bizzar rash

[pimpjuice28]

Ok so for the last year I have had this red rash that continues to appear on the left side of my scrotum.  I get 3 red dots or so all the way on the back of my scrotum close to where it meets my leg.  My left testicle is higher up than my right and may be causing rubbing.  My symptoms are also much worse in the summer.  This typically happens around 1-2 times a month.  I recently noticed that the rash will almost completely go away if I shower and put baby powder on it before I go to sleep.  If I am not able to shower that night then the red bumps appear and will continue to get worse until I shower and dry well.  If I let the bumps go they become raw but never scab over, never develop puss sacks, and never hurt just itch.  I feel like I should let this concern of herpes go but the inconsistent information provided on the internet has made me paranoid.  Apparently herpes can look like anything in the entire world and 90% of people don't know they have this disease.  I have had unprotected sex with 5 people and am 22 and am also in a committed relationship currently with someone I plan to marry and have just recently thought about this possibility.  I have been tested for std's recently and told the doctor to test me for everything.  He used a swab and took a blood sample.  Out of curiosity why would doctors not test for herpes whenever a patient asks for an std test?  Please help I can deal with this paranoia anymore.

1.  why does this continue to come and go in the same exact spot?
2.  Is there  a possibility that this could be herpes from what I have said?
3.  Do you think he tested for herpes antibodies with the blood test?
4.  Would it be weird to have herpes behind the scrotum on the side in a place where I would never contact a female?

Sorry if this is kind of long but I am deeply concerned and wont be able to go to the doctor for another few weeks.

[pimpjuice28]

I would love to be able to log on here and continue to talk with you and other concerned folks, but I fear my mental health would be at stake if I did.  If there is one thing I can agree with from research it is that even thinking you have herpes takes an enormous emotional toll.  To everyone out there who is freaking out about potential exposure I hope for the best and thank you again Grace for your help.    

[gracefromHHP]

plenty of studies on herpes where they picked clinics, offered free herpes testing if they filled out a form and that's how they got those stats. they ask questions pretesting like - have you ever been told you have genital herpes by a medical provider. folks answer no the majority of the time. they then get their test results back and most folks who have hsv2, had no idea they were infected. It wasn't that they weren't having symptoms, just they or their provider had never thought the symptoms were herpes so they weren't ever tested for it. really, we don't just make this stuff up :)  As for the percentages infected, that varies by age. The current stats we use are for folks age 50 and under in the US.  Once you get over 50, it's 1 out of every 3 people, regardless of gender or race.  As for african americans having higher rates of hsv2 infection, they also have the highest rates of hsv1 infection also ( the mexican population in the US has similar rates of infection too ).

In a lifetime, 1 out of every 3 of us will have had a std of one sort or the other but most of us will never know it.  Most folks NEVER get properly tested for std's and many folks mistakenly think a yearly pap test is all it takes for std testing. Also keep in mind that most of us NEVER stand around the water cooler talking about a std we were diagnosed with. Yes, sometimes you have a close group of friends who will talk about it but in general, your friends don't want to tell you about their genital warts or their abnormal paps and honestly you probably wouldn't want to hear about it anyways....lol.  Many folks you know have had std's - just they don't broadcast it.  Don't be surprised since herpes is on your mind, you start noticing how many folks have obvious cold sores this winter too - and that's less than half of the folks who have hsv1!

have fun in your stats class!

[pimpjuice28]

I guess I am still having a hard time understanding how anyone is able to say that these numbers are concrete or even accurate within 5-10%.  There are simply too many variables to consider to be able to say 1/4 of the population has this.  Various other sources state that 1/9 men have HSV2 and 1/4 women have HSV2 not to mention the African american women that have a 1/2 chance and African american men with a 46.9% chance.  Now if you thought that was difficult to understand just wait.  Now for all of those numbers to come back into the traditional CDC statistic of 1 out of 4 has herpes they first add their estimate of who MIGHT be infected.  According to the CDC there are approximately 80-90% of people that have HSV2 and don't even know about it.  Guessing that there are 80%+ people that now supposedly have herpes because of their ESTIMATE means that according to them a couple millions of adults now have herpes too.  There is 0 hard evidence that is able to back up and 80-90% estimated group whether it be in the business word or the medical world.

232000 people visited the doctor and had herpes this year according to the CDC.  Yet somehow they estimate that around 1,000,000 get infected each year????  Speculation is not a science it is just a fancy word for guess.  I also read a large amount about NHANES and found them to be a rather interesting group.  The only problem is that after they are done getting good solid facts they also factor in the 80% that aren't aware they are infected before releasing information to the public.  The CDC even admits that herpes is not a "re-portable STD" because testing isn't done on a large enough scale.  In fact they discourage general HPV testing.  I wish someone could just go into some towns, test 100 people at each location and post some numbers instead of feeding people garbage computed statistics.  Grace can you truly agree that the husband or wife in every African American marriage has herpes, because the statistics state 1/2.  Am I really wrong for saying that is one of the most insane things I have ever heard?  Grace I never thought I would find interest in this topic but I just dropped a class and am taking statistics instead next semester because of this lol.  I'm not kidding.  As always I respect and look forward to your response Grace.      

[gracefromHHP]

actually the stats we use frequently come from the NHANES studies. these are studies where they literally drive a RV through all sorts of neighborhoods and get folks to participate in their survey's/testing. It's not all low income - it's the same neighborhoods that we all live in!  

One of my most favorite studies on herpes of all time was nicknamed "but I don't see herpes in my patients". It involved family practice clinics and gyn clinics in smaller cities - private clinics. They randomly tested folks and got the same stats for hsv1 and hsv2 infection as with other studies.  These are really reliable stats and aren't all from std clinics where you would expect folks would be at higher risk!!

no, women are  not commonly tested for hpv. Most of the stats we have come from studies that were a result of the recent gardasil vaccine trials, it's not from labs reporting results of hpv tests from paps.  everyone assumes they are tested for hpv but they aren't. It's not recommended that it be tested for routinely with every pap test due to the fact that unless there is an abnormal pap result, nothing will be done anyways so why test for it.  also it only tests for hpv on the cervix, not all genital hpv infections.

[pimpjuice28]

I am starting to learn that these statistics are really no more than a guy in a lab coat throwing numbers around.  The reason I say this is because there is no accurate record of how many people have any disease.  The numbers we do have are from clinics.  If a person goes to a clinic then the odds are they have made some poor choices (such as myself), and are much more likely to have an std than the rest of the public.  Not to mention if your going to a clinic and not a private doctor then you likely live in a lower income area or don't have insurance.  Private doctors don't report testing result data so their information is overlooked (I was tested by a private doctor).  Much of the middle to upper class go to private doctors for testing because they have health insurance.  STD figures largely exclude middle and upper class people because of this!!!  It is a proven fact that STD's are much more prevalent in low income areas which is where the majority of HSV statistics are being generated from.  Take a second to think about it, the only place these statistics are coming from is by testing the irresponsible public that thinks they have an STD to begin with (remember I include myself in this group I'm not trying to bash anyone).  There is no formula to calculate how many normal responsible people in America have this virus.  What these statistics are excluding are the millions of responsible people out there that don't have to be tested and have no STD's what so ever like my parents.  I think that we can both agree that if every person in the U.S. over 12 got HSV2 tests that 1/4 would not have it.  Not to mention that the prevalence HSV grows with age so stating that 1/4 in my young age group has this would likely not be the case due to lower exposure instances.  Another crazy statistic is how an overwhelming amount of people don't know they have HSV; some organizations state that number is up to 80%!!!!  Lets break that down.  A virus that is showing no symptoms and is rarely tested for has a "legitimate" static for the amount of people that have it.  If that many people have HSV then doctors would order HSV testing with every STD test they order.  People like me google search herpes and the stories that pop up are the most provocative ones with the most views like "I only had a rash" and "we never knew" or "I thought it was jock itch".  I am now in a stage where I am angry that I let scare tactics dictate how I thought instead of common sense and factual information.  Distributing information like that is just downright irresponsible and has no factual base.  Please explain to me any logical methods that researchers are using to test the general public because so far I haven't found any.  

As for HPV my girlfriend had a pap smear which does include HPV.  Because people are commonly checked for this at least the statistics are somewhat reliable.  New findings have also found that the majority of people clear this virus with no issues within 2 years (90%).  So contrary to previous beliefs HPV is not a life long virus and a small percentage every have to worry about contracting it.

One more little fact to chew on before I go.  According to the CDC over half of African American women have herpes.....yea that makes sense.  So 1 out of every 2 black women you know has herpes?  Come on lets be serious.  In case anyone thinks im kidding here is the source for that "fact"              http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/03/genital_herpes_infection_hold.html

Sorry Grace I wrote a long one here and the funny thing is I had to cut it much shorter than I wanted to.  I hope you can help me make sense of all this.  Trust me I am aware that herpes is a serious problem and I am not trying to condone people not being worried about catching it....on the other hand the odds of catching it don't seem to be nearly as high as numbers suggest.  I understand we are getting a bit off topic but I believe I have brought up a valid topic of discussion.  Feel free to let me know what you think.      

[gracefromHHP]

we don't test for hpv for males or females routinely. When we do, typically it's only females and for high risk hpv on the cervix. It's not full hpv testing by no means and usually we don't even test for it unless there is an abnormal pap result. odds are your gf wasn't tested for hpv is what I'm trying to say.

1 out of every 3 people have hpv. 1 out of every 4-5 has hsv2 in your age group.

I agree- sex ed teaching sucks in both public schools and in college :(    everyone says "wear a condom" and tells you little else ( or the always not helpful, just don't have sex - yeah like that advice ever works ).

[pimpjuice28]

Trust me I will be using a condom from now on.  I also know that I don't have hpv because my girlfriend didn't have it when she took her test a few weeks ago.  Because of this I will be going to the health center asap for my shots.  I did notice that the CDC states that only 1% of the male population is living with genital warts compared to 20%+ with herpes, so maybe the doctor was telling the truth in a way.  STD information needs to be distributed in the college atmosphere more efficiently.  I can not believe how little I knew before this little fiasco.  As far as I'm concerned I have a new lease on life and I intend to be much more responsible.

[gracefromHHP]

call your local health department to see if you can get gardasil through them. it's been recommended for males now.  if you are in college, check with your health center there too.

um no, males do show signs of warts frequently. not sure what he was telling you. now the cancer causing types of hpv, usually are without symptoms and we don't test males for it but the shots also cover for the 2 most common causes of genital warts.

proper condom use ( the condom goes on when the clothing comes off ), reduces transmission of hpv by 90%. It's very effective and something you should be using with new partners!!  Also you should be a trust no one kind of person and be wanting to protect yourself from being a father before you are ready too. You are more likely for the birth control pill to fail than you to contract hsv2 from a partner!!!

[pimpjuice28]

unfortunately my doctor won't administer the gardasil series of shots because I am a male.  He stated that there haven't been enough trials done on men yet and also because it is very rare for a male to show hpv signs.  I don't agree with his statements because I am concerned about the protection of future partners (if I don't marry the girl im with now), and clearly it isn't that rare because my roommate has it (his genitals are currently destroyed).  Keep in mind the doctor that I have is the same doctor that diagnosed his genital warts so stating that I don't have to worry about hpv doesn't seem like a smart comment to make.  I agree that he has slept with some less than upstanding individuals but still....  As for condom use for me, well I have never used one.  I understand how irresponsible this is now and I am ashamed to admit that.  I used to be under the impression that if you sleep with people that look clean and you are familiar with then you are ok.  I know how dumb that sounds but there are a lot of people that still have that ignorant point of view about unsafe sex.   Believe it or not this is still a very common practice among college students especially after a night of binge drinking.

The nurse did call me back today and said that she is 100% sure that I was tested for every common STD including herpes and that I have nothing.  The test was done at least 6 months after I started getting the rash or longer.   I can't post the info for the tests yet because she could only read me the doctors report which states whether I do or do not have a certain type of STD.  She said the doctor is printing off all my results but I will have to pick them up at the actual office.  She said something about iga testing was done and a "full work up" was what was ordered by the doctor.  How I have managed to get away with never having an std I will never know but I have for sure learned my lesson.  To think I used to ridicule my friend who is a virgin...now I would happily be in his shoes.  

To anyone who is reading this don't be an idiot, wear a condom every time and save yourself the anxiety and shame of having to figure out why there's a red mark on you genitals.  In the end my worries ended up being nothing but you might not be so lucky.  If I could change my previous lifestyle I would do it in a heart beat to prevent the filthy irresponsible feeling that I think about every day.  It's never too late to make a lifestyle change, so why not do it now before it's too late?

Thanks again Grace I will be sure to post results on here for everyone to see when I pick them up.    
  

[gracefromHHP]

if you are infected with herpes and at least 3 months since the sex act has passed, odds are it will show up on the blood tests.

really, no reason to think this rash is herpes.

have you had your gardasil shot series?  do you use condoms properly?

[pimpjuice28]

I called them today and am waiting for a reply.  I had the rash right before I went to the doctors but never considered that it could be anything serious until now.  As I said before all of this online reading has nearly driven me into the nut house. When I got the phone call for the results the first time she said both the swab and the blood test were negative.  I remember asking the doctor before he left the room and right after I took the test if herpes would show up on the blood test and he said "only if you have had an outbreak".  Does this sound like an igg was preformed?  The sad thing is that I have no reason to think that I have herpes but my roommate recently got genital warts so I have become obsessed with std's in general.  Whole other mental issue entirely though.  I will post results when I get them, thank you Grace.

[gracefromHHP]

this sounds far more like irritation or a fungal infection than herpes.  when you were seen recently and tested, did you have the rash at the time?

I will gladly take a look at your blood test results if you want to post them here - e.g. hsv1 igg 5.4 and hsv2 igg .45 or whatever they are.   If you aren't sure if they even did a herpes igg blood test, call the clinic today and ask specifically.  

grace