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neg igg at 6mnths. recurrent urethral pain
I cant figure out what to do about my recurrent severe urethral pain after many tests and doctors visits. Maybe you folks can advise me. In December of 2011, 7 months in to a monogamous relationship with a girl who tested negative for all STDs including HSV i and ii blood tests, I developed a burning sensation on the surface of the right side of the head of my penis as though I got hot sauce on it (which I actually might have) but this pain would not subside for weeks. On that day my penis had dragged along the wet inside of a public toilet bowl. At this time I was biking frequently and spending much of my time sitting in class in a wet swimsuit. A few days after this, I got really hot one night. This wasn't a fever according to the thermometer but my face was really warm. The next morning I masturbated as usual but there was mostly blood when I ejaculated and within a minute, where there was previously no pain, a tall, pea sized blister quickly appeared on the right meatus! This was on round blister and looked more like the kind that comes from a burn than it did the pictures of a typical herpes outbreak. Then my urethra started to hurt within the first inch or so. The next day was the soonest I could get to a clinic. I was seen at Planned Parenthood and the nurse took a swab. Her visual diagnosis was that the "lesion was consistent with the appearance of herpes" but the swab came back negative. I was given an antivirals for the "herpes" and antibiotics for the urethra. (Its hard to say if the antivirals helped but I sure feel like they didn't. The next week was agony and it hasnt been much better since) The same day I was tested for all other STD's all negative. The pain was intense so I followed up with my school doctor who said it neither looked nor sounded anything like herpes but offered no treatment. Said to give it time.
The blister healed but left a scar that is still there now 8 months later. The burning sensation on the head did not heal and the next few months were almost constant pain in the area of the meatus and urethra and regular "hot flashes." As the weeks went on, the pain moved deeper in to the urethra including the burning on the head which makes my urethra feel constantly like I have to pee. It more recently has felt like fire ants crawling around inside and stinging away. I notice if I have notable sexual activity, within a few hours of ejaculation, the pain is severe and radiates chills and stinging throughout my body. The pain radiates throughout my genitals and pelvis and up through my face as well. When it gets bad, my right hip joint swells and I walk with a limp. I have never seen another blister, sore or lesion.
I got an IgG test done 6 months in to the ordeal and the results were <.91 for both types. I saw a different doctor with these results and told him that sexual activity and bike riding did aggravate the condition and that I was also getting occasional shooting pains in my rectum so he checked my prostate for swelling. The prostate didnt seem obviously unusual but he gave me 30 days of doxycycline in case it was infected. He tested my urine for a "UTI" and it was negative. My lymph nodes were a bit swollen and he found a slight pereneal hernia. He did not think my condition was caused by herpes. I took the doxy and no change.
He gave me a referral to an urologist. The urologist tested my urine again and found nitrates in it that could suggest infection but not necessarily. He did a centrifuge of my urine and said he saw no sign of yeast. He said my symptoms were nebulous and that he did not know what to tell me. He had had a patient with urethral herpes and said he did not believe this was the cause of my pain. He said to see a rheumatologist since the episode of pain sometimes coincided with hip pain and psoriasis on my scalp. He gave me 200mg of phenazopyridine (which is AWESOME!! You can get this OTC too and it takes the pain from an eight down to a four).
Here is some info that may or may not be helpful:
5 years ago ex wife had an abnormal pap. No follow up. She never had any symptoms. She had a week immune system and actually suffered symptoms of CMV but no symptoms of herpes.
I came down with what i think was a cold with a very bad fever two months ago and afterwards, I had a more painful episode and all subsequent episodes have been more severe.
I have been very susceptible to yeast infections in the past and my girlfriend has actually had a white discharge that has come and gone for months and was not consistent with the times she should be ovulating. She has also complained about shooting pains in her vagina but her doctor tested for bacteria and gave a visual exam that produced nothing.
I have yet to see the rheumatologist because I dont know what to think now. The likelihood that I'm one of the rare people who have herpes for years before an outbreak AND has a false negative igG MONTHS after SYMPTOMS AND has the disease presenting in an unusual place with unusual symptoms is low but what else could it be and why wont it go away?!? Every week is hot flashes and stinging then a day of just a little pain before hot flashes and stinging again. I used to be in such good shape but i've had to cut way back because of malaise, hot flashes, general "not-well-feeling" and now my hip. I have an appointment to talk with Terri Warren and to set up a Western Blot test but at this point I'd love to save the money and who knows if it will make a difference anyway. I had an igG well into the seroconversion window and it was negative and my sypmtoms are unusual. But what else can I do? What would you do? What can this be?
The blister healed but left a scar that is still there now 8 months later. The burning sensation on the head did not heal and the next few months were almost constant pain in the area of the meatus and urethra and regular "hot flashes." As the weeks went on, the pain moved deeper in to the urethra including the burning on the head which makes my urethra feel constantly like I have to pee. It more recently has felt like fire ants crawling around inside and stinging away. I notice if I have notable sexual activity, within a few hours of ejaculation, the pain is severe and radiates chills and stinging throughout my body. The pain radiates throughout my genitals and pelvis and up through my face as well. When it gets bad, my right hip joint swells and I walk with a limp. I have never seen another blister, sore or lesion.
I got an IgG test done 6 months in to the ordeal and the results were <.91 for both types. I saw a different doctor with these results and told him that sexual activity and bike riding did aggravate the condition and that I was also getting occasional shooting pains in my rectum so he checked my prostate for swelling. The prostate didnt seem obviously unusual but he gave me 30 days of doxycycline in case it was infected. He tested my urine for a "UTI" and it was negative. My lymph nodes were a bit swollen and he found a slight pereneal hernia. He did not think my condition was caused by herpes. I took the doxy and no change.
He gave me a referral to an urologist. The urologist tested my urine again and found nitrates in it that could suggest infection but not necessarily. He did a centrifuge of my urine and said he saw no sign of yeast. He said my symptoms were nebulous and that he did not know what to tell me. He had had a patient with urethral herpes and said he did not believe this was the cause of my pain. He said to see a rheumatologist since the episode of pain sometimes coincided with hip pain and psoriasis on my scalp. He gave me 200mg of phenazopyridine (which is AWESOME!! You can get this OTC too and it takes the pain from an eight down to a four).
Here is some info that may or may not be helpful:
5 years ago ex wife had an abnormal pap. No follow up. She never had any symptoms. She had a week immune system and actually suffered symptoms of CMV but no symptoms of herpes.
I came down with what i think was a cold with a very bad fever two months ago and afterwards, I had a more painful episode and all subsequent episodes have been more severe.
I have been very susceptible to yeast infections in the past and my girlfriend has actually had a white discharge that has come and gone for months and was not consistent with the times she should be ovulating. She has also complained about shooting pains in her vagina but her doctor tested for bacteria and gave a visual exam that produced nothing.
I have yet to see the rheumatologist because I dont know what to think now. The likelihood that I'm one of the rare people who have herpes for years before an outbreak AND has a false negative igG MONTHS after SYMPTOMS AND has the disease presenting in an unusual place with unusual symptoms is low but what else could it be and why wont it go away?!? Every week is hot flashes and stinging then a day of just a little pain before hot flashes and stinging again. I used to be in such good shape but i've had to cut way back because of malaise, hot flashes, general "not-well-feeling" and now my hip. I have an appointment to talk with Terri Warren and to set up a Western Blot test but at this point I'd love to save the money and who knows if it will make a difference anyway. I had an igG well into the seroconversion window and it was negative and my sypmtoms are unusual. But what else can I do? What would you do? What can this be?
as I said, I wouldn't be still thinking herpes at this point. should you get an obvious lesion again, your local health department can do a lesion culture and typing but even if you do happen to have genital herpes, it isn't the cause of your ongoing symptoms so it shouldn't be a part of your worries. does that make sense? I'm not fully awake yet...lol
many things can cause skin lesions that aren't herpes related.
many things can cause skin lesions that aren't herpes related.
Thank you, Grace, for the answer. I talked to Terri Warren and she recommended against further testing because I have no health insurance and this doesn't sound like typical herpes. But I'm still in pain and I'm wondering:
1. Could my tests have been false negatives?
2. Could the consistency of the pain be from post-herpetic neuralgia
3. Could the consistency and severity be because of the sensitive area its affecting?
4. What could cause a blister on the meatus that isn't herpetic?
Thanks!
1. Could my tests have been false negatives?
2. Could the consistency of the pain be from post-herpetic neuralgia
3. Could the consistency and severity be because of the sensitive area its affecting?
4. What could cause a blister on the meatus that isn't herpetic?
Thanks!
you tested negative twice for herpes so odds are this has nothing to do with genital herpes. I'd put it low on your list of what could be causing this. all of your symptoms are pretty inconsistent with genital herpes too except for the initial lesion you had.
I'd continue to follow up regularly with the urologist at this point.
grace
I'd continue to follow up regularly with the urologist at this point.
grace
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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.
