Do I have something?

[Scurred101]

Hello Dr.

Forgive me for the long description of my story...About 6 months ago I met a girl at a bar and she took me home that night and we engaged in unprotected sex for about 2 minutes before I realized how stupid I was and I stopped. I didn't even shower until the next day. I barely knew this girl and unfortunately I was dating someone at the same time who I didn't want to pass anything to. About 10 days after I felt a somewhat tingling sensation near my urethra that lasted about 3-4 days but didn't hurt. Around the same time I had a bad case of the flu and I was getting a weird tingling sensation in my lower back and had a tiny little pimple like thing on the head of my penis which I thought was just a pimple.

So, I went to the STD clinic and was tested for Chlamydia and Ghonorreah..both negative. Later tested for Sypillis at 6 weeks negative and HIV at 3 months negative. I was really concerned about herpes because of the symptoms I was having...no other sores that I could remember and no sores that hurt. I asked the clinician about herpes and she said that she was pretty confident that I didn't have it...She didn't do a culture and thought that maybe it was yeast or a fungal infection. About 2 months later I got another bump not as much like a pimple but more like a  blister like white bump in the pubic area which I popped and it didn't hurt. It kind of looked like a small ulcer but healed up within a couple of days with no pain and seemed like a hair came up from it. The pubic area itched a little as well. This too worried me because I thought maybe it was just an ingrown hair but it seemed like I had all the initial symptoms like the flu like/fever feelings and the weird tingling feeling in my back and legs which lasted a few days.

So, to make a long story short...I don't know what to do because I don't know if I have the virus and I definitely don't want to spread it to my girlfriend. The girl i slept with "insists" that she doesn't have anything but I don't believe her. She was pretty angry when I approached her about it and told me she went to a clinc and had a swab culture done and that she was negative on all STDs. I don't think she even got tested but that's beside the point. I honestly feel like I have something and it's bugging me so much that I need to know what/if anything it is. Everything has changed...all of a sudden my joints were killing me for about 2 weeks straight, I was very tired for about a month straight, and my stools/bowel systems have completely changed (pretty gross sorry). So my questions are...

1. In your honest opinion, without visual support, do you think I might have genital herpes from what I described?

2. Do you think I can be confident with what the clinician said about me not having herpes or should/can I get a blood test?

3. What do you think about my bowel changes?

4. Is there anything else I should get checked for?

5. Are my syphillis/HIV results accurate?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your initial symptoms clearly were not due to herpes or any STD, and neither are the joint pain, tiredness, or your intestintal symptoms.  No STD causes those things.  Conceivably the pimple that became an ulcer could be due to herpes, except herpes outbreaks are not common in the pubic (hair-bearing) area; usually they are on the penis.  To your specific questions:

1,2) I agree with your clinician that herpes is unlikely.  However, herpes can be highly atypical.  The only way to know for sure is to have a blood test.

3) I have no opinion about the bowel changes, except they are not due to herpes or any other STD.  You need to discuss this with your clinician, but it has nothing to do with your sexual encounter.

4) You don't need to be checked for any other STDs.

5)  Yes, your syphilis and HIV test results are completely reliable.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[Scurred101]

Thanks for the prompt reply doc,

What do you think about the fact that I had the flu like feelings around the same time and weird tingling feeling in my back? I've read that those are reliable indicators/symptoms of initial herpes outbreak. I've also read that herpes can be easily mistaken for such things as achne (acne) and yeast. And to add to my original post..the first little pimple was on the head of the penis and the last blister I told you about was in the pubic area...doesn't is usually reoccur in the same location? I am going mad over this!!!

Thanks again.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I missed that you had a penile lesion as well as one in the pubic area.  Recurrent herpes typically is in the same location each time, but recurrences often are at different places than the initial infection.  With a penile "pimple", herpes seems more likely.  Have a blood test; or if you get another genital lesion, see a health care provider immediately (within 1-2 days) for diagnostic evaluation.  However, despite what you might have read, the other symptoms you describe are not typical of herpes or any other STD.

HHH, MD

[Scurred101]

Doc,

I don't get it now...First, you said that my symptoms were not due to herpes and now you say that the little pimple that I had on the tip of my penis which never turned into an ulcer was almost definitely herpes. I just scheduled a blood test but now I'm really nervous because now I'm banking on the fact that I actually have it. I'm just confused why the clinician wouldn't have checked it a little better. Was it really that easy to get herpes from a girl in like 2 minutes of unprotected sex?

Thanks.

[Scurred101]

That was me that posted that last comment doc...I don't know why it was under that other name...please help!!!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

What's not to get?  Where does "almost definitely" herpes come from???  The strongest statement I made was "seems more likely", which is pretty wishy-washy (as I intended).

I cannot help further.  Have the blood test and discuss the result with your provider.

HHH, MD

[Scurred101]

Hey Doc,

I had one final question...So, I went to get my herpes blood test and over the past couple of days my penis and genital area has felt almost raw or like it burns but I still don't see any blisters or lesions. Also, my stomach and area above my penis (probably where the glands are) has been pretty sore. Do you think this suggests herpes? I've heard that it can be present without any lesions and can almost be like a rash. My penis does burn almost like an annoyance. What do you think?

Thanks

[who_is_this]

He's not going to answer again, most likely.  You will have your answer with the blood test results soon enough.

[Scurred101]

I figured as much...I wish someone that knew a little bit about this would answer me. I feel like I'm so alone and I don't know what to do...

[Scurred101]

Please answer DOC!

I made a donation...now I'm just asking for your professional opinion so I can procede. Please. Like I said before, over the past 10 days I have had tingling and slight pain inside my penis...tingling is near the urethra. If almost feels as if I have to pea something out. Also, I had substantial burning in the genital area along with very sore testicles for a day or two. I'm concerned about Trich. Does this sound like Trich? I've read that these exact symptoms could suggest it and that it's hard to diagnose. My clinician didn't even know what it could be when I mentioned the tingling but he did agree that I had some sort of infection and very little discharge. Please, doc...I've been tested for virtually everything else all negative. - Clinician told me that maybe it could have been warts in the urethra. Urologist told me it was a very slim chance I got anything from a 2 minuted unprotected encounter. I'm lost and I really need your help so I can feel "normal" again. Hope you have the heart to answer this time rather than just erase my question. We'll see.

Scurred.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I guess you're the same person with 2 usernames (?).

Trich is believed to usually go away by itself, usually well before 6 months.  Tingling without discharge usually is due to anxiety, not an STD.  You have seen providers who apparently cannot find anything wrong.  The only thing I can advise is that if you're not convinced, visit your local health department STD clinic first thing in the morning; avoid fluids the night before and be seen before you urinate the first time.  They will know how to determine once and for all whether there is an infection in your urethra that might explain your symptoms.  You should expect that they will find nothing wrong.  When that happens, you'll probably just have to live with the symptom, knowing that it doesn't mean anything that will ever harm you or a sex partner.

Here is something I have posted in several other threads.  It might apply to you:

"It is a fact of life that human beings get various aches and pains. Out of the blue there is knee pain, a headache, abdominal discomfort, a stich in the side, tingling down a leg. Sometimes such problems are continuing or recurrent, yet no specific cause ever is found and clearly no important infection or disease is present.

Why should the genital area be any different? Not every symptom means disease. People with such symptoms of course should see a health care provider. But when a comprehensive evaluation comes up with no good explanation, and if the symptoms persist after treatment of the potential infectious causes, it is wrong to assume a serious health problem. Just as some people have to learn to live with unexplained but benign headaches or abdominal pain, others have to live with unexplained genital symptoms.

Our genitals have a special place in our psyches, and unexplained discomfort can be harder to ignore than a painful joint or even a headache. But the principle holds. It's fine to look for harmless things that might help control symptoms. But potentially harmful treatments (e.g., repeated high doses of antibiotics, potent pain controllers) make no sense, and doctor-shopping (or internet shopping) for different answers is fruitless."

I won't have any further advice or comments for you.  Best wishes--

HHH, MD

[Scurred101]

Doc,

Ok. So, thank you for replying to my last message...Over the span of 3 weeks I've had 2 herpes blood tests from different doctors both HerpesSelect. The first one was 5 months post exposure and the 2nd test was 5 3/4 months post exposure. Both tests came back positive for HSV1 (which I figured since I've had cold sores my whole life) and negative for HSV2. Now, I've heard that there can be false negatives for HSV2. PLEASE!!! tell me that I can rely on the negative HSV2 results and just put this problem out of my life that has troubled me for 6 months now. Are those results accurate? Am I indeed HSV2 negative or do I have to sit around and wait to see if I ever have a true outbreak? Because I really haven't...just the initial flu symptoms, the burning in the genital area, the tingling in the urethra for 10 days, etc, etc. but no real blisters or lesions. I don't know what to do anymore. So many different doctors have told me so many different things...at this point, I just want to know that it's NOT HSV2. Please tell me it's not doc.

Thank you so much!!!

Scurred