warts and general paranoia

[paranoidandroid]

About six weeks ago I went to my urologist to be checked for a hernia. While there he confirmed the hernia, but also noted six tiny bumps on the left side of my penis just below the head He thought they were Molluscum, but said they could be Condyloma—he didn’t do a biopsy. I'm typically hyper-vigilant about my health and don't believe the bumps could have been there long. Anyway, he put me on Condylox, which caused a lot of pain. Nevertheless, I used it for two weeks and the bumps went away--he had prescribed it for three weeks. I ended up having surgery for my hernia last week and skipped the Condylox in order to avoid an inordinate amount of pain down there. I called the urologist’s office today and his nurse spoke with him and said that the bumps can come back and I should use the Condylox for another two weeks since I abbreviated the treatment Anyway my main question is: Since the bumps/warts are gone and I haven't completed the Condylox treatment are they likely destroyed, or should I continue?. The stuff was quite painful and I'm worried about permanent scaring from the medicine.

Additionally, I haven't had an unprotected sexual encounter (I'm straight) since December 2004, so these bumps have made me quite nervous. My doctor said that it's possible I caught them from a public restroom or something--and recently learned that my roommate has HPV. Is it possible that I caught it from sharing a bathroom with him? I've read it's also possible wart infections could take many months to develop, but how likely is that? If that's possible, I know this is likely the hypochondriac in me speaking, but what about other STD infections? After that unprotected encounter in December, I had full STD workups done in January, March and May. I was negative for everything, but this recent development has me questioning those results. Should I be retested for everything again? I'm feeling the HIV paranoia creep up on me again after months of peace. Please advise.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I cannot question the judgement of a doctor who has examined you, nor can I comment on the likelihood you had warts or molluscum contagiosum; the urologist is in a much better position than I am to answer that question.  Either one would likely respond to podofilox (Condylox), even though it hasn't been well studied for efficacy against MC.  As to duration of treatment, follow your doctor's advice.  The usual approach is to continue treatment for at least 2-3 applications after warts have apparently disappeared; but there are no such guidelines for MC.

You can be confident you did not get either MC or warts by non-sexual contact of any kind, such as sharing a bathroom with an infected person or from any other contact in a public restroom.  (Well, certain activities in a public restroom could result in an STD....  but you get the idea.)

With your negative STD tests and lack of any other symptoms since your last sexual exposure almost a year ago, you can be certain you don't have any other STDs.  You probably didn't need the tests in March and May, and you certainly don't need further testing now.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[SweetCaroline]

You can't get tested for HPV if you are a man unless you have visible warts.  And you can't get HPV from using a toilet, although I wouldn't go around sharing wet towels.  Also I think the doc has said HPV can lay dormant for many years, oh and condoms arent' 100% effective against HPV as it's a skin to skin thingie, cheers.

[paranoidandroid]

I've been washing my hands A LOT since I was diagnosed with this. Can I stop? I'm really paranoid about spreading it to other areas of my body.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Genital warts virtually never are spread to other parts of the body.

HHH, MD

[paranoidandroid]

Thanks for the info, doc. It's a little relieving.

[sdrake]

Ok I have a question. ok I went to a planned parenthood clinic about a week ago from Monday 11/7 to go and get on birth control and to have an annual (pap smear) done. When the doctor gave me this pap she noticed that I had a few bumps on my lips and around my vagina. The ones on my lips are white and the others are red. Well anyways she asked me how long that they had been there and I told her for about a month or so. Then she told me that they looked like genital warts. But she said that she will run a STD test and see if anything shows up to make sure. So I started freaking out. I called my boyfriend of 5 months and started blaming him. But he kept denying saying he didn’t have anything and that I must of gave it to him. But I know that I didn’t I was 100%. We started talking and I realized that he must have gave it to me because I had just given blood in July and this was a virus so it was in my blood and they wouldn’t let me give blood if I had a std. But the crazy thing is that we had already been together. Well anyways then he told me that he couldn’t have had it because about 2 months ago he gave blood and like me they didn’t say anything to him about it. And I know what you are thinking, “did you guys cheat on each other?” and the answer is NO. So I did some thinking and I want to know if you can catch it form other people? Because I live in the dorms at college. We share the shower and the toilets together. One of my roommates likes to use our personal hygiene products. Like she uses our bath sponges, razors and everything else. She also has sex in the showers and bathroom with her boyfriend. And who knows where else. So I was wondering if you can catch the genital warts from someone without having sex. Because I didn’t start to get the symptoms that the doctor told me about until I moved to college. Like the doctor asked me if it burned to have sex and I told her yes. Not when I start but when I a finished it stings even if we didn’t go for long periods of time. She also asked me if I bleed during sex and I told her yes. The first time it happened was the last time I had sex 10/22 but I didn’t really bleed I just had a little spot of blood on the bed. But at the time I thought that I was just starting my period but it never came. And now almost every time that I wipe I have a little spot or so of blood. But I haven’t herd back from the doctor yet so I just might be freaking out about nothing. I guess I am just preparing for the worst!

[monkeyflower]

Probably neither one of you cheated on the other. The truth is, it's *impossible* to tell who may have given it to you, and pointless to even try. Despite your lack of symptoms, you might very well have had it before you entered your current relationship - and may have contracted it quite some time ago. HPV is extremely common, and virtually everyone will contract at least one strand within the first few partners. It's also pretty innocuous. While some strands cause cancer, it's pretty preventable with regular pap smears and prompt treatment. The rest either cause visible warts or nothing at all - hardly something to get worked up about :-)

As for donating blood, the only viruses that will prevent you from being an acceptable donor are HIV, hepatitis, and I think maybe malaria (not sure on that one). Having HPV or herpes or any other STD is irrelevant and won't affect your donation.

Chlamydia can cause bleeding after sex, which is why your doctor asked about that. I'm guessing she probably tested you for all STDs (maybe not herpes, though). It also sounds like you've never had STD testing before. Donating blood and/or pap smears are NOT effective ways of determining whether you have a STD. Get tested at least once a year, and ask your partners to do the same. And even then, always use a condom unless you've both been tested and are completely monogamous. But for now, don't stress out. All STDs are either curable or treatable. You're fine.

[sdrake]

well is the treatment expencive. cause i am so worried about it. and i have had 9 partners i have used a condom and on some type of birth controll with all of them. but with this last on we stoped usind a condom cause we would have problems with it coming off and one time it got such up in me. i just so nervous. how long does it take for a std test to get results?