Worried, Opinions?

[zoeyrose]

Well, I'm 19 and have only had two explicit sexual partners in my lifetime; both of whom have been checked multiple times and had bloodwork done and assured me stringently that they were clean. There have only been about two other men whose penises have even sort of touched or rubbed me with direct contact to my genitals, and one was tested regularly, and the other had an extremely recent blood test and came back clean. I have gone down on a few men; so I could have picked something up but I haven't had any extreme symptoms to worry about. I've had a vaginal swab and a visual exam once, but need to see my OBGYN again, for responsibility's sake. Since I lost my virginity, I had not been STD tested, since he'd been checked and I'd had no issues that I could recall. Over the last 6 months to a year or so, I have had inconsistent blister-like occurrences around or on my genitals. When I say inconsistent, I mean this phenomenon has happened 3-5 times TOPS in that period. [ i could have had these prior at some point very infrequently and just not be remembering; i don't keep track of all the weird things my body does] I have had ZERO issues inside of my labia majora--every single blister-like spot has been either on the lip or more on the outside of my labia majora or close inner thigh. None of these have popped; the most at one time was two or three; they were not painful or even sore, but worrisome, and instead of leaving the bumps there, I excised them myself. Obviously a small open wound which is healing will be sore; but they had no unusual soreness otherwise. They healed cleanly with NO scabbing. They were not white in color; more like blood blisters under the skin, and none of them were round; they were more oblong than anything. They are typically no larger than the eraser end of a pencil. I have had no flu-like symptoms, unusual pain or fatigue, unusual itching [my PH balance in my vagina is high and my skin is sensitive so that tends to cause some low-level infrequent itching], rash, redness, cracking, or other irritation, or unusual backaches or headaches. I have never ever had a cold sore. I have had some odd tingling in the whole of my groin, but that may not necessarily be new--it feels like a blood rush to the area, such as when I get turned on or overstimulate my skin sometimes. This is infrequent enough for me to stay relatively calm and tell myself; it's just odd, it's probably nothing. I've asked a friend of mine who has had extensive medical training and research what he thinks; he says it's probably nothing, and I keep myself sane with the fact that my two most recent partners of any form of intimacy have tested clean since I've done anything with them that I'm aware of. I also told my current partner about my symptoms, and although I was on vacation and he could not inspect me himself; he has had medical training and has read up on STDs and he said he wasn't particularly worried, that I was overreacting and just needed to relax.

I'm sorry this is so long; I just want good opinions as to whether or not it could be some odd skin thing, or if I might have herpes? I hear the most reliable test is the WB blood test, and that it's expensive as heck. I don't want to shell out my money for nothing; and these blister-like things don't sound like any other kind of STD, so I'm not worried about any other tests, though I should get a screening. I just don't want to have to go through all of this fear so young. I'm not promiscuous, and I ask everyone I get naked with if they've been tested and then give them a thorough visual inspection. Going to my mom and setting this all up with my doctor would be stressful for me emotionally; a very large part of me says since the symptoms aren't extreme or really bothering you other than to be worrisome, I'd rather just not know than get checked and possibly be positive. I know I need to get at least a screening, but still.

It's just scary, you know?

~ Z

[gracefromHHP]

next time you have symptoms, be seen that day or the next so you can hopefully get a better idea of what is going on.

a pap test with hpv testing won't be helpful for determining what is going on externally on your genitals.

by the time we hit the retirement home, 80% of us has hsv1. It is THAT common in the US alone. In some countries, that percentage of people contract hsv1 by the time they graduate high school.

[zoeyrose]

i didn't have any bumps when i saw her, and i was on my period so she didn't do the DNA sample with the pap smear, but i talked to her at length and she gave me a visual exam and i spoke to her in depth about my experience, and she said that it wasn't herpes by the way i described it, and some other things we talked about.

also someone said that getting HSV-1 is almost unavoidable. is that true? :(

[gracefromHHP]

but were you seen and had a proper exam ?

[zoeyrose]

I spoke to my primary care physician and we talked at length about my symptoms, and she said it wasn't herpes. :)

[zoeyrose]

i plan on getting a proper exam, but i've been extremely busy this last week or two. once my schedule calms, i'm going to go to a walk in clinic and get treated and checked out. but the fact that this is acting like a sebaceous issue is definitely reassuring.

[gracefromHHP]

you really should've been seen and had a proper exam. they should've tested them for bacterial infections. MRSA in the genital area is quite common as is many other things.

[zoeyrose]

so, instead of excising them like i normally do, i let this most recent one be left alone for like a week/ week and half. i just gently squeezed it until i saw a tiny white spot and out came a relatively small amount of normal zit pus. it was not discolored or clear; it did not rip the skin, it came out through a single pore, just like any other clogged pore would. also, upon further consideration these bumps are more like what i'd call welts than blisters really. they're only slightly lighter than the skin and are not really fluid sacs, they don't ooze and nothing has burst of its own accord. Could this be overactive sebaeceous glands? I'm a bit on the plus size side, so there's a lot of sweating going on down there, and  I shave my lady bits quite throughly and relatively often. It would be perfectly easy for my hair follicles and pores to get some dirt or skin or bacteria in them and create these subcutaneous [or nearly subcutaneous] acne phenomenons. the delicacy of the skin in the genital area would account for why they're oddly shaped. the spot doesn't itch or burn or throb, nor seem to show any danger of popping on its own. it didn't pop with clear liquid; t seems to be a clogged pore of some sort. my grandmother apparently had a high frequency of cysts in her life; could this be hereditary in that way?

and since you said not to mess with them; i didn't damage the area in any way; just let off a little bit of pressure. maybe in doing so and it really is some sort of mere clogged pore; it will start to go down of its own accord?

-----

update: a few hours later, THE 'WELT' has already flattened and calmed. It is not oozing or hurting or itching, and is noticeably flatter to the touch.

verdict: ingrown hair or pimple?

[gracefromHHP]

usually it's clear fluid initially that they are filled with.  

going to be seen is the best thing to do.  they can test these for bacterial infections too.

[zoeyrose]

what would a herpes lesion be filled with? anything in particular? these bumps that happen; they seem to have at most some small amount of plasma in them if anything at all; they are oftentimes not very large but sometimes itch infrequently....but i have a yeast infection that i'm going to the doctor for in a day or two so any itching or irritation can and likely is from that. i've had people tell me they could be cysts; or small normal pimples, or ingrown hair follicles which i do sometimes get. they're not obviously liquid-filled [look like a bubble]; they are not in danger of popping; they're just extremely worrisome. any idea what it might be? an oversensitive skin reaction to my yeast infection? an odd sweat rash? i really have no clue and it concerns me greatly. it seems that the worse my yeast gets, the more frequent these are. could these be much more benign oddities caused by something curable, like chlamydia? which i wouldn't mind too much, since that's curable. i'm hoping nothing more is wrong than a yeast infection though.

[gracefromHHP]

herpes lesions typically are not blood filled. it's unfortunate that you popped these at home and were never seen for an exam and testing at the time you had them.   at this point, next time they occur, be seen promptly and don't mess with them!

grace