A follow up with you.

Hello.  I have learned a lot on this forum and from your answers to my questions several months ago.  I have read your many HPV responses so hopefully I will be targetted in my questions.

History:

Jan-Feb 2004 exposed to genital warts.  May 2005 noticed a few small bumps at the base and side of my shaft.  They didn't even seem like warts and I ignored them and eventually picked at them until they were gone.  I went to a urologist in the summer of 2004 and he didn't see anything, but I had just picked them off earlier.  Some point later in the summer they returned, again very small, just not wart like.  I ignored them.  I wasn't dating and believed I was not even infected.  In March of this year, I went to my dermatologist to just make sure.  He said they could be warts, he said lets find out for sure and did a biopsy and they were warts.  He froze another 3-4 suspect bumps as well.  I followed up in April with him and he froze another suspect site.  My instructions were to follow up as needed, but to overall not worry.

Since late April I have not had anything like what was treated.  I had a follow up a few weeks ago and the dermatologist said a few things 1) I am probably over this 2)Have fun and be safe with my partners and 3) Its up to me, but he doesn't feel its needed for me to inform my partners of this.

As stated, over the last 4 months I have not had anything like that of what I was originally treated for.  But I do have a few concerns.  Over the past few months I will every now and then get maybe the tiniest of bumps, practically the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen, very small.  I typically ignore them or I can actually pick/scratch them off.  I was able to show one to the dermatologist once, he said probably not a wart but a little suspect.  I do have the habit of applying vinegar to anything suspect and generally things don't react to it, but two times this summer two of these tiny spots did react a bit.  

Its been 19 months from initial exposure, 15 months from first symptoms.  I did have overt warts for sure as recently as April 1 2005 when they were removed.  My doctor feels HPV like this is harmless and he just feels its nothing to even think about.

So where am I with this in your opinion at this point?  I am athletic, very healthy 28 year old male.  Its just confusing, the girl that I caught it from was symptom free within 4 months.  I understand reaction/"cure" times vary, but I have to be at the far far end of that curve by now.

Looking forward to your comments.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I really can't speculate on what you might have; I doubt it is an STD other than warts--but whether or not you have persisent or recurrent warts simply isn't possible for me to tell from your description. It sounds like you have a dermatologist who understands HPV/Warts.  You should follow up with him/her.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

HHH, MD

[345medhelpFAN]

Thank you.  I believe as does the dermatologist that nothing is going on (other STDs), but if there is then its still warts.  I was hoping you could also comment on the duration of this HPV infection, its been 15-18 months depending on when you start measuring.  Thank you again.

[SunnyTriangle]

Dr. Handsfield your name comes up quite a bit on all the HPV supports groups across the internet... all good stuff! :)  But someone in a recent post said that you "weren't up to date with the most current HPV news", I was wondering what you do to keep up with all the latest technologies, studies, DNA test, seminars etc.  Cheers!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Oh, everything from daily conversations with colleagues, literature reading (mostly reviews, not primary research), and the like.  Important new knowledge about HPV gets disseminated quite rapidly among people immersed in the STD field.  Anybody can miss or misinterpret new knowledge, but the error doesn't usually persist very long among people who are pretty well immersed in the field.   Still, HPV is complex and as you well know, there are many unknowns, and most new research raises more questios than answers.  Which in turn means there are wide ranges of opinion and belief, so that experts' advice an and does differ.

HHH, MD

[HHH,MD]

Last line is supposed to say "advice and opinions" often differ from one another.

HHH, MD

[345medhelpFAN]

Sorry to bother you...my comment my have got lost in all the threads...I probably said to much, but I was really hoping for your take on the duration.  Thanks.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Since I'm not sure what you have, I can't speculate on the duration.  Your statement that you "have not had anything like what was treated" suggests that you don't have persistent warts--but you'll need to rely on your own provider for diagnosis.  If you indeed have warts, 19 months is an unusually long duration.  If the lesions are warts, you probably need additional treatment.

HHH, MD