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Syphilis

Doc:
Back in may I had mutually masterbated with another guy.  I'm 30 living in North Carolina.  It was towards the middle of the month.  About 10 days later I noticed something on my penis, more like a translucent scab.  There was never an open sore, just a painless scab that ended up healing.

The only contact was his hand first on his penis then on mine.  I have had no other symptoms.  About a six weeks ago, my wife started having a rash on her torso.  It would come sometimes after a workout where her sports bra was, sometimes on her stomach.  It is itchy.  I have had no rash or any other symptoms.  Her only other symptom is that she is light headed from time to time.  The rash appears and then disappears, never there for a full 24 hours.

While I understand that syphillis can immitate other diseases, I was hoping to get a little clarification.

1. What is your overall opinion?
2. Does either my initial reaction 10 days post contact and her reaction 6 to 7 months post contact resemble possible syphilis or other STD's?
3. I schedued an STD screening, should I keep it?
4. Based on both type of contact and timeframe, does this coincide with any suggestions.

thanks for your time.
7 Responses
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Glad to hear it. Take care. EWH
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Avatar universal
Doc

As you throught both HIV and Syphilis came back negative.  Thanks for both your instinct and medical knowledge.
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
These are too long.  Perhaps the delays represent the time required for lab processing or other processes.  In the lab, each of these tests can be done in a single day. Further, they may have build extra time into their time frame to allow extra time sometimes required for dealing with more difficult cases.  EWH
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Avatar universal
I went to the county STD clinic on Monday morning.  They said that a turnaround for a syphilis screen is about 10 days, does that sound right to you?  This will be my last post, but I will repost and let you know the test results, i guess in about 8 more days.

They decided to draw for HIV - an RNA test, and said that could take 3 weeks, also does that sound right to you? I know from what I have read that the risk from Syphilis was very low, and HIV almost non existant?
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The rash of syphilis does nto tend to go.  It appears and then gradually fades, typically over a couple of weeks.

Chancres can be somewhat variable in opinion.  EWH
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Avatar universal
Doc

I understand, and will keep the appointment.  THese comments do help.

Just one point of clarification, the chanker can vary in appearence?  the rash can come and go?

thanks
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to our Forum.  Transmission of syphilis through the exposure you describe would require that your partner had a open syphilitic lesion on his hand.  Such lesions are very, very rare.  Thus the odds that your rash was due to syphilis are quite low. that said, strange things happen.  While I would be VERY surprised is this turns out to be syphilis, testing will give you confidence that you do not have syphilis. If the lesion you described were syphilis, you can be completely sure that your syphilis blood test would be positive. Thus testing to be completely sure that you don't have syphilis is reasonable.  

The timing of both the appearance of your lesion and of your wife's rash could fit with syphilis but they are more likely to just be coincidence.  

Why not keep the screening. They should do the syphilis blood test at that time. That really is the only test you need.

Hope these comments help.  As I said, I would be flabbergasted if you turned out to have syphilis from the exposure you describe.  Please let me know what your tests show.  EWH
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