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Long running Herpes scare

It all started in September last year. Idiotically after a few too many drinks I let my friends talk me into going to a brothel. I had very brief protected sex with a sex worker and she gave me brief oral, maybe 5 minutes or so unprotected before she put another condom on, i noticed no obvious sores but I was very drunk. After getting home from this encounter, I vigorously masturbated leaving the penis quite sore. The next day when going to take a shower to my absolute horror I noticed a graze/cut/lesion on the shaft of my penis (less than 24hrs post exposure). I was riddled with guilt and anxiety.

The following day I went straight to the sexual health clinic, by this time the lesion had scabbed over a bit but the practitioner swabbed it to test for herpes. I was also tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia.The practitioner said at the time she believed this was too soon to be herpes and judged it to be a friction burn. After a week or so the lesion healed and left no scarring. Then I got my results back and I was all clear. After secondary testing two weeks later again I was found to be all clear.

A month or so down the line I developed a red rash on my inner thighs that was intensely itchy. I worried about the rash for 7 days or so before I used some hydrocortisone cream on it, after reading that it could be jock itch on the internet. The following day i returned to the clinic where the very same practitioner agreed with this. I continued to use the cream and the rash went away. I work in a sports environment so it adds up that I could develop jock itch. During this period I also had a few days of feeling rather unwell, not sure if it was down the intense stress and anxiety i was having.

Within a month or so it was back, unsure whether it was a mental symptom but I also felt some tingling behind my scrotum. Again I used the cream and it went away. I then had a 3 month check up with the clinic and was given the all clear, herpes was however not tested.

I had intermittent tingling for the next few months without any production of lesions. Also had an intermittent burning sensation after urination/ejaculation.

Around 4 months after the exposure I developed a pimple on my scrotum, panicking i returned to the clinic where the practitioner said it seemed like a blocked sweat gland, after leaving it went away after around a week.

Now we're around 6 months since the exposure, last week I had another case of what looked like jock itch, I again used the cream and it went away. A few days ago I then had what looked like a small pimple/pollyp structure on my scrotal skin. It was intensely itchy when I squeezed it but it didnt hurt. This sent me into panic mode once again. I put hydrocortisone cream on and it went away. All the while i've still had intermittent tingling and now I have what looks like a UTI, burning whilst I pee and also it feels like i cant fully empty my bladder.

I'm scared that this could actually be herpes, seeing as apart from the initial culture of the lesion i've never had a specific herpes blood test. I've never had any sore that looked atypically like herpes since the initial sore but the fat that i continue to get symptoms in the groin area sets my stress and anxiety over the issue off, i'm scared it could be urethral herpes that is causing my symptoms?

I'm due to see a doctor in a days time.
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Avatar universal
Anyone else have an opinion?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yeah I know I really should. What is putting me off is the high number of false positives that people get from testing, and if that happened to me it would only serve to make my anxiety a thousand times worse.

I'm at the doctors in the morning for my UTI symptoms which are burning when i pee, pain/pressure feeling in lower abdomen and i've noticed some white discharge when i try to force my bladder to empty.

When I think rationally I don't think its herpes, but every time my symptoms clear up and i'm moving on with my life something else returns after a while and sets my anxiety going again!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The best thing to do is get a blood test for herpes if you are still worried. An igg test will let you know where you stand and make sure it is a type specific test. But really ur symptoms don't suggest herpes as I've had the same symptoms plus a few more that are rather disturbing.

When you get your blood test you likely might be positive for hsv 1 as 60% of the population is positive for this type. But hsv 2 sounds very unlikely in your case and it could just be anxiety. Again the only way to be sure is to get a type specific blood test

Good luck!
Helpful - 0
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