[Question #4793] HSV? Tingling & Burning on penis head, buttocks, groin, and behind/inner thighs.

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79 months ago

Hello Doctor, I went to a Strip Club on Christmas Evening and had 'protected' sex with a stripper. During intercourse my penis was becoming flaccid and we stopped, upon which she began to masturbate me (with the condom on) in an attempt to make me hard. She also rubbed my scrotum 'after' masturbating my penis. It didn't occur to me till later that vaginal fluid could have been on the condom when she masturbated me and then rubbed my exposed testicles since I had already been inside her (I also used lube). Would this be a risk of acquiring Herpes? Also, I was sitting naked at one point on a leather type sofa, is anything transmitted that way since my bare butt and inner parts we exposed and now they're itching and burning.   FYI, I've experienced this tingling/burning on my groin area before about a year ago and got tested and everything came back NEGATIVE except for HSV-1, which was a blood test. When I experienced these initial symptoms  I went to the doctor about 3 different times within a couple of weeks and they all said that it did not look like herpes since I had NO lesions, sores, or cuts. They all said it was jock itch or 'Ballanitis" and gave me some ointment. 1.) could I have contracted HSV-2 via her rubbing my testicles when she masturbated me with a condom on AFTER I was already inside her beforehand? 2.) Does my testicles slapping up against her vaginal area make it a risk for catching Herpes? Not sure if they touched her.3.) Could I have caught anything from the sofa?? Keep in mind other strippers use the same sofa every day and who knows who else has had sex in there. 

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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
79 months ago
No, I don't believe that you could have contracted HSV 2 at this encounter.  Your scrotum bumping up against her perineum would not present any realistic risk of infection nor could you have caught something from the sofa - bacteria and viruses die off of the human body  very very quickly.  I am also not concerned about her touching your testicles after touching vaginal secretions.  It takes considerably more contact for a person to contract herpes than the contact that you describe above.  I think you are good to go

Terri
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79 months ago

What could be causing my itching/tingling burning sensation on my penis and buttocks/inner thigh area? I got checked out again and a nurse practitioner said it was jock itch but I’m concerned since this happened a few times before and these current symptoms began a few days after my incident with the Stripper.

I’ve always used protection but I have received unprotected Oral Sex from females a few times in the past. When I first experience symptoms back in November of 2017, I went to the doctor 3 times within a few weeks and got tested and checked out. They all said I looked ok and the only thing that came out was HSV 1 positive by a blood test at Kaiser. I got scared but they assured me that most people test positive for that. The 3rd time I went in during these few weeks was because I saw what appeared to be a “sore” on my penis, below my head where the foreskin retracts (I’m not circumsized) fyi. Here’s the kicker, I saw the so-called “sore” early in the morning at work and got freaked and later that evening after work, I went to the doctor and when he checked me out, the sore was gone! There was some visible irritation but other than that he said I looked fine. The thing is I actually took a couple of pictures when I saw the sore in the morning and showed it to him and he said that it did look like a sore but it’s gone now so maybe it’s not? Since my blood test came out negative for HSV-2  he said that whatever it was it was probably something I caused from constant touching.

A couple of months later I was experiencing tingling/light burning symptoms again but no visible sores or lesions and so I went in again and had another STD blood test done. Again, HSV-1 came out positive and HSV-2 negative. I just used some antifungal cream and it helped.

So it’s been over a year and have never seen any sore or lesion. Just the irritation symptoms I’m experiencing right now.

1.)    The sore I thought I saw, could any sore appear and disappear within a day or two? I was keeping a good eye on my junk.

2.)    How likely is it that I have HSV 1 on my genitalia and not HSV2?

3.)    Why do I keep getting these type of symptoms?

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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
79 months ago
A fungal infection is a far more likely cause of your itching.  Herpes lesions do not disappear in one day
While you could have HSV 1 genitally, nothing you have described here sounds like genital HSV 1 either
I don't know why you are having itching and irritation but I don't think jumping to the conclusion that it is herpes makes good sense.

You may wish to consider getting a herpes western blot, the definitive herpes antibody test, to settle this once and for all.

Terri
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79 months ago

I’ve read on here and on the Herpes Manual that tingling burning and crawling feelings on buttocks and thighs is associated with Herpes since the Virus is located in the spine and that people feel this prior to an outbreak. Can you please elaborate on this? After I had sex with the Stripper, I put a bunch of Hand Sanitizer on my buttocks, back thighs, and groin area just in case. I’m wondering if that had anything to do with what I’m feeling right now. The fact that these symptoms started after the incident freaks me out.

Also, Iast week I noticed some tiny pimple-like bumps on my penis that looked like black/white heads (not the typical herpes clusters) but they caused me to worry and so I went to get checked again and they did a “Swab Culture Test” and yesterday they told me it was negative. I asked what they tested for and said it was tested for HSV-2 and not for HSV-1. What other things could cause lesions or herpes like symptoms that is not herpes??

Where and how can I take a Western Blot Test and how long should I wait after my last incident?

Thank You for your help. I’m just very worried. 

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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
79 months ago
I don't know what the Herpes Manual is? 
Some people with genital herpes infection do feel a crawling or tingling feeling in the leg or back or buttocks prior to an outbreak.  But I can also tell you that many many people have those sensations and DO NOT have herpes.  Probably 95% of people who have only that sensation but no sores test negative for herpes. 
Swab tests automatically look for both types of virus.
I can help you obtain a western blot at westoverheights.com but you should wait about 10 weeks from any concerning exposure to begin this process.

Terri
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79 months ago
Can the tingling, burning, sensations on my buttocks, thighs, and groin area be a herpes reoccurrence? I can't see any visible sores or lesions but I've read on here that sometimes they're microscopic lesions. I've only received unprotected oral from females and always had protected vaginal sex (several women), can lesions appear on a different location such as the areas I'm currently experiencing?? I'm wondering if maybe my symptoms are a recurrence. Does HSV 1 cause this or only HSV2? 

Also, would a 3 month post incident NEGATIVE IgG blood test be conclusive with no further testing required? Just wondering if a Western Blot even be required. Fyi, I just took an IgG blood test for clarity.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
79 months ago
Both HSV 1 and HSV 2 can cause genital infection and both can cause prodromal symptoms, like those that you describe. 
The IgG test for HSV 2 is pretty good - it misses 8% of infections and HSV 1 misses 30% of infections in a population screening for herpes.
The western blot can be arranged if you are not comfortable with these statistics.

Terri
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