Aa
Herpes?
Hello,
You'll have to excuse me for being a little long-winded here, I've never been so scared about anything in my life. If you think you can lend your opinion and read through all of this, I would be very grateful. I'm a 25 year old male in otherwise good health. I've had sex with five girls in my lifetime, mostly long, monogamous relationships. Well I'm no longer in a relationship and about six weeks ago exactly I had a sexual encounter with a 22 year old girl, who for all intents and purposes was a stranger. I'd talked with her before but didn't know much about her. She was very attractive and well spoken. I'd seen her around quite a few times and she never struck me as "dirty" (for lack of a better term). Her and all her friends seemed very well-kept, etc. Not that disease discriminates, but I think this gave me a false sense of confidence going into the whole ordeal. Needless to say, I foolishly has both oral and vaginal sex with her, unprotected.
Less than 48 hours after this encounter I noticed a small whitehead on the top of the shaft of my penis. There were also two small bumps to the left (not clustered). They were not accompanied by an itch or pain. It did not burn or hurt to urinate. The "whitehead" did not appear to contain fluid, but rather... well, whatever a whitehead is (white blood cells, maybe?). A solid rather than a liquid, anyway. 24 hours later the whitehead had gone away on its own and it appeared to be healing just as any pimple would. Nothing came of the other bumps. No noticable discharge or anything. So I attributed it to irritation and went about my life.
About a week or so later a larger bump started forming on the left side of my penis. At full size it may have been the size of a dime or just slightly larger, and it was raised (no central dimple). This one didn't look like a whitehead, but it still didn't look like it was filled with liquid. It didn't look like a blister. It was kind of reddish and was rather firm to the touch. Again, it did not itch or cause me pain in the least. At the very most, I could feel it's presence at times, which was disturbing but not at all uncomfortable physically. I never experienced any flu-like symptoms either. The "bump" lasted about two weeks or more, never broke open, and did not crust. It just went back down. The skin there feels slightly different now and is slightly discolored, like scar tissue healing. This bump was not accompanied by any other bumps in the region, so again, no clustering. Quite possibly living in denial, I attributed this as further irritaion or an infected hair follicle or something, since it didn't really exhibit any of the classic symptoms of herpes.
While the larger bump was on my penis, I started getting what looked like acne on my face. Nothing on my lips, but on my cheeks, and right above my chin. Each pimple or sore or whatever appeared independently of the others and again there was no clustering. I associated this with what was going on down below because, A) I don't get acne very often, B) They lasted longer than any pimples I can remember having, C) I'm freaking out so anything wrong with my body is currently being blamed on what I think might possibly be herpes. Most of the "pimples" are going away or gone, but they concern me. Quite similar to the "pimples" on my face, I had also noticed isolated pimples on the very outside of my thigh and my butt cheek.
Now, with all the marks gone, I've been exhibiting some other symptoms that, if herpes related, one would think would accompany the earlier symptoms. I'm starting to have a mild itch in the genital region. Not in any particular place, just a slight general itch from time to time, mostly around the penis not on the penis itself. This could just be my head playing tricks with me. What isn't just in my head is a rash that i've gotten a couple of times on my legs and arms, once or twice on my face. But this might just be wind burn and chapped skin from being outside in the cold. Also, some very small red dots on my chest, abs and arms. Again, this could just be me looking way too closely at my skin. Lastly, I've been having back/kidney pain recently and most recently I noticed it was a little painful inside my urethra for a while after the last time I ejaculated.
The reasons I think it is herpes:
-the "pimples" or "lumps" on my penis, leg, butt and face + rash
-some symptoms, while not occuring in the traditional order, are present:
itching, some lower back/kidney pain, most recently pain in urethra after ejaculation (but not with urination)
The reasons I don't think it's herpes:
-The length of time. started less that 48 hours after encounter and has lasted nearly six weeks.
-Symptoms have not presented themselves in what I've come to know as the traditional order (itching/tingling/burning first, THEN lesions. in my case it was the other way around)
-No clustering
-No weeping blisters, open/painful/itchy sores; they didn't open/hurt/itch at all
-they didn't crust or scab
-the ones on my face weren't on my lips
-they really don't look like any of the pictures of herpes i've seen, but I know usually only the most severe cases are depicted.
-nothing I've experienced has caused intense discomfort and in most instances that I've read about there is some level of discomfort if the person does actually show symptoms.
Before you respond, I know I need to see a doctor. I don't have health insurance so that's slowed me down. I know I can go to my county std clinic for free, but I kept finding one reason or another to assure myself I was fine. It is now clear to me that SOMETHING is wrong, now it's just a matter of finding out what that is. I'm heading to the clinic tomorrow morning if they have enough time to see me before work, otherwise Friday for certain.
Do you think I have HSV 1,2 or both?
Thank you for your time and response!
You'll have to excuse me for being a little long-winded here, I've never been so scared about anything in my life. If you think you can lend your opinion and read through all of this, I would be very grateful. I'm a 25 year old male in otherwise good health. I've had sex with five girls in my lifetime, mostly long, monogamous relationships. Well I'm no longer in a relationship and about six weeks ago exactly I had a sexual encounter with a 22 year old girl, who for all intents and purposes was a stranger. I'd talked with her before but didn't know much about her. She was very attractive and well spoken. I'd seen her around quite a few times and she never struck me as "dirty" (for lack of a better term). Her and all her friends seemed very well-kept, etc. Not that disease discriminates, but I think this gave me a false sense of confidence going into the whole ordeal. Needless to say, I foolishly has both oral and vaginal sex with her, unprotected.
Less than 48 hours after this encounter I noticed a small whitehead on the top of the shaft of my penis. There were also two small bumps to the left (not clustered). They were not accompanied by an itch or pain. It did not burn or hurt to urinate. The "whitehead" did not appear to contain fluid, but rather... well, whatever a whitehead is (white blood cells, maybe?). A solid rather than a liquid, anyway. 24 hours later the whitehead had gone away on its own and it appeared to be healing just as any pimple would. Nothing came of the other bumps. No noticable discharge or anything. So I attributed it to irritation and went about my life.
About a week or so later a larger bump started forming on the left side of my penis. At full size it may have been the size of a dime or just slightly larger, and it was raised (no central dimple). This one didn't look like a whitehead, but it still didn't look like it was filled with liquid. It didn't look like a blister. It was kind of reddish and was rather firm to the touch. Again, it did not itch or cause me pain in the least. At the very most, I could feel it's presence at times, which was disturbing but not at all uncomfortable physically. I never experienced any flu-like symptoms either. The "bump" lasted about two weeks or more, never broke open, and did not crust. It just went back down. The skin there feels slightly different now and is slightly discolored, like scar tissue healing. This bump was not accompanied by any other bumps in the region, so again, no clustering. Quite possibly living in denial, I attributed this as further irritaion or an infected hair follicle or something, since it didn't really exhibit any of the classic symptoms of herpes.
While the larger bump was on my penis, I started getting what looked like acne on my face. Nothing on my lips, but on my cheeks, and right above my chin. Each pimple or sore or whatever appeared independently of the others and again there was no clustering. I associated this with what was going on down below because, A) I don't get acne very often, B) They lasted longer than any pimples I can remember having, C) I'm freaking out so anything wrong with my body is currently being blamed on what I think might possibly be herpes. Most of the "pimples" are going away or gone, but they concern me. Quite similar to the "pimples" on my face, I had also noticed isolated pimples on the very outside of my thigh and my butt cheek.
Now, with all the marks gone, I've been exhibiting some other symptoms that, if herpes related, one would think would accompany the earlier symptoms. I'm starting to have a mild itch in the genital region. Not in any particular place, just a slight general itch from time to time, mostly around the penis not on the penis itself. This could just be my head playing tricks with me. What isn't just in my head is a rash that i've gotten a couple of times on my legs and arms, once or twice on my face. But this might just be wind burn and chapped skin from being outside in the cold. Also, some very small red dots on my chest, abs and arms. Again, this could just be me looking way too closely at my skin. Lastly, I've been having back/kidney pain recently and most recently I noticed it was a little painful inside my urethra for a while after the last time I ejaculated.
The reasons I think it is herpes:
-the "pimples" or "lumps" on my penis, leg, butt and face + rash
-some symptoms, while not occuring in the traditional order, are present:
itching, some lower back/kidney pain, most recently pain in urethra after ejaculation (but not with urination)
The reasons I don't think it's herpes:
-The length of time. started less that 48 hours after encounter and has lasted nearly six weeks.
-Symptoms have not presented themselves in what I've come to know as the traditional order (itching/tingling/burning first, THEN lesions. in my case it was the other way around)
-No clustering
-No weeping blisters, open/painful/itchy sores; they didn't open/hurt/itch at all
-they didn't crust or scab
-the ones on my face weren't on my lips
-they really don't look like any of the pictures of herpes i've seen, but I know usually only the most severe cases are depicted.
-nothing I've experienced has caused intense discomfort and in most instances that I've read about there is some level of discomfort if the person does actually show symptoms.
Before you respond, I know I need to see a doctor. I don't have health insurance so that's slowed me down. I know I can go to my county std clinic for free, but I kept finding one reason or another to assure myself I was fine. It is now clear to me that SOMETHING is wrong, now it's just a matter of finding out what that is. I'm heading to the clinic tomorrow morning if they have enough time to see me before work, otherwise Friday for certain.
Do you think I have HSV 1,2 or both?
Thank you for your time and response!
The referrals are the best thing to do at this point. it's far more likely to be something else than it is herpes related.
grace
grace
bump.
Take your time, I really appreciate the effort you all put into this forum. I just wanted to make sure my thread didn't get lost in the shuffle.
Oh, and I did return to the clinic yesterday. Unfortunately they were short staffed and basically told me they couldn't give me the answers I need and refered me elsewhere. I fully intend to check out some of their referals, but would still really appreciate any insight you all might have. Thanks!
Take your time, I really appreciate the effort you all put into this forum. I just wanted to make sure my thread didn't get lost in the shuffle.
Oh, and I did return to the clinic yesterday. Unfortunately they were short staffed and basically told me they couldn't give me the answers I need and refered me elsewhere. I fully intend to check out some of their referals, but would still really appreciate any insight you all might have. Thanks!
Ok, unfortunately I'm back. After a week on doxy for the NGU, I was still experiencing symptoms so I returned to the clinic. Also, the NGU was non chlamydial. I was given a week's worth of Amoxicillin 500mg/3x a day to further treat the NGU. I also showed them my tongue which had been concerning me. I had (and still do) many very small red marks/bumps on the sides and some on the top of my tongue, accompanied with a slight white coating that almost looks hairy. My tongue doesn't hurt, it's just slightly sensitive and my tastebuds seem altered a bit. I'm not immuno-deficient according to my negative HIV test. There are no lesions around my mouth or anywhere else but my tongue. The Dr. took a look at it and said he didn't suspect herpes but rather any number of other viruses going around. This was last Wed. I'm almost done with the week's worth of Amoxicillin and am still experiencing slight urethral discomfort. Most the time I don't notice anything but every once in a while there will be a feeling that I know isn't normal. Urinating isn't painful but it also... just isn't normal. I also still have the marks and white coating on my tongue. I was feeling what I thought to be kidney pain, but that seems to mostly have subsided.
So to recap, this has been over two months that I've been experiencing one symptom or another, starting with a couple of painless bumps that didn't crust over or weep or anything on the shaft of my penis. After they were gone I started experiencing the urethral discomfort (which was accompanied by some very minor itching) and tongue symptoms. None of these symptoms have caused any real pain. In fact most times I didn't feel any of them and when I did they were so mild that I could ignore tham. I've been to the clinic twice now, where I've been seen by at least 5 different doctors, nurses or physicians. I've tested negative for everything except NGU, which is not chlamydia and is very vague to me. Both times I asked specifically about herpes and both times they told me they didn't think that was the case. I have not yet actually been tested though. My tongue has been showing these symptoms for almost three weeks. Not to mention, I don't feel particularly sick, as if I had a virus.
Do you have any insight as to what could be going on with me? I'm going to go back to the clinic tomorrow, assuming I'm still experiencing symptoms. Which I fully expect to at this point. Do all these symptoms sound like herpes? furthermore, Is it possible to be expeincing herpes symptoms for this long? I can deal with a nondescript NGU, urethritis, UTI, fungal infection, etc... I'm just having a really hard time accepting that this might be H. This has really caused me a TON of mental anguish over these past two+ months, and I've had no one to talk to at all aside from the people at the clinic, so any and all comments are appreciated. Thank you very much!
So to recap, this has been over two months that I've been experiencing one symptom or another, starting with a couple of painless bumps that didn't crust over or weep or anything on the shaft of my penis. After they were gone I started experiencing the urethral discomfort (which was accompanied by some very minor itching) and tongue symptoms. None of these symptoms have caused any real pain. In fact most times I didn't feel any of them and when I did they were so mild that I could ignore tham. I've been to the clinic twice now, where I've been seen by at least 5 different doctors, nurses or physicians. I've tested negative for everything except NGU, which is not chlamydia and is very vague to me. Both times I asked specifically about herpes and both times they told me they didn't think that was the case. I have not yet actually been tested though. My tongue has been showing these symptoms for almost three weeks. Not to mention, I don't feel particularly sick, as if I had a virus.
Do you have any insight as to what could be going on with me? I'm going to go back to the clinic tomorrow, assuming I'm still experiencing symptoms. Which I fully expect to at this point. Do all these symptoms sound like herpes? furthermore, Is it possible to be expeincing herpes symptoms for this long? I can deal with a nondescript NGU, urethritis, UTI, fungal infection, etc... I'm just having a really hard time accepting that this might be H. This has really caused me a TON of mental anguish over these past two+ months, and I've had no one to talk to at all aside from the people at the clinic, so any and all comments are appreciated. Thank you very much!
Yes you can have more than 1 std at a time.
NGU certainly explains the urinary symptoms.
The bump could be many things - lasting 6 weeks though means it's probably something else. Continued follow up at this time if the best course of action.
grace
NGU certainly explains the urinary symptoms.
The bump could be many things - lasting 6 weeks though means it's probably something else. Continued follow up at this time if the best course of action.
grace
So I went to the clinic. They sort of dismissed the notion of herpes, but also told me they couldn't tell me definitively without doing a culture. She said I did have a discharge that came back positive for an NGU and I was given dioxycycline. They determined it was an NGU based on a high white blood cell count. They said a high white blood cell count isn't condusive of herpes. is this true? I have to call back in a week to see exactly what the NGU is, but I'm still concerned that I have herpes because I can't find any record of an NGU causing bumps on the penis like I experienced. She said that the mark left over from the larger bump looked like it could be from a UTI or something? is this possible? I'm sure it is but I have to ask anyway, is it possible to have both an NGU such as chlamydia and herpes at the same time? further more, is it possible to have oral herpes and gential herpes at the same time? Thanks again!
yes but it would be best if it's pcr and it also needs to be done within 24-48 hours after the appearance of the lesion.
grace
grace
Thank you for your response, Grace. Is it possible to do a lesion culture if the lesion does not open?
Definitely you need to head to the county clinic. You need to give a urine specimen and cover a few of the std bases. They most likely won't offer a type specific herpes igg blood test for herpes but you can ask. Should you get a recurrence of the rash, return to be seen immediately because most county clinics will do lesion cultures for herpes even if they don't offer the blood test.
Sorry - can't even begin to guess if it's hsv1, hsv2 or something else going on. You need to start a proper work up because your symptoms could be many, many different things.
grace
Sorry - can't even begin to guess if it's hsv1, hsv2 or something else going on. You need to start a proper work up because your symptoms could be many, many different things.
grace
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
