how worried should i be?

I had unprotected oral sex one time about 3 weeks ago and that is the only sexual activity i have had in a year. A few days ago i noticed a couple very small red spots on the head of my penis and began inspecting it every day since. I have felt some pain itching and discomfort in the area since i first noticed but i dont know how much of the discomfort comes from me washing and examining it or if they are actual symptoms. The redness went away after the first day or so and returns only when i masturbate but otherwise the bumps are flesh colored and so small that i dont think someone other than myself would even notice them unless i pointed them out. However, there are more spots than there initially were and its been about 5 days so even tho the redness went away i am still concerned. The spots dont appear to be filled with anything but are so small that its impossible to tell, they are only very very slightly raised and can only be seen at the right angle because they blend into the skin.  i guess my question is, does this sound like it could be herpes or possible something else and how worried should i be? also my second question if it is herpes should i expect this to be my worst outbreak and have it get better from here?

[petal130]

I can't imagine how on earth you could masturbate if it was a herpes outbreak. That's just my two cents (and I'm a woman) - but I can say the the pain of an outbreak was enough that I didn't want even a feather to touch me.

Otherwise, see your doctor. It's the only way to know what's going on. It doesn't sound like there's even a lesion to swab/culture, but your doctor will know. An IgG type specific blood test could be down now, and then if negative once again in 3-4 months (herpes antibodies don't show until 3-4 months after the initial infection).

[bernard109]

You need to find out two things, in the order of most to least important: (1) do you have HSV-1 antibodies (cold sores)? and (2) did the fellatio-giver have HSV-1 antibodies (colds sores)?  

I'm not a Doctor, but from the symptoms you mention, it is highly unlikely it is HSV-1 genital herpes.  I reach my conclusion for the following two reasons: first, incubation period is generally 2-20 days, with most symptoms appearing within 10.  So three weeks is a long time; and second, the symptoms would generally hurt to the point where masturbation would not be comfortable.  

In any event, it is a possibility that your partner had HSV-1 at the time you received unprotected fellatio, you did not have HSV-1 at the time, and you thereby contracted HSV-1 genital herpes from the encounter.  Very unlikely, but possible.

You should go and see a health care provider so they can take a swab and verify that you are negative.

Hope this helps.

[isitherpes]

Thanks for the posts, i feel like it seem unlikely that it is herpes but just the fact that it still hurts after 5 days or so has me worried, then on top of that the bumps make me think herpes. I will probably get it checked out tomorrow, wish me luck!

[isitherpes]

So I went to the doctor today and he said it doesnt look like herpes, in fact he said it didnt look like anything. He recommended that i take some tests and see a dermatologist if im still concerned but i took tests for gonorrhea chlamydia herpes and hep B, now i just wait for the results.

[LovesYou]

not trying to make assumptions, but when i had my first genital hsv 1 outbreak, it was very painful, but when me boyfriend got his, it was nothing more than three tiny bumps in a circle on the tip of his penis, if it wasnt for me asking him if something was happening to him too, he wouldnt have noticed, he went to the doctor and he said it didnt look at anything but swabbed it anyways, sure enough, it was hsv 1, herpes symptoms can be very mild in men.


also, my initial herpes outbreak did not happen for over a month after exposure, so it can happen, and if it happens to be, its not big deal.

[isitherpes]

do you think you can describe what your boyfriends outbreak looked like? when i went to the doctor he said that it didnt look herpetic and that herpes on the genitals looks like it would on the mouth and he said thats not what it looked like. he also said that since its already been about a week since i first saw them that if it was herpes they should have swelled and busted open releasing a discharge and scabbed over, i havent seen anything like that, do you know if your boyfriend experienced that? maybe if you told me a little more about your bfs symptoms i can tell if maybe im in the same boat because he didnt swab my penis he only inspected it with magnifying glass and took a blood test. Thanks for your help!

[isitherpes]

I wanted to update my situation and see if anyone can offer some insight. it has now been 3 weeks since i first noticed the bumps on the head of my penis and 6 weeks since i had unprotected oral sex. there are many many more bumps now than there were 3 weeks ago, however over the course of 3 weeks i havent noticed any of the bumps break and scar over like herpes blisters are supposed to. they are all still there, only they are more, are herpes outbreaks supposed to last so long??
there are more bumps and i still get pain and itching on my penis and my anus and the pain and itching has not decreased at all, maybe even increased. i am really scared it might be herpes even tho the first doctor told me it didnt look herpetic i need a second opinion. it really hurts sometimes but like i said i havent noticed any pus or scarring and from what i understand if it was herpes then the bumps should have filled with pus, broken, and then healed. someone please help!

[really_scared]

How about your test results? How they came out?
I'm having similar symptoms but no pain at all. It started with a little red dot about two weeks ago, then it grew and there was a small dot in the middle, I ended up popping it and pus came out. Now I have a few. The only problem is that the last time a had sex was in February and I used a condom.

[isitherpes]

the test results were negative but i have to go back tomorrow to get tested for herpes because i had to wait till 6 weeks past to be sure the test is accurate. i have multiple small dots and i havent seen any of them break or leak pus. i have lots of pain and lots of uncomfort but my penis doesnt look anything at all like the pictures i looked up online of herpes.

[gracefromHHP]

This really sounds like a fungal infection.  I wouldn't even bother testing for herpes again at this point - you'll be wasting your time if it's only been 6 weeks.  If you have fresh lesions  you can get a herpes lesion culture but your provider didn't feel it was herpes, it doesn't sound like herpes - don't get caught up thinking it's all herpes.  

grace

[isitherpes]

thanks grace, thats the most uplifting advice ive had so far

[isitherpes]

UPDATE: Please Help Im Really Freaking Out!

All this stuff from the summer had seem to blow over for the most part, i was still experiencing pain but less severe and the little spot never went away which told me its not herpes because its been there for 8 months and hasnt changed. what has me concerned is that two weeks ago i developed what looked like a huge pimple on the base of my penis shaft. it has gotten a lot smaller but is still there after 2 weeks and it hurts very bad to the point that its hard to even take my mind off of it. My question is, Are there any symptoms specific to herpes that would let me know if this is just a painful pesky pimple, or something much worse?

the time line is basically this:
april 17 (8 months ago) i had unprotected oral sex once with no sex before or since
May 10ish (3 weeks later) i noticed a small bump on my penis associated with frequent pain and became concerned
May-July I saw three doctors, one of them a (extremely unhelpful) urologist, all three said it did not look like herpes, no tests were done i was told not to worry
December 18 (2 weeks ago today) i see huge pimple on my penis and since then have been unsure if it is a really painful pimple or genital herpes

Please help if you can