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HPV or something else? Going crazy :(

Hi Everyone,

I'll try and make this as short as possible...

I'm now nearly 30 years old, but when I was about 23, I had an enlarged bump I noticed on the underside of penis (I'm uncircumcised) beneath the foreskin.  I went to a dermatologist and had it removed, they biopsied it and confirmed it was HPV.  I obviously was devastated knowing I had an STD.

Anyway, I went back to the doctor for a follow up about 6 months after, and they didn't notice anything additional.  I was told that while technically it's a virus, your body has a way of clearing it from the body to the point where it's no longer detectable and that I wouldn't have an obligation to tell future partners.

Fast forward many years (maybe 25/26 or so) and I went to a different dermatologist because of some very small (and I mean REALLY small) bumps on the one side of penis (outer foreskin this time, entirely different area).  She said it looked more like hair follicles than anything, and I can honestly say they do look exactly like hair follicles when compared to the hair follicles at the base of my penis.  As a precautionary measure, I asked her to freeze them, which she did, and while they became somewhat red for a day or two, they remained exactly the same.  No better or worse.  As I said, I'm now almost 30, in a monogamous relationship and until recently, didn't think twice about it.  I told my partner I had HPV and she was obviously taken back and I feel dirtier than ever :(. I used to be promiscuous, but have made an effort over the past couple of years to better myself and have not repeated the same behavior.  I'm just upset this is now haunting me...

My questions are as follows:
1. Does the above sound as though it's HPV?  Based on the location, I find it hard to believe it could be a hair follicle, but have been taking the advice of my doctors.
2. I've read that genital warts typically go away on their own, and this usually happens in 6 months to a year.  Given it's been several years with no change, is this indicative of a different type of skin disorder?  I've had unprotected sex since first being diagnosed and none of my partners ever indicated anything abnormal from a pap smear, etc.
3. If it is indeed genital warts, are they still contagious since it's been so long?  Or do they eventually lose their contagious qualities after a period of time?
4. I've been having unprotected sex with my partner for several months, is it likely that if she contracted it that it would A. show up on her next pap smear and B. potentially be much worse for her?  The one thing I was told was that the type that I have is not the high risk type, but didn't know if my partner would be at risk for having a much worse outbreak of it if she indeed get it from me.
5. If it i indeed HPV and even though we've been having unprotected sex, is it possible that she didn't contract anything from me?  I've scheduled a follow up appointment with my dermatologist in about a week and plan to use condoms between now and then.

As I said, I'm a mental wreck over this.  My girlfriend said that prior to getting into our relationship, she had gotten tested and everything was normal and that if she has gotten HPV, she would've gotten it from me.  I'd feel awful if I did this to her out of me being ignorant and am trying to do the right thing.  

One other thing to note was I did the vinegar test with myself and the color remained the same (pink/fleshy) and didn't turn white.  Don't know if this means anything, but thought I'd include that.

Thank you to anyone who's able to help me get some peace of mind.  I really appreciate it.

-Buster



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Avatar universal
5. If it i indeed HPV and even though we've been having unprotected sex, is it possible that she didn't contract anything from me?

A: It is impossible that she did not contract it from you, but I also agree with bluedog in that it is also possible that she did get it from someone else too. Another strain perhaps. If she has been sexually active and has had sex with 5 men before you, she has a 100% chance of having it before she met you. Each partner is a 20% risk.
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Avatar universal
I think its sweet that you care about this so much.

Usually with hpv warts, they look like cauliflower. Sometimes they are very very small that you can hardly see unless the doctor puts vinegar on it. That is what happened to me. My doctor didn't believe me cause it was too small to see with his eyes and even agued with me about it. He finally looked under a microscope and said I was right.

If you have some sort of magnifying mirror (maybe your girlfriend does) you can try to use that to see it a little better. If it doesn't resemble cauliflower that it's probably something else.
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Avatar universal
relax buddy, you sound worse then me, they don't sound like hpv. especialy if she froze them already and nothing happens. sounds like you gave yourself freezer brn for no reason. As for your gf, why would you tell her after 25 years? it should not effect her, also shes full of crap, if she has slep with more then 2 people she has a 75% chance shes got one strain of hpv she just hasn't had any symptoms which is good. Tell her not to be so rude about it and do her research. we all make istakes at least your owning up to yours
Helpful - 0

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