[Question #5368] What can be wrong with me?

73 months ago

CSW gave handjob with her saliva as lube, wore condom she had (maybe had penis/vag contact). Had Vag sex for 10 mins. I came in condom, dont think she did. Removed condom (no sign of break) & peed (touched condom then penis immediately). W/in hour, peehole was pink puffy & sensitive. Day 14 flulike symptoms Day 17 purple spot like bruise on right of head where it meets foreskin. Day 18 pinkpee hole spread to 1/2 of head- purple spot moved along ridge of head to left side and formed a spot. Pinkness faded but left purple outline where it grew. Did blood for STD test (Labcor). Day 19 purple spot on left side of head that burned and became white bump. Day 20 tests were neg. Peehole burning, pink rash on knuckles. Day 21 white bump gone. large patch of pink skin on head raised up- gone w/in hours leaving purple outline. Abdom pain left side at waist. White bump back on left side foreskin with pain. Went to clinic 4 exam-did blood again- all neg. Day 24 Left side foreskin swelled up in one large random shape at white bump. Day 25 started 10 days of Cipro per GP. Day 30 peehole still pink & irritated, pain, swelling and white bump present, bad sore throat, earache and flulike symptoms every day. Day 35 saw GP- did blood, urine and swab of swelling/bump area. Swab POS for HSV2 all else neg. Started valacyclovir and polysporin. Day 38 pain in eyes now, still have sore throat, earache, flulike symtoms and swelling (blister) with pain on foreskin. Could it be something besides HSV2?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

73 months ago

Welcome to our Forum and thanks for your detailed description. The exposures that you describe are virtually no risk events for most STIs, including HIV. STIs are not spready through receipt of masturbation, even when saliva is used as lubricant. Regarding your vaginal exposure, condoms remain the single best and most effective means of STI prevention when worn throughout the sex act and when they do not break (breakage occurs a little less than 1% of the time condoms are used with new partners).

You have been examined on several occasions and have had negative tests for STIs, including I presume HIV. If this is the case, your results should be believed. LabCorp is a highly reliable company and currently available tests for STIs are amongst the most sensitive and reliable tests in all of medicine. If your HIV tests were taken at the time of your flu-like symptoms you can likewise be confident that your current symptoms are not due to HIV. When flu-like symptoms are due to recently acquired HIV, they occur as a result of high levels of HIV virus and rapidly increasing levels of antibodies, making the tests for HIV very reliable.

Finally, I would add that the swelling and pink discoloration you describe may be due to something other than an STI. There are many non-STI dermatological conditions which sometimes go unnoticed until someone notes and begins to worry about their risk for STI and, as a result, inspects themselves more closely than they had in the past. For this reason, I would suggest that if the condition and pinkness (a rash?) continues, there may be some value in having a dermatologist take a look. I would wait however to do this until you have taken at least 7 days of valacyclovir.

I hope these comments are helpful. EWH

---

73 months ago

Thanks Doc,

I've never had a symptom or test before this exposure.

I tested positive for HSV2 via swab after this exposure- I know it most likely came from the CSW.

1) Is it possible to have had HSV2 for 10+ years and not know it?

2) Is it possible to have had unprotected sex and not transmit it to someone else?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

73 months ago

Before we get into your questions, please let me know. It was not entirely clear to me whether the test that was positive for HSV-2 was a blood test or a swab. If a swab test, you certainly do have HSV-2 but if it was a blood test, the test may very well have been falsely positive.

Oos, sorry, I started typing before I read all of your questions. Now, knowing that the diagnosis was made using a swab:

1. Certainly. In fact, about 75% of persons with HSV-2 do not know it and when (and if) they discover it, they may learn about their infections years after it was acquired.

2. Yes, in fact, most exposures to infected partners do not lead to infection. There is little research on the precise risk for infection on a per exposure basis but it is safe to assume that less than 1 in 10 exposures to HSV lesions, lead to infection and that less than 1 in 1000 exposures to persons with the infection who do not have lesions lead to infection of the partner. Many variables influence this such as the duration of infection (lower risk with longer duration of infection), how long the lesion has been present (again, lower risk when lesions are present if they have been there longer periods.

I hope this information is helping. Has your valacyclovir therapy helped? EWH

---

73 months ago

It's been 8 weeks post exposure and I still have original blisters that haven't broken, scabbed, or healed. I'm still getting color/texture changes on penis head. I still have a sore throat. I feel like I'm still "under attack". All due respect to my GP but what I get from him is "give it time". I feel like what I'm experiencing is very abnormal at this point.

Question is- could this be normal or should I be concerned about something?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

73 months ago

I suspect whatever is going on is not a problem and I'm confident it is not an STI. OTOH, it is most unusual for blisters and other symptoms to persist for 8 weeks (unheard of in fact)Clearly however this is bothersome to you and, as such, I would suggest that you see a dermatologist who can evaluate these changes. I really have little else to offer.

As per Forum guidelines, this is my 3rd reply and therefore the thread will be closed later today. I hope my comments have been helpful. EWH

---

73 months ago

Thanks Doc