No definite symptoms but worried

Hi,

I am a 24 year old male, who lives in central-east europe.
I have a girlfriend more than 3 years from now, but 17 days ago I cheated on her which I instantly regretted. It happened as a brief but unprotected oral sex (just fellatio), and protected intercourse.

1) Further away from the head of my penis on my foreskin I've noticed a small 4-5mm, shiny area, which I cannot judge it was or wasn't there before. It doesn't change, getting bigger or smaller, no itching, doesn't spreding.

2) There were no times when I felt anything special during urination, but some times I've felt very slight burning after it. No itching, no discharge.
I've had some really cold nights to sleep at this time, even about 18 C degrees, so I've started again to drink very much, and had much nettle-tea and cranberry pills. Two days later I was feeling absolutely well.

3) However additionally to my "tea cure" one day I used to drink more then a 1 litre of "cleaning tea". I've noticed some pain around where my kidneys are supposed to be, mostly on right side, but sometimes on the left, never on both sides. Going on with nettle-tea only, and stopping by the "cleaning tea" it has also gone on its own.

4) I've had unprotected sex (day 7) with my girflriend. After drinking from the "cleaning tea" she behaved similar to 4), it's gone by a day. No other symptom.

5) The other girl is completely fine.

6) Now it's day 17 I've noticed in the morning that after moving around my left testicle, I can feel some slight dull pain after it. I don't feel it by just touching it, or leaving it alone.


I suspect I may or may not had NGU, but if had, it's mostly cleaned up by now.
HSV would be more likely, but the area I've noticed in 1) doesn't look and feel like one at all.

My guilt and anxiety is huge however...

What are you thinking about the possibility of STDs in the story?

(It's supposed to be more detailed, but it was originally as long as 4000 chars.)

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum. I appreciate your staying within the character limit and feel that the information you have provided is sufficient for me to comment on your risk for infection which is low.  There is virtually no risk of any STD from condom protected sex and receipt of oral sex is likewise quite low risk.  Oral sex is an inefficient way to transmit STDs.  Of the bacterial STDs only gonorrhea and nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) are transmitted through receipt of oral sex; chlamydia is not and without an obvious sore or lesion on your partner’s mouth, the chances of syphilis and herpes is likewise tiny.   If you had gotten gonorrhea or NGU you would have most likely developed symptoms of urethritis (penile infection) and the symptoms you describe are not suggestive of urethritis.  Even if your partner had an STD (any STD and it is likely she did not, particularly since she says so - most people tell the truth), most exposures do not lead to infection.

The area you describe on your foreskin does not bring any STD to mind. this may be something that has been there un-noticed before this or it may be a benign fungal skin infection.  You could have your doctor take a look but as I said, this does not sound like an STD.

The other modest symptoms you describe do not bring to mind STDs either. When persons develop symptomatic STDs, the symptoms do not come and go but persist and typically get worse with time.  My guess is that you are more aware of sensations in and around your genitals because of your guilt over this exposure and that this is the source of the symptoms you mention, not STD. If you wish, at this time you could be tested for the most common STDs (gonorrhea and NGU) that might follow such an exposure. If you do, I am confident the tests will be negative.  EWH

[casus_belli]

Thank you doctor! It means a lot to me that you are that confident.

I have one more question: are asymptomatic STDs are different versions of the same bacteria (I mean for example asymptomatic gonorrhea), or it's just a different reaction of each body per-person?

I mean, if every member of a sexual-connection graph are asymptomatic, it does neccesarily mean that we can rule out diseases which are most likely symptomatic, or could they all be infected with an asymptomatic version?

(Sorry if I couldn't express myself precisely.)

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Good question.  In most cases, asymptomatic STDs simply reflect differences in the way different people's bodies react to the bacteria, not differences in the bacteria.  For some STDs there are some strains that are a bit more likely to cause asymptomatic infection than others but even in these instnaces the majority of infections are symptomatic, particularly in men.  EWH

[casus_belli]

For the area of "benign fungal infection" is it a good idea to use Canesten cream for a day or two to see if it has any effect? Or it is too short to see any impovement? (I know that yeast's life cycle is slow, so I assume change would be slow as well.)

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Two days is too quick to be sure that a fungal skin infection is responding to therapy. EWH

[casus_belli]

Thank you again!
Today I've spotted two other similar red spots but as they are even harder to notice, I don't think they appeared now.
My girlfriend has(?)/had a yeast infection, so I am quiet sure it has to be related to it. Is this a likely scenario, or just sound like a self-comforting explanation?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Its a possiblity but as I hear more, my guess is that you are over-reacting and overly genitally focused.  EWH

[casus_belli]

Dear Doctor Hook,

I've been using Canesten for a week until now, and I can tell you that nothing miraculous happened. There were a total of 4 spots, with different size and redness. Two of them are now unnoticable (they were barely noticable anyway), the first one I mentioned is seems better with a very-very bit, which I cannot tell it's because of the anti-fungal, or just the creme made it easier. However, there is a fourth one, which might become more red, sometimes...

Sometimes means that when I say red, I mean it's red periodically. I cannot tell what triggers it, but mostly at night, they are noticable red, however, just after getting up in the morning, they might be completely unnoticable.

About its outlook (worst case): they are really small, one of them looks like a healing bite injury. Slight irritation around it. It's no crater, same level as the skin, maybe a bit elevated. Has definitie end. Not edge, but end. No sign of an "squeezable" fluid. Straning that part of skin shows it's nature as weakened, less flexible skin with shiny surface, which becomes ripply after stretching (as it is dry).

Besides the outlook, I feel completely well. Even by touching these spots, I feel nothing special. Other parts of my skin are okay as well.

Is this still can be fungal infection, or something else? By the periodic redness, I would suspect something related to the change of blood pressure... I mean, weakened skin. Or kind of allergy... Or should I leave it be and see if it would clear up itself?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You'll need to discuss this and the response to therapy with your own doctor (the one who prescribed your original therapy) so that he/she can judge the response.  Sometimes prolonged therapy or alternative drugs are need for antifungal therapy.  Other times a different diagnosis becomes apparent. Either way however, this is not an STD.  eWH

[casus_belli]

Thank you again, so I guess I should:

1) Stop over-examination.
2) Stop self-treatment.
3) Stop worrying of STDs.
4) Go to local doctor, particularly dermatologist if have any real issues.

Actually, it's funny, that most conversation ends like this here - and it seems you always tell the truth as I've seen nobody complaining that he/she really had an STD despite you told otherwise.

If it's so hard to contract STDs, how is it even possible for anybody to "succeeding" getting one?..

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Correct on all accounts.

STDs do remain common, most because lots of people have sex.  EWH

[casus_belli]

Just for the guys in similar situation:

These were most likely all about stress. After got calm (thank you Dr. Hook), every minor symptom dissappared in a very short time by itself. So, your guilt can trick your body and your mind.