Not Sure if I have a life long disease

[worryinphilly]

Hello,

Recently I have been having issues when urinating, I feel a sharp knife like pain in my penis sometimes during but normally about 30 seconds after.  My urine is very dark yellow also.  At first I thought it was a urinary tract infection, which I've had before, so I did what I did before by drinking lots of water and cranberry juice.  But that didn't help, and now I noticed when I was getting ready to go to the bathroom and white substance inside the tip wanting to come out.  Can you tell me what this could be? Do you think it's life threatening? Could it possibly be something curable?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The unprotected oral sex exposures increase the chance you might have NGU or, less likely, gonorrhea.  People with urethral inflammation sometimes experience more urinary discomfort with concentrated (darker) than dilute (lighter) urine.  Follow the advice above and see a health care provider.  Given the possibility of STD, consider visiting your local health department STD clinic.  Don't have sex wtih anyone before you see a health care provider, and don't try to treat yourself with leftover antibiotics or anything else.  It's a good idea to avoid urinating for at least 4 hours when you are examined.

After you are examined, come back to the forum and let us know what is found.

[worryinphilly]

Dr. Handsfield,

I am sexually active and as far as risk are I wear condoms while having sex but orally I did not.  It did throw me off and confuse me that when my urine is dark it stings but when light colored it doesn't sting until after I am finished.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The white discharge from your penis and the pain when urinating could be due to STD, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, or nongonococcal urethritis (NGU).  It would be much easier to assess this possibility if you said something about your sexual risks.  Of course it can't be an STD if you haven't been sexually exposed.  But from what you say, an STD really doesn't sound very likely, in part because pain is usually not the main symptom, and STD symptoms generally are continuous, and not on and off as you seem to describe.

A urinary tract infection also might be possible; that the symptoms persisted with cranberry juice and high fluid intake doesn't say anything one way or the other about that possibility.  The symptoms also might reflect a prostate gland problem.  None of these is usually dangerous, especially once properly diagnosed and managed, and certainly not likely to be life threatening.

You need to see a health care provider.  I suggest you do it right away, i.e within the next couple of days.  As I said, this is unlikely to be serious -- but could become serious if not promptly diagnosed and treated.

Good luck--  HHH, MD