Penile pain, burning and itching genitals

[confused1234]

I am a 28 year old male. The symptoms I am about to describe began suddenly around August 2005. At first they were chronic; lasting all the time for about 2 weeks, after which I would be symptom free for a month or so. Gradually over time, the period in which I sufferred the symptoms lengthened and the period for which I was symptom free shortnened, to the point where I would say for the last 9 months I have sufferred these symptoms 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

My groin area constantly feels "clammy" and sticky, much like you might feel after a long run. My genitals are constantly itchy in various places on my penis, testicles and pubic area. When I sit down, I experience a burning / prickling feeling in my groin, buttocks and thighs. The feeling is constant but is not generally felt when standing up or lying down. Minimal alleviation from the burning feeling is gained if I sit on a donut shaped cushion, but it does not help much. I also experience sharp stabbing pains in my penis from time to time, which was in fact the very first symptom I felt when this all started happening.

More recently now I do not seem to have the same pressure when urinating and I can't seem to squeeze everything out like I used to. No matter how much I shake afterwards, a little more urine always seems to drip into my pants afterwards.

I saw a urologist very early on in the picture; he performed a cystoscopy and prostatic massage which did not show any abnormal results, however it was likely that when he performed this it was in between times where I was sufferring symptoms. I also took a couple of courses of Ciprofloxacin which did not help at all. I have also been checked, re-checked and cleared on any STDs. I should also mention that there are no visual symptoms; sores or rash etc.

I have seen a neurologist who has tested me to the limits of his field of expertise, including MRI, nerve conduction studies, a lumbar puncture and various blood tests. He was unable to find a neurological reason for my symptoms.

I am now going to seek a second opinion from a urologist given the progression of my symptoms over time. In the mean time, if anyone can relate to these symptoms and offer some kind of advice or guidance that would be much appreciated. I am sufferring from this 24 hours a day 7 days a week and it is destroying my quality of life. The most frustrating thing is that as yet no one has been able to give me a definitive diagnosis of what this is.

Please help

[lcastro86]

Hi,

I Have also had this type of burning sensation for about 3 years... it was really bad back in 2011, and between 2012-2013 the discomfort was very mild, however, just recently the discomfort came back....I went to the doctor today, and this time I told my doctor this discomfort  is not normal, and I asked many, many questions.... I did let him know I do get a lot of in-grown hairs and I do shave the area ( I have been since I was a teenager) any who, as soon as he looked at my genital area, my doctor said I have a mild case of folliculitis and prescribed me some antibiotic and a cream to apply if I get outbreaks... I hope this helps me because it ***** having the burning sensation... But between 2011 and now all I have done is keep the area cool, dry, wear loose clothing.... well I shall let you all know if the meds work...

[Serg74]

Just got thyroid test results,  all THS levels normal.  I guess hair loss is due to stress from what I'm told.  The fact that scalp tingles all over I'd making me think its fungal and I may be chasing a fungal infection like JSULL.  I will keep you posted.

[Serg74]

Thanks for the words of encouragement lovemistake.  Best of luck with your procedure and Please keep us posted with your status.
A bit of good news with my symptoms is that most of the lower body aches have subsided.  No more heel/back pain for now.  The pains in the folds of groin area have subsided but still there if I think about it.  Had biopsy done on a patch of raised skin (bump) on thigh.  Dermatology results are eczema/dermatitis.  Not what I was expecting at all.  My biggest fear was HPV.  
A bit of bad news.  
   Received urine/blood labs from urologist.  
       Holicobacter pylori positive
       Chlamidia pneumonia >18.5 level
       Loosing large amounts of hair on scalp.  Not sure if its stress related or thyroid issues due to aching throught.
       Still getting folliclelitis on inner thigh.  Baby powder helping some.
      Not sure what to treat first anymore.  Don't want to take valtrex while taking antibiotics for pneumonia.  Also,  don't want to go to Dr with hair issue, he already thinks I should be on psychotic medication.
      I have been following another thread that is extremely related but they have taken discussion to a higher level.  Great read for all of us.  
      I am extremely concerned with a comment by a member by the name of Dammed02032012. He states that he transmitted the virus to his kids even after making an effort to keep his distance.  Hope he replies to my question.  

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/messageforum/threads/for-everyone-who-has-had-negative-hsv-blood-test-results-but-positive-swabs.55689/page-28


  Still waiting for something to swab.  I will keep posting.

[lovemistake]

I'm sorry to read your list of symptoms Serg, as they are almost identical to my own, and I know what my own suffering has been like for the past several years.  They have caused much dismay.

However, in many of the medical articles I have seen, which explain postherpetic neuralgia, it suggests that at the onset of viral symptoms, one should take the acyclovir-based drugs as soon as possible.  This, according to research, is crucial to limiting the subsequent neuralgia that happens after viral activity.

I never did this because in the early days, I had no lesions to indicate herpes activation and went for several years before finally putting all the facts together to arrive at the conclusion.  I was IgG positive after testing and then more recently found that it was specifically HSV1 (>3.5).  I confirmed by HSV condition by self-treating with valacyclovir.  I found that it reduced all of my symptoms, albeit briefly, and still continues to do so.

If it provides you with hope (and I certainly want to give you hope, rather than bad news), I have also read that in time, the postherpetic neuralgia reduces and disappears.  In my case it has not done so, but I think my case is quite extreme.  I have found that each time I suffered viral activity, subsequent nerve damage took place.  If you can take acyclovir, or better still, the pro-drug valacyclovir, whenever you think you are about to see viral activity, then I think you should be able to overcome it in time.

I have just undergone four weeks of ozone therapy by blood autohemotherapy, together with daily injection of ozone gas into the dorsal ganglia region (where herpes resides), both in order to attempt to kill off the virus.  It is too soon to say if it is working, but during my first few days' treatment, it helped an awful lot.  After the first few days, some of my pain returned.  I need to wait to see, and if necessary, continue treatment.

I wish you the best of luck.  I have accumulated dozens of medical articles and scientific studies that confirm herpes simplex does not always remain dormant and in fact continually changes the nerve sensations.  Therefore please contact me if I can be of help!

[ImHereTooNow]

Any update to condition post ozone? Thank you..

[lovemistake]

Apologies for the time which has passed since your comment.  I have only just seen this.

Yes, since my 2014 post I was fortunate enough to obtain conclusive diagnosis from three separate physicians that my symptoms were caused by HSV.  Their treatment offered me only gabapentin, which I found very difficult to accept as it is only a suppressor of nerve pain and does nothing for the underlying condition.  As a result of my frustration with this treatment, I obtained ozone auto-haemotherapy treatment in South Africa.  It provided me with the most profound improvement in symptoms since first suffering from this condition.  In fact, I don't think there was a single pain/nerve dysfunction or condition that ozone didn't help me with.

However, whilst the result was so good, the benefit lasted only for a very brief period of days, after which pain and other forms of dysfunction returned as before.  I continued with the treatment for 5 weeks, but I couldn't reproduce the initial result.

There is some research on ozone therapies suggesting that ozone/oxygen destroys capsid-type virus cells, such as those of HSV.  This indeed may be so, but I think from research into this, I would say that it is not possible for ozone/oxygen to  be delivered to the nerve ganglia where latent herpes resides.  Rather, I believe the help offered by ozone therapies is one of reducing nerve inflammation, through its reduction in inflammatory cytokines.  I cannot therefore say that ozone offered a significant long-term improvement, although certainly it's worth a try because results vary from one patient to another.

[Serg74]

It's been 7 months since relations with female and still trying to diagnose possible same infection.  Symptoms:
First month:
   Severe lower back pain (not like usual citric )
   Pinching pain on/in tip of foreskin
   Sharp pain in left butt/hip bone that made me limp
   Left heel bone pain that made it difficult to stand
Second month:
   Small raise hard lump on pubic area near upper edge of hair line.  Would not go away two weeks later, applied vinegar and immediately opened into a sore. (Not HPV)
   Feeling of bug bites and needle stings on scrotum Third month:
    Difficult to sit.  A lot of butt bone pain
    Random penis pains
    Feeling of burning skin/stings on groin folds
    Back pain/herl pain gone.
    Irritated inner thigh
    Tip of penis swelling and pain
    Under arm aches/pains, not painful but sudden onset
Fourth month:
     Irritated inner thigh cont
     But bone pain cont
Fifth month:  
     But bone pain subsided mid month
     Started feeling calf aches like dehydrated
     Urethra started burning(again) with mild head irritation
     No more under arm aches.
Sixth month:
     Continue with mild urethra/head discomfort
     Pain and discomforts on base of scrotum folds(very    
     noticeable) lasted all month.
     Calf ache continues
Seventh month:
      Groin fold pain/discomfort subside but occasionally
       returns
       Scrotum bites/stings/pinching returns (mild)
       Urethra and head discomfort persists.


  There has been tree Dermatologist, one urologist and three blood/urine analysis.  HSV 1 pos 2.96 LGG at fifth month but had a cold sore on lip during blood sample collection.  
   The most frustrating thing is having to wait for diagnosis by swab during the outbreak that never comes.  Had the small pimples here and there and on backside but dermos tell me it's foliclelitis.  

  at this point SHOULD I ASSUME I AM HSV1 gen Pos?
    
    
    
    
    

[lovemistake]

Thanks for the reply.  It's good that you managed to recover from your HSV1.  It sounds like it was a one-off effect from your initial exposure, whereas mine seems to have degenerated progressively over time.  The most frustrating thing for me, is not finding medical practitioners who accept that HSV can cause my symptoms.  The worst example of this has been when seeing infectious disease specialists and urologists.  They both just regard it as a skin vesicle issue and nothing more.  The urologist in Singapore told me it was "guilt", as you mentioned in your earlier post.

I actually took downloaded copies of case reports, showing Elsberg Syndrome and Herpes Radiculopathy etc. to my urologist and he replied that they are just single cases and aren't to be relied on.  It's so frustrating that they won't educate themselves beyond their medical texts.

Presumably these case reports have been published by exceptional doctors in the past who have found patients' symptoms noteworthy and prepared the information for the benefit of others.  Why, I wonder, don't we find those doctors in general practice?  Whenever I visit them and want advice on what I can do to get over this, they just want to get rid of me.

This has left me no option but to self-treat myself.  I am getting my pain and several other symptoms under control, finally.  Valacyclovir is available here over-the-counter, so apart from the huge cost, that's no problem.  However, this only resolves pain and stomach tension for a short time.  The real benefit I'm finding, is from taking the following:

1. Tagamet - anti-acic medication which improves the immune system (off label).  This has a noticeable effect minutes after taking it.
2. L-Lysine, several grams per day.  This has more or less resolved my genital numbness.