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Dealing with the pain of recovery - scrotal outbreak
I am a fit 64 y.o. male who with no sexual contact in at least three years. After complaining about excess 'crotch sweating' and recurring jock itch tp my primary care team at the VA, I was provided with Clotrimazole cream for athlete's foot after a superficial examination. I applied it to my crotch and the itch subsided. Stopped using the cream and the itch returned. This went on for a couple of months. A week or so ago I found myself seriously itching and scratching in the night and began applying again. Awoke last Saturday to discover a raised area on right side of scrotum the size of my little finger and my entire scrotal sack, which is normally quite light and tight, was enlarged, distended, and heavy. I treated with Abreva which normally knocks out stress produced outbreaks on nose and mouth and Monday went to the VA walk-in. Casual visual examination by an intern and attending physician suggested "probable" herpatic leasions (no testing). They provided a 5% lidocaine gel for the pain of recovery (uselesss) and advised keeping the area dry. In the week since, I have gotten little sleep due to the level of pain. I cannot comfortably walk or go about daily chores. I sit on ice as often as possible to reduce swelling. My scrotal sack is the size of a large grapefruit and heavy. There is no way to get comfortable in bed as the oozing sticks to everything: legs, bedsheet, scrotal folds, etc.) and when the joined surfaces part the pain is electric. Last night I use a dampened gauze bandage as a wrap for the scrotum and was able to get some sleep and it released comfortably in the shower. I see so little about the recovery process that I wonder if this is really herpes. The VA doctors told me there was no test that can be done to determine what it is once the vessicles pop. Is this true? I fear this has been totally misdiagnosed and wrongly treated. Does this story match anyone else's experience? Any advice for dealing with this situation are greatly appreciated.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
