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Gonorrhea or chlamydia?
I had unprotected sex (with release inside) with a casual partner on the 14th of Oct., on the 20th I developed a horrible burning on my vulva, perianal area and inner thighs. I didn't have any noticeable discharge but the burning was severe. I went to the urgent care clinic and they did a urine test which the doc said looked great and a pelvic exam. The doctor said I had a bit of discharge from my cervix and it looked like chlamydia or gonorrhea. I was prescribed 2000mg of azithromycin. Today is the 24th, my symptoms are gone and I'm awaiting test results. I had chlamydia (vaginally passed from a steady BF) a few years ago and I had absolutely no burning. I'm just wondering what else it could have been? My genitals felt like someone had thrown acid on it. One thing I suspect is a dlido. I used this toy anally on a guy on the 13th of Oct, threw it into a bag unwashed then washed it with soap and water on the 15th and used it on my vagina. I started taking lactobacillus acidophilus after reading that an acidic vaginal PH can prevent some bacterial invasion of the vagina.
I've been looking over the posts and a lot of the info is very comforting. I would get tested more often if the staff at the health clinic in my town weren't so judgmental. Its the only one in my area that does STD testing and I HATE going there. The urgent care clinic staff was amazing.
So, what else could have caused the awful burning? I doubt chlamydia; possibly gonorrhea, strep B?
I've been looking over the posts and a lot of the info is very comforting. I would get tested more often if the staff at the health clinic in my town weren't so judgmental. Its the only one in my area that does STD testing and I HATE going there. The urgent care clinic staff was amazing.
So, what else could have caused the awful burning? I doubt chlamydia; possibly gonorrhea, strep B?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Staph doesn't usually do this sort of thing. It's not impossible, but unlikely. The improvement may have been coincidental with azithromycin; it's hard to know based only on timing -- the problem might have been on the verge of clearing up on its own.
Anyway, glad to hear the good news. Take care.
Anyway, glad to hear the good news. Take care.
I finally got my results, negative for gonorrhea and chlamydia. The doc says it was a UTI. I'm so relieved.
Possibly a silly question but could it have been a staph infection? I had a little sore in my nose the week or so before I started having UTI symptoms. If it was staph would 2000mg of azithromycin have taken care of it?
Ive been driving myself crazy looking up STDs online. So much conflicting information.
Possibly a silly question but could it have been a staph infection? I had a little sore in my nose the week or so before I started having UTI symptoms. If it was staph would 2000mg of azithromycin have taken care of it?
Ive been driving myself crazy looking up STDs online. So much conflicting information.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help, but I cannot come up with clear explanations for your symptoms.
There may be more than one medical problem here. The conditions that cause cervicitis (as indicated by abnormal discharge from your cervix) -- i.e. chlamydia, gonorrhea, and others (often unknown) do not cause the sort of external genital rash/irritation you describe. Herpes could do both, but initial herpes doesn't usually cause the diffuse kind of rash you describe and is not likely to extend to the thighs; and would be associated with obvious blisters and/or open sores in the affected areas. The external genital problem sounds like a severe yeast infection or a chemical or allergic reaction of some kind. However, if it were due to something during the sexual contact, the symptoms would have begun within a few hours of the exposure, certainly within 1-2 days, and not a week later.
As for the apparent cervicitis component, azithromycin 2 g should take care of it, especially if either gonorrhea or chlamydia turns up on the test. (I'm a little surprised it's taking so long; usually results are available within a few days.) In any case, you didn't necessarily get this during the recent sexual encounter -- perhaps you had the cervical inflammation before the external irritation began.
As for lactobacillus preparations, they will make no difference in your symptoms. The lactobacillus types in commercial medical and dairy products (L. acidophilus, L. casei, and others) do not survive in the human body; they are entirely different from natural human lactobacilli (e.g. L. crispatus and others). To date, attempts to create human lactobacillus products that successfully colonize the gastrointestinal tract and vagina and protect against various vaginal infections have not been successful. Taking commercial lactobacillus products, eating yogurt, etc have absolutely no medical benefit. Please don't waste your money on them.
Finally, as a strong proponent of public health clinics through my entire career, it saddens me to hear your impressions of your local clinic. Of course a single bad experience doesn't mean all the clinic's patients feel the same, and maybe you caught someone on a bad day -- although your comments suggest it has happened more than once. Undoubtedly the clinic intends respectful, nonjudgmental care. Still, this shouldn't happen at all; what matters is not the clinic's intent and official philosophy, but how their patients feel at the end of the clinic visit. You might consider calling the clinic director or manager and tell your story -- or print out all or parts of this thread and send it to them. Sometimes it only takes one communication like this for a clinic to sit up, take notice, and make changes. They certainly should pay attention to the possibility that a local urgent care facility beats them at high quality, personalized care for persons with suspected STD. (If you are in touch with them about it, I would love to see a follow-up comment to hear about their reaction.)
Back to your problems: If the external irritation has cleared up, probably nothing more need be done about it. Obviously get rechecked if it continues or recurs. If your chlamydia and/or gonorrhea test is positive, make sure that any sex partner(s) within the last couple of months get examined and treated.
Regards-- HHH, MD
There may be more than one medical problem here. The conditions that cause cervicitis (as indicated by abnormal discharge from your cervix) -- i.e. chlamydia, gonorrhea, and others (often unknown) do not cause the sort of external genital rash/irritation you describe. Herpes could do both, but initial herpes doesn't usually cause the diffuse kind of rash you describe and is not likely to extend to the thighs; and would be associated with obvious blisters and/or open sores in the affected areas. The external genital problem sounds like a severe yeast infection or a chemical or allergic reaction of some kind. However, if it were due to something during the sexual contact, the symptoms would have begun within a few hours of the exposure, certainly within 1-2 days, and not a week later.
As for the apparent cervicitis component, azithromycin 2 g should take care of it, especially if either gonorrhea or chlamydia turns up on the test. (I'm a little surprised it's taking so long; usually results are available within a few days.) In any case, you didn't necessarily get this during the recent sexual encounter -- perhaps you had the cervical inflammation before the external irritation began.
As for lactobacillus preparations, they will make no difference in your symptoms. The lactobacillus types in commercial medical and dairy products (L. acidophilus, L. casei, and others) do not survive in the human body; they are entirely different from natural human lactobacilli (e.g. L. crispatus and others). To date, attempts to create human lactobacillus products that successfully colonize the gastrointestinal tract and vagina and protect against various vaginal infections have not been successful. Taking commercial lactobacillus products, eating yogurt, etc have absolutely no medical benefit. Please don't waste your money on them.
Finally, as a strong proponent of public health clinics through my entire career, it saddens me to hear your impressions of your local clinic. Of course a single bad experience doesn't mean all the clinic's patients feel the same, and maybe you caught someone on a bad day -- although your comments suggest it has happened more than once. Undoubtedly the clinic intends respectful, nonjudgmental care. Still, this shouldn't happen at all; what matters is not the clinic's intent and official philosophy, but how their patients feel at the end of the clinic visit. You might consider calling the clinic director or manager and tell your story -- or print out all or parts of this thread and send it to them. Sometimes it only takes one communication like this for a clinic to sit up, take notice, and make changes. They certainly should pay attention to the possibility that a local urgent care facility beats them at high quality, personalized care for persons with suspected STD. (If you are in touch with them about it, I would love to see a follow-up comment to hear about their reaction.)
Back to your problems: If the external irritation has cleared up, probably nothing more need be done about it. Obviously get rechecked if it continues or recurs. If your chlamydia and/or gonorrhea test is positive, make sure that any sex partner(s) within the last couple of months get examined and treated.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
