herpes complications?

[ncworriedone]

I recently broke up with my girlfriend and was later told she has herpes by a mutual friend.  Over the past month have had tingling in my penis and on 2 occasions have felt a burning sensation in my thighs and groin.  Have seen no sores on groin, but more recently have had a lot of what looks like small pimples in shoulder area.  These "pimples" don't hurt, but the tingling in my penis has yet to stop and I have to urinate every 2 hours or so night and day so I am getting very poor sleep.  When I do sleep I usually have lots of dreams and prior to this happening I seldom had any dreams.  I am beginning to think that the tingling in my penis isn't really tingling, but urine flowing constantly into my penis, is this possible? When the tingling 1st started I also noticed that my testicles were not all the way at the bottom of my sac,leaving loose skin hanging down at the bottom of it.  Now it looks like they are hanging lower than they used to. I went to ER and was given Levaquin and Zithromax, but no tests were done.  Since then I have been examined twice with no herpes sores being found.  About a week after the tingling started I noticed that the tops of my hands became very dry and flaky.  I haven't had the "pimples" on my shoulder looked at yet, but will soon.  Additionally, I have felt some pain between my scrotum and anus from time to time, especially when lifting weights and sometimes when sitting down or standing up.  Sometimes when I push on that area I feel a sharp pain all the way up to the tip of my penis.  When I told my PCP this she said maybe prostatitis and has me on Cipro bid.  Its been a week since I started taking it and most of the pain has gone, but not the tingling/urination.  The most recent symptom I am experiencing I think may be in my head, but it feels like the nerves in my legs fire occasionally for no reason.  Since the tingling started I have been extremely uptight and stressed and I think I might be contracting my muscles all the time, could this cause the firing?  All of the doctors that I have seen(3 of them) seem to think I don't have herpes, but I am going for a blood test soon.


1)Can herpes cause the urination problem I am having and if so will it ever stop?
2)Can herpes cause your testicles to lower?
3)Can herpes cause the nerves in my legs to fire?
4)Is it possible that I am panicking and imagining all of these symptoms?
5)Can herpes cause prostatitis?
6) Is there anything else that can be causing this?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Not one of the symptoms you describe sounds like herpes or any other STD.  STDs simply don't cause the sorts of things you mention, period.  Your provider probably was being overly cautious in prescribing levaquin and zithromax.  Prostatitis often is a "wastebasket" diagnosis--that is, something providers often come up with to explain otherwise unexplainable gential symptoms in men.  You have seen three doctors who don't think you have herpes.  Why in the world is that possibility even on your mind???

To answer your specific questions: 1) No.  2) No.  3) No.  4) Yes.  5) No.  6) Anxiety, stress, or depression all are good bets, and certainly more likely than anything else I can think of.  But I cannot make a specific diagnosis and will not try.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[ChicShane]

You might want to go and get a HerpeSelect test and ease your mind.

[monkeyflower]

My guess would be your symptoms are all due to anxiety, and based purely on comments made by a mutual friend. Nothing you describe sounds anything like herpes.

Btw, what kind of "mutual friend" would tell you she had herpes? I would be suspicious of whether this person was telling the truth, and of his/her motivations.

[TotallyConfused332]

Dr. H, in an earlier posting from January you concluded the following regarding VZV & HSV Results and potential interference.

"The bottom line, and the translation of the scientific terminology, is that prior infection with other herpes group viruses (mono, chickenpox, etc) is not the reason for false postitive HSV IgM tests.

HHH, MD"

Does this conclusion apply to positive HSV results in a case where there is also PRESENT confirmed VZV or "chickenpox"?

I noticed a red pimple-like bump on my neck behind my ear thinking it was a zit.  Then noticed one in my genital area, hoping it was an ingrown hair.  I went to the doc to get an HSV Rapid culture, and that came out positive.  I then noticed noticed itchy pimple-like bumps on my back (about two, and rapidly growing).  I right away took the Valtrex medication my doctor gave me thinking that I had shingles or HSV-2 (And according to the doctor I had genital herpes simplex 2 AND shingles at the same time which to me sounds extreme since i haven't had sex in a year) however she wasn't too familiar with the testing types.

Back to the point- since VZV & HSV are of the same family, and assuming I currently have VZV (chickenpox), is it possible that the lesions in my genital area are vzv related and not hsv related- and since the hsv exam I took was a simple Positive/Negative for "herpes", is it possible that the exam could have taken the VZV into consideration as a positive result? These assumptions that the leisons in the genital area are VZV related and not HSV related are due to the fact that when I initially had chickenpox, they did break out in my genital area.

Thank you for your time.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I can't comment on whether the lesions on your back were due to shingles (VZV); from your description, it doesn't sound like it.

False positive results on HSV IgM are not due to cross reaction with VZV, including in people with active VZV infections.

HHH, MD

[ncworriedone]

went for herpeselect test and the result was negative.  I last had sex with the girl the 2nd to last week in March.  Did I go to soon.  It has been 4 or 5 weeks since my symptoms started.  Also is it possible for stress to cause the twitches I am feeling in my legs as well as for it to make me wake up at night to go to the bathroom?