Possible Herpes symptoms?

[trevo2002]

Hi,

About 6 weeks ago I had an encounter with a woman who has had many sex partners. Specifically, I had unprotected oral sex, but I wore a condom for the intercourse. About 3 weeks prior to the FIRST encounter, I did something else stupid and received a sensual massage from a different woman. There was no oral or vaginal sex in this instance, but there was genital to gential contact.

About 30 days after the second encounter, I had intermittent pain in my penis that would onset about every 10 minutes and then stop. I also had painful urination during this time. However, this intermittent pain and painful urination only lasted a few hours and was gone by morning (because this happened late at night).

Last night (42 days after second encounter) I noticed a very small bump on the bottom side of my penis under the head. This is the only such bump. About 3 weeks after the second encounter, I noticed penile discharge, but I had also had an erection prior to that, so I'm not sure if this discharge was merely preejaculate.

I have taken the IgM tests 3 times: 12 days after the second encounter, 14 days after, and 30 days after. The first test returned positive with 1.19 and the second and third tests were both negative.

I know that the IgM tests have been discredited ad nauseum and I know that I should take the igGs when the time is right, but would a negative IgM test be more reassuring than a positive one? Also, can herpes symptoms appear sequentially, or do they usually happen all at once? Do my symptoms sound like a possible herpes infection?

Thanks.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

From your question, I can see that you have already seen some of our prior posts on this site.  Thus you KNOW that we have repeatedly said there is NO use in IgM testing for HSV.  I do not interpret them in any way, positive, negative or in determinant.    Spending your money on IgM tests is really a waste of your time and money.

Your symptoms really are not suggestive of HSV. Typically if you were going to develop HSV we would expect the onset of lesions within 10 days of your exposure, this was not your experience.  Further, when the symptoms of HSV occur, they do not occur serially but in rapid (over a day or two, max) sequence.

Finally, the bump you describe does not suggest HSV either. As to what it might be, that is more difficult to say and I would suggest that if you think it might be abnormal, I would suggest you get checked at your local STD Clinic or by your own doctor.  My guess it is something that has been there for a long time but was not noticed until you became concerned.

Bottom line, nothing here to suggest HSV.  I would not suggest further testing. If you do, you are more likely to have a false positive result than to discover that you got HSV from either of the encounters you describe.  Take care.  EWH

[trevo2002]

Thank you very much Dr. Hook, though I have just one more question that I forgot to mention in my first post. About two days after the second encounter, I noticed a slight tingling or tickling in the tip of my penis (in the urethra, actually). This lasted about a day. Is this something that could be of concern?

Thank you again.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No, this is not. Please try not to worry. EWH

[trevo2002]

Thank again for your advice, Dr. Hook.

[trevo2002]

Dr. Hook,

I apologize for bringing up this topic again, but I read in another one of your posts that if lesions don't appear within 10 days, then the likelihood of a herpes infection is low. Wouldn't it still be possible to have acquired the disease, but have no symptoms?

Also today, the tiny bump that I mentioned in my first post has scabbed over and fallen off. It never burst open and it never leaked fluids, but it was a bit tender when it was there. Does this occurrence change your assessment at all?

Thanks again for your help

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No change in my aqssessment.  When people have  their first notiiced episode of HSV long after exposure it is typically because they failed to attribute their initial episode to HSV.  In your case with your high anxiety as demonstrated over many posts, this is most unlikely to be the case, just as it is most unlikely that your first episode of herpes was an unusual manifestation of the infection.  You really need to get some help in working through this.  EWH

[trevo2002]

Thank you again for your patience, Dr. Hook. This is the last that I will post on this matter.