Perplexed about past potential STD

[dixstrong]

I took a business trip to Europe back when I was 27. I was away from home for 12 days.

On the flight back home, I started feeling feverish and tired and noticed some pain and irritation when I urinated. I arrived home on a Sunday, and by Monday, urination was very painful, and I was passing blood and white colored clots of pus.

I immediately saw a doctor about the condition. He wanted to know who I had sex with on my trip, and I told him the truth, no one, then he was very frustrated and wanted to know the last time I had sex with my wife, which was the evening before I left on the trip.

I insisted that the infection couldn't be gonorrhea since I hadn't been exposed, he insisted that the infection had to have come from my wife, and was an STD.

My understanding is that the incubation period for gonorrhea in men is about 3 days. Since I didn't have sex with anyone on my trip of 10 days, and I don't believe that my wife had sex with anyone else, what could have caused the infection or should I see a divorce attorney? :-)

Also of note, I had continuous prostate problems for over a year after the infection was cured. Years later, I learned that I had a sensitivity to sulfa drugs. They tend to adversely affect my prostate and cause it to swell with the attendant difficulty in urination. Otherwise, I have no prostate issues. I was treated with sulfa drugs for the initial infection.

This issue has always perplexed me.

Thanks for your consideration

[dixstrong]

Here are the answers your questions;

I am not sure it was gonorrhea, the doctor simply intimated that it was. The "q-tip" test was performed.

My wife was also given antibiotics to take, I do not recall which drug was used.

The prostate issue is interesting since I have read that gonorrhea can cause prostatitis, so which came first, the prostatitis, the infection (whatever it was), or the sensitivity to the sulfa drugs?

I did talk to my wife and she was treated, even though she was not tested. The issue has come back into focus since I had a breakout of HPV on my penis recently, and my previous partner was 15 years previous, and I haven't been with anyone other than my wife, since.

I was very sexually active before I was married, and I understand that HPV can lie dormant for many years, and I now understand that gonorrhea can lie dormant for an extended period as well. It is just that having issues with both in the same manner seems statistically improbable.

To add fuel to a pre existing condition with my wife, we lost a child to miscarriage in an ectopic pregnancy, which I have read is a common problem with undiagnosed gonorrhea.

Is is possible to have a blood test done that will identify markers for all the STD's I have potentially had? If so, is this something my physician can do, if not, I am 45 minutes away from UAB, would someone there be able to help?

Finally to answer your question about our marriage. I believe there has been infidelity, but I have no way to prove it, and it is impossible to ascertain if someone is being truthful or not. Since the HPV issue has brought old scars to light again, I would like to see if I can find some truth, even if it is only medical.

Thanks for your time.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sorry, your question was posted only once--my error EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

It sounds like this happened some time ago and has been on your mind since.  Re-creating the details and explaining what happened in retrospect will be difficult.  Are you sure you had gonorrhea?  Was  a test for gonorrhea done?

It also sounds as though the infection was successfully treated with sulfa drugs.  Also a bit of a suprise since sulfa drugs are not particularly reliable for gonorrhea (some infections can be cured but sulfa drugs are not the drugs of choice) although they can be quite useful for treatment of urinary track infections and prostatitis, neither of which is usually an STD.

While the AVERAGE incubation time in men is 3-5 days, there are instances in which men can carry the infection for months or possibly even longer without knowing it, then become symptomatic.  Just to make things still a bit more confusing, there are some non-STDs which can cause burning on urination and discharge from the penis.  If you did not have a test, how do you know you had gonorrhea?

I can't comment on the prostate issue from here.  Again, next time it comes up, I would suggest you talk with a knowledgable health care provider who  can examined you and do any tests needed.

Why are you talking about divorce now, apparently long after the episode?  Did you talk about the problem with your wife?  Was she tested? or treated?  If this is still on your mind, the two of you need to talk and get things sorted out.

Finally, it appears that you posted the same question twice.  Perhaps you hit the Enter key twice.  I deleted one of the duplicate questions.  To try to get the charge to your credit card reversed, please go to the MedHelp home page and discuss withthem through the Contact Us link.

Good luck. EWH