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About 6 months ago I gave oral sex to a male friend of mine. Afterwards, that day, my mouth wouldn't stop watering. It was a weird feeling. I tried taking several drinks and using mouthwash, but nothing would make it stop.  That night I had a sore throat and a headache. The headache became severe the following day. The pain was so bad I couldn't get out of bed. I was also running a slight fever (about a 100). My neck became stiff and moving my head from side to side was uncomfortable. It felt like I had swelling in my head. This went on for two weeks. After those two weeks the pain got better, but the swelling feeling in my head and stiff neck were still there. I went to an STD clinic a week later and told the doctor there what had happened. She didn't believe that the pain in my head would have been caused by an STD and that it was probably caused by my worrying. She mentioned that only a form of syphilis could do this, but it took many years to develop and it was impossible that I caught that from that one encounter. The doctor tested me for STDs. On the questionnaire it asked if I had taken antibiotics within 2 weeks. I said no, but I was nervous and had forgotten to tell her that I had. It was just about 2 weeks ago that I had taken a few pills from an old prescription that I didn't finish. All the tests they had given me came back negative, but I'm worried that the results weren't accurate because of the antibiotic I had taken.

A few days later I made an appointment with my regular doctor and told her what happened. She told me the glands in my neck were a little swollen but it wasn't too bad. She gave me a prescription for azithromycin. I took the antibiotic and it didn't help. So she gave me another  prescription for augmentin, but that didn't help either. She told me I needed to get some lab work done. I had a CAT scan done to rule out swelling and bleeding in my brain and some blood work done to check for infection, thyroid, and mono which all came back normal. She told me that I would need to see a specialist. The problem is that my health insurance had expired because I had lost my job so I can't afford to see the specialist.

This all happened about 6 months ago. The swollen feeling in my head is no longer painful, but it hasn't gone away. The stiffness in my neck isn't as bad, but it is still there. Sometimes when I try to read it just doesn't look right, like I have to hold my focus in order to read. Sometimes I feel a little dizzy. It also seems to bother me more if I go outside on a hot day. I still don't have any medical insurance. Also, I was in an accident when I was younger so I don't have a spleen. My doctor told me that my immune system is weak because of that. The friend of mine that I gave the oral sex to had prostate cancer so I'm assuming his immune system was weak as well.

Please help me. If you know what could be causing this please let me know. This way I could ask my regular doctor to treat me for it and I'll be able to afford it. It's been very difficult for me to find a new job when I've been sick on a daily basis.
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Avatar universal
If you don't have health insurance, ask your male friend to request a test for it.
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Avatar universal
Thank you friggy. After looking at Dr. Mirkin's web site about mycoplasmas, I believe that is what I have. The doctor mentioned chronic sore throat, fatigue, and muscle aches as symptoms, all of which I have. I'm surprised that the STD clinic I went to wouldn't know about these organisms. Thank you again.
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Avatar universal
I would suspect a mycoplasma, which could be spread that way.  Google "mycoplasma", and see what the lyme disease blog has to say about symptoms, and Goog "mycoplasma dr. mirkin" to see what he has to say about it.  Mycoplasmas elude bacteria tests, and your doctor will have to order a special test to diagnose it.
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Avatar universal
Could that cause a sore throat and fever as well?
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand your predicament. But your symptoms may not be due to STDs. More so because you have tested negative for them. From the symptoms you have given me, the most probable cause for your pain and dizziness could be cervical spondylosis or cervical muscle strain.

If it is cervical spondylosis, relief can be got by wearing a cervical collar while working and while traveling. The emphasis here is to not bend your neck. Avoid pillows while sleeping. There are exercises, but it will be difficult for me to explain here. Initially anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant drugs will help.

If it is due to cervical strain that movement of the neck in every direction whenever possible may give you relief. You can adjust the height of your chair or slant your computer, so that you need not have to strain while working.

It would be advisable if you can meet a doctor and rule out spondylosis, because severe neck exercises are contradicted here. In the meantime how about some brisk walking to relive your stress and tension.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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