I have constant urethral burning and left leg/foot pain/tingling, what should I do?

[David22222]

A month ago I had protected sex, using a condom. Already the same day I felt some burning when urinating. Over the following few days the burning increased and spread. My genital area started itching and tingling and I also started feeling some pain in my left foot. My upper lip was also tingling on the left side. I did a lot of reading about STI:s and found HSV-2 to be the most likely diagnosis...

I didn't have any fever, swollen lymph nodes or blisters, which I thought was weird, but nothing else fit.

Looking back, I remember the girl I was with had to go to the bathroom quite often and suddenly.
We hung out for a few days and there were quite a few times that she had to run to a bathroom.
Stupidly, I didn't think much of it at the time.

Four days after exposure I went to the doctor. I still didn't have any blisters, so he gave me 10 tablets of Valacyclovir as a trial. 2x500mg/day. I also got tested for Chlamydia and UTI. Both came back negative. The symptoms subsided so I got 20 more tablets and continued taking them for 8 more days, 13 days total, until the symptoms completely disappeared.

However, just a few days after stopping, the symptoms came back.

Burning urethra and foot pain. Still no lesions, though.

I started taking 2x500mg Valacyclovir again. This time the symptoms only subsided slightly. I found the recommended dosage for Valtrex. Initial outbreak: 2x1g/day for 10 days. I increased my dosage to match that for about 4 days. Nothing changed, so I went back to 2x500mg again, which I've continued taking until this day. I'm too afraid it will get worse to stop.

I should still be able to build up immunity, even when holding the virus down with Valacyclovir, right?

I know not much time has passed, but I'm afraid of how this will develop. Will it get better?
I think my symptoms fit with HSV-2, but they shouldn't persist the way they do... Leg/foot pain, tingling in genital area, burning around the anus and in urethra... They should have disappeared by now :(

I've read that Herpes Zoster, and apparently in rare cases also HSV-2, can give Post-Herpetic Neuralgia.
For most people it passes, but I haven't found any data for HSV-2, so I don't know what to expect, which is scary.

I've read about others having persistent issues, but I figure it's probably the worst cases and very uncommon...

I've also read up on NGU, but there is so little information on what to expect...
According to the paper "Need for Diagnostic Screening of Herpes Simplex Virus in Patients with Nongonococcal Urethritis", published in June 2000 in "Clinical Infectious Diseases", the etiologic agent was only found in 30% of the cases they studied. I don't like those percentages...
What happens to the other 70%? Will they have to live with it? Will it pass?

I'm waiting for a bacterial culture and mycoplasma genitalium test results.

I'm sorry for rambling and being unstructured.

Can someone please give me and expert opinion? What can I expect?

Thank you.

[auntiejessi]

I answered this in Herpes. Let's keep all answers there to keep things less confused.

[biology2017]

Hmmm what should you do? Have you thoight of visiting the doctor again?
Well heres my opinion
1) no sti have symptoms that appear on the same day. That means it is unlikely that u have sti, tho it is still possible
2) Don't assume you have sti. Are you a doctor? Have u done the sti test to confirm it?
3) Please do not take meds so casually
4) I dont think that is what the figures in the study mean. Please dont overthink.

5) heres the most important advice i can give. Stop all meds, go see the doctor to get test for the possible sti.