Tingling

[Eggplant27]

One weekend I did a stupid thing.  I had vaginal sex outside of my monagamous relationship.  It was unprotected.  The first event happened at around 5-6 AM Sunday and the second event probably around 11-noon the same day.  Later that day I then had sex with my girlfriend.  I felt terribly guilty.  On Monday morning I had the most irritating sensation in my penis that felt like a tingling or like I had to pee or ejaculate.  I refrained from having sex with my girlfriend.  Monday night the tingling and irritation (I wouldn't call it pain) kept me up all night.  On Tuesday, after reading up on STDs I couldn't stand it anymore and tried to get into a clinic.  I had an appointment set for STD testing one week (the next Tuesday) but the irritation continued so I did a dumb thing.  I called my Family Physician (a family friend) and basically told him I thought I had a bladder infection/UTI or something and that I had not had unprotected sex outside of my monogamous relationship.  He seemed to not make a huge deal about it and prescribed me a two-a-day regimen of Cipro for 10 days that I started on Tuesday.  Immediately after taking the pill I felt much better and had no real problems on Tuesday night.  Wednesday I felt better until I masturbated and started reading about Non-specefic urentitis, gonnorrhea and chlamydia symptoms and I felt worse.  I get a tingling pain, but I really don't think I have more-than frequent urination and I have had no discharge.  I have several questions:

1.  Is less than 36 hours too soon for Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/etc. to start to show symptoms?

2.  If I had anything could I have given it to my girlfriend before symptoms show up?

3.  Would the cipro make the STD tests negative?

4.  Will the cipro regimen clear any STDs?

5.  Should my girlfriend be tested?

6.  Should I get tested anyway, even if the Cipro screws up my test results (the tests would be run on the 7th day of my 10 day dosage)?

7.  Should I wait and get tested later, but speak to a health professional about my concerns?

[ceruleandreams]

eggplant, my friend.  I am trying to understand something.  Why was the casual encounter on cipro if she said she didn't have anything and the last person she was with had a condom on?  A person who doesn't have an STD does not need such an anti-biotic, correct?

I have the same symptoms as you but mines is only on day 19 currently.  I took all the std test including herpes on day 13, so right under 2 weeks.  According to Grace and other std website the negative test would only be valid for gonorrhea and chlamydia.  Syphilis, HIV and Herpes anti-bodies will not show up in 2 weeks.  Syphilis usually shows symptoms on avg 23 days, but anti-bodies can take 10-90 days.  Herpes - 6 -8 weeks for the first anti-bodies to show up and HIV 3 - 6 months for anti-bodies to show up.  I think Grace can back up what I am saying.

I think it's really important for you to go and get check to see if it is Syphilis?  Herpes? and HIV.  It is to protect yourself and your gf.  Bacteria infection, I think has pretty much been ruled out but these other STDs I feel still do not have complete closure.

[ceruleandreams]

Thank you grace =)

[gracefromHHP]

ceruleandreams's posts removed per his request :)

grace

[Eggplant27]

Natrac:  To answer your question about the Herpes, I had a Herpes test (and Syph. and HIV) two weeks after the encounter when I had a full battery of STD tests and was negative for both 1 and 2.  I know that is a little early for all of the tests except gon/chla, but I haven't seen any sores or anything like that (and my mind can't really invent those symptoms) and I was examined by a doctor and told that nothing looked abnormal.  

What actually really screwed me (except of course for the initial horrid mistake) was self-treatment...because it caused me to be inclined to not trust my test results while I was on Cipro or right after Cipro (I was tested a month after Cipro and everything still clear...and this is after continuing normal relations with my gf.) I was also tested for white blood cells in my urine twice (including a full urinalysis) and it showed nothing...and yet my strange pains continued--which has me thinking something to do with my prostate that is anxiety triggered and can't really be helped except with more anti-anxiety or anti-depressants.  I have been carrying this anxiety for so long that I may have actually given myself some sort of chronic problem--no doubt I deserve it, though.

My gf is very good about her health and has more than an annual exam already, but still I worry on her behalf.  My doc has told me that with NAAT tests on Gon. and Chlamy. it is actually somewhat more common for false positives than false negatives because peoople who have been treated do not wait long enough to get retested for the dead bacteria to leave their system--NAATs can pick up viable and dead DNA.  This seems to be a position supported by the literature put out by the manufacturers of the tests and the opinion of two physicians I have spoken to, but does not seem to be something that the docs or community leaders on this website subscribe to (although I know they are not privy to what sorts of tests, i.e. gram-stain, NAAT or, whatever most people are getting for their conditions and thus are inclined to err on the side of caution).  I have seen a doc tell someone in a comment in the expert forum that if they were having symptoms while on antibiotics for some unrelated issue (which I believed at the time to fit my situtation) then the test would probably pick it up.  Conclusion:  extremely likely this is all in my head and I have suffered on and off with phantom pains I have caused myself.

Instead of peace of mind after testing, though I would say that I am close to 99% sure I had nothing and still have nothing (I was proven to have had nothing at least at one point, even perhaps at three points over the past few months), I had to atone and suffer for compounding one mistake with another.  I can never really be 100% certain until she is tested (very soon--she has no symptoms).

Natrac:  You seem to have been on the right track with the testing although from everything I've read it seems like you had a fairly low-risk encounter and, like me, just need to relax.  I hope that you have decided to also get tested when the timing is right and put your mind at ease for everything and be more careful and considerate in the future.  

Good luck, friend.   After this tumult--when the tempest subsides--may you see better sailing.

[Eggplant27]

I went and got tested about 4 weeks after taking the cipro (the symptoms continued) and everything was AGAIN clear.  I also had the doc do a full urinalysis which came back "clear of WBCs and non-reactive for any bacteria."  The doc gave me an anti-depressant for an "irritated nerve" and referred me to a urologist.  The antidepressant worked quite well for two weeks or so, but now (still on the anti-depressant) I am still feeling strange pains in my penis though I have not seen anything that suggests discharge.

1.  I am on the verge of counseling for anxiety related pain...does what I have sound like something that might still be a medical condition (not bacterial), but not STD related?  I hate being a hypochondriac...but I have never in my memory experienced this weird raw feeling in my urethra before.  This has been going on now for over 2 months...I was told that was way too long for GC/CT anyway by my doc.

2.  Another physician friend suggested that I try to extend the anti-depressants for another month since I probably don't have anything that could really be done (it was this physician that suggested I request a full urinalysis with my GC/CT tests)...does this sound like a good idea coupled with counseling?  My current plan is to do this and if no help go see the urologist.  Do I have these things out of order?

3.  I am still worried about my gf...and know she will be tested very soon.  Do I have anything to realistically worry about?

4. What do they actually do in these "counseling" that I keep reading about on these and the expert forums that helps people get over irritating pain?  I mean this is a weird feeling and probably somehow affecting my quality of life.

[Vance2335]

4 days is too soon, but i think she was telling you that because she thinks that everything is in your head and not actual symptoms. trust me it can happen. and from what you said i also think that it is in your head. no issues then girlfriend told you something and symptoms came back. sound slike it is in your head.

[Eggplant27]

On the last two days on the cipro I began to have symptoms again, and the pain and tingling in my penis were still too uncomfortable to sleep at night (although still no discharge).  The pain and symptoms continued after I got off the cipro.  After a few days of pain and tingling and cold penis after the cipro treatment ended I called the university health clinic again and asked how long I should wait until after finishing cipro for the results to be definitive.  I was told 24-48 hours.  I then scheduled another urine test (I was told it was advanced or amplified test ,whatev) and whole battery of std  (blood)  and NGU test (dip in urine for white blood cells) 4 days after finishing cipro.  ALL tests came back negative.  I was told that I most likely never had anything and not to worry, and the doc/nurse seemed annoyed that I was a repeat visitor.  I felt great after getting the results for a week, until my girlfriend told me that she had had some light brown discharge (described as old blood), but no pain or bad smell.  It was very light and went away (between periods)  My symptoms almost immediately came back because of this information and I want to get tested again.   My doc told me that since my girlfriend has an appointment within about a month or so not to worry too much, and that if she had pain or trouble with her first cycle after exposure (which was several days after what would have been her exposure) then there might be a problem, but she doubted it.  Is 4 days after cipro too soon to have accurate results on the second test? The doc basically told me it was definitive (she examined me also) and I don't feel I can go back because they think I might be a head case...should I see a urologist?

[Eggplant27]

Thanks.  I got my test results back from the clinic today and it was all clear.  The Doc (internal medicine)  seemed to be under the impression that I had nothing, especially as she had only seen about 2 cases of Gon. in 10 years at the university (works at the health center) and she thought that the Cipro would be totally ineffective with regards to Chlamydia and that it would probably show up in the test.  I was told I could test again in two-three weeks (!) if that would put my mind at ease.

If all of these symptoms persist and turn out to be anxiety I will have a totally newfound respect for what anxiety can make you feel.

[Vance2335]

A lot of it seems to be in your head and not much more. Trust me I was in your same spot and had some of the same "symptoms" as you but I have no worries and moved past it.

[Eggplant27]

The tip of my penis sometimes feels cold also...Can't really find anything about these feelings as symptoms of anything but I am seriously uncomfortable and fear that my tests will be negative and I will have to put up with discomfort for several weeks before I can try and test again (after finishing the cipro) all the while in discomfort.

[Eggplant27]

Felt fine over the weekend and then went and got tested two days ago (urinalysis...have to wait until next week for results).  I finish the ciprofloaxin tonight and talked to the doctor about the testing and whether it would skew the results.  She told me that prolly would clear G, but would do nothing for C and seemed to think I should get tested even while on the cipro for peace of mind.  This seems to be dumb to me, as I will have to be tested again.

Anyway...the tingling and discomfort in my penis returned and I also got some sort of flu-like illness that stopped up my sinuses and gave me back pain yesterday.  The tingling and discomfort actually goes away when I urinate, I have the urge to urinate somewhat more frequently and I still have not seen any discharge...although my underwear feels moist and I check a lot to find any discharge, but find nothing.  It seems that I drip pee somewhat more than I used to.

My only question is that even though I know the Cipro isn't effective for everything, it seems like I wouldn't have symptoms while I was on it (it would inhibit bacteria growth) and now I am thinking I might have an even more serious problem (prostatitis, something like that?)

Any thoughts?

[Vance2335]

Anything is possible, but only a Dr who is treating you would be able to answer that.

[Eggplant27]

Is it possible since my test results will be skewed for a while that a health professional could give me antibiotics for G, C, or NGU that I could also hand to my girlfriend and then get tested several weeks to a month later?

[Vance2335]

I am not going to get into a numbers game.
Follow the advice of the Dr form this site, he is not going to tell you wrong.

[Eggplant27]

I know that lying is mispelled

[Eggplant27]

Lying is terrible but I stand to lose everything when it seems unlikely that I had an STD.

Assuming I was exposed to chlamydia/gonnorhea (which I am told I was not) do I have these probabilities right (drawn from wikipedia):

about 20% chance I acquired it
about 50% chance I gave it to gf
about 50% chance she will show symptoms

So if she shows no symptoms then there is about a 5% chance that she has something from me?  If I told her to get tested then I would lose everything for a 5% chance?

This is the worst argument I have ever made.  I want her to get tested but I don't want to lose everything.  I will follow the advice of health professionals, but my life is ruined over this mistake.

So I am just asking if I could tell her that I may have had some bacteria, and then have her get tested.  If it is positive for something then I would explain and that would be the end of it.

Is this a terrible idea?

[Vance2335]

Well with NGU they will not test for everything unless she asks or the Dr's office might test her for everything. But what if she was positive for something, how would you explain that to her? I say trying to lie her into testing is probably not the best idea, but that is up to you.

[Eggplant27]

Thanks.  Had a conversation with HHH at the expert forum and even though the bottom line is that it is unlikely that I have an STD, there is no way to be certain and I did a dumb thing by getting treated.  I plan to see a provider in a few days and follow their advice.  I talked with the casual encounter and she claimed to have been tested in Feb. (negative) and had only one encounter with a condom before me.  She is also over 30.  Unfortunately she was also on Cipro for a few days before and during the encounter so I don't think that her getting tested is giong to do me any good.

I intend to see a health professional who will probably either test me or tell me to wait until off the Cipro.  I will then get tested as soon as the cipro clears out and find a way to get my gf tested, hopefully without ruining my relationship.

Is there anyway, since my tests will likely be negative that I could tell her to get tested because it was possible I had a nonsexually transmitted NGU or something and I want her to be on the safe side?  Other than that she wants an IUD and I was going to try and encourage her to get one and get tested when she gets one.  If all of that is not possible or fails I will probably have to tell her to get tested.

[Vance2335]

1. Takes 2 days to show symptoms
2. It is possible
3. It could
4. It could
5. Not a bad idea
6. No, you would have to wait at least 2 weeks after the medication has stopped to test and get actual results
7. Yes and yes.

A quick idea is to call the person you has sex with and ask her to test and see what those results are. My guess is that your "symptoms" might be guilt more then anything, the mind is very powerful. But you could have had some kind of infection not STD related also.