[Question #2156] Herpes

95 months ago

Hi there. Around 9 weeks ago I had a unprotected oral sex encounter with a prostitute lasting no more then 30 seconds. About 4 days afterwards I developed a slight pain in the testicle on the left. I decided to go to the sexual health clinic 2 weeks after the encounter and was urine tested for clam and ghonnerea, hiv and syphilis which was all negative. A week later I felt fine and after not hearing back from the clinic I thought I was in the clear. A girl I was seeing gave me a blowjob for around 5 minutes. The following week (week 4) I started getting a little itchy, but I had trimmed a few days before this happened. There was a tingle along with a bit of back pain. All pointing towards herpes. I was constantly checking and could not find any lesions at all. It got pretty sweaty down there but I work outside. At one point I noticed a slight scab but it was so small and I thought it was just from me checking the area so much, and I never noticed any lesions beforehand in the area. I saw some slightly raised hair lesions at the bottom of my shaft that looked pimple-Ish, where my penis sits on my scrotum, and the area was itchy but i thought it was just a result of the trimming of the pubic hair. They disappeared the next day and I put that to too much touching of the area and sweating. At week 6 I went back to the sexual health clinic and got check again. They said I was fine, checked the area and gave me another urine test. Said my symptoms had nothing to do with herpes. Week 7 I got a terrible headache that lasted all week along with the flu which was pretty Bad. Took panadol 6 times a day and within about 4 days I had cleared up. No lesions to report. Week 8 I went to the dermatologist and he determined I was fine and it was probably just skin irritation. I showed him another spot on my inner thigh which was irritated he said it was a ingrown hair. Swabbed and waiting for results. Week 9, I had a sharp pain in my right buttock, it went down my leg. Felt like a ha

95 months ago

Shin splints in one leg. That pain went away and the next day I had a funny painless vibration feeling in my knee. Coming and going every 5 seconds for the whole day. I went to my GP, got checked and explained myself. She said that I was fine, and that the weird feeling in the nerves wasn't herpes and that it doesn't hurt you, it only lives in the nerves. I mean, I want to believe it's not herpes but it really points towards that direction. I had a little sore show up just above my tailbone which I noticed the next day after the shin splints etc, I got her to swab too, and I am waiting for results. I am still getting the random buzzing feeling in the side of my knee (3 days now) .I have a history of back problems, sometimes so sore I cannot move but I haven't had those for a year or two. I tweaked my back earlier this year and had to take time off work from my job in construction. I also dropped a very heavy steel beam on my shin around week 7, which I still feel slight bruising from but it appears to be under the skin. The same leg (right) as all the strange nerve feelings. if this infomation means anything. I just find it very coincidental that my back problems would come back during this time. And here we are, no lesions apart from the thing on my back I am awaiting swabs for. I would just like to know your take on my symptoms and whether or not they appear to be real. At times I think I am going crazy and being a hypocondriac, others I think I am fine. Thanks

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

95 months ago

My take on your symptoms is that they are very non-specific and you may have herpes, I have no idea about your sexual past or any past testing that you've done, but none of these symptoms worry me in the least. You know that you are probably as much at risk from the girl you know giving you unprotected oral sex as you are the CSW. More than half the US population has HSV 1 (I don't think you live in the US but just sayin') and most of it is oral so with oral sex, the thing you are at risk for herpes-wise is HSV 1. I doubt that a CSW is much more likely to have oral herpes than a non-CSW.

Have you ever in your life had a cold sore on your lip? That's caused by HSV 1 (most often) and if you have already experienced that, then it is extremely unlikely you would then acquire this in a new location.

Terri
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95 months ago

here is a timeline of my ordeal

TIMELINE

17th-18th March - Unprotected Oral from Prostitute. Lasts 30 seconds.

21st-22nd March - Left testictle pain. Slightly sore above in abdomen.

22nd March-31st March - Aches in general area. feel a bit inflamed but nothing visually noticeable. feeling ok day or two leading up to 31st March. Have STD Check at Sexual Health Clinic. Visually checked and appears no sores. Urine test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Blood test for HIV and Syphilis.

31st March-9th April - Feeling ok. a little achey around area and feel hot and inflamed feeling around penis and scrotum but that dies down. decide to trim public hair around 7th or 8th. a bit itchy but thought it was a result of the trimming. Recieve Oral from Girlfriend.

10th April-17th April - Slight back pain. a little cramp in right bum cheek and cramp the following day. itchy but still thinking that this was part because of trimming. Road trip with friend on 15th. Back is sore but the car seat is really upright and uncomfortable. he is complaining too so think nothing of it. havnt noticed anything visually. a bit sweaty down there but nothin that seemed out of the ordinary. still itchy.

18th April - Notice something at base of penis on right hand underside of shaft. where it sits ontop of scrotum. has been quite sweaty down there and it is amongst the hairs at bottom of shaft. look like raised hair follicles. only noticed when i pulled the skin tight around penis. 5 or 6 surrounded by a little rash. have been inspecting the area alot and itching since i trimmed pubes. i work in construction and have been checking the area with my dirty hands alot and thought it was just a little infection. did not resemble what i had seen on internet regarding herpes. begin to think this could be herpes related. also at some stage between 31st March-Now there was some small scabs on top left underside of penis. had been pulling and manipulating the skin alot so thought that could be the reason. never noticed any lesions and they were tiny, like a cut.

19th or 20th April - Call Sexual Health Clinic. Explain what i saw the day before, they say it wont be herpes and that it will be the soap i am using. insist on coming in and the earliest they can see me is the 27th of April. Come home explain to my girlfriend the situation as i figured i better come clean and confess that i have been panicking.

22nd April-25th April - Go away for the weekend with my dad. tell him the situation on the 22nd and feel another weight has lifted off my shoulders. no symptoms to report.

27th April - Arrive at Sexual Health Clinic. have felt alright over last few days with no symptoms. Explain my situation. Woman working said that nothing i have said resembles Herpes. get checked and says no evidence of herpes. have urine test and told if i want to do blood test for HIV or syphilis come back after 3 months post exposure.

28th April - Headache at work in the afternoon.

29th April-4th May - Headaches on and off from the weekend and through the week. Flu develops some time around then but have been surrounded by friends every day that had bad flu the week before. Heavy steel beam rolls onto shin. feels really painful but nothing broken. sit down and bone feels ok but shin looks almost bent in half. pain wears off after 30 mins and continue work. Possibly think it may have been responsible for Right leg pain on the 15th May. but unsure as it has been almost a week and a half after the incident. (as of 20th May) area still feeling sore like bone is bruised at bottom of tibula just above ankle and in middle of shin. beam crushed both areas.

5th May-take the day of work on Friday 6th.

7th May-11th May - Flu dies down after taking 6 panadols per day from 5th of may till the 8th. feeling ok again with no symptoms and go to see a Dermatologist on the 11th. He inspects area sees nothing wrong. point out an area on my inner thigh where it meets my scrotum that had been itching and appeared to be slightly inflamed. has been this way many times before when i get sweaty down there but ask him and he says it looks like an ingrown hair. swabbed that day and havnt heard back from him.

11th May-14th May - No symptoms.

15th May - walking/jogging down stairs at work and as i get to the bottom back, right bum cheek and leg feel a slight pain. sit down and feel some type of nerve vibration in outer right knee. cannot visually see anything but can feel a vibration come and go every 1-3 seconds. that night feel a very sore pain radiate similar to a shin splint. it hurts for a few hours but calms down by the morning. think back to incident from 4th May. maybe some relation?

16th May - go to see my GP. explain everything. She says no way the nerves strange movement or anything is related to Herpes. says it is a back thing. inspects area, i insist that she swabs a singular sore on my lower spine just about my bum. she says it is staph infection but swabs anyway. awaiting results. also have a HPV shot she says is new.

17th May - Same nerve feeling in knee. still cannot see anything but feels like it has changed to 8 second vibrations.

18th May - feeling more muscle movements in right leg, calf muscle and a little bit in thigh. different from the vibrations. starting to wonder whether this is my nerves reacting to herpes virus.

19th May - Still the same

20th May - Still the same. not many movements today as previous days. slight ache in right bum cheek. feel a few muscle movements in left leg. starting to think more that this is truely herpes but thinking perhaps go to physio or neaurologist to have a look at it.

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

95 months ago

Lewis, there is a word limit on posts here, but it appears that you have copied and pasted your response here with many words beyond the limit. While I do appreciate the very thorough history, it's way over the top in terms of this forum. I did, however, read every word with care and find very little to be worried about here. Your contact was quite short which lessens the possible exposure that you had. The only thing that concerns me at all is your description of scabs in the genital area that you noted on April 18.

If you have ever had a cold sore on you lip or in you nose in the past, it extremely unlikely that you would now acquire HSV 1 genitally (which is the risk from oral sex). If you've not had cold sores, then I would simply advise that if you have these scabs appear again that you have them evaluated by a professional. I don't know your sexual history at all, but if you've kissed other people or received oral sex from other people or had intercourse with other people, you could have acquired herpes at some point in your life - that seems like it has more potential for possible infection than a 30 second contact with a CSW.

Terri
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