Ingrown hair or herpes or other?

[johnmiller]

Hi,

Last Sunday I noticed a small red irritation/bump on the shaft of my penis near the base.  By Monday it had swollen.  This continued until Wednesday night, when during my sleep a red puss discharged from the bump into my underwear.  That Thursday I showed my doctor, who said it is not herpes as it is only one bump.  Since then, it has scabbed over.   My doctor said it could be syphilis, but he tested me for that and it returned negative.  It is now still scabbed over and slightly elevated off the shaft.

Is there a chance that my doctor was incorrect in saying that it can not be herpes because it did not come in the form of several smaller bumps?  He said it is likely an ingrown hair.  A similar situation occurred four years ago, after I had shaved my pubic hair, and the doctor told me it was an ingrown hair.  I have not, however, shaved my pubic hair in the last couple of months.  I have been having sex monogamously for the last six or seven months.  

I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks.
John

[stillHurting]

It is true that herpes is typically more than one bump, but not always.  But nobody here is going to be able to disagree with your Drs assessment.  If you want to be sure, wait and take a herpes blood test in 3 months, but I'd bet a lot of money on a negative result (at least for HSV-2), or even if a positive result, that not being the explanation for your symptoms.