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Herpes Questions
Dear Dr. Handsfield / Dr. Hook,
Thanks for providing this valuable service. I'm a 30-year old heterosexual uncircumcised male. 24 days I engaged in sex with an african-american stripper of quesionable status (in general). I used a condom during vaginal sex, but received unprotected oral sex for at least 5 - 10 minutes.
5 days ago (i.e., 19 days after my encounter), I noticed a couple of small red bumps on the head of my penis under the foreskin. I touched the bumps quite a bit and within a couple of days there were several small raised bumps or flat spots each no more than 1 mm in diameter. These bumps do not hurt or pain. My penis has felt itchy for 3-4 seconds on about 2 occasions during the past 5 days.
1 day prior to noticing the bumps, I also developed a very mild sore throat. It's so mild that it does not affect swallowing, eating, talking, or even swallowing saliva. I've had this sore throat-type feeling for about 6 days now. I do not have a temperature (I've been measuring my temperature 4 times a day and it is between 98 and 98.8 depending on the time of the day and level of stress). Other things:
a. Since the encoutner, I've been drinking about 5-6 large hard liquor drinks each night.
b. My smoking has increased from my usual average of 10 cigarettes to about 20 - 25 cigarettes a day.
c. I have been extremely stressed and all I can think about is this issue.
My questions:
1. Does this sound like Herpes. How easy is it for HSV1 to transmit from mouth to penis?
2. Does HSV1 on the penis cause fewer symptoms than HSV2 on the penis? For eg., pain or itching.
3. What else could cause small red bumps on the penis head?
4. Can HPV be transmitted from mouth to penis?
5. I've been applying betadine (since yest on guidance from family physician) to my penis head; the skin seems shrivelled (not smooth like normal). Does that happen when Herpes bumps heal?
Thank you very much!
Thanks for providing this valuable service. I'm a 30-year old heterosexual uncircumcised male. 24 days I engaged in sex with an african-american stripper of quesionable status (in general). I used a condom during vaginal sex, but received unprotected oral sex for at least 5 - 10 minutes.
5 days ago (i.e., 19 days after my encounter), I noticed a couple of small red bumps on the head of my penis under the foreskin. I touched the bumps quite a bit and within a couple of days there were several small raised bumps or flat spots each no more than 1 mm in diameter. These bumps do not hurt or pain. My penis has felt itchy for 3-4 seconds on about 2 occasions during the past 5 days.
1 day prior to noticing the bumps, I also developed a very mild sore throat. It's so mild that it does not affect swallowing, eating, talking, or even swallowing saliva. I've had this sore throat-type feeling for about 6 days now. I do not have a temperature (I've been measuring my temperature 4 times a day and it is between 98 and 98.8 depending on the time of the day and level of stress). Other things:
a. Since the encoutner, I've been drinking about 5-6 large hard liquor drinks each night.
b. My smoking has increased from my usual average of 10 cigarettes to about 20 - 25 cigarettes a day.
c. I have been extremely stressed and all I can think about is this issue.
My questions:
1. Does this sound like Herpes. How easy is it for HSV1 to transmit from mouth to penis?
2. Does HSV1 on the penis cause fewer symptoms than HSV2 on the penis? For eg., pain or itching.
3. What else could cause small red bumps on the penis head?
4. Can HPV be transmitted from mouth to penis?
5. I've been applying betadine (since yest on guidance from family physician) to my penis head; the skin seems shrivelled (not smooth like normal). Does that happen when Herpes bumps heal?
Thank you very much!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You don't have an STD or HIV. Re-read the last paragraph of my reply above. This forum cannot help you further. You are not welcome to continue with additional follow-up questions or new threads. This thread is over.
Dear Dr. Handsfield.
I did visit my physician (yesterday - Monday) as per your suggestion (due to sore throat for 11 days and penis spots). He evaluated the spots and felt that they were not herpes because they did not hurt or cause discomfort. He stated that while most people do not experience herpes symptoms, when symptoms do appear in the form of blisters or vesicles, they are almost usually painful. As per your note above, I did reduce my use of betadyne. Interestingly, the redness and purple coloration disappeared and while 2-3 small (1 MM) spots remain, they may be more from friction (I received fully protected oral sex 8 days ago).
On a seperate note - and I recognize this is not the forum for this question, but I wanted to maintain continuity in this thread in case another member needs help - my physician did also exam my oral cavity. He said I have leukoplakia (2 white lines on the insides of both of my cheeks) and/or hairy leukoplakia (on the left side of my tongue as ridges). I can see what he was saying because the left side of my tongue is rough. Interestingly, he didn't ask about sexual encounters, HIV, etc., but assumed it was from chronic irritation of 40 days of smoking and drinking excessively (by normal standards - I guess it's all relative!). I decided to get checked for HIV again because I read OHL is a manifestation of HIV. I got a rapid oral Orasure test done today (30 days after my encounter) and it was negative. My questions:
1. In your clinical and research experience, have you seen hairy leukoplakia present as an ARS symptom?
2. The hairy leukoplakia is disconcerting to say the least. I searched clinical articles online and almost all link it to immunodeficiency. While Leukoplakia's main causes are chronic irritation because of smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods, Hairy L is almost exclusively associated with people with HIV. Can Hairy L be caused by the same factors that cause Leukoplakia?
Thanks for all your help and guidance.
I did visit my physician (yesterday - Monday) as per your suggestion (due to sore throat for 11 days and penis spots). He evaluated the spots and felt that they were not herpes because they did not hurt or cause discomfort. He stated that while most people do not experience herpes symptoms, when symptoms do appear in the form of blisters or vesicles, they are almost usually painful. As per your note above, I did reduce my use of betadyne. Interestingly, the redness and purple coloration disappeared and while 2-3 small (1 MM) spots remain, they may be more from friction (I received fully protected oral sex 8 days ago).
On a seperate note - and I recognize this is not the forum for this question, but I wanted to maintain continuity in this thread in case another member needs help - my physician did also exam my oral cavity. He said I have leukoplakia (2 white lines on the insides of both of my cheeks) and/or hairy leukoplakia (on the left side of my tongue as ridges). I can see what he was saying because the left side of my tongue is rough. Interestingly, he didn't ask about sexual encounters, HIV, etc., but assumed it was from chronic irritation of 40 days of smoking and drinking excessively (by normal standards - I guess it's all relative!). I decided to get checked for HIV again because I read OHL is a manifestation of HIV. I got a rapid oral Orasure test done today (30 days after my encounter) and it was negative. My questions:
1. In your clinical and research experience, have you seen hairy leukoplakia present as an ARS symptom?
2. The hairy leukoplakia is disconcerting to say the least. I searched clinical articles online and almost all link it to immunodeficiency. While Leukoplakia's main causes are chronic irritation because of smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods, Hairy L is almost exclusively associated with people with HIV. Can Hairy L be caused by the same factors that cause Leukoplakia?
Thanks for all your help and guidance.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Why didn't you ask these things in your other question on the HIV Prevention forum 2 days ago? It apparently concerns the same exposure. Directly to these specific questions:
1) No, this doesn't sound like herpes. There are no data on "how easy" it is to transmit HSV-1 from mouth to penis, but the vast majority of oral exposures don't transmit HSV-1. There is virtually no risk if you did not observe an obvious oral herpes sore on your partner.
2) Symptoms and their severity are identical for genital herpes due to HSV-1 and HSV-2.
3) Many causes; I can't speculate. See a provider if you are concerned about the spots.
4) HPV transmission from mouth to genitals is rare, if it occurs at all. Your symptoms do not suggest HPV, and anyway visible evidence of HPV infection cannot appear in less than 3-4 weeks.
5) Betadine is irritating and might explain some of your symptoms. However, "shriveled" skin is normal on the penis and my bet is you are examining yourself too closely and "seeing" changes that do not exist. Herpes does not behave this way.
The tone of both this question and the one 2 days ago suggest you are emotionally/psychologically overreacting, perhaps in anxiety over the sexual event. Probably nothing is physically wrong. But if your symptoms continue to concern you, see a health care provider. You're never going to get clear answers by asking questions on online forums. Feel free to return with a brief follow-up question if (and ONLY if) questions remain after you have seen a health care provider and can report his or her findings and opinion. In the meantime, I see no reason for worries about herpes or HIV.
HHH, MD
1) No, this doesn't sound like herpes. There are no data on "how easy" it is to transmit HSV-1 from mouth to penis, but the vast majority of oral exposures don't transmit HSV-1. There is virtually no risk if you did not observe an obvious oral herpes sore on your partner.
2) Symptoms and their severity are identical for genital herpes due to HSV-1 and HSV-2.
3) Many causes; I can't speculate. See a provider if you are concerned about the spots.
4) HPV transmission from mouth to genitals is rare, if it occurs at all. Your symptoms do not suggest HPV, and anyway visible evidence of HPV infection cannot appear in less than 3-4 weeks.
5) Betadine is irritating and might explain some of your symptoms. However, "shriveled" skin is normal on the penis and my bet is you are examining yourself too closely and "seeing" changes that do not exist. Herpes does not behave this way.
The tone of both this question and the one 2 days ago suggest you are emotionally/psychologically overreacting, perhaps in anxiety over the sexual event. Probably nothing is physically wrong. But if your symptoms continue to concern you, see a health care provider. You're never going to get clear answers by asking questions on online forums. Feel free to return with a brief follow-up question if (and ONLY if) questions remain after you have seen a health care provider and can report his or her findings and opinion. In the meantime, I see no reason for worries about herpes or HIV.
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.
