Test Results???

[Confused9999]

Hi Doc...Wondering if you could help clear up some questions I have about some test results I've received. Before I get to the results, here's a summary of the contact. Drunk at strip club. The dancer reached down my pants and stimulated manually. It got progressivley more intense as it went on. I'm fairly certain there was no penetration but there may have been some direct genital to genital contact and exchange of bodily secretions. Now for the testing I've had. Contact was on 7/18. Tested negative for everything on 7/24 but was four days into a seven day cycle of Doxy so I now know those results may not be reliable. Completed Doxy on 7/28.  Went back for more testing on 8/6 (9 days after Doxy) and again all negative. Not sure if it makes a difference or not but the chl & gon tests were urine tests both times. The first time was the NAA test and the second time was the RNA/TMA test. Nit sure what the difference is?  Also had complete urianlysis done on 8/11 and everything was normal. No WBC.   Fast forward another month and a half. Another full panel test and urinalysis on 9/28 all negative. The WBC did come back at 0-5 but that was listed as the reference range so it wasn't flagged as abnormal.   As for symptoms, i've never really experieced any burning or discharge. Due to the negative tests I continued to have unprotected sex with my long term partner. We've had sex maybe four or five times since the contact. Since the last time I've noticed a strange feeling in my urethra between bathroom trips. It doesn't burn when I pee and I haven't noticed any discharge but there's a very minor feeling of irritation as The need to urinate arises.   Is there any way with all if the negative tests that I passed something to my partner that she has now passed back to me?  Could I have irritated my urethra by excessive milking while looking for possible discharge?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Just to clarify, I realize that you resumed sex with your regular partner.  My opinion stands.  This will end this thread.  I really have nothing more to say.  EWH

[Confused9999]

Just to clarify. I did Resume unprotected sex with my regular partner after the second negative test and urinalysis nine days after completion of the antibiotics. This is why I'm a little concerned about the fact that I could have potentially passed something on to her if the second set of tests were not reliable. The only thing I can't reconcile, which supports your theory, is the third negative test and urinalysis eight weeks after the second test. Presumably, if I had been infected with something it probably still should have shown up on that last test correct?  This would have been 10 weeks after contact with the dancer.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

If the timing of the second test were not sufficient, I would have said so.  It was sufficient time- that is why I told you the test could be relied upon.

Please, let's not play the "what if" game.  you were tested withte most sensitive tests available and they were negative.  Please believe them.  If you choose not to believe me, that is certainly up to you- go get tested some more.  I am confident the results will also be negative.  EWH

[Confused9999]

Thanks Doc

The sensible side of me agrees with you but I couple of followup questions if you don't mind. Hypothetically, let's assume that I may have contracted something and the doxy didn't do the trick.  Based on other posts I have to immediately discount the first test because it was taken during antibiotic therapy. The second test was taken 9 days after completion of doxy. Would enough time have passed for me to be able to rely on these results?  And, if not, is there anyway I could have still had something that my body would have naturally cleared by the third negative test and urinalysis seven weeks later?  Just trying to figure out if there's any possible way that I could have passed something on to my partner between the tests. For my own peace of mind, what percentage of chlam & gon cases are symptomatic with either discharge or burning during urination?  Understandably, I should feel comforted by the lack of these two symptoms and the negative tests, but just when I thought I was out of the woods this new sensation pops up after sex with my regular partner. Just trying to make sense out of it.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You can be confident that between the doxycycline and the testing you have had that you do not have gonorrhea or chlamydia.  The NAA test and RNA/TMA tests are synonyms and represent the same tests.  Both results can be believed and urine is a good specimen to use for these tests.

There is no reason related to this event for you to worry about having unprotected intercourse with your regular partner.

Regarding the irritation your feel, it may be due to repeated self examination or, alternatively, sometimes after an exposure that, in retrospect, one wishes they had not had, persons tend to examine themselves and be far more attuned to genital sensations than in periods when they are not concerned.  This in turns leads to noticing what turn out to be normal sensations that might have been not noticed or ignored at other times.  Perhaps this was a contributor to your situation.  Either way, you need to worry and no further testing is warranted.  EWH