Thank you again- I have been to my GP twice and an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. The ENT never even asked, so I am hoping that means it was not a possibility. Honestly, I just want to feel better but I do not want to keep going to doctors if it is a virus of some sort that my body just needs to fight off like the ENT said. I am not medicating myself- the ENT said there is nothing I can do, so I am gargling with salt water and taking Advil.
There should be Planned Parenthood clinics around your neck of the woods or free clinics which you can go to. Planned Parenthood does accept insurance but they calculate price by levels of income, so, it should be reasonable for you to pay without the worry of insurance. But, can I tell you something? you said your symptoms occur right after the encounter or the next day? No STD does that. Typically, STD related symptoms take time (2-3 days for some). Thats one piece of evidence. Oral sex is low risk, but, not a no risk situation. Some experts say its trivial risk, almost, safer than unprotected vaginal or anal sex. I hope you are not medicating yourself. That is especially dangerous if you dont know what you have. Go to the doctor and tell him, ok? dont leave anything out about the encounter. It will help you get an idea of what is wrong. We strongly encourage people to go to the physician and definitely promote safe sex now and in the future, especially, with new partners.
Thank you for the encouragement. At this point, I understand I need to tell the doctor next time. The question is whether it is a likely enough possibility that I would need to pay (no insurance) again to go back to the doctor or whether the symptoms are not likely to be caused by a STD. I understand the people on this forum cannot diagnose and it is just another person's input, but I would appreciate ANY input as to whether the symptoms would make sense for something like an STD. Also, would an oral STD respond to an antibiotic?
Thank you for your feedback!
I know it is embarrassing to reveal your sexual history but it is much more comfortable to mention it to your physician. It is better to heal in the light than it is to suffer in the dark. It is absolutely ok to mention that piece of information to the doctor. It is not like he never heard of a sexual history of a person before. They are there to help you. There is always the doctor patient confidentiality that you can rely on. It will help him diagnose this ailment a lot better if you address this matter to him. The better he knows, the better treatment he will prescribe to you. We can't make decisions for you or diagnose you online. We can offer advice and we urge everyone to take precaution in new partners and future sexual activities.