what to do next?

[81brian]

Well, it all started about a year and five months ago. I had unprotected sex with someone I did not know very well. About 4 months later I noticed a bump that was at the bottom of the penis in the pubic area. I went to a local hospital and I was told that it was a wart so she froze it and said it would go away. I was very upset and searched the internet for information and that is when I found Medhelp. I have been reading posts ever since I was diagnosed.

So I noticed about 7 months ago that the wart was still there so this time I went to a dermatologist to have it treated and this time he was able to destroy it with freezing and a prescription aldara. It has not come back but there is scar tissue that tends to become red and then white again. I have been obsessed with looking at it and with checking about hpv on this website. I am now 27 years old and just graduated from college last spring. I want to just stop thinking about this. But the prospects of a relationship give me stress I have not been with any one since that sexual encounter about a year and five months.

What should I do? Can I just forget about this and move on with my life. Or am I going to be thinking about this continually everyday. I just wanted to add that I only had one wart that is gone now. So am I still able to spread this virus even when warts are not present after a year and half of being infected. Or is it considered like other viruses that our immune system gets rid of over time and that become less and less able to transmit to another person.

thank you

[Wesson30]

Hi!  I asked that same question to my doctor who is a gynecologic oncologist specializing in HPV in women.  He said that "we don't really know" what happens to the HPV virus when it appears to have been defeated by your body.  It could really be gone or it could be hibernating somewhere like chicken pox does.  The chicken pox virus lives in your spinal cord after you have the illness.  It is possible to have HPV and not test positive for it if your body has cleared the virus with "cleared" meaning we don't really know what happened to it but it isn't causing trouble.  A strong immune system is key to clearing HPV or any other virus.  Since you are wart free you may have cleared the virus.   It can reappear later if it becomes active again.  Usually a virus reactivates only in periods of stress.  Take care of yourself.  It makes a big difference.  Good luck.  

[ucfgurl]

Ok, so I am confused. Say your immune system overcomes the "wart causing" form of HPV, does that mean you are "wart free' but you still have HPV because that is what I am most confused about. I can swallow the fact I have HPV, but the biggest problem I have is the warts...if my body because immune to the warts, does that mean I won't have them again?

[Wesson30]

Kevin84 is right that just because you don't have an active lesion doesn't mean that you don't have an active infection.  Moreover, you know you have one HPV you may also have other HPV infections that you don't know about.  You could have an HPV this is cancer causing (not wart causing) and not know it because there are no symptoms until tissue breakdown starts.  There is no FDA approved HPV test for men but I have read of men on this forum who were able to get tested.  You would want to see a specialist about that.  You might also want to look into whether the HPV vaccine is available for men yet.  It only protects against 4 of the HPV viruses but it does protect against the worst 4.  There is no such thing as protected sex when it comes to HPV.  There is a lot of genital skin that isn't covered by a condom and, yes, HPV can move on a woman from her external genitalia to her internal genitalia so presumably the same thing can happen to a man, that is from skin not covered by a condom onto the penis itself.  There is some GOOD NEWS here though.  You have both obviously controlled and maybe even defeated a wart causing HPV virus so your immune systems are functioning.  Take care of yourselves and be choosey about sexual partners.  Dinner and dancing is a lot less risky than sex.  Good luck to you both.  

[kevin84]

i bet you will not get a good answer for that on this forum......because no one knows if you are still contagious.  I figured i would answer your post only because no one ever answers mine and it frustrates me haha.  I am just like you one wart destroyed with two attempts havnt seen another since.  Same unprotected scenario.  I also am constantly on here and always suspecting little bumps.  Its hard not to right?  If anything know that somebody else (me) is in your exact shoes.  I am 21 by the way and still in school.  I want to try and start a relationship but cant seem to bring myself to do it.  Good luck on getting over it.