High anxiety - treated for chlamydia over a month ago, paranoid about genital warts popping up. Chances? Please read...

[NegativeCreep]

On May 30th of this year, I started to received treatment for chlamydia a couple days after being diagnosed with a UTI, and was officially diagnosed witht he chlamydia a few days later. I finished the anntibiotics 9 days later and was rechecked the 18th, the 7th of July (which was an official STD test), and then the 16th of July. All three times I have a pelvic exam and wet-prep and the lab test showed the chlamydia is gone. Yay for me.

I should that I have a higher than normal WBC count on my paps or wet-preps or whatever, such a burden that the clinic I went to on the 18th gave me a ZPack to give me oeace of mind and because they couldn't be sure from the wet-prep and I couldn't afford a lab test (plus it was early). So this kind of thing gives me enough anxiety.

Well although I should feel relief I am extremely paranoid that I may have genital warts (HPV) and they just haven't popped up yet. I understand that there is no real set "incubation period" but I'd like to know the chances considering these factors...

- I'm pretty certain I contracted the chalmydia on the 6th of May with an unprotected (he took off the condom) encounter of sexual intercourse; there is basically no other possibility. I started feeling pain on the 27th of May, diagnosed with UTI 2 days later, then a yet to be confirmed diagnosis with chlamydia a day later. In hinsight though I was having some questionable discharge maybe two week after the encounter. So I was basically diagnosed some 3 weeks after the encounter.

- Yes, I did ask the guy if he had anything and he answered no, then asked if I did. I do not believe he knew he had chalmydia and in fact he called me about a week later to "hang out" (which I turned down of course, it was dumb to begin with) which I don't believe he would have had he known he had chlamydia. Plus he hasn't called me since...

- I did not see any warts on him ... but then again I saw no discharge, so what the he*l do I know.

- It has been nearly 3 months since the encounter

- I ended up passing the chlamydia to a close friend of mine on May 24th-25th who was also treated (yes, I feel terrible - but I had no IDEA. He says I did everything I could, was honest, and it takes two, ect.).

All that considered:

1) Assuming he had genital warts and he genuinely didn't know it since never had an outbreak, nor did I see any, what are the chances of it being passed to me? Note that he hadn't had any symptoms of chlamydia even.

2) If he HAD had warts and he could pass them to me, would my compromised immune system caused by the chlamydia have already resulted in an outbreak in warts? Would it most likely have at least? Mind you it gave me a UTI weeks after the encounter and by the end I had all the symptoms (pelvic pain/burning, bad discharge, bleeding and pain when on the toilet) due to it being untreated for so long. Now it has been nearly 3 months and I've had a pelvic exam 3 times.

3) The guy I gave chlamydia to hasn't had any wart outbreaks. So assuming he DID have it and I could get and did and of course passed it onto him, what are the chances of BOTH of us going this long without an outbreak after being diagnosed and treated for chlamydia (though for him it has only been about 2 months).

4) If I were to get an early pap (though I'ms ure they're annoyed wiht me bothering them now), is it possible to have it come back normal but then still have an outbreak because it hadn't incubated?

5) Am I worrying too much?

This whole thing really tore me up. :(  Since this I've gotten tested for HIV (neg) and got immunization shots my ma could never afford (got my first two Hepititus ones), as well as starting the Gardasil shots after being told the clinic had them and being low-income I could get them for cheap.

I would appreciate some insight and answers. I'm sorry for being such a wreck but I really can't help it. :( :( :(

[auntiejessi]

Wait - how did we get from anxiety to hunger strikes?  And what is there to punish yourself for?  

Are you talking with your therapist about this?

I think this is now more about anxiety and lack of control than about the std itself.  The chances that you will get this are about 50/50, since you don't know if he has it or not.  

We have a great anxiety forum that you really should check out.  I can help answer std questions, but when we start talking about hunger strikes as punishments,  that's beyond my expertise.  Oh and something to remember - when you deprive yourself of food, you are depriving yourself of nutrients, thereby making it easier to get an infection.  If you want to prevent an HPV infection, EAT healthy, ok?  That will go a long way towards your body fighting if off, if you have it.

Aj

[NegativeCreep]

Yeah I was told BV wasn't an STD. But I was still scared as before I had intercourse the first time (I was 21 - not that long ago) I made my boyfriend, who wasn't a virgin, get checked. Theye xplained to me what it was. I'm just very sensative to a lot of things, my skin too. Just easily irritated so I have to be careful even with condoms. Bah...

I wish I could be told something more as well. So him, assuming he had it, never having an outbreak wouldn't have an effect either way? I know I'm grasping at straws but I don't want to be going on a hunger-strike to punish myself until I "know" ... which apparently can be forever. I tend to do that, I did it when I couldn't find a job and I did it while waiting for the follow-ups for the chlamydia. I'm just afraid to enjoy anything because that may be destroyed if something were to pop up. Ugh, I just HATE this and I KNOW it isn't rational but it *is* noentheless. I wish there was just something that could make me realize I'm worrying too much unnecessarily.

Would a pap show anything if there are genital warts but they just haven't showed up yet?

[auntiejessi]

There really isn't any such thing as late stage chlamydia.  Chlamydia isn't divided up into stages like syphilis is, and after a month, that's still considered early.

BV isn't sexually transmitted.  Your vagina has a very delicate balance of good and bad bacteria, and if that balance is upset in any way, you can get bv, which is an overgrowth of bad bacteria.  Sex can cause that upset, as can soaps, feminine or baby wipes, scented toilet papers, etc.  BV can be triggered by sex, but it isn't considered an std.

There are just no timetables for me to give you definitive answers.  50/50 is about right.  A lot of HPV is just an estimation, which I know makes you anxious.  I wish I had something more definitive.

Aj

[NegativeCreep]

Hrm, I concluded it was the "late stage" because the symptoms I had by the end were categorized as "late stage" everywhere I read. I had abdominal pain and burning, I had bleeding; at first it was only this thin, runny discharge that was QUITE frequent. But I had to have gotten in early May because I was checked in late March at an STD clinic and then saw my gyno in mid-April and was diagnosed with a yeast infection from a bad reaction to something.

Then again, I'm very sensative and allergic to things like spermacide and many lubricants, even ribs on condoms irritate me. I've gotten BV twice (the first time when I first had intercourse, condom and all. Imagine how scared I was!) and I'd start feeling it only two days after the fact.

Like I said, I'm coming up to the third month. Literally less than a week. How soon is "sooner"? And what are the odds of me getting them sooner if he had them and transmitted them to me considering I had 2 infections? Most likely? 50/50?

Intellectually I get how ridiculous this is. It's ONLY because of the chlamydia that I worry when the reality is anybody I had sex with could have transferred it to me if they had it (I saw warts on nobody, including the one guy- would it make a difference if they never had an outbreak?). Plus I have these weird mind-things I do. A few days before I went to where they ultimately diagnosed me with chlamydia, I was upset witht he friend of mine (to whom I ended up giving chlamydia) and wasn't talking to him. So, I had to come out of the blue and start again - that's how it happened.

Now I'm not talking to him again (it's complicated) so in my head the same thing will happen: if I do it again, I'm gonna end up having warts and then have to tell him. As if It's about being punished for my own righteous-indignance. :(

And the worst part? I have NOTHING to suggest to me the guy even had warts except the fact that he gave me chlamydia!

[auntiejessi]

3 months is typical.  Unfortunately, it isn't a set thing, and can be longer.

Condoms offer about 70% protection against HPV, which is good news.

Chlamydia and a UTI wouldn't compromise your immune system.  And if you contracted the chlamydia at the beginning of May, and got treated at the end of May, that's not late stage.  That's actually early.  I've seen women who've had it for a year or longer.   However, given that you had 2 other infections in the genital area, then yes, you might get warts sooner.

It sounds as if you have a great friend.  :)

Hang in there,
Aj

[NegativeCreep]

I read 3 months is the incubation period, yeah. I'm coming up on that soon. Less than a week from now actually. Is it like a month on the dot...?

I don't know how long I'll wait. I guess until I come across something that'll ease my mind. I mean the weird thing is I could actually get them from any of the partners I've had since condoms don't protect with this and it isn't about how many but who. And considering my own terms - I didn't see anything on him, I believe he would have told me if he knew he had anything - why should my past partners be different? But it's just because I got that chlamydia from him. So since it's been sometime for herpes to have been an issue and I got tests for other bacterial infections, I go to the next one - genital warts. And he is the ONLY one I'm worried about (partly 'cause I haven't had contact with him since a week after the encounter)! That shouldn't make sense but it does to me.

Now if there was an issue that compromised one's immune system earlier than 3 months (in my case, late stage chlamydia as well as a UTTI that didn't show up until), would that prompt an earlier outbreak supposing I had it?

And this isn't just me. Even if I did get it and it was just me, at least I'm used to how I am and so is my family. But I was with a close friend of mine a month after the encounter. I'd hate to have been "the one". The funny thing, though, is that he took it so much easier than I did and wasn't angry. He even said at one point he was hoping the chlamydia somehow was from him just because I was taking it so bad.

I'm fortunate enough to have a great friend.

[auntiejessi]

Getting the shot after a possible exposure won't help prevent HPV from appearing, but it will help you ease your mind.

The typical incubation period for HPV is about 3 months, though it can go longer.  How long are you planning on waiting?

I'm sorry you are going through this.  I can't imagine how difficult it must be.

Aj

[NegativeCreep]

So far I've had one, I got it this passed Monday (the 21st of July), of course this is some 2+ months after the encounter but nothing has popped up (if that makes a difference. There is a lot of HPV info that's very useful here indeed, but nothing that answers my questions). Indeed I am finishing up there; my next shot is 9/21 (or whatever day they are open after that). Then after that in December.

I know it's all irrational and that I can seriously be "waiting" forever with something like this, but this is the thinking problem with depression and anxiety. In that context this way of thinking make sense (and I do this all the time, Like I don't know how it is to not have something to worry about). But I'm asking these things in case the slightest thing can give me peace of mind, just trying to find that *one* thing. It does make me feel better that IF he had it there is a chance it may not even pop up. It also makes me feel better that he clearly didn't have anything on him there (if that means anything).

And no, I am not offended. You are such a help here and I am very fortunate to have foudn this place. :) Just some people have to struggle harder than others and when something like this gets thrown my way it's harsh. REAL harsh.

[auntiejessi]

How many of the gardasil shots did you get?  Even one of them will offer some protection, and you should call your local health dept to see if you can finish it up there.  Most offer assistance for low-income or uninsured people.

I don't see how waiting until a wart pops up is working.  It could be never, as most hpv infections are asymptomatic, meaning even if you had it, you might not ever get warts.

And what if you wait around and he doesn't even have it?  What if he does, but the shot you had offers you enough protection so you won't get it?

Its good that you are in therapy, and cognitive sounds like a good match for you.  :)  I hope you know I didn't mean to be offensive when I suggested that.  My sister has anxiety disorder, and I know how hard it can be to live with.

Aj

[NegativeCreep]

Thanks for responding. I read through the community and it didn't really give me any insight, just got me more panicked and my heart and blood going.

I discovered I had an anxiety disoder only a couple years ago and have been on Xanax. It takes care of my panic attacks for the most part. I'm also on medication for depression - both of which run in my family. I AM getting help, I have a therapist and a psychiatrist and have been working using cognitive therapy to help change my self-limitng, negative thinking habits. Things take time of course and stuff like this sure doesn't help it.

I assumed Gardasil would be very expensive so I never thought it possible for me to get it before recently. Like I said though - I started the shots recently when I was at the health center for my second hepetitus shot (we were poor when I was little, my ma couldn't afford it). They give it to low-income women for quite cheap and I'm very grateful and certainly took advantage of it the day I was informed of it all.

I can to a degree help driving myself crazy. More than anything regarding HPV I'm concerned about genitals warts. I realize everybody gets HPV and your system takes care of it, etc., but I'm stuck in a sort of limbo due to lack of contact with the man who gave me the chlamydia and just having to WAIT to see if a wart pops up. Like I said his actions after the encounter and his own questions to me tell me he didn't know he even had chlamydia so I don't believe he'd intentionally give me warts either if he knew he had them. So, I just wanted to get all the info I can even if it's trivial. Like if he got it but hadn't had a break-out yet then what are the chances of me getting the warts. Would the chlamydia plus the UTI wear on my immune system enough so I'd have already had an outbreak if I got it.

Just waiting to "see" one morning or trying to get an early papsmear, not to mention fixing my anxiety, are long-term things to different degrees asnd still leave me in a horrible position.

[auntiejessi]

I can skip all the questions and go straight to #5 - you are worrying too much - far far too much.

If this kind of anxiety is normal for you, you should get some help for it.  You don't have to live this way.

There is no way to know if you got HPV, or if you transmitted it, or any of the rest.  About 80% will have it at some point in their lifetimes, so this kind of anxiety is over the top.

I don't know how old you are, but if you are younger than 26, you can easily get the HPV vaccine.  That might help ease your mind on this somewhat.

We also have a good HPV forum that you can read through if getting more info will help ease your mind.

Aj