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Herpes in urethra, or something else?
On July 1st, I had a sexual encounter with another male. Oral give and receive, no anal.
Two weeks later, I had a similar encounter with another guy. Our encounter was rather rough. He masturbated me pretty roughly to the point where I had to ask him to stop.
The very next morning, I wake up with a tingle in my urethra. In two or three days the tingle subsides.
Two weeks later, I wake up with the same tingle. In those last few weeks I would masturbate a lot (6 or 7 times/day, or more). Tingle never subsides and no lesions ever show up.
Tingle would get worse after I masturbated. Never any pain or burn during urination. Ejaculating left my penis sensitive and the tingle would be more pronounced.
On Aug 9, I go to my physician and ask to get a full round of STD testing inc. HSV 2. All tests come back negative and he sees no signs of herpes. He puts me on doxy, but nothing changes. I return on Aug 15, convinced that the inside of my urethra has gotten red, inflamed, purple and that there was some sort of lesion just inside the tip. He takes closer look inside urethra and sees nothing unhealthy.
He thinks I should lay off from masturbating and any sexual activity for a couple of weeks, since what I am feeling might be due to physical injury from masturbating too roughly too many times. He says my inflamed lymph node could be a reaction to the physical injury of my penis.
What are the chances that I contracted herpes? HSV test was done 39 days after my 1st sexual encounter, and 27 days after my 2nd. Both said they were completely STD and HIV free before our encounters.
Could I have injured my penis and urethra just by masturbating? Could the lump in my groin lymph nodes be related to the physical trauma? Would herpes lesions inside the urethra hurt when I urinated? Would the blood test reflect that I had herpes? I feel somewhat better, but inside my urethra it still looks purplish/grey like it has a lesion. Still no pain or secretions. Should I get re-tested?
Two weeks later, I had a similar encounter with another guy. Our encounter was rather rough. He masturbated me pretty roughly to the point where I had to ask him to stop.
The very next morning, I wake up with a tingle in my urethra. In two or three days the tingle subsides.
Two weeks later, I wake up with the same tingle. In those last few weeks I would masturbate a lot (6 or 7 times/day, or more). Tingle never subsides and no lesions ever show up.
Tingle would get worse after I masturbated. Never any pain or burn during urination. Ejaculating left my penis sensitive and the tingle would be more pronounced.
On Aug 9, I go to my physician and ask to get a full round of STD testing inc. HSV 2. All tests come back negative and he sees no signs of herpes. He puts me on doxy, but nothing changes. I return on Aug 15, convinced that the inside of my urethra has gotten red, inflamed, purple and that there was some sort of lesion just inside the tip. He takes closer look inside urethra and sees nothing unhealthy.
He thinks I should lay off from masturbating and any sexual activity for a couple of weeks, since what I am feeling might be due to physical injury from masturbating too roughly too many times. He says my inflamed lymph node could be a reaction to the physical injury of my penis.
What are the chances that I contracted herpes? HSV test was done 39 days after my 1st sexual encounter, and 27 days after my 2nd. Both said they were completely STD and HIV free before our encounters.
Could I have injured my penis and urethra just by masturbating? Could the lump in my groin lymph nodes be related to the physical trauma? Would herpes lesions inside the urethra hurt when I urinated? Would the blood test reflect that I had herpes? I feel somewhat better, but inside my urethra it still looks purplish/grey like it has a lesion. Still no pain or secretions. Should I get re-tested?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
This still doesn't sound like herpes or any other STD. HPV doesn't cause symptoms like this. Your symptoms sound most like genitally focused anxiety, or perhaps the chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Google CPPS (spell it out) and start reading with the excellent Wikipedia article you will find; my guess is you will see a lot of parallels with your complaints. A urologist would be OK to evaluate these possibilities; or you could start with your primary care physician -- or if you don't have one, an internist or family medicine doctor.
There's nothing more I can do, so that will end this thread. Take care.
There's nothing more I can do, so that will end this thread. Take care.
Oh I meant to mention: Six years ago, I was diagnosed with HPV. I had anal warts that eventually healed and I've never seen again. Could this be a mild case of HPV inside my urethra?
Hi Doctor,
I wanted to give you and update. It has now been two months since all this started, and for the most part, I'm still having the same symptoms with my penis.
The pain/feeling/tingle inside my urethra tip has been ongoing for these last two months. It subsided completely for about 2 or 3 days, then came right back the moment I masturbated. I have now not masturbated or ejaculated in 10 days, and I am still having the same feeling with my penis, which never really went away, just got better until the moment I masturbated again.
Along with that, other symptoms including groin pain while sitting down for a few days, thigh pains, and leg cramps came and went, usually something different/new every other day. These I attribute to anxiety and stress, but worth a mention.
The lesion/purple-ish dots inside my urethra tip also became much more pronounced. One actually can't really see them when my penis is soft, but when erect, looking inside my urethra, it definitely looks purple/gray-ish as if I had some dots or swollen patches inside there.
Now, I still don't think this is herpes (due to symptoms lasting 2 consecutive months, lesions inside the urethra - or whatever they are - lasting for so long, not a single external lesion on my body, never pain while I urinate, just discomfort, no flu-like symptoms, symptoms getting worse due to physical actions (masturbation) ), but I am extremely confused as to what this could be. The last time I masturbated and kicked off another round of this pain/discomfort was 10 days ago, and I still have the same feeling in my penis. I've resorted to putting hydrocortisone cream around it and taking warm baths, which mildly helps.
Also, I don't think it has ever 'burned while I pee', but at this point I'm starting to question what that even is. When people describe burning while they pee, is it a pain? I've never felt pain while urinating, just the feeling of warm using flowing through my penis.
Should I see a urologist? Could this be some other STD? Could it be a very mild case of herpes that doesn't heal due to the moist environment inside my urethra? If I go to a urologist, I'll have to be erect for him to see the redness on the tip and what I believe to be sores or purple patches inside my urthera, is that odd? Have you ever heard of anything like this?
I wanted to give you and update. It has now been two months since all this started, and for the most part, I'm still having the same symptoms with my penis.
The pain/feeling/tingle inside my urethra tip has been ongoing for these last two months. It subsided completely for about 2 or 3 days, then came right back the moment I masturbated. I have now not masturbated or ejaculated in 10 days, and I am still having the same feeling with my penis, which never really went away, just got better until the moment I masturbated again.
Along with that, other symptoms including groin pain while sitting down for a few days, thigh pains, and leg cramps came and went, usually something different/new every other day. These I attribute to anxiety and stress, but worth a mention.
The lesion/purple-ish dots inside my urethra tip also became much more pronounced. One actually can't really see them when my penis is soft, but when erect, looking inside my urethra, it definitely looks purple/gray-ish as if I had some dots or swollen patches inside there.
Now, I still don't think this is herpes (due to symptoms lasting 2 consecutive months, lesions inside the urethra - or whatever they are - lasting for so long, not a single external lesion on my body, never pain while I urinate, just discomfort, no flu-like symptoms, symptoms getting worse due to physical actions (masturbation) ), but I am extremely confused as to what this could be. The last time I masturbated and kicked off another round of this pain/discomfort was 10 days ago, and I still have the same feeling in my penis. I've resorted to putting hydrocortisone cream around it and taking warm baths, which mildly helps.
Also, I don't think it has ever 'burned while I pee', but at this point I'm starting to question what that even is. When people describe burning while they pee, is it a pain? I've never felt pain while urinating, just the feeling of warm using flowing through my penis.
Should I see a urologist? Could this be some other STD? Could it be a very mild case of herpes that doesn't heal due to the moist environment inside my urethra? If I go to a urologist, I'll have to be erect for him to see the redness on the tip and what I believe to be sores or purple patches inside my urthera, is that odd? Have you ever heard of anything like this?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Almost everyone has small lymph nodes in the groin; pea-sized is about average. Anxious people often can find them if they look hard enough. In other words, I doubt you have anything abnormal; it likely has been there all along. An inflamed node due to herpes would be a lot larger; there probably would be 2 or more of them; and they would be painful.
It is true herpes can cause atypical symptoms, including some of the symptoms you describe. However, it is also true that of all people with such symptoms, it is the rare person in whom herpes is the explanation.
So I continue to be confident you don't have herpes and do not recommend testing for it. And I recommend you stop examining yourself and stop searching the web about it; anxious people are always selectively drawn to statements that inflame their fears, and whose context often is difficult for persons without medical training. The last line of my advice above still stands ("If your concerns continue....").
It is true herpes can cause atypical symptoms, including some of the symptoms you describe. However, it is also true that of all people with such symptoms, it is the rare person in whom herpes is the explanation.
So I continue to be confident you don't have herpes and do not recommend testing for it. And I recommend you stop examining yourself and stop searching the web about it; anxious people are always selectively drawn to statements that inflame their fears, and whose context often is difficult for persons without medical training. The last line of my advice above still stands ("If your concerns continue....").
Thanks Doctor,
Quick follow up: My lymph node on the left side of my groin is still raised (feels like a tiny little pea). Why would this be?
Could I be asymptomatic and this is just a sign that I'm infected? Should I get retested for peace of mind? Or is it too early for another test to be of worth?
I know it's silly but when one reads about Herpes online everyone's saying that the symptoms are always different and sometimes there are no symptoms and the blood tests can be negative. Which makes people freak out and think any little thing is herpes.
Quick follow up: My lymph node on the left side of my groin is still raised (feels like a tiny little pea). Why would this be?
Could I be asymptomatic and this is just a sign that I'm infected? Should I get retested for peace of mind? Or is it too early for another test to be of worth?
I know it's silly but when one reads about Herpes online everyone's saying that the symptoms are always different and sometimes there are no symptoms and the blood tests can be negative. Which makes people freak out and think any little thing is herpes.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
Herpes almost is not the cause of this problem. Intra-urethral herpes can occur, but usually is accompanied by more typical external skin lesions as well. And intra-urethral herpes is not likely to merely tingle, but would be very painful; I had one patient who described it as among the worst pain he ever experienced.
It is conceivable you acquired nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), perhaps due to normal oral bacteria. But even that is unlikely; discharge is the main symptom of NGU, and in any case if you had had that, it would have cleared up with the doxycycline. In my experience, both in the clinic and on this forum, most people with symptoms like yours probably are experiencing anxiety-related symptoms, i.e. heightened sensitivity to normal body sensations due to anxiety over sexual exposures. I also suspect the appearance of the inside of your urethra is not abnormal.
If your concerns continue, you'll need to return to your doctor for reevaluation. But almost certainly neither herpes nor any other STD is the problem.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Herpes almost is not the cause of this problem. Intra-urethral herpes can occur, but usually is accompanied by more typical external skin lesions as well. And intra-urethral herpes is not likely to merely tingle, but would be very painful; I had one patient who described it as among the worst pain he ever experienced.
It is conceivable you acquired nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), perhaps due to normal oral bacteria. But even that is unlikely; discharge is the main symptom of NGU, and in any case if you had had that, it would have cleared up with the doxycycline. In my experience, both in the clinic and on this forum, most people with symptoms like yours probably are experiencing anxiety-related symptoms, i.e. heightened sensitivity to normal body sensations due to anxiety over sexual exposures. I also suspect the appearance of the inside of your urethra is not abnormal.
If your concerns continue, you'll need to return to your doctor for reevaluation. But almost certainly neither herpes nor any other STD is the problem.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- 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.
