[Question #911] Herpes or what else could it be?!

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98 months ago
Hi,
Last November i had unprotected oral and vaginal sex with a girl. 3 weeks later ( 3 days after shaving) my pubic region became very itchy and i was very concerned but it eventually subsided untill i shaved again.. I had protected sex again with same girl 4 weeks after initial exposure. A few days later tip of penis became slightly red and itchy, thighs felt tender and tingly and i had some spots on inner thighs and buttocks followed by some discomfort inside my penis at the base. Meatus of penis was often inflamed and red and had some discomfort in base of penis when urinating and ejaculating.  Got tested for stds (no herpes testing available) at 6 weeks and 11 weeks.. both clear. I have now seen 2 gp's, two std clinics and an std/infectious diseases specialist and have been treated for chlamydia and other bacteria with various antibiotics with no improvement.  All said that it was definitely not/extremely unlikely to be herpes. I even took famvir for 5 days with no real change in syptoms. 
I still have discomfort inside penis near the base when i need to urinate and it relieves mid urination and after. Also sometimes very uncomfortable when ejaculating. And the inflammed meatus has persisted also with the severity varying throughout the day. I have had no typical painful blisters sores or lesions. I have been extremely anxious about this since the the morning after the first exposure.
Do you think it could be herpes causing all of this or if not what can it be? 
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
I do NOT think that herpes is causing all of this, no.  There is just nothing to suggest herpes here.  Sometimes people do get irritation in the urethra when they get herpes but it is almost always accompanied by skin lesions in the genital area.  Also, since the Famvir makes no difference, that also speaks against this being caused by herpes. 
What antibiotics have you taken.  Did anyone do a prostate evaluation during one of your visits?

Terri
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98 months ago
 To add to my original post. Last week i noticed two white raised lumps in the crevice in the back of the penis head. No open lesions or in anyway sore. I would never of noticed them only for seeing them and they didnt seem to be fluid filled. Sent an image to the specialist who said definitely not herpes and remains convinced of that. 

I had a prostate exam by the specialist also and he said it may have been slightly irritated/inflamed. During the exam i thought it may have slightly activated the point of discomfort in the base of the penis that i experience  now?

Ive taken Azithromycin (single dose) , 2 weeks of doxycycline, 2 weeks of tarivid (i think) . Doctors seem to agree its like candidia balanitis but no creams or antibiotics have helped that either?!

The specialist says now i just have to wait and see do symptoms clear over the next few months and if not visit a urologist who will insert a camera through the penis to see if anything can be found. Also says it is safe to have sex as nothing has been found?? 

Is it possible that this is in someway completely drivin by fear/anxiety? At this stage you think it would have passed if that was the case though.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
Those are likely something called pearly papules and are completely normal. 
Candida balanitis is an inflammation of the head of the penis characterized by little red traditionally itchy bumps. 
I think it is totally possible that this is driven by fear and anxiety but it is also possible it is something related to the prostate. 
I would agree that if you've had full STD testing, at least to their ability,  and you've had adequate treatment for the bacterial STD's, it is likely you can have sex safely.

Terri
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98 months ago
I since visited another GP who agreed that it doesn't seem to be herpes but again can offer no answer to what is going on. 
This morning i noticed that if i squeezed my penis with my thumb and index finger i got a strong stinging sensation in the urethra like as if there was soap inside. This was in the upper 1/3 of the penis especially under the head. What is this likely to be? 
The tip/meatus of the penis remains to be inflamed and red with varying degrees of severity. Head of penis can be slightly itchy at times and some times a redish patch will appear only to disappear again a few hours later
I am really at the end of my tether with this as it has been 7 months with very little improvement. Where do i go from here??
I am very reluctant to have sex with a girl I'm seeing for fear of passing something on to her.  
Another thing that i have been experiencing recently is some discomfort and also bleeding when during/after bowl movements. Is that likely to be connected or just something harmless (i.e. slight tear due to large bowl movement thats slow to heal) 

Specialist also rang yesterday to see if there has been any improvement. I told him there was no change and so he said he would send me some other creams to try and that the discomfort in penis was possibly due to scar tissue that will heal with time?( i did not tell him of the soap like stinging as i had not experienced it at the time)

Thanks,

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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
98 months ago
Well, please stuff squeezing your penis if it's uncomfortable! 
I understand that this is very frustrating for you, but other than herpes, you've been tested and treated for other STDs.  And since herpes testing is not available (are you sure??) and you've had no lesions, I think you're going to have to make a decision - are you going to believe you have herpes for the rest of your life or are you going to move on from this concern after 7 months of worry.  It seems to me you only have two choice here - move on or just stop living fully since you can't get tested. I mean, do you see other options here?
I don't think your bowel issues having anything to do with this, no. 

Terri


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