my post. I was tested for HSV2 at 4,7, and 11 weeks post my encounter and was negative. My urologist said I was dealing with cpps. Symptoms went away pretty much until the beginning of last week. I started having weird sensations I'm my bladder, perinium pain, and odd sensations in my rectum. Almost felt like deeper inside. My penis also is aching again and I'm experiencing alof of precum, semen/prostatic fluid during a BM, etc. I went back to the urologist yesterday and he checked my prostate and did a urinalysis. Hurt like hell when he touched my prostate and tried to massage it. They also found white blood cells in my urine which I guess they haven't in the past. I was put on antibiotics for prosatitis. My concern is that my 11 week hsv2 test was too early (although I was told by everyone that that was ample time). I've read in a few places that it is possible to have HSV and it can cause prostatitis. I wish someone with medical knowledge could let me know if that is true or not, since some websites are so unreliable. Anyway, let me know how things go. What was the latest test that you took? How long after your last exposure?

[LunarDude]

Ive been positive for ureaplasma urealyticum 3 times over the past 4 years.  This was the original source of the painful tip of the penis.  I was treated with doxycyclene, and had a negative culture after treatment even thought I still felt it (though at about 1/3 or less intensity - it was unbearable when I was actually infected.)  Anyway, it took about 3 - 4 months till the sting burn went away - I had 5 repeat cultures done for ureaplasma, clamidia etc to make sure since the urologist could not explain my continued pain - all cultures came back negative.  Urologist said it was likely in my head or something called reiters syndrome.

Keep in mind I basically had just a stinging tip, later the dull pain in my left testical on and off.  The symptoms would come and go - they seem to spike for about 10 minutes when I have a glass of alcohol.  

Like someone else sid here: often if I was just walking around doing stuff I would feel like the symptoms went away completely - then i sit at my desk or something - go idle or especially if I went to bed it would quickly creep back in and be at its worst in bed - so much so - that I would have to squeeze my penis because it was more comfortable than the burning pain.  

Anyway, I never told my partners because i actually really didn't have anything - my urologist said i was completely std free despite my symptoms.  He tried to separate my symptoms from having an actual bacterial infection.  He believed i was experiencing symptoms but also believed I had no active or testable disease of any kind.  To back up this theory 4 partners both long and short term never got anything, and believe me - they would have.  Again, I was tested negative for everything 5 times so I felt it was ethical to do this with long term relationships.  I told them I had nothing - it was true - they got nothing - but I continued to have erratic stinging at the tip.  I should say here that the more comfortable I got with a woman the more sex I had the more calmed I got that it was true and and I wasn't giving her anything.  And I got progressively better.  It all seems crazy.

Anyway, I thought maybe it was "in my head" but like so many have described here it "seemed" impossible - way to painful to be made up.  After reading this I'm thinking its not "made up"  If this is all true I now understand it as my mind is actually causing stress in certain muscles and actually causing real pain.

So about 2.5 years in I had drunk sex with someone and the symptoms returned in a big way.  I was recaptured and positive again with ureaplasma.  Like the first time I felt the major stinging the very next day by about mid day.  Very intense - close to unbearable - squirming.  Unable to concentrate on anything but the burn.  Was given more antibiotics - symptoms subsided to about 1/3 and more negative cultures - despite ongoing symptoms.  I admit the symptoms are much worse when I have positive ureaplasma cultures.  


So anyway, after 4 years getting infected with ureaplasma a few times like an idiot (thought my urologist says its easy to cure just take a choice of antibiotics for 1-3 weeks and thats always killed it in every case in all his 30 years of practice.)  He did mention maybe it was prostatitis checked my prostate on two occasions felt fine - looked at fluid excreted from said exam under a microscope all fine - checked my urine a dozen times all fine he said I'm fine.  But I feel the nasty burn still - 4 years later.  

Im really surprised this isn't more known since it feels sooooo bad.  Im seeing him again tomorrow  we are going to try to test an ejaculate sample - he says it can flush out the bacteria better than a cotton swab of the tip of my urethra (the way we've been culturing) and maybe we can find a positive for ureaplasma while the swab gives negative.  Im going to mention CPPS for the first time and ask about it - also ask for some muscle relaxers and mind pills to get me off this nonstop focusing on the sting.  I have hope this is mental caused by a real infection which scared the pants off me and every sting digs my mind deeper leading to more stinging.  Its a nasty chain.  I hope I can break it - I don't want to live with this forever.

FYI never had any herpes symptoms. no rash blister  or anything.

[jts40]

Yes. I've never had any blisters or rashes either. I looked up more information on prostatitis and the majority of my symptoms fill well with that diagnosis. Were you ever tested for hsv? Look up CPPS on Wikipedia and see if it fits you. Let me know.

[Cray222]

For over 5 months, I have been suffering with a stinging sensation at the tip of my penis. It started in October of 2011, 2 days  after I had oral sex performed on me. I immediately went to the STD Clinic and got tested for Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomonas, herpes. hiv and hepatitis C. The tests came back negative. I took the tests again in December and they all came back negative. I was given antibiotics such as Azithromycin and  Cipro but since I tested negative for the before-mentioned STD's, they did not stop the stinging. The STD doctor said that I should see a urologist because the infection could be due to E. Coli. So my  urologist gave me Bactrim because I did perform anal sex on my partner in the past which may have caused an urinary infection. Well I took this antibiotic for 2 weeks and still the stinging did not stop. My urine tested negative for bacteria. I felt so hopeless until I started reading more about NGU, Nongonococcal Urethritis caused by the HSV or HPV virus. A light bulb suddenly came on. It could be a virus causing the stinging in my penis.

I was given a cream called Aldara (Imiquimod) cream. After applying the cream over the tip of my penis for two nights, the stinging eased and then stopped.  I am hoping that the stinging will not start again but if it does I will just apply the cream again. It appears that this is the only medication that stops the warm stinging sensations. The antibiotics that I tried before did not work on this virus.

Hopefully you guys that have this stinging symptom will check with your doctor about the possibility that HSV or HPV virus may be the cause of the  penis stinging.        I will keep you abreast of any changes.