gonorrhea/penile discharge

[veryworried13]

So I took 1g of Azithromycin (about 10 days ago). Some

of the watery discharge went away. But a "drip, drip" kind of

clear watery (it is not white or yellowish) discharge remains. It smells a bit. I also seem to have rectal infection as there is itchy feeling and I go to the toilet 4-5 times a day. I also seem to have a bit conjunctivitis in both my eyes. And now I have mysterious pain/inflammation in my right knee and left ankle. I also had severe throat infection and inflamation a while ago that went away after 2 days of ampiciliin. But I still seem to have some ear infection/throat infection. All the symptoms seem to suggest gonorrhea which due to non-treatment has led to complications. Please help. I am very distressed and in panic mode. My guess is I had chlamydia and gonorrhea for the past 2 months. The chlamydia went away after I took azithromycin but the gonorrhea remained. And now it is causing all kinds of complications. Further since I took 1g azithromycin, I am afraid it has suppressed things enough that the tests will come out negative. What should I do? How long should I wait to take tests again so that they come out accurate?

Thanks.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I deleted your first post, responding to both here.  Only a limited number of questions is permitted daily, and duplicates prevent others from asking theirs.



Clearly you have had repeated episodes of urethritis; the initial ones probably were nonchlamydial NGU (based on negative tests for both chlamydia and gonorrhea).  I can't tell about whether the more recent episodes were recurrence of the original urethritis or one or more new infections with gonorrhea, chlamydia, or others.



Your joint pain plus conjunctivitis strongly suggests the possibility of Reiter's syndrome, a form of "reactive arthritis" that occurs as the result of an aberrant immune response to several "trigger" infections.  Conjunctivitis often is present, and sometimes a particular kind of skin rash.  The most common trigger is chlamydia, but other urethral infections like gonorrhea also can do it, as can certain intestinal infections.  Although usually not serious in the long run, some cases of Reiter's syndrome can be quite disabling and may involve other comlications.



You need to see a health care provider promptly, one with knowledge about Reiter's syndrome.  Either return to your PCP or ask him/her for a referral to a specialist either in rheumatology (arthritis) or infectious diseases.  So it soon.



Good luck--  HHH, MD

[veryworried13]

Thanks a lot. I will go see my PCP ASAP. I also seem to have epididymitis: I have a mild pain in my testicles/scrotum all the time. Do you think that is the case? And can it get serious? Can I become infertile? What are the chances of complications considering it is at least two months since I have had an infection?