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Red Scrotum Syndrome
Hello,
Thank you for reading my post. I have developed a red scrotum that itches and burns. It starts at the base of my penis and continues up my pereium to my anus. I have tried many medications and it doesn't seem to go away. I have had this for over 5 months. This happened after I dated a girl with HSV2. I have been tested 8 times and all were negative. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for this matter. I appreciate your time. Thank you.
Thank you for reading my post. I have developed a red scrotum that itches and burns. It starts at the base of my penis and continues up my pereium to my anus. I have tried many medications and it doesn't seem to go away. I have had this for over 5 months. This happened after I dated a girl with HSV2. I have been tested 8 times and all were negative. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for this matter. I appreciate your time. Thank you.
COMMUNITY LEADER
What kind of testing have you had done? I'd like to assume that some of them were IgG tests and that they were done 12 weeks after your last exposure?
Have you had continuous symptoms? RSS is often hard to treat. Who diagnosed you with that? Have they offered any treatment?
It is not related to or caused by herpes.
Have you considered an allergy?
https://www.aad.org/dw/dw-insights-and-inquiries/dermatopathology/red-genitals-new-roads-to-recovery - more info on it and some treatments.
Here are two cases that was treated with antibiotics and another med - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184780/
Have you had continuous symptoms? RSS is often hard to treat. Who diagnosed you with that? Have they offered any treatment?
It is not related to or caused by herpes.
Have you considered an allergy?
https://www.aad.org/dw/dw-insights-and-inquiries/dermatopathology/red-genitals-new-roads-to-recovery - more info on it and some treatments.
Here are two cases that was treated with antibiotics and another med - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184780/
12 Comments
Thank you so much for responding. I had an IGG test 4 months after exposure and it was still negative. My dermatologist diagnosed me with RSS. I have had continuous symptoms. They prescribed me Doxycycline and I’ve been taking that for 3 weeks, but haven’t seen much improvement.
The hsv2 IgG misses 8% of infections, but this doesn't sound like herpes.
If you feel like you need to confirm the IgG, you can get a Western Blot, but I don't see a big need for that. If you feel like you want the peace of mind, you can get one through your doctor or through Terri Warren, though you'll have to self-pay with Terri.
https://westoverheights.com/getting-a-herpes-western-blot/
Most docs don't know about this test, and/or would argue the need for it. In your case, I'd understand that. It could be very expensive (several hundred dollars) peace of mind.
I am NOT an expert in RSS., but most articles I've read suggest that doxy with something else - something to address the vaso reaction or nerve reaction - seems to works best.
If you feel like you need to confirm the IgG, you can get a Western Blot, but I don't see a big need for that. If you feel like you want the peace of mind, you can get one through your doctor or through Terri Warren, though you'll have to self-pay with Terri.
https://westoverheights.com/getting-a-herpes-western-blot/
Most docs don't know about this test, and/or would argue the need for it. In your case, I'd understand that. It could be very expensive (several hundred dollars) peace of mind.
I am NOT an expert in RSS., but most articles I've read suggest that doxy with something else - something to address the vaso reaction or nerve reaction - seems to works best.
I have sent away my blood for the western blot. In your opinion do you think this is herpes?
I would be very, very surprised if this was herpes. I can see why you are connecting it, but it sounds nothing like it.
Did you and your partner use condoms? Was she on antivirals?
Did you and your partner use condoms? Was she on antivirals?
She wasn’t on antivirals (thought she was). I failed to use condoms around 5 times. The rest of the time I did. The mental toll this is taking is the worst. It just won’t go away. Thank you again for taking time to respond. It means a lot.
I'm sure it's been really hard, but the chances of you getting hsv2 from her are probably a lot lower than you might think.
If all you do is avoid sex during an outbreak, if you were in a long term monogamous relationship, had sex 2-3x a week, you'd have a 5% chance of getting over the course of a year.
If you use condoms OR antivirals, it's a 2-3% chance. If both are used, it's about a 1% chance.
Did they say how long your WB would take? Did you do it through Terri?
If all you do is avoid sex during an outbreak, if you were in a long term monogamous relationship, had sex 2-3x a week, you'd have a 5% chance of getting over the course of a year.
If you use condoms OR antivirals, it's a 2-3% chance. If both are used, it's about a 1% chance.
Did they say how long your WB would take? Did you do it through Terri?
They said 2-3 weeks. No. I got it on my own. Is there anyway I could reach out to Terri?
Yes, you can on her website - https://westoverheights.com/
You can get a video consult or you can post on her forum, both of which have fees.
If you post on her forum, it can take several days for her to respond. (I have no idea how long it takes for her to respond to a video consult request - it may be just as long.)
If you post, don't try to bump it up by posting to it again. She answers questions by oldest first, and if you bump it up, you will lose your place in line, so to speak.
Let me know what she says.
You can get a video consult or you can post on her forum, both of which have fees.
If you post on her forum, it can take several days for her to respond. (I have no idea how long it takes for her to respond to a video consult request - it may be just as long.)
If you post, don't try to bump it up by posting to it again. She answers questions by oldest first, and if you bump it up, you will lose your place in line, so to speak.
Let me know what she says.
I just got my Western Blot back and it was negative. I just don’t know what else it could be.
Congrats on that. :)
The cause of RSS is often really hard to pinpoint. Have you had any other testing done - any cultures or biopsies?
There's another guy in Men's Health who is going through something really similar - https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Mens-Health/Red-scrotum/show/3072740
Maybe you can talk to each other.
I wish I had better answers for you.
The cause of RSS is often really hard to pinpoint. Have you had any other testing done - any cultures or biopsies?
There's another guy in Men's Health who is going through something really similar - https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Mens-Health/Red-scrotum/show/3072740
Maybe you can talk to each other.
I wish I had better answers for you.
I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Do you happen to know how accurate the Western Blot is?
Yes, the WB is 99.7 or 99.9% effective - I can't remember offhand, but it's way up there. It's the gold standard for herpes testing. If it's negative, you don't have it.
I understand why you think you must have it - you dated someone with it, and then got these symptoms, but herpes transmission is lower than you might think, and your testing is telling you that you didn't get it. Your symptoms aren't herpes symptoms.
I'd rather tell you that you have herpes, in some ways - we know a lot about it, it has well known treatments, and you don't suffer from it daily.
Hang in there, okay?
I understand why you think you must have it - you dated someone with it, and then got these symptoms, but herpes transmission is lower than you might think, and your testing is telling you that you didn't get it. Your symptoms aren't herpes symptoms.
I'd rather tell you that you have herpes, in some ways - we know a lot about it, it has well known treatments, and you don't suffer from it daily.
Hang in there, okay?
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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.
