Aa
is my life over??
ok here's my story... dec 30th i hooked up with a girl i didn't know. we had sex for a couple of minutes until i got scared because i didnt know her. a couple of days later i noticed an itchy tingling feeling in my scrotum and on my penis. Basically my whole scrotum tingles/itches and there is itching on the underside and the right side of my penis. When that started i became scared and really really concerned. i went to an std clinic 5 days later and they told me it was probably just irritation and told me not to worry. so i felt better for like a day until i started worrying again. I then went to a dermatologist to see what they had to say and they gave me elidel and told me i would know if i caught something. By this time I was convinced i had herpes. I had tingling and itching on my scrotum and penis. It felt like little pin pricks randomly on my genitals I thought i was through. Well this scare continued to bother me. I went back the the same std clinic and talked to a women with like 20 yrs experience who said "she would bet her house on it" that i didn't have herpes. she said it lasted 7-10 days no matter how mild or severe the case. Now i question myself on whether or not i was correct on when i told her how long it was bothering me. By the way, I have not seen any rashes, blisters, or sores anywhere on my genitals. So i went back to the dermatolgist and told him the elidel isn't workin and he said dont worry yourself over it and i didnt have an std. So almost 10 days ago I was with another girl but we didnt have sex and the feeling came back again like a day later and is still bothering me now. so now i am all worried sick again. i have had some slight pain in my testicles too this time around. i dont know what to think anymore. i was tested for the standard std's such as gonorehea, syphilis, and chlymidia the first time i went to the std clinic and it was negative. i contacted the girl and she "said" she was checked recently and the gyno cleared her. All she said she had was a bladder infection sometime in december which she got medication for and it went away. I am not totally convinced that she went to the gyno and got checked after i contacted her. She doesn't seem too concerned about it either. So as i write you today, i am convinced i have contracted herpes and my life is over. my brother is tired of almost 4 months of hearing about it and telling me i am fine i would like to think it is something like epididmytitis or something but i can help think otherwise. I have never had this feeling before dec 30th and i feel like i cant function normally anymore because of my worring. so my questions to you are this...
Do you think that the herpes virus is causing this?
What other likely things could this be? epididmytitis? bacteria of some sort from her bladder infection?
Does herpes cause irritation/itching in multiple spots on the genitals?
Do you think that the herpes virus is causing this?
What other likely things could this be? epididmytitis? bacteria of some sort from her bladder infection?
Does herpes cause irritation/itching in multiple spots on the genitals?
yeah i was worried sick over my situation and went to clinics multiple times and a dermatologist multiple times. they all sai di was ok. i think u should get a herpes type 2 blood test done. i believe they are accurate 12-16 weeks after possible exposure. make sure they are type specific and are reliable tests. u have to ask ur doctor about that. i had one done at 16 weeks which came back negative thank god. i still have the irritation whatever it is and tryin to find out what that is. either way i have to believe it is not herpes and stop tearin myself apart. its not healthy at all. so the bottom line is get a herpes type 2 blood test done and c what happens. maybe then u can relax. hope this helps
i have something similar, well not really.
a year ago i was having pain urinating and with much difficulty looked at the spot on my left labia where it hurt. it looked like a very angry little cut, but i was worried about herpes so i went to my university health center and they took a culture (negative). the sullen woman who took the culture told me only herpes would get me a cut like that, prescribed me an anti-viral, but the test came back negative.
i got the pockit finger ***** test for like $150 to feel better about the negative because the sullen woman told me that the "sore was open and the virus probably left" or something. pockit came back negative.
now i have the reoccuring cut again on my labia that makes urinating painful. i myself believe/hope i cut myself with one of those damn cardboard tampon applicators and i'm just aggravating it occasionally. it's finals time and i'm stressed/sleepless beyond belief, so nature lets my immune system drop and my cut reopen in a region that's constantly irked by g-strings and trips to the bathroom, right?
what do ppl think? i've never seen a blister, just this damn cut. and what about herpes CLUSTERS? it's just ONE. it never LOOKED like a blister, just a cut from stage one cut to once at its most aggravated point, a white crater/sore (last year).
is there any other test i can take to tell me if i have herpes? i think the pockit would be my 100% feelsafe but it isn't helping while i'm still having this reoccurring cut on my labia.
a year ago i was having pain urinating and with much difficulty looked at the spot on my left labia where it hurt. it looked like a very angry little cut, but i was worried about herpes so i went to my university health center and they took a culture (negative). the sullen woman who took the culture told me only herpes would get me a cut like that, prescribed me an anti-viral, but the test came back negative.
i got the pockit finger ***** test for like $150 to feel better about the negative because the sullen woman told me that the "sore was open and the virus probably left" or something. pockit came back negative.
now i have the reoccuring cut again on my labia that makes urinating painful. i myself believe/hope i cut myself with one of those damn cardboard tampon applicators and i'm just aggravating it occasionally. it's finals time and i'm stressed/sleepless beyond belief, so nature lets my immune system drop and my cut reopen in a region that's constantly irked by g-strings and trips to the bathroom, right?
what do ppl think? i've never seen a blister, just this damn cut. and what about herpes CLUSTERS? it's just ONE. it never LOOKED like a blister, just a cut from stage one cut to once at its most aggravated point, a white crater/sore (last year).
is there any other test i can take to tell me if i have herpes? i think the pockit would be my 100% feelsafe but it isn't helping while i'm still having this reoccurring cut on my labia.
Hey Man. I just wanted to echo a few things that others have said to you on here. It is crazy what your mind can do to you when you think you might have herpes. I think I noticed every time my **** rubbed against one of my pubic hairs for over a month. It can get crazy. I'm sure your probably handling yourself a few times a day to get a look and see if anything is happening down there. That will cause irritation and skin changes----which are the last things you want to see down there if you are worried you have herpes. Try to educate yourself too. Be rational. Some of the things people have written to you make alot of sense. Maybe you can find a Herpes Hotline to call or something. It helps to talk to people. Don't believe everything you read and don't freak out about little itches and things---and try to leave it alone for a while too. I hope all turns out well for you. Take care my friend.
While I don't know what you do have, other than an acute case of anxiety :( I can offer the following words of wisdom (?!)
* Herpes requires a 7-21 day incubation period between the time you are exposed and the first breakout into herpes sores. Since you experienced your symptoms the next day, you probably don't have herpes as far as this layperson is concerned.
* Because herpes is a virus, the symptoms that accompany a first outbreak mimic that of the flu. In fact, I went to the doctor initially because I felt like total and absolute crud (fever, all-over achiness, etc.), and sort of said, "Oh, and btw, what's this?" as an after-thought. If you did not experience any flu-like malaise, it's probably not herpes.
* Herpes sores are like little pimples or blisters. In my case it's the former, and they are quite sore and then they just go away. People with worse cases have blisters that scab over apparently. I didn't read that you had any description of these kinds of symptom, so...
* I have had genital herpes for 14 years, and have never had tingling all over my genitals. When people are about to break out with a herpes sore(s), they do experience what's called "prodromal symptoms," meaning symptoms before the outbreak, for instance, I get a pain in my right hamstring... almost like sciatica. Some people get headaches. Some experience tingling on the spot where they break out-- not random all-over tingling, but tingling on the EXACT spot(s). Because the herpes virus lives in the basal ganglia in the spinal cord and then travels along the same path every time to the same spot on the skin. So if your tingling is random/all-over, and if it does not immediately precede a breakout into a sore, it's extremely unlikely to be associated with herpes.
* Finally, even if you DO have herpes... While herpes is an incurable virus, it is IS treatable, and it is not life-threatening in any sense of the word. I completely understand your fear, because I was 24 when I got it, and the Lord knows I thought my life was over. But know that 20-25% of Americans have herpes, so you're in good company as it were, although company that has made poor judgment calls.
* There is great medication available (e.g. Famvir, Zovirax) to lessen the severity and duration of outbreaks, and sometimes diet helps. Plus, the outbreaks become less and less frequent as you get older.
* Also, good news... I've had it 14 years and never given it to anyone. I also make a point of telling everyone that I have it, to give them the courtesy of making that decision, because the jerk who gave it to me did not tell me he had it. I think it's key to share this kind of info. If you don't feel comfortable sharing it, how can you feel comfortable sharing something as intimate as sex?
* However, if you DO have herpes, I pray this serves as a reminder for any upcoming times you're feeling like the clear and present joy far outweighs any vague and future disease... because herpes ain't nothing, baby... HIV is the big daddy, and it could just have easily been that.
Blessings...
* Herpes requires a 7-21 day incubation period between the time you are exposed and the first breakout into herpes sores. Since you experienced your symptoms the next day, you probably don't have herpes as far as this layperson is concerned.
* Because herpes is a virus, the symptoms that accompany a first outbreak mimic that of the flu. In fact, I went to the doctor initially because I felt like total and absolute crud (fever, all-over achiness, etc.), and sort of said, "Oh, and btw, what's this?" as an after-thought. If you did not experience any flu-like malaise, it's probably not herpes.
* Herpes sores are like little pimples or blisters. In my case it's the former, and they are quite sore and then they just go away. People with worse cases have blisters that scab over apparently. I didn't read that you had any description of these kinds of symptom, so...
* I have had genital herpes for 14 years, and have never had tingling all over my genitals. When people are about to break out with a herpes sore(s), they do experience what's called "prodromal symptoms," meaning symptoms before the outbreak, for instance, I get a pain in my right hamstring... almost like sciatica. Some people get headaches. Some experience tingling on the spot where they break out-- not random all-over tingling, but tingling on the EXACT spot(s). Because the herpes virus lives in the basal ganglia in the spinal cord and then travels along the same path every time to the same spot on the skin. So if your tingling is random/all-over, and if it does not immediately precede a breakout into a sore, it's extremely unlikely to be associated with herpes.
* Finally, even if you DO have herpes... While herpes is an incurable virus, it is IS treatable, and it is not life-threatening in any sense of the word. I completely understand your fear, because I was 24 when I got it, and the Lord knows I thought my life was over. But know that 20-25% of Americans have herpes, so you're in good company as it were, although company that has made poor judgment calls.
* There is great medication available (e.g. Famvir, Zovirax) to lessen the severity and duration of outbreaks, and sometimes diet helps. Plus, the outbreaks become less and less frequent as you get older.
* Also, good news... I've had it 14 years and never given it to anyone. I also make a point of telling everyone that I have it, to give them the courtesy of making that decision, because the jerk who gave it to me did not tell me he had it. I think it's key to share this kind of info. If you don't feel comfortable sharing it, how can you feel comfortable sharing something as intimate as sex?
* However, if you DO have herpes, I pray this serves as a reminder for any upcoming times you're feeling like the clear and present joy far outweighs any vague and future disease... because herpes ain't nothing, baby... HIV is the big daddy, and it could just have easily been that.
Blessings...
Dr Rockoff,
What makes you so confident that any test will come back negative for STD's?? Are you saying that my itching and pain that re-occurred is not caused by an STD? I thought that was a definite sign that something is wrong. I want to believe what everyone is telling me, but I do not want to set myself up for a crushing blow if it comes back positive for something. I just keep goin back to the fact that this problem re-occurred in the same spots and it has never happened before this encounter on Dec 30th. Thanks again for your help.
What makes you so confident that any test will come back negative for STD's?? Are you saying that my itching and pain that re-occurred is not caused by an STD? I thought that was a definite sign that something is wrong. I want to believe what everyone is telling me, but I do not want to set myself up for a crushing blow if it comes back positive for something. I just keep goin back to the fact that this problem re-occurred in the same spots and it has never happened before this encounter on Dec 30th. Thanks again for your help.
You would be amazed at what your mind can do when you feed the anxiety. Trust me I know. I've even created symptoms. Fortunately
through my doctor and people like Dr. Rockoff I have educated myself better and made lifestyle changes so as not to put
myself in a position to initiate worry. Take care friend
and try to calm down. Sounds like your tests should be fine
and when you hear they are, accept the results and move on.
Looking on the web for info, much of which is either inaccurate or way too generalized, will push you over the edge.
Think good thoughts. If it helps, my genitals itch all the time.
Hair growing in, sweat, friction, etc. It
seems people think because they are genitalia they
should be different from any other part of your body. They are not. Probably even more susceptable to itching and friction
because of the location and aggravation from clothing, detergents, exercise and sensitive skin. And again, you can certainly exasperate something small into a whirlwind through anxiety.
through my doctor and people like Dr. Rockoff I have educated myself better and made lifestyle changes so as not to put
myself in a position to initiate worry. Take care friend
and try to calm down. Sounds like your tests should be fine
and when you hear they are, accept the results and move on.
Looking on the web for info, much of which is either inaccurate or way too generalized, will push you over the edge.
Think good thoughts. If it helps, my genitals itch all the time.
Hair growing in, sweat, friction, etc. It
seems people think because they are genitalia they
should be different from any other part of your body. They are not. Probably even more susceptable to itching and friction
because of the location and aggravation from clothing, detergents, exercise and sensitive skin. And again, you can certainly exasperate something small into a whirlwind through anxiety.
thanks for the re-assurance. It's just that the same feeling came back right after this last contact with a girl and I think it's real. Not something I'm imagining. Of course by now I don't know what's goin on anyways. I'm worring so much I am losing weight and not feeling like going out anymore. People are starting to notice. Even though I have pain and itching in the same spot you think I will be fine and I won't come up positive for an STD? Everyone tells me that but this feeling isn't right to me. I'm goin Thursday for a blood test for herpes and HIV and then have to wait a week for the results which is going to be real hard. Maybe I should just try and convince myself everything is going to be fine and listen to what others have told me.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I do not think it is herpes. I think it is worry about herpes. Since you have been tested for other STD's, why not have a herpes blood test as well. Now that it's a few months after your questionable contact, the negative test you're sure to get should reassure you once and for all. If it doesn't, consider some counseling--your fear associated with sexual contacts isn't doing you any good.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Man your life would be far from over if you have Herpes. You went to the STD clinic 2 times. You will get an answer from Dr. Rockoff. You will then need to talk to a therapist about anxiety. Plenty of people have herpes and the older you get the more you will see this.
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