molluscum

[rkbj]

Hi, I had a growth on my abdomen that was a hard tiny bump. I thought it was an ingrown hair or a pimple. I would scratch at it, but it wouldnt go away, Instead it grew larger over a period of six weeks and I went to a dermatologist. The growth was removed with a scapel. They examined me and found no evidence of any other growths, and I was sent on my way. A week later they called and said I had molluscum and that it was nothing to worry about, and that if I had any further growths to come in and they would remove them. So then I went to the net and now Im flipping out from everything I have read about it being an std and a possible sign of hiv. I have been in a commited relationship with a woman for six years, she is the only one I have been with. I know her body very well and have not seen anything at all.
So now my dilemma. From what I have read it is possible she could have it and I would not see it. But I really trust her now. ( there were some indiscretions at the beginning of our relationship ) If I confront her and she has not been with anyone, she will think I have been with someone.
I have read about non sexual transmission in adults, but it seems very dubious to me that you could get it from non sexual contact.

My background info: Male 47 yo, many common allergies, history of idopathic hives, smoker.
I travel extensively for work and stay at many hotels/motels some of them less than clean, others downright scary.
(we have made many jokes over the years about catching something or bringing home unwanted pests in luggage)
My work is very physical and I like to take baths and use hottubs.

Her background: Female 44 yo, many common allergies, smoker. Health care worker with the elderly.

Question: Could this have come from anything  other than sex.        Thanks

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Yes, it could and it almost certainly did.  You have no reason to doubt her fidelity.  (And by the way, you can't have molluscum and not see it.)  Within the past week I've seen adults with a solitary molluscum on the forehead and forearm.  Nobody around them had it.  This is a common clinical occurrence.  Molluscum is very often not transmitted sexually, or any other way.  It just comes.  (Not from dirt or motels either.)  My advice is to forget about it and to let them know of any others some, just as they told you.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[NateNewThread]

I've read several of your responses to moluscum but there is one thing I wasnt sure of.

I am 22 and I contracted moluscum from my wrestling/fighting gym through skin to skin contact. I went for treatment with acid 2 1/2 weeks ago which left blisters all over my skin and frankly, was an unpleasant experience. I have another treatment appointment scheduled for friday but it seems as though the moluscum lived through some-most of the acid applications, and more moluscum have appeared. My question is should I tell my current dermatologist that I don't want to continue treatment and just wait for them to go away on their own, or is this case different than children's cases where its a different type of contraction and I should stick to the treatment, or even change the treatment method to liquid nitrogen?

My confusion stems from how you always recommend that "children" wait it out for 8 months until the moluscum goes away on its own. Me being an adult, am not sure if you recommend something different. Thanks Doc!
    -Nate

[alexa5207]

About 4 months ago my boyfriend and I were having sex, and directly after he developed what i thought to be a rash on his lower abdomen. we both assumed it was from heat, sweat and friction especially since i had just shaved and i too myself was red but didnt have a rash. the rash persisted for days and days and i started to get worried. i was fine down there. the rash looked sort of like pimples and were red and scattered in different places. more time went by and i saw that it wasnt going away so i became even more worried. by the way, he said they didnt hurt or itch unless he messed with them so i told him to leave them alone and we went to the doctors. we told the doctor that they developed directly after sex and the doc asked me if i had anything and i said no. the doc then asked my bf if he had been sexually active with someone else (which of course worried me)...and he said no. so then he asked my bf if he had been around any plants or anything of that nature. well my bf works in a supermarket and they sell flowers there but he doesnt work in that section. anyway we were left believing it was an allergic reaction to something since i didnt have any signs of it. a couple of weeks went by, and he developed bumps on his scrotum area, but nothing on his penis whatsoever so now im a nervous wreck. we go to a different doctor and she says the bumps on his scrotum were from jock itch and prescribes clotrimazole and that the rash on his abdomen is molluscum contagiosum and says it will clear up on its on but that it take months, possibly yrs...about a week or 2 later from using the meds, (by the way, he also used the clotrimazole on his abdomen as a judgement call) they both have cleared up. i had never heard of this MC ever in my life before this but it made me look into it and what i dont get is if its so contagious, how come i didnt catch it and how come the doctor who diagnosed it said it was in fact ok for my bf and i to have sex while he had it and how come it never spread anywhere else on his body when he kept provoking it and trying to pop them? could it have been misdiagnosed? or could my bf have been unfaithful and caught it from someone? he says he wasnt but we've never experienced anything like this before, both together and individually...i trust him and i believe he's being sincere, but am i being naive? could it just have been a rash?