A related discussion,
divo51 was started.
doctor my only concern that this may not be herpes is that my doctor said one the symptoms came on to early and also its been almost three weeks and i have not had any outbreaks anywhere (penis, rectum, groin, buttocks) also would herpes first cause irritation of the urethra burning constantly, then a few days later heat sensation on the scrotom and tenderness in the left side of the groin and left testicle and the left epididymis. Thanks again for the response to the initial question.
Herpes symptoms should start to improve 2-3 days after starting antiherpetic therapy and pain largely resolved after 4-5 days (although complete healing takes longer).
HHH, MD
I have the same symptoms as yours, please read above (Urethra Pain). Now I think this may be due to the nonoxynol-9 spermicide, we have that in common with the same exact symptoms. There has been lots of reports on how highly irritating this substance can be. If thats what it is, someone need to do something about it, they cant let a substance out there causing this much grief to people. What I dont understand is why wouldn it cause an irritation on the outside rather than on the Urethra itself ?
doc if it is herpes how long would it take to see the symptoms go away with valtrex.
I'm not going to be able to help much. But fortunately, it sounds like you are now seeing a doctor who knows something about STDs (not that the first ones didn't). The idea of HSV sounds like a fair possibility, given your symptoms--but you'll have to await the test results.
Another possibility is that your initial urethral pain was due to an irritation, not an infection, associated with the sexual encounter you describe. In particular, if the condom contained the spermicide nonoxynol-9, that may be the only problem; N-9 can cause significant urethral irritation and pain. Onset in under 24 hr ("the next day") is more suggestive of something like this than like an STD; with rare exceptions, no STD causes symptoms that fast.
Perhaps most important, the treatments you have had were more than adequate to eradiacate any STD. So apart from the possibility of herpes, you can be 100% confident you don't have anything you can transmit to your wife. So for now, try the valtrex and see if it controls your symptoms, and wait for the HSV blood test results. It's a little early to be positive at 18 days, though, despite what the doctor said. If your symptoms don't clear up on Valtrex, you can be certain it isn't herpes. If they do and the initial (18 day) blood test is negative, get retested after 6-8 weeks.
Bottom line: If herpes doesn't pan out, you can safely have sex with your wife without putting her at risk. Even if your symptoms persist, it doesn't necessarily mean an ongoing infection. An immunologic/irratative reaction, or anxiety (or a combination of both) could be the only problem now, regardless of what started it off.
Good luck-- HHH, MD