Irritation of the foreskin

[worriedworried768]

Hello,

I want to first thank you for taking your time to help on this forum. In may of 2008 I had protected heterosexual sex with a woman that I didn't know. I had a full STD screening done a 7 weeks from that encounter with all negative results, but have remained with high anxiety since about herpes. Two weeks ago which was 5 1/2 months from encounter I developed a red area on the bottom side foreskin of my penis where the foreskin meets the normal skin of the shaft. The area was moist and slightly swollen, but there were never blisters or scabbing present. This was accompanied by somewhat intense burning sensations that went down the length of the shaft on the left side and ended at the base of the penis. The burning seemed to be in the red area a little bit, but more down the shaft and on the top of the penis's forskin(red area was where penis rests on testicles). Since I noticed this I have been examining myself way to much, probably 5 or more times a day. There are very small slits present when I spread the skin apart and look very closely, but I cant tell if it is normal skin depressions/folds or not because I have to spread the skin pretty far to see them. The red patch of skin appears to be chafing which I have gotten in the past, but now my anxiety has taken hold and I am scared which in turn has made me read everything possible on the web and over inspect the area. The red area has subsided after about 10-12 days in which time I quit masturbation and any sexual contact. Before the area appeared I masturbated at least once a day(dry) and once 2-3 days before red area appeared with conditioner.
My questions are:

1- Does this sound like it could have been a mild herpes outbreak?

2- I know 3 months is best, but how reliable is my blood test from 7 weeks?

3- Can over inspection of the area(spreading skin frequently) cause this type of irritation?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

No, this doesn't sound anything like herpes, and yes indeed, frequent inspection could cause such irritation.  The chances that you contracted herpes during protected sex are pretty slim anyway.  You can get a herpes blood test for additional reassurance if you want, but I'd wait another month.  Meantime, avoid rubbing or repeated inspection, apply lubrication, and consider counseling if you can't get past your anxiety.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[worriedworried768]

I wanted to add that I have been having shooting pains down my left leg and into my foot. This occasionally effects my other leg also. I do have a slipped disk in my lower back which with anxiety could be causing this, but I thought it might be relevant after reading the internet.

Thanks again.