Diagnosed with BV, but scared that something else is going on.

[afraidofstds]

Hello all, & thank you for any help you provide in advance.  12 days ago I had unprotected vaginal sex on the first day of my period. I will never have unprotected sex again after this horrifying experience, spare me the lectures.  As my period lightened up, I noticed my vagina was very dry, red, and irritated.  To this day there is not one spot I can touch and feel pain. It's more of an overall feeling of discomfort.  I went to my GYN 6 days after the unprotected encounter, and was diagnosed with BV, and tested for everything else (which all came back negative but I realize this doesn't mean much, due to the timing being so soon afterwards). I was prescribed to take metronidazole orally twice a day for a week. I have also been using diaper rash cream to aid with the dryness and discomfort, and have been taking great care in checking myself for herpes lesions the entire time.  The person i had this encounter with insists he has no knowledge of having any STDs, but who really knows?! He lied about his age so this leads me to believe he would lie about other things as well. I am still experiencing this tingling and discomfort in my vaginal and vulva. I am wondering if these are side effects of the medication (I THINK I'm feeling a little better), anxiety (I have been VERY stressed about all of this), or signs of another STD?

[afraidofstds]

I feel a little better after the A&D ointment. I think leaving the diaper cream on there may have only exacerbated the dryness. Thank you for talking me through this! Whenever I find out what's wrong, I'll update.

[gracefromHHP]

most people don't get proper std testing at the proper times.  Even those who do pursue testing, usually don't get herpes igg blood testing done to know their status.   At this point, more forward and just take care of your end of things since your former partner obviously isn't going to do his part.  

not unusual for bv to come back which is why returning to be seen in 2 weeks if symptoms still there a good idea.

[afraidofstds]

I also noticed the skin inside my buttcrack was peeling (like outward, maybe where the cream was). So I switched to A&D ointment. This brings relief. I just want to feel normal again without any creams :( & not have herpes.  I'm just swinging back & forth between "I deffinitely have it" & "I have no reason to think that".  It's so depressing and the person who potentially gave me these problems accused me of giving HIM a bacterial infection when questioned (can this even happen??) and says he has "no issues" and that anything that is wrong is not because of him. But can't provide me proof of testing, will barely text back...I'm so scared :(

[gracefromHHP]

bv can really suck - I hate it worse than I hate my herpes!!  

I'd go back to using the diaper rash cream as needed for the irritation.  if you still have symptoms in 2 weeks, return to be retested for bv again.

follow up with the rest of your std testing at the proper times to cover your bases.

[afraidofstds]

& herpes testing was part of it, yes.

[afraidofstds]

My doctors office is really pissing me off. They did not go over any results with me for my cultures besides giving me a paper at the end of my appointment saying I was diagnosed with BV (which scared me to death. IMO, the doctor should have met with me again to explain the results). Then, later in the week called to tell me all of my results were negative. But no numbers or anything! I've been very dry "down there" since this problem occured after my period so I have been using diaper rash cream (not for the past 2 days because I'm trying to look for lesions) and when I don't it seems to get sweaty. The spot does not hurt to touch and has not increased in size but I am experiencing tingling all over my anus, vulva, etc. I don't think this would really be a side effect of the metronidazole especially since I took the oral form, which ended yesterday. I also wonder if I'm not literally worrying myself sick! I am going to give it a few more days and see how I'm feeling I suppose.

[gracefromHHP]

herpes only appears in clusters if you were completely herpes negative prior to contracting genital herpes. If you happened to have hsv1 like most adults do prior to contracting hsv2, it would cause single lesions for symptoms.  was herpes igg blood testing part of the testing you had done?

hard to say if this sounds like herpes or not. when in doubt, see your provider.

[afraidofstds]

Thanks Grace. While examining myself yesterday I noticed a bump (red, looks like a pimple with no head) on the inside of my buttock. I know that herpes usually appear in clusters but there are exceptions to every rule. Could this have been caused from using diaper rash cream?

[gracefromHHP]

the only other testing that was accurate 6 days post encounter was gonorrhea, chlamydia and trich.  You will have to retest for syphilis after 6 weeks, herpes , hiv and hepatitis after 3 months.  

bv frequently causes tingling and itching genitally. Give this some more time to clear up. Also don't be surprised if you get thick chunky discharge for a few days near the end of treatment - it's dead bacteria coming out of your body and will go away on its own. Just clean it off gently with water.

grace