Help, am I paranoid?

[dustitch]

I live in California and was diagnosed with NGU (Chlamydia and/or gonorrhea) on November 25th and was given a 7 day treatment of doxycycline and another drug which I do not remember something like ofloxacin.

After my treatment, I still had some pain (Always in between the anus and the penis never in the testicles or elsewhere) but no more discharge, I went back to my doctor and was given a single dose treatment of Azithromycin and a shot which I do not know what was in.

8 days passed and I still had a small pain in between the anus and the penis but no more discharge. On the 9th day after my second treatment I think I had a small discharge but I am not sure and the pain was a bit stronger. I went back to my doctor and followed a treatment of 500mg of Erythromycin 4 times per day for 11 days.

I am now on the twelve's day and I still have a small pain/disconfort in between the anus and the penis. I read it can be from just inflamation (inflammation) of the prostate gland but I am starting to panic and I feel a few sting (a few times throughout the day) on the tip of my penis. It may be psychological but it is there.

Is it possible my treatments haven't killed Chlamydia/Gonorrhea? Can I have something else? Is the pain normal and going away in the near future? Show I see my doctor again.

Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The treatments you have had definitely would have cured gonorrhea or chlamydia, and I do not have a good explanation for the pain you describe.  However, it is normal for any injured body part to be painful from time to time (sometimes continuously) after the problem has healed by all standard measures.  For example, a person who sprains an ankle may have residual pain months after the ankle has healed; or someone who had an ulcer may have ulcer-like abdominal pain long after the ulcer heals.  The same is true of the genital tract and probably explains some cases of persisting pain, discomfort, or other irritative symptoms following various STDs.  Many urologists and other specialists use the term "male pelvic pain syndrome"; sometimes it is due to prostate gland infection, but most often no infection can be found and antibiotic treatment doesn't help.

Most likely it will fade with time, but see your doctor if pain continues beyond a few weeks, or if other definite symptoms of infection appear (cloudy or yellowish penile discharge, burning on urination, fever, blood in urine, etc).  Or if you're just in doubt and would like further reassurance.  But in the meantime, it is unlikely there is anything serious going on either for your health or that of your current or future sex partners.

Good luck--  HHH, MD