Syphilis, please help !!!

[Jacktowns]

was recently diagnosed with syphillis. I acquired it late January 2017 and a few days after I had a feeling something was wrong do to fatigue and just feeling bad over all. I now realize that the sore showed up on my tounge it was like I big slightly raised red spot accompanied by oral thrush. I went to urgent care and tested negative for everything. Still convinced something was wrong when I started to develope a rash on my thighs and inclination around the foreskin of my penis I went to a dermatologist that said none of this was std/sti related, tested me for everything including syphilis and again negative. By that time it has been 3 weeks since exposure. Still not convinced, I tried a different doctor, they tested me again and still NEGATIVE. This had been a month after the last dermatologist. By now it about mid April so I set a new appointment with a infectious desies doctor, earliest appointment was mid June. At the appointment I explained my situation and he said he's gonna test for everything including tests for genral health such as vitamin deficiency and just regular blood tests, (sorry I don't really know the names of the tests), went back a week later and I was positive for syphilis. I was in dissablief due to the previous two negative tests but I also was kind of relieved that I finally knew what was causing all the symptoms I had developed, ( hives, thickening of finger and toe nails, oral thrush, blurry vision, bumps on scalp, muscle and joint pain, etc.). He proscribed me a two weeks cycle of doxycycline to take 2 times a day and schedualed me for an appointment after. While taking the meds I noticed the thrush starting to subside and rashes starting to fade. I had to move the appointment back due to work and during that week my symptoms started to return. When I did some research I realized the preferred method to treat this was a shot of penciline so I was lost as to why he gave me the doxy when I ne'er said I was allergic to penciline. When returning I told him I think my infection was still there he then said okay I'm going to give you the shot. So Wednsday I got one shot of the penciline in my right butt cheek and i think it's taken a toll on my body. My thrush is starting to subside again and symptoms are starting to go away but I think the shot has given me complication. I have pain in my neck and spine and it's been since the day after the shot. I don't know if it's serious or not. I'm just still kind of lost and hoping someone can help me.


1) everything online says the first two stages of syphilis are highly contagious. What exactly is contagious? So many different things online say that the actual chancer is contagious as well as (wet) rash. Others say bodily fluids, saliva, sperm. Ex) if I were to have unprotected sex with no sore of rash on penis could I have passed syphillis down?

2) can syphillis be passed without sexual contact, if so how? Would the rash or soar have to come in contact with a mucus membrane or could it just be passed by touching it with your finger?

3) how effective is the doxcy to make you not contagious? Ex) if I took the cycle for 2 weeks would I still be contagious after that? I know the penciline almost instantly makes you not contagious within 48hours.

3) I understand getting syphillis in the mouth is rare, does that put me at a higher chance that the 1 shot is not enough even though I'm under the year mark since infection? Am I at higher risk of developing complication that are known with later stages of syphilis? Is it going to be harder to cure the infection?

4) I know there is a specific test to show what tier of syphillis im in but I have not had that I don't think u less the doctor failed to inform me, at 8 months where could I be at?

5) when can I expect the symptoms to completely disappear from the penciline shot and how will I know it was enough to cure the infection ?

After these past 8 months all the worrying has killed me, I'm glad I found out what was wrong, but now I'm worried that it's going to be hard to get rid of this and it's leaving me in limbo. There is barley any information on syphillis online and I hope more people become aware of how serious this is. We need to be more educated this is truly the great imitator. Please, someone help me out with some information...

Please thank you !!

[Life360_Dave]

Hi first of all when a person tests positive for syhilis a second more sensitive test is given to confirm it. if this second test was not performed then its not a confirmation that you  infact had syphilis. I would retest for confirmation. Syphilis tests are given 6 weeks after exposure.
If you think that the chancre was on your tougue did you give oral sex to someone 6 weeks prior to the sore appearing?

[Jacktowns]

Thank you for your reply!

I did give oral sex on a woman and about a week later the chancer appeared. At first I did not know it was actually a chancer. I tested negative for syphilis twice before the doctor actually telling me I was positive 6-7 months in. When I asked him how he told me he did a specific test. I had explained to him the whole situation before hand. At this point without syphillis being what's wrong with me I honestly have no idea what else it could be I've tested negative for everything else and all this started about a week after the encounter... at this point I really just want to make sure I'm cleared and don't want to pass it on to anyone. It's just been so confusing