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Herpes?
I'm a 27 year old male. On August 31, I had unprotected vaginal and oral sex with a 24 year old girl. The number/status of her partners is unknown. We discussed STDs and she seemed genuine in her belief that she had no known history.
On September 1st, I felt a dull ache in my lower back around my kidneys. The pain comes in waves and then disappears. It has manifested in my lower abdomen and testicles. I've had four kidney stones and the pain is similar, but far less intense. I've also felt a pinching in my knees, elbows, and glans. The lymph nodes in my neck were a bit swollen; the nodes in my groin or arm-pits were not. After one week, I had blood work and urine tests done for other STDs and received negative results.
Ten days after my sexual encounter something (I didn't notice any sort of bump, pimple, or discoloration, nor had I experienced any prodromal symptoms in this area), released clear liquid located on my frenulum. I squeezed the area, releasing more. My squeezing caused a cut where no lesion was visible to the naked eye before. In addition, a tiny bit of red matter came out. The area scabbed over by the next morning. I had the cut swabbed within 24 hours; there was no real pain. The PA didn’t think opted against medicating me. One week later, the swab culture returned negative.
I eventually noticed what looks like cyst adjacent to the cut. This cyst is subcutaneous and can be moved under the skin a centimeter in any direction; when the skin is pulled tight it looks filled with liquid with a white ball in the center. When squeezed the cyst discharges clear liquid from the area where the cut was. I presume this was the source of the original rupture. Once squeezed, the cyst replenishes itself. The area is not red and is painless. I’ve noticed this cyst for at least two weeks unchanged.
On September 1st, I felt a dull ache in my lower back around my kidneys. The pain comes in waves and then disappears. It has manifested in my lower abdomen and testicles. I've had four kidney stones and the pain is similar, but far less intense. I've also felt a pinching in my knees, elbows, and glans. The lymph nodes in my neck were a bit swollen; the nodes in my groin or arm-pits were not. After one week, I had blood work and urine tests done for other STDs and received negative results.
Ten days after my sexual encounter something (I didn't notice any sort of bump, pimple, or discoloration, nor had I experienced any prodromal symptoms in this area), released clear liquid located on my frenulum. I squeezed the area, releasing more. My squeezing caused a cut where no lesion was visible to the naked eye before. In addition, a tiny bit of red matter came out. The area scabbed over by the next morning. I had the cut swabbed within 24 hours; there was no real pain. The PA didn’t think opted against medicating me. One week later, the swab culture returned negative.
I eventually noticed what looks like cyst adjacent to the cut. This cyst is subcutaneous and can be moved under the skin a centimeter in any direction; when the skin is pulled tight it looks filled with liquid with a white ball in the center. When squeezed the cyst discharges clear liquid from the area where the cut was. I presume this was the source of the original rupture. Once squeezed, the cyst replenishes itself. The area is not red and is painless. I’ve noticed this cyst for at least two weeks unchanged.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
None of this additional information changes my opinion.
"Are my symptoms consistent with herpes or potentially psychosomatic?"
No, none of your symptoms even hints at herpes. And whenever a person suspects his or her own symptoms have a psychological origin, usually s/he is right -- that's probably the best bet here. However, I am very puzzled that you haven't been tested; from the closing comments in the discussion on the herpes forum, I thought that was the plan. My advice is that you have a blood test for HSV -- not because I believe you have genital herpes, but because I expect the negative result (for HSV-2) to help you understand that you do not.
Please return with a follow-up comment to let me know the result after you have been tested. But until then, I will have no other comments or advice.
Regards-- HHH, MD
"Are my symptoms consistent with herpes or potentially psychosomatic?"
No, none of your symptoms even hints at herpes. And whenever a person suspects his or her own symptoms have a psychological origin, usually s/he is right -- that's probably the best bet here. However, I am very puzzled that you haven't been tested; from the closing comments in the discussion on the herpes forum, I thought that was the plan. My advice is that you have a blood test for HSV -- not because I believe you have genital herpes, but because I expect the negative result (for HSV-2) to help you understand that you do not.
Please return with a follow-up comment to let me know the result after you have been tested. But until then, I will have no other comments or advice.
Regards-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. In addition to reading your question here, I reviewed your long discussion with Terri on the herpes forum. I agree entirely that all evidence is against herpes. You're going to have to look elsewhere to explain your symptoms.
Genital herpes can cause genital area pains and other sensations, but not by themselves. Pain, tingling, numbness, and such things can accompany herpes sores -- but by themselves, these symptoms are not suspicious for herpes. And the chance of herpes after a single sexual exposure like yours is low, no more than 1 in many thousand.
More to follow after your follow-up comment below.
HHH, MD
Genital herpes can cause genital area pains and other sensations, but not by themselves. Pain, tingling, numbness, and such things can accompany herpes sores -- but by themselves, these symptoms are not suspicious for herpes. And the chance of herpes after a single sexual exposure like yours is low, no more than 1 in many thousand.
More to follow after your follow-up comment below.
HHH, MD
For a little over three weeks, I continually experienced the dull waves of pain in my kidney area/lower back (though that went away after about a week), testicles, the right side of my anus and buttock. The testicles are the most common area. After examining my glans excessively and touching the urethra opening in an attempt to look inside I had some sharp, but not unbearable, waves of pain in my glans for two days. At day 19, I had a small amount of clear discharge in the morning—I masturbated the previous night and it looked the same as pre-ejaculate. For two days around this time I also felt tingling a few times for a few seconds on the whole of my scrotum. On the 24th I found what looked like folliculitis on my right inner thigh, where it rubs against the other thigh when I jog—I’m much harrier than the average man. The swollen area had a white head and a hair inside. Today, the 25th, is the first day that only a limited amount of pain has appeared.
I’ve never been tested for herpes. I have no recollection of cold sores, but my whole family gets them. I had shingles when I was in college. I’ve certainly had nothing that looked like looked, felt, or lasted that long.
I’ve been checking myself constantly/closely.
I suffer from extreme anxiety over these issues. These pains are finally wearing off, though not entirely, just past the 3 weeks mark.
Are my symptoms consistent with herpes or potentially psychosomatic? Do I need to undergo further IGG blood testing for herpes? What are the chances that these pains are herpetic without a clear manifestation of sores?
I’ve never been tested for herpes. I have no recollection of cold sores, but my whole family gets them. I had shingles when I was in college. I’ve certainly had nothing that looked like looked, felt, or lasted that long.
I’ve been checking myself constantly/closely.
I suffer from extreme anxiety over these issues. These pains are finally wearing off, though not entirely, just past the 3 weeks mark.
Are my symptoms consistent with herpes or potentially psychosomatic? Do I need to undergo further IGG blood testing for herpes? What are the chances that these pains are herpetic without a clear manifestation of sores?
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.
