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STDs (Expert Forum)
Is this herpes?
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
Welcome to the STD Forum, which is intended only for questions and support pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital warts, trichomonas, other vaginal infections, nongonoccal urethritis (NGU), cervicitis, molluscum contagiosum, chancroid, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
Is this herpes?
by iwonderwhy, Sep 17, 2007 11:43AM
Hi Doc,
Three years ago now, I lost my virginity, unprotected, to a girl I was seeing at the time. We were both intoxicated, and due to that, I could not keep an erection, so the total time of penetration was probably less than two minutes.
About a week after that I started burning and tingling in my genitals, which gave way to itching and rash that lasted for probably six weeks before I went to my urologist. He looked at me down there and told me I had jock itch and possibly a yeast infection. He told me to get some medicated powder for jock itch and athlete's foot, and also prescribed me Diflucan to treat yeast. Sure enough, the powder knocked out my itch and all seemed to be well for a few days. Then, oddly, I noticed a small red bump under the head of my penis, on the shaft. It did not hurt at all, and it cleared up in a few days, although to this day, if I look closely enough, I can tell where it was, as it left a little mark on my skin. It never broke open or scabbed over or anything.
Although the spot cleared up, my penis on the right side of the shaft felt irritated, like it was raw all the time. This bothered me for months. I did see my general M.D. in that time and he gave me some steroid cream that helped some, but still had underlying rawness and irritation.
Almost a year after the encounter that started this, and having experienced irritation and rawness for a year, I made an appointment with another urologist and explained everything in detail to him. He said it did not sound like herpes and that I would KNOW if I had herpes and he told me in fact, that there was no known STD that produced the symptoms that I described over that long period of time. He told me to keep my hair trimmed down there and that would help any itching or tingling.
Almost immediately after talking to him, like the next day, things seemed to improve. In fact, I wasn't irritated or raw, and I didn't itch or tingle. This continued for a couple of years, until a month ago or so. I seemed to itch a little down there along with a little tingling centered around my testicle area, and the last week or so, my penis has been a little bit tender or irritated in the same place as 3 years prior. I have been putting the anti-bacterial powder on again and it seems to help. I also have trimmed really well again and that seems to help the itching, although it still bothers me some.
Doc, what I am worried about is wondering if this might be herpes? The only thing that is confusing is that I've read that herpes sypmtoms don't last as long as my symptoms lasted before. Although, I have no idea what is going on. I do think it has to be linked to that one night of sexual activity, short in duration as it was, because outside of prostatitis, which I suffered with for a year prior to my sexual encounter, I had never had any problems whatsoever. I am 32 years old now. I must say also, that I never in any of this time have noticed any ulcerations or blister-like sores on my genitals associated with extreme herpes cases.
Do these symptoms sound like herpes or any STD you know of? I know the tingling and itching can be symptoms, but they seem to last way too long for what I've read about for episodes of herpes.
I am to the point of going to the doctor again and getting a blood test for herpes. I have not had sex since then, but if I do have something, I know the responsible thing to do is to know about it, and be able to let someone else know up front.
Doc, any information or advice you can give me would be appreciated.
Three years ago now, I lost my virginity, unprotected, to a girl I was seeing at the time. We were both intoxicated, and due to that, I could not keep an erection, so the total time of penetration was probably less than two minutes.
About a week after that I started burning and tingling in my genitals, which gave way to itching and rash that lasted for probably six weeks before I went to my urologist. He looked at me down there and told me I had jock itch and possibly a yeast infection. He told me to get some medicated powder for jock itch and athlete's foot, and also prescribed me Diflucan to treat yeast. Sure enough, the powder knocked out my itch and all seemed to be well for a few days. Then, oddly, I noticed a small red bump under the head of my penis, on the shaft. It did not hurt at all, and it cleared up in a few days, although to this day, if I look closely enough, I can tell where it was, as it left a little mark on my skin. It never broke open or scabbed over or anything.
Although the spot cleared up, my penis on the right side of the shaft felt irritated, like it was raw all the time. This bothered me for months. I did see my general M.D. in that time and he gave me some steroid cream that helped some, but still had underlying rawness and irritation.
Almost a year after the encounter that started this, and having experienced irritation and rawness for a year, I made an appointment with another urologist and explained everything in detail to him. He said it did not sound like herpes and that I would KNOW if I had herpes and he told me in fact, that there was no known STD that produced the symptoms that I described over that long period of time. He told me to keep my hair trimmed down there and that would help any itching or tingling.
Almost immediately after talking to him, like the next day, things seemed to improve. In fact, I wasn't irritated or raw, and I didn't itch or tingle. This continued for a couple of years, until a month ago or so. I seemed to itch a little down there along with a little tingling centered around my testicle area, and the last week or so, my penis has been a little bit tender or irritated in the same place as 3 years prior. I have been putting the anti-bacterial powder on again and it seems to help. I also have trimmed really well again and that seems to help the itching, although it still bothers me some.
Doc, what I am worried about is wondering if this might be herpes? The only thing that is confusing is that I've read that herpes sypmtoms don't last as long as my symptoms lasted before. Although, I have no idea what is going on. I do think it has to be linked to that one night of sexual activity, short in duration as it was, because outside of prostatitis, which I suffered with for a year prior to my sexual encounter, I had never had any problems whatsoever. I am 32 years old now. I must say also, that I never in any of this time have noticed any ulcerations or blister-like sores on my genitals associated with extreme herpes cases.
Do these symptoms sound like herpes or any STD you know of? I know the tingling and itching can be symptoms, but they seem to last way too long for what I've read about for episodes of herpes.
I am to the point of going to the doctor again and getting a blood test for herpes. I have not had sex since then, but if I do have something, I know the responsible thing to do is to know about it, and be able to let someone else know up front.
Doc, any information or advice you can give me would be appreciated.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Sep 17, 2007 12:39PM
, Sep 17, 2007 12:39PM
No STD causes the symptoms you describe, and certainly herpes does not; I agree exactly with what the urologist told you. Genital area itching, without obvious dermatitis, is a classical symptom of genitally focused anxiety. If your symptoms have anything to do with the sexual event you describe, that's all it is--anxiety over the event.
I don't recommend HSV testing. Even if the results are totally negative, it still might not relieve your fears, and there simply is no chance that herpes explains your symptoms. If you were to have a positive test result for either HSV-2 (which is virtually impossible) or HSV-1 (50:50 chance), it would only mean you have asymptomatic HSV plus some other cause of your symptoms. But it's fine with me if you want to request a blood test.
Finally, I don't understand the advice to keep shaved as a way of preventing genital area itching; I never heard of such a thing. If anything, I would suspect the opposite, with repeated shaving simply reinforcing the itchiness.
Rather than HSV testing, a far more productive use of your time, energy and money would be to first see a dermatologist to be sure there is no other ongoing skin condition; and then, if that doesn't provide a clear answer, seek professional counseling--not because I know your symptoms are primarily psychological, but because it is at least a possiblity, and that's the way to find out. I suggest it out of compassion, not criticism.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
I don't recommend HSV testing. Even if the results are totally negative, it still might not relieve your fears, and there simply is no chance that herpes explains your symptoms. If you were to have a positive test result for either HSV-2 (which is virtually impossible) or HSV-1 (50:50 chance), it would only mean you have asymptomatic HSV plus some other cause of your symptoms. But it's fine with me if you want to request a blood test.
Finally, I don't understand the advice to keep shaved as a way of preventing genital area itching; I never heard of such a thing. If anything, I would suspect the opposite, with repeated shaving simply reinforcing the itchiness.
Rather than HSV testing, a far more productive use of your time, energy and money would be to first see a dermatologist to be sure there is no other ongoing skin condition; and then, if that doesn't provide a clear answer, seek professional counseling--not because I know your symptoms are primarily psychological, but because it is at least a possiblity, and that's the way to find out. I suggest it out of compassion, not criticism.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
