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Blister placement question
I'm currious about something. Tonight in the shower I noticed on one side of my thigh near my groin a collection of really small red spots (maybe 5 mm across). They're not really close to each other, but all of the spots are within an area of maybe 2 inches. I can't vouch they just showed up, but today's the first day I've noticed them. None yet look like blisters. I should note that I constantly have some pimple-like red spots scattered around my upper thighs, but never like this.
Anyway, when I look at pictures online and see an outbreak, the blister cluster is usually close enough to be touching and not loosely scattered like these are. So, are blisters usually clustered together or are the scattered like this.
Honestly, I'd love to go get this looked at first thing tomorrow, but I'm starting to feel like a hypocondriac, in that I've been into the clinic twice already (once this week) worried about anal herpes. If I go back in tomorrow and have them look at this, well, I'm afraid they're going to tell me to stop coming in.
If it matters, my potential exposure was 8 weeks ago.
Anyway, when I look at pictures online and see an outbreak, the blister cluster is usually close enough to be touching and not loosely scattered like these are. So, are blisters usually clustered together or are the scattered like this.
Honestly, I'd love to go get this looked at first thing tomorrow, but I'm starting to feel like a hypocondriac, in that I've been into the clinic twice already (once this week) worried about anal herpes. If I go back in tomorrow and have them look at this, well, I'm afraid they're going to tell me to stop coming in.
If it matters, my potential exposure was 8 weeks ago.
Thanks for the reply. I feel your pain and know what it's like to go through the worry. Really, it's the internet that spooks me into crazy self-examination, and the ambiguity of the disease that causes me to seriously question every itch, red spot, pimple, ingrown hair, etc.
Having said that, I'm happy to say my rash cleared up in 2 days with the anti-fungal cream. I just thought I'd share that.
Livelyhoodlost; man, I hope things work out for you. I feel for you. Still, positive or negative, either way, life will go forward and you will be okay in the end.
So until my next itchy red spot shows up spiralling me down into freaked-out craziness, I'm going to try and stay away from the net and keep some sanity.
Having said that, I'm happy to say my rash cleared up in 2 days with the anti-fungal cream. I just thought I'd share that.
Livelyhoodlost; man, I hope things work out for you. I feel for you. Still, positive or negative, either way, life will go forward and you will be okay in the end.
So until my next itchy red spot shows up spiralling me down into freaked-out craziness, I'm going to try and stay away from the net and keep some sanity.
Hey guys,
I was just reading over your comments and I share a great deal of your anxieties. I had an encounter about 4 weeks ago where the condom broke, and days later I developed symptomatic rashes on both my penis and scrotum. I flipped out. The night I discovered the rashes I remember hitting rock bottom, and I spent 3 hours sitting motionless trying to reinvent my life, seeing my future through the filter of genital herpes: will I ever have a healthy relationship? Will I ever find a woman who accepts me for who I am, despite the stigma on genital herpes? What about kids? Self confidence? Etc. etc...
I lost about 5 pounds within a week, seeing as how I barely ate, and spiraled into depression. I couldn't motivate myself to see friends or even get out of the house. I must have been to the doctor's office 5 or 6 times in the past 3 weeks, each time with new symptoms. The doctor's always assured me it wasn't herpes, but left to my own devices I would always over-examine myself and discover new symptoms that would relaunch my self destructive campaign. I will admit though, that seeing a doctor really does help. Although I realize that a visual inspection is the least reliable diagnosis method, you can't help but recognize that if you don't have blisters or symptoms that can swabbed, chances are you don't have herpes.
Listen to Grace: especially in men, folliculitus on the thighs can be quite common. Imagine how much chaffing and rubbing occurs between hairs when you walk around, and also take into account the fact that constant inspection can lead to greater irritation of the area.
Either way, I am no expert, but I have spent countless hours researching information and pictures on genital herpes. And from what you've described, it does not sound like genital herpes at all. If anything, I'd try applying Hydrocortisone 1% cream on the rash. If it is simply irritation/inflammation from friction, it should help greatly.
I was just reading over your comments and I share a great deal of your anxieties. I had an encounter about 4 weeks ago where the condom broke, and days later I developed symptomatic rashes on both my penis and scrotum. I flipped out. The night I discovered the rashes I remember hitting rock bottom, and I spent 3 hours sitting motionless trying to reinvent my life, seeing my future through the filter of genital herpes: will I ever have a healthy relationship? Will I ever find a woman who accepts me for who I am, despite the stigma on genital herpes? What about kids? Self confidence? Etc. etc...
I lost about 5 pounds within a week, seeing as how I barely ate, and spiraled into depression. I couldn't motivate myself to see friends or even get out of the house. I must have been to the doctor's office 5 or 6 times in the past 3 weeks, each time with new symptoms. The doctor's always assured me it wasn't herpes, but left to my own devices I would always over-examine myself and discover new symptoms that would relaunch my self destructive campaign. I will admit though, that seeing a doctor really does help. Although I realize that a visual inspection is the least reliable diagnosis method, you can't help but recognize that if you don't have blisters or symptoms that can swabbed, chances are you don't have herpes.
Listen to Grace: especially in men, folliculitus on the thighs can be quite common. Imagine how much chaffing and rubbing occurs between hairs when you walk around, and also take into account the fact that constant inspection can lead to greater irritation of the area.
Either way, I am no expert, but I have spent countless hours researching information and pictures on genital herpes. And from what you've described, it does not sound like genital herpes at all. If anything, I'd try applying Hydrocortisone 1% cream on the rash. If it is simply irritation/inflammation from friction, it should help greatly.
if you always have rashes on the thigh area, could be chaffing or folliculitis going on. sometimes it's hard to tell. And yes this could even be regular ole boring pimples too. anything to keep you half crazy right?
grace
grace
Nobody should want herpes, it was the reason I abstained from activity for the last 5 1/2 years and wanted to continue on til this year. I finally felt great due to getting a new car and was going to put all the bad things that happened last year away and make the most out of this new one and continue onwards.
Instead I get mindtricked to see a woman I didn't care to be nothing other than simple friends and she pretty much made me feel violated after leaving, to the point where I was in tears on the way home. I wish I never allowed her a peek into my life and I can't take that the rest of my life may very well be ruined. So much regret, so many ways I could have prevented it. It just kills me.
The week after I didn't eat for nearly two days and barely had maybe 1/2 lb of food on most days around that for another week. If I come away from this clean I will be amazed. I'm just assuming I have it, so I learn to cope and IF results show negative the news will be shocking and thrilling. It is so terrible that I see my coworkers and would love to ask one out but just can't because of this. All I had to say was, i'm interested in only my coworkers because I don't have time for anyone else. She'd be deterred, i'd feel stronger and make my point more well known and would not be here like this. My mind was very weak and so nervous and gave her benefit of the doubt. She was very invasive to my personal space and I was expecting her to be that way again, BUT part of my mind thought...well maybe she won't! Just sit very still and don't move. That did not work. I'm so devastated.
Instead I get mindtricked to see a woman I didn't care to be nothing other than simple friends and she pretty much made me feel violated after leaving, to the point where I was in tears on the way home. I wish I never allowed her a peek into my life and I can't take that the rest of my life may very well be ruined. So much regret, so many ways I could have prevented it. It just kills me.
The week after I didn't eat for nearly two days and barely had maybe 1/2 lb of food on most days around that for another week. If I come away from this clean I will be amazed. I'm just assuming I have it, so I learn to cope and IF results show negative the news will be shocking and thrilling. It is so terrible that I see my coworkers and would love to ask one out but just can't because of this. All I had to say was, i'm interested in only my coworkers because I don't have time for anyone else. She'd be deterred, i'd feel stronger and make my point more well known and would not be here like this. My mind was very weak and so nervous and gave her benefit of the doubt. She was very invasive to my personal space and I was expecting her to be that way again, BUT part of my mind thought...well maybe she won't! Just sit very still and don't move. That did not work. I'm so devastated.
True enough, although I'm not convinced it's a fungal infection either. I'm thinking the doctor pretty much prescribed me a low potency topical steroid to pretty much keep me entertained. What they look like is more a collection of small pimples that haven't come to a head. When I look up jock itch, the photos tend to show red areas while these are very localized spots.
The way I figure it, it's most likely just a minor staph infection (like pimples). I'm still not convinced it's not HSV because I guess I need to worry about something, and if it's red and in the groin, the internet says there's a chance it's herpes. Still, I have to figure a topical steroid should make an HSV OB worse, so if that doesn't happen, I guess the doctor's right. In the meantime, I just wait the week or two for the swab to come back from the lab.
The way I figure it, it's most likely just a minor staph infection (like pimples). I'm still not convinced it's not HSV because I guess I need to worry about something, and if it's red and in the groin, the internet says there's a chance it's herpes. Still, I have to figure a topical steroid should make an HSV OB worse, so if that doesn't happen, I guess the doctor's right. In the meantime, I just wait the week or two for the swab to come back from the lab.
if you had to be athletic to get fungal infections, I should've never had one my entire life....lol. It has little to do with doing more than getting up off the couch and more about heat and sweat as well as just your immune system in general.
grace
grace
Okay, back from my provider (must be sick of seeing me by now). He looked at the rash, and figures it's just a bit of jock itch, nothing serious. I explained that's funny since I haven't been that athletic lately and can't come up with any reason to cause the rash. I asked for him to swab it and he did, although he said it doesn't look like an HSV OB and bet against it coming back positive.
Livelihoodlost: Make sure to get it checked out, it makes all the difference in my frame of mind when I actually get someone to look me over and address my worries.
Livelihoodlost: Make sure to get it checked out, it makes all the difference in my frame of mind when I actually get someone to look me over and address my worries.
You know what I like about you Grace? You're direct and usually make me feel better. I agree it doesn't sound like herpes exactly, but the damn internet has me spooked. I mean, look up herpes symptoms and you get the standard blister description but also get told it can look like just about anything and show up just about anywhere and can show up just about any time. That makes every ingrown hair suspect.
So assuming it's not herpes, what else could it be in my groin area? It's not itchy, but I'm aware of the area and if I scratch it, well, it hurts a bit. I may go see my provider, but I'm worried now about being that hypocondriac person, and I do have an appointment next week for an unrelated matter and might wait till then.
livelihoodlost: I'm pulling for you man. I hope your spots aren't anything lifelong either. With me it's the not knowing that's killing me. I sure don't want genital herpes, but if it's there, I'd rather know and get on with dealing with it instead of flipping out at every little irritated skin rash that shows up. Seriously, after finding these in the shower last night I couldn't eat dinner I was so worried.
So assuming it's not herpes, what else could it be in my groin area? It's not itchy, but I'm aware of the area and if I scratch it, well, it hurts a bit. I may go see my provider, but I'm worried now about being that hypocondriac person, and I do have an appointment next week for an unrelated matter and might wait till then.
livelihoodlost: I'm pulling for you man. I hope your spots aren't anything lifelong either. With me it's the not knowing that's killing me. I sure don't want genital herpes, but if it's there, I'd rather know and get on with dealing with it instead of flipping out at every little irritated skin rash that shows up. Seriously, after finding these in the shower last night I couldn't eat dinner I was so worried.
7 weeks ago was my encounter, wish I had made myself worry enough about herpes to look up info on it. I would never have been in the situation we are in now. Days later I get symptomatic, she finds her first blister, says she had unprotected with a ladies man type less than a month before and gets a positive culture test.
I noticed tiny red spots spread out across thighs also, am very sure they were not there before. I really do hope it isn't herpes for us.
I noticed tiny red spots spread out across thighs also, am very sure they were not there before. I really do hope it isn't herpes for us.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
