Inflammation of penis??

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[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Neither herpes nor any other STD causes the symptoms you describe.  The risk of STD from oral sex is very low.  Several years have passed without development of more typical symptoms or complications.  Your doctor can't find anything wrong. And your tests for all common STDs are negative.  All that adds up to absolute, unequivocal, unshakable certainty that you have no STD; your GP is right.  I cannot comment on the skin rash component; if your GP can't diagnose it, ask for referral to a dermatologist.

The rest of this message is one I have posted in response to other questioners with chronic, unexplained genital symptoms. It may 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 for genital symptoms, and if they 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 generally is fruitless."

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[ncworriedone]

I just want to say thank you to Dr. Handsfield.  I also want to let those of you who like me are terrified that they have contracted herpes or some other std from someone that he is absolutely right.  When I first posted on this site I had so many symptoms I was convinced I had herpes despite having been to numerous doctors all of whom said I didn't.  Dr. Handsfield was the first to suggest to me that it might be anxiety, stress or depression.  At that time when I read his response I thought that can't be true this pain is terrible and its real, but it has now been 16 weeks since my last possible exposure and as it turns out he was right as I had a negative herpeselect test.  My symptoms haven't gone away completely as of yet, but most of them have gone.  I still occasionaly feel a tingling sensation in penis, especially at night, but seeing as I have had symptoms now for 4 months and 4 negative herpeselect tests I am certain that it is all mental.  The pain I felt at times was intense, worse than anything I had ever experienced before, but with some help from my pcp who gave me an antidepressant and some pills to help me sleep I am doing much better.  For those of you who are in the same situation I was in, I wish you the best and hope your situation turns out like mine.   Just remember the pain is real and can be severe, but that doesn't mean that you have a disease, your body just wants to do what your mind tells it.

[mjones02]

Thanks for your response. I wish I can convince myself that it's just random pains and aches, but unfortunately the symptopms I'm experiencing are real. The inflammation is severe when I'm under stress and burn-like blisters do develop, one always reappears in the same area on the head of the penis. Since all these complications started to happen after the oral sex incident, I can't help but think it's related to that. The last thing I want to do is pass an STD on to my girlfriend.

Thanks for all your help