[Question #1060] Herpes from a Happy Ending Massage?

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98 months ago
Hi,

I went on a business trip for the weekend and stupidly paid for a massage with a happy ending.. This was the first time for me. The masseuse did not use a rubber glove and gave me a handjob using lots of oil as a lubricant. 

I caught a flight back home a day later, and as I had read handjobs are safe, I decided not to worry about this. I had sex with my wife (with a condom) about 48 hours after the incident.

Now it's been 72 hours and I've noticed a small red spot in the shaft of my penis. I also have a slight burning feeling in my crotch and some weird looking rash in my Bottom + itching all around my red scrotum. I am trying to be reasonable about this and not worry, but as I am seeing some physical changes in my private areas I can't stop freaking out. I'm not even sleeping.

Do you think it's possible that I have caught genital herpes as a result of this? I feel like my whole life is over if this is the case and really need help.

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98 months ago
I forgot to say that I'm also experiencing flu-like symptoms. This doesn't feel normal to me at all.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
I do NOT think it is possible that you acquired genital herpes from this contact, no, that's simply not how genital herpes is transmitted.  You could be having a reaction to the oil used for the masturbation episode.  Is the small red spot a blister?  What does it look like?

Terri
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98 months ago
Hi Terri,

Thanks for your quick reply.

It's simply a small red spot in my penis. Not a blister as of now. The spot doesn't hurt when I touch it but I think there's abit of stinging pain in it every now and then.

How would you recommend I deal with this? Any cream I should apply on my private areas if this is an allergic reaction? I'm really anxious about this and I don't want to lose everything I have because of one stupid mistake.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
I understand your concern completely.  I would just keep an eye on the red spot - I doubt that it is going to do anything.  I would just keep the area clean and dry, not apply anything at this point. 

Terri
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98 months ago
Hi,

It's been almost 5 days now since the exposure. I went to see my GP who took a blood test and will test me for all STDs. According to her the little red spot in my penis is nothing to worry about. 

However, since yesterday I noticed that my lymph nodes in my neck and my groin are Swollen! My GP said I probably just have a viral infection (a cold) that is causing this but I'm not convinced.

The rash, tingling and redness are now completely gone. The red spot is almost gone. However, when I look at my penis there's a bit of redness around it that comes and goes.

Do you think this means that I've had some pre-outbreak symptoms and should expect to see lesions and blisters soon? I got valium for my anxiety but I just can't shake the feeling that this must be Herpes. Is there anything else that might cause my symptoms? And the swollen lymph nodes?
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
Many things can cause a swollen lymph node in the groin including a hang nail on your toe!  Those nodes drain the entire lower half of your body.  If you had herpes, I believe that you would have more and different symptoms than you have.   Redness and that comes and goes is likely over observing your genitals, noticing normal color variations.  The thing is, your contact did not put you at risk for herpes!

Terri
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93 months ago
Hi Terri, I'm sorry to get back into this conversation, but I would need some advise. 

I got tested for all STDs about 3 weeks after the Happy Ending massage I mentioned earlier. Everything came back negative, my Dr told me there's no way I caught an STD froma handjob and I moved on with my life. 

Since then I've had maybe 1 or 2 little red spots in my penis shaft, always 1 at the time and it always went away after a day or two. I didn't think anything of it as I was told I have nothing to worry about and frankly a little redness in skin doesn't look too worrisome to me after testing negative.

However, about three days ago I noticed 3 little blisters in my penile glans. I had unprotected intercourse with my wife the previous day, but I put on a condom eventually  as we're not exactly trying to have a baby at the moment. I washed my penis with soap while I was taking a shower and now the little blisters are open (after I rubbed them). They looked just like what I've read about HSV 2. They don't hurt, there's a slight warm sensation in my penis, but I'm wondering if I'm just imagining it as I'm very anxious..

As I only had a handjob, had negative STD test 3 weeks after the encounter and have not had ANY other, even semi-sexual encounters in the last 10 years with anyone except my wife, what are the actual odds of me having genital herpes? My symptoms are worrying me but my common sense tells me this must be something else. I'm thinking latex / lube allergy might be a more plausible explanation?

I'm just not believing this can happen, and frankly I have a tendency to become anxious very easily. I just cannot bare the idea of transmitting anything to my wife, which is my main concern. 

Are we talking 1 / 1000 in terms of chances based on what I've told you? I got another blood test done today to find out if I'm actually infected. 
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
93 months ago
So let's step back here.  When you were tested for STI's, you were also tested for herpes, right?  Are you sure? 
I have zero concerns that you contracted herpes from the masturbation incident - ZERO  - but it is possible that you could have had herpes previously.  The IgG test for HSV 1misses 30% of infections, so that could be the case here.  Your description of blisters that broke open is worrisome to me - again, NOT from the massage but as a pre-existing condition, perhaps from receiving oral sex from your wife or someone else a while ago?  If you called me at my clinic and told me you were having open blisters on the shaft of our penis, I would strongly suggest that you get a PCR swab from the blisters TODAY.  OK?

Terri
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93 months ago
Hi Terri, 

Yes, I was tested for both HSV1 & HSV2 and both came back negative. I don't have blisters in the shaft, but had some in the tip of my penis. They're not really blisters anymore, but just red spots that don't hurt or itch.

I'm trying to be reasonable about this and trying to convince myself that there's no way it's HSV2, mainly because I have been tested for it when I first started dating my wife, and again 5 months ago, which was 3 weeks after the massage incident. 

Do you know if friction blisters might be a reason for my symptoms? Or if latex / lube allergy might cause this as we're using both condoms and lubricant with my wife?

Like I said, I'm waiting for my blood test results (Western Blot), but it's going to take over a week to get them back and this is just destroying me as I can't think of anything else. 
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
93 months ago
You did not acquire HSV 2 from someone masturbating your penis.  It is possible that you have HSV 1 genital infection from some previous encounter that caused the blisters at the tip of your penis, I guess you will find out about your HSV 1 status from the western blot.  If you have THAT it is also not from the masturbation experience.  Latex sensitivities could cause skin irritation, for sure. 
THE MASSAGE DIDN'T GIVE YOU HERPES.

Terri
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