[Question #9176] Unknown Infection? Need Help

35 months ago

I’m a 24 y/o male suffering for 3 years, seen several urologists, had full workups -have done Pelvic floor PT, bladder meds -issues are getting worse!

January 2020 unprotected sex with low-end prostitute, when waking in following wks discharge in underwear & started urinary frequency/urgency. Tested negative for all STDs via urinalysis & culture including Mycoplasma -so NO meds. Contracted Molluscum & genital warts. Discharge stopped -urinary urgency got progressively worse.

Went to the ER 2 yrs after encounter -couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t sleep, wake hourly to urinate & feeling of having to go right after. ER doc wanted to see if I was retaining urine so stuck a Foley catheter in me for 15 minutes & discharged me to follow up with urology. About 2 wks after catheter pain started in my R testicle. Ultrasound & urine test negative -so NO meds. Testicle pain on L started 4 months later. Semen & urine cultures found no infection & 2 testicular ultrasounds normal. Took Cipro & Doxy months later -didn’t help the pain. No erections anymore, no interest in sex, & beard’s very thin.

Docs not sure what’s wrong -prostatitis, an unknown viral infection? Bacterial tests for semen, urine & ultrasound find nothing. 7 months testicles hurting BADLY. Hourly urinary urgency/frequency, sleep deprivation.

Where do I go to get proper testing & treatment? Unknown infection w/incubation period of 2 yrs before infecting testicles? Coincidence with catheter timing & testicle pain starting?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

35 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, we really can't help. We deal only with STDs and HIV, and are not a resource for advice about non-STD urogenital health issues. Clearly no STD is responsible for these problems. Based on all you say, I am confident that at this point you have no STD, and no other infection related to your commercial sex exposure that could be causing all these symptoms (whether or not an STD was involved in your earliest symptoms which is not necessarily the case). My only advice is to 1) keep working with your doctors; whichever urologist you found most helpful probably should be your main resource; and 2) to also ask for referral to an infectious diseases specialist, if that hasn't been done. Alternatively, consider visiting a general internal medicine specialist, in view of the non-urogenital aspects you mention, such as beard loss and your general health. Further, I would advise no further efforts for help from any online forum. Problems of this complexity are unlikely to be resolved without direct, in-person care. And please do not be tempted to look for or try remedies to your symptoms that you might find with online searching.

I hope this information is a little bit helpful; I'm sorry I can't do more. Best wishes and good luck with it all.

HHH, MD

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