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STD Symptoms and Recent Concerns

Not sure where to begin, but I guess from the beginning works. Dated someone for a couple weeks about a month ago who had Herpes. Only had sex twice, both times with protection, and there was never any oral or anal sex. Had a bit of a migraine for a week after that ended that would only come on during masturbation, so not sure if that was related to anything, but now that does not happen anymore, and it was a very severe migraine that would only come on during masturbation and on the left side of the head.
Recently I received oral from a partner for the first time and only after I noticed she had a cold sore that was covered up by makeup, but it did not seem fresh and looked dried over. Right after that, I had a tingling feeling on the tip of the penis, and still do, that comes and goes. It has been 4 days since the oral, and the tingling is only at the tip of the penis. Also I am not circumcised, if that makes a difference. The next day, I also noticed a loss in appetite and have been feeling that way ever since. Not sure if it's just the weather or what, but also been having a weird feeling in my stomach. That could be something else, just caught a bug or feeling under the weather, but with the tingling feeling happening right after receiving the oral sex, it just has me worried. She is also a heavy smoker, so again, not sure if that has anything to do with it.
Scheduled a checkup for next week, but just wanted to get some advice on what you think about it and what are the chances I could have caught something from the first partner to this one. Thank you!
5 Responses
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the Forum.  Your post suggests that, on one hand that you do not worry too much about contact with partners who may have herpes. which I congratulate you for.  A sexual being cannot go through life worrying  about the possibility of herpes- most people are exposed over the course of their intimate relationships to persons  that have HSV-1, HSV-2, or both at some time whether they know it or not.  

On the other hand, your post also suggests that knowing you may have been exposed, you quite naturally tend to worry and are looking to see if you develop symptoms.  The symptoms you describe are not concerning for herpes.  there is no known causal relationship between migraine headaches and herpes infections and if the tingling you experienced were due to HSV, it would have evolved to become lesions in a few hours after the tingling began.   Most often tingling or itching of the genitals in persons who are looking for signs of infection represent increased awareness of normal sensations that are usually ignored in the course of normal life.

In terms of the facts we know about risks for infection, in the absence of lesions the risk of acquiring infection from exposure to a sexual partner with genital herpes is estimated to be less than 1 infection per 10,000 exposures.  The risk of exposed to a lesion is higher but still low, perhaps around 1 in 100 (1%), depending on the stage that the lesion is at with lesions that have been present for longer having lower risk for infection.   For sexual encounters, the use of condoms is estimated to make the risk for infection still lower, perhaps by about two-thirds.

I hope these comments are helpful.  Try not to worry too much about the exposures you describe, continue to take appropriate precautions and remember, should you get a HSV infection, it is by no means the end of the world.  

I hope my comments are helpful.  EWH
Helpful - 1
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Occasionaly people get viral infections (nonsexually) which cause both penile and eye irritation. Adenovirus 19 does this. If so, this infection typically passes without therapy.  Otherwise no change in my assessment or advice.

That's all I will have to say as part of this post.   EWH
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Would it be possible to be from the previous partner who had herpes since that was over a month ago now since we last had sexual contact, to somehow gotten something now that is just showing?

I just thought I would write this response now since I have recently just gotten an eye infection, as of today. Never before in my life have I had one, or at least like this. Started last night with a little bit of puffiness under the bottom eyelid, then today had leaking from it all night and woke up to it still puffy and the eye itself red, almost pinkeye. What do you think now?
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Perhaps you missed my original response.  I said

" The symptoms you describe are not concerning for herpes.  there is no known causal relationship between migraine headaches and herpes infections and if the tingling you experienced were due to HSV, it would have evolved to become lesions in a few hours after the tingling began.   Most often tingling or itching of the genitals in persons who are looking for signs of infection represent increased awareness of normal sensations that are usually ignored in the course of normal life."

The only way your symptoms could be related to the exposure you describe would be as a funtion of anxiety.  There are no STIs the would cause symptoms within minutes, or even within 24 hours, of exposure to an infected partner.  You need to look for a cause other than STI.  EWH
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I usually try and be very careful when it comes to unprotected sex and if I sense something or see something that doesn't seem normal, I usually don't even bother to be honest. Having sex with the person who did have herpes with protection was even a bit much for me, and that is why it did not workout between us is because in the back of my head I was worried about getting it.

So here is where my concern still lies. As I mentioned earlier, after receiving the unprotected oral sex from the recent partner, almost immediately after I started to feel the tingling at the tip of the penis. Now it is going on Day 5 since that occurrence, and yet the tingling still persists. As you mentioned, I would have lesions by now, yet I do not. The tingling has been pretty constant, sometimes not at all. So my question is what could still be causing the tingling to be going on now?
And again, as I mentioned, I am only assuming this is from the oral sex since it happened right after it, could I be wrong and it being from the sexual contact I had with the person who did have herpes and only now starting to show symptoms from receiving it?

Thank you again.
Helpful - 0

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