Everythings fine ... but ....

Hi doctor.

I'm 26/Male/Asian. Unfortunately like most of the STD/HIV related letters you get, I too had a brief encounter with a female (who I suspect is quite active in sex) .. Otherwise I wouldn't be posting this ..

I had protected sex on October 11th, 2008. About 10 days later I felt a bit dizzy and and also had burning sensation while urinating. The first thing that came to my mind was "It's sexually related". I have a bit of hypertension (It runs in the family), so I started reading articles on the internet and came across a lot of them, which were totally irrelevant, but every symptom that I read stayed in my mind. What happened afterwards is that my mind started playing tricks on me ...

I had some of the following STD/HIV symptoms : Headache, Sore throat, Dizziness, Nausea

I had seen a general practitioner on week-2 after the incident. He had prescribed me Cifran (Ciprofloxacin) 500mg and asked me to take it twice everyday for 3 days. Soon after the course of the medicine, I felt much better and the UTI was completely gone. The only thing still remaining was the Headache, Sore throat, Dizziness and Nausea.

After 7 weeks, I again visited a general practitioner(20 years experience). Told him about my sore throat, dizziness, nausea and headache and he had a look. I told him that I felt my penis was looking a bit swallon/the urethra opening was a bit bigger than usual. He had a look and said everything is normal. (Like I said, it could be my mind playing tricks on me) .. He also asked me to see a ENT Specialist for the throat pain.

I took an appointment the same day with and ENT (25 years experience). He had a look and found out that there is a bit of a bulge on the bottom-right of my throat. Although he had a look and said there was noting unusual, he asked me to do a CBC with differential along with a ESR test. He asked me to get the results the next day, but I was scared. Thought I'll get it from him on my next appointment after a week. He also prescribed me Cataflam 50mg and Amoxillin 500mg (Cataflam - 5 days twice a day, Amoxillin - 7 days twice a day).

Went back to see him after a week. Test results came back perfectly normal. At this point, I was a bit relieved since WBC level was perfectly normal after 7 weeks !!

Now, after 2 months and 6 days, my headache is completely gone .. My throat pain is completely gone .. My dizziness is completely gone and I don't feel nausea at all ... I should be the happiest person in the world .. but .. I have 3 new problems ..

1. Every time I hold something tight, my palm appears really red and then certain parts on my palm start itching and comes up as a itchy bulge for sometime.

2. I have swollen lips for sometime after I wake up in the morning .. Sometimes upper, sometimes lower and my gums itch once in a while while my lips are swollen. My tongue seems to pain a bit too, but there are no color changes or sores.

3. Rashes on both my elbows (Which I applied Betasone cream for 4 days continious). The rashes are completely gone now.

My main concern now is, is this reaction because of the Amoxillin I had taken since I have come across many articles about the side effects of amoxillin and these 3 side-effects seem to be listed.

Also, should I be concerned about STD's, since I have read that Ciprofloxacin is the medicine they prescribe for gonorrhea and chlamydia. I also had Amoxillin (which has got Penicillin) which is used to treat syphillis (syphilis). At the moment, I feel as normal as I could be.

All this started with the UTI soon after the sexual encounter that got me worried ever since !! Although I was drunk the night this happened, I remember quite well that the condom did not break and it did not slip. Should I be worried, or is it just my mind playing tricks on me?

[Vance2335]

This is not the Dr's site, but I can try to help. Never assume that a woman is very sexually active because she might be at home thinking the same thig about you and worried what did you give her.

You had protected sex, it means you are basically at little to no risk of catching a STD.

If you were not tested for an STD I see no reason for your Dr to prescribe medication unless he thought that you had something else.

Your symptoms then and now are not STD related. I go along with your Dr that it is your mind that is running wild.

[Jeyk]

Hi Vance. Thanks a lot for your help. I guess I'll have to pay to get an answer from the doctor.

I think most of my reaction is mainly anxiety related. It was the same when I was feeling dizzy. I felt dizzy for about a month and then decided not to believe I feel dizzy. Guess what ... I'm not dizzy anymore !!

Let's see the other replies that I get ..

Thanks once again Vance ..

[Vance2335]

Yep if you want to ask the Dr's a question you do have to pay.

[Jeyk]

Thanks Vance.

Why do you think I might be having pain in my tongue (since yesterday). Is it STD related? I do not have any pimples on my tongue .. red or white .. It's just paining at certain spots ..

[Vance2335]

Pain on your tongue has nothing to do with an STD.
From time to time the body just hurts and there is no cause or reason for it. I know from time to time my leg will hurt for a while. No reason, no past injury just a dull pain to it.

[Jeyk]

What about HIV?

[Vance2335]

HIV question because of pain on your tongue? Come on

[Vance2335]

I did not mean to come off sounding mean, but making a jump from a painful tongue to HIV is like jumping across a very wide river...it just shouldn't happen.

[Jeyk]

Thank Vance. I was just concerned. It kinda happens when your mind plays around with you !!

Just out of curiosity ... Although I used protection, why do you think I got a UTI after 10 days .. Was I just over reacting to the whole situation or did I really have a problem (which was cured after taking the medications)?

Frankly speaking, it was the sore-throat, headache, dizziness and nausea that totally freaked me out !! All these are symptoms related to STD ...

[Vance2335]

UTI's are caused by several different things and probably unrelated to your protected experience. Sometimes things just happen.

Headache, dizziness and nausea are symptoms of many things. I bet you can find that they are symptoms of cancer too. And it doesn't mean you have cancer or should be worried about it.

[Jeyk]

Hi Vance.

I have a few questions regarding regarding some recent symptoms I've had :

1. I have swollen lips(up or down) once in a while .. This could be when I wake up in the morning or simply when I think about it. Do you think this is a reaction of any of the medicines I took earlier?

2. My urethra opening looks swollen as well. It's been like that ever since the first time I had a UTI, 2 months back.

Thank you

[auntiejessi]

1 - We can't address that, and if you think it has to do with your meds, call your doctor.

2 - You also need to see your doctor about that.  It might be anxiety - its not common for a meatus to be swollen, and many guys think it is when they are very anxious - but see your doctor to make sure.

Aj

[Jeyk]

Hi. Thank you for your reply.

About the meds .. Like I had mentioned, it was taken about a month back and not recently.

Please read my initial mail posted on Dec 17th.

Thank you.

[auntiejessi]

I already read your initial post.  You asked about the meds.  You wouldn't be getting any kind of reaction from it this far out, but since you are concerned, you need to check with your doctor.

I was responding to your question, and stated that we don't address that here in this forum.

I'm not sure what else you need.  You don't need to worry about stds - you used a condom.  You don't mention that it broke or came off, so STDs aren't a concern for you.  Did you also get oral sex?  If you did, you need some testing, but if it was just protected sex, your symptoms aren't from an std.

Aj

[Jeyk]

Hi Aj.

Well .. The only other physical contact we had was a bit of kissing .. Just simple kissing 2-3 times that lasted 2-3 seconds each ..

That's the only contact I had besides the protected sex ..

[auntiejessi]

Then you don't have anything to worry about as far as STDs go.  Follow up with your doctor regarding your symptoms.

Aj

[Jeyk]

I do have one doubt regarding what you had mentioned in the post "inside with condom". You said that "None of the symptoms you've listed in my previous threads, with the exception of burning with urination, are related to an std" ..

I have read many articles by STD and HIV experts that dizziness, sore-throat, headache etc are some of the symptoms of STD or early symptoms of HIV. I've had all 3 that I mentioned.

I'm still surprised that you said none of symptoms I mentioned are related to STD/HIV .. Please clarify if I'm wrong ..

[auntiejessi]

This is the STD forum.  We don't really address HIV symptoms.

That said, those aren't really typically new HIV symptoms, and you can't base an HIV fear on symptoms alone.  

There is NO std that would cause dizziness.  Perhaps an oral std might give you a sore throat, but most oral infections are asymptomatic.

You had protected sex and a few seconds of kissing.  You are not at risk.  I can't, and won't, say that again.  If you have medical concerns, see your doctor, but these are not std symptoms, because you can't have an std.

Aj

[Jeyk]

Hi AJ.

What do you think is the reason I am having some kind of a skin problem. This started after the medication I had taken during my initial stages.

I usually get swelling on my upper lip when I wake up in the morning .. This isn't regular. Only sometimes .. Could also be on the lower lip. Sometimes stays for a few hours and disappears or rarely for the whole day.

I also get these itchy bumps, that usually look like a mosquito bite .. Not as a pimple .. But as a map .. And that portion of the skin would be bulging .. Only irritation is itching .. No pain ..

From the research I have done on the internet, my assumption is that it's hives. It's been exactly 3 months since my exposure and I have taken antibiotics and have done CBC with differential and ESR test (almost a month and half back).

Is this by any chance a sign of STD or HIV?

Thank you.

[auntiejessi]

Last time - its not being caused by an std or HIV.

It could easily be hives, but that's something you need to see your doctor about.  Hives can be caused by stress, by the way.

AJ

[Jeyk]

Thank you AJ.

Also wanted to know .. Is it by any chance a symptom .. STD/HIV related .. ALthough it might not be in my case ..

[auntiejessi]

No.

Aj

[Jeyk]

Hey AJ. It's me again and I'm sure you'd be saying .. not you again .. but symptoms symptoms symptoms ...

Well .. At the moment .. I seem to be having skin inflammation. Inflammation on wrist, below abdomen, sometimes on thigh and the usual upper lip swelling.

I have read in different websites that skin inflammation is something associated with HIV. I would again like to remind you that this too started after taking amoxillin (have read in other forums that amoxillin can have long term side-effects).

Could you clarify me on this please.

[gracefromHHP]

Not everything is caused by std's. At this point you need to be following up on this with your doctor and/or a dermatologist to see what is going on.  Nothing we can do here can replace being actually seen and examined by a trained medical practioner. You have had MULTIPLE concerns now, you've been reassured MULTIPLE times now.    You've also been told that this board is not for hiv related concerns ( as it plainly states at the top of this forum ) but yet you still continue to ask questions about if everything you find going on is due to hiv.  At this point you've pretty much exhausted the resources of an online message board and need to be following up all of this with your provider.

grace

[Jeyk]

Is early morning lip swelling (i.e. after I wake up) an STD?

[gracefromHHP]

No it is not. If your lip is swelling when you wake up, you need to follow up on it with your doctor.

grace

[Jeyk]

Thank you Grace. I know this question is going to bother you since I know its the wrong community I'm posting it .. But the last time I posted it in the HIV and Dermatology community, I never got a response ...

You mentioned that lip swelling when you wake up in the morning is not related to STD .. But since you have read a lot in the forums and have discussed with a lot of people regarding their health concerns, would you by any chance know if its HIV related .. I have read in some discussions that it is immunity related reaction ..

Thank you.

[auntiejessi]

You didn't get an answer in derm, but you never posted your own question in the HIV forum.  You posted on someone's thread that was over a year old, and just asked if they knew what happened in the end.

This is not the forum for HIV questions.  You are not at risk for HIV - you used a condom.

I advised you on Dec. 27, Dec. 28, Jan 4, Jan 12 that this was NOT HIV or an STD, and that you needed to follow up with your doctor.   Grace advised the same on Jan 23 and today.  Vance told you several times that it wasn't std or HIV related.

6 times we have said to go to your doctor, and this is the 28th post in this thread.  Enough already.  We have done all we can for you - its on you now.

End of thread.