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Symptoms of std, maybe herpes?

Two months ago I received oral sex without a condom  and engaged in vaginal sex with a condom.  In the middle, the woman had to urinate and I noticed the condom on the bed.  Not sure when it came off but I put it back on (I was really drunk).  A few days following I started to get some odd symptoms that have been persistent for the past two months but have changed during the period.  Some days are better than others.

Symptoms include: Penis soreness, random sharp pains in penis, occasional penis and scrotum itching. Apparent red irritation at tip of penis and on penis head (looks worse randomly on some days and does not itch). General genital soreness, tingling of scrotum and slight itching of pubic area and anus. Soreness and/or pins and needles feeling in buttocks, back of thighs, knees, groin area, and calfs.  Burning sensation in genitals/anus region.  Slight soreness in ears and neck area.  

No sores in genital area and no discharge. Had a few random pimples in pubic hair area that clear up within a day or two, I assume shaving related. Going to the bathroom (urine or bowel) seems to relieve the symptoms, although following going to the bathroom I will sometimes feel the need to urinate or have another bowel movement.

All of these symptoms come and go throughout the day and change location (i.e. my penis will hurt and my butt will be sore for a while, then my calf and back of knee will hurt on one leg for a little, then I'll have a slight burning sensation in my genitals etc).  Some days there isn't much discomfort, other days it is very noticeable and painful.  If I am active (i.e. working out) the symptoms are not noticeable at all. I saw a doctor who seemed to think it couldn't be herpes without sores present...urine and blood tests for general infection and kidney/bladder problems came back fine.  I took an antibiotic that did nothing as well.      

I have no idea what is going on but it is consuming my mind.

Thanks for any help.
3 Responses
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239123 tn?1267647614
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Herpes does not "move through the body" and it ssymptoms do not move around either.  Get off the herpes horse; it simply does not cause symptoms like you have.  Don't overthink it.

Whether anxiety "causes" pain or not is a matter of terminology and maybe even debate. But for sure what anxiety can do is magnify normal body sensations to a point of discomfort or pain.  I don't know whether anxiety is the cause of your symptoms, but for sure they are not caused by any STD.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your response.

I failed to mention that Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and HIV testing came back negative.  

I suppose one question I should ask is would herpes seemingly move through the body in form of pain and affect nerves without creating lesions like it seems to move within me?  For example, would my penis hurt for 30 minutes and then move to my groin and then move to my anus etc?   That's basically what I feel like is happening to me.

Anxiety might defintely be a culprit but can anxiety and/or depression actually cause physical leg or penis pain???

As I type this I just had an hour of genital burning that has subsided but has since moved to anal burning...

Thanks again for such a quick reply.
Helpful - 0
239123 tn?1267647614
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the froum. I'll try to help.

There's sort of a good news/bad news scenario here.  The good news:  no STD, including herpes, causes the sorts of symptoms you describe.  You'll find various pains, itching, tingling, etc listed among symptoms of herpes.  But such lists usually don't mention that these things happen only in connection with obvious herpes lesions, i.e. blisters, sores, etc.  The lesions themselves may itch, burn, tingle, etc -- but by themselves, such symptoms are rarely if ever due to herpes.  I really see no serious possibility that any STD explains what you are feeling.

The bad news:  such symptoms are quite common and usually no cause can be found; genitally focused anxiety is a common assumption -- and certainly that's very common following a sexual exposure that one regrets.  But even in this bad (or at least inconvenient) news, there is additional good news:  I have never heard of someone with symptoms like yours that ended up having any kind of serious health problem.  That you don't notice symptoms when your mind is on other things is pretty good evidence for the stress/anxiety explanation.

As for the sexual exposure, my guess is the condom was in place virtually the entire time.  Probably it just pulled out with your penis when intercourse was interrupted.

Just to be maximally safe and to ease your mind, I suggest you see a doctor or clinic about your symptoms.  Given the possibly unsafe encounter, routine STD testing (gonrrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV) would be a good idea, plus a physical exam to be sure there is no obvious physical explanation for your symptoms.  I anticipate everything will be found to be normal, but better safe than sorry.  But in the meantime, I really wouldn't be worried about herpes or any other STD.

I hope that helps.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD
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