Aa
Psychosomatic or otherwise?
Hello -- this is a re-post of an ongoing issue I had, which was addressed by Dr. Hook. He indicated that it's probably psychosomatic, but he didn't address the first bullet point below. Can you help for full peace of mind?
Six and a half months ago I had unprotected vaginal sex with a woman whose history I'm unfamiliar with. Three days after, I felt a slight tingling in my urethra. I went to my local STD clinic, and they treated me with (2) kinds of antibiotics (a single-dose pill and some sort of solution). I also submitted blood and urine.
Five days later, all tests came back negative (herpes, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea).
Ten days later, symptoms persisted, and worsened with swollen and sore testicles. I was drinking heavily at the time – 14 drinks on the day I took the antibiotics – so I thought this may have compromised efficacy of treatment. I returned for a second round of antibiotics (single-dose pill only this time). I still drank heavily thereafter (6 drinks/night average).
Six weeks later, I got tested again. Everything came back negative.
At the four-month mark, the symptoms persist intermittently. For days, I'll feel nothing. Then I'll go through a week or so with painful tingling/stabbing in urethra and testicle pain. A visit to a doctor ruled out prostatitis. Further tests ruled out HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea again.
I am now at the six month mark. I was symptom free for about a month, but now I feel, again, like my testicles are swollen and sore, and I have slight stinging in my urethra and a burning sensation on the exterior base of my penis.
My questions that still need to be answered:
• Could it be trich, or NGU? I understand there's no test for these for men. If so, did the heavy drinking keep the antibiotics from taking effect? I'm no longer drinking so heavily, but the clinic is reluctant to continue antibiotic treatment in case it's some other resistant bacterium that's only growing stronger.
Thanks much!
Six and a half months ago I had unprotected vaginal sex with a woman whose history I'm unfamiliar with. Three days after, I felt a slight tingling in my urethra. I went to my local STD clinic, and they treated me with (2) kinds of antibiotics (a single-dose pill and some sort of solution). I also submitted blood and urine.
Five days later, all tests came back negative (herpes, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea).
Ten days later, symptoms persisted, and worsened with swollen and sore testicles. I was drinking heavily at the time – 14 drinks on the day I took the antibiotics – so I thought this may have compromised efficacy of treatment. I returned for a second round of antibiotics (single-dose pill only this time). I still drank heavily thereafter (6 drinks/night average).
Six weeks later, I got tested again. Everything came back negative.
At the four-month mark, the symptoms persist intermittently. For days, I'll feel nothing. Then I'll go through a week or so with painful tingling/stabbing in urethra and testicle pain. A visit to a doctor ruled out prostatitis. Further tests ruled out HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea again.
I am now at the six month mark. I was symptom free for about a month, but now I feel, again, like my testicles are swollen and sore, and I have slight stinging in my urethra and a burning sensation on the exterior base of my penis.
My questions that still need to be answered:
• Could it be trich, or NGU? I understand there's no test for these for men. If so, did the heavy drinking keep the antibiotics from taking effect? I'm no longer drinking so heavily, but the clinic is reluctant to continue antibiotic treatment in case it's some other resistant bacterium that's only growing stronger.
Thanks much!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the STD forum. But unfortunately, there isn't much more to say. No STD causes symptoms like you describe. It simply does not happen, and that incluces both trichomoniasis and NGU. The symptoms themselves are not consistent with these or other STDs, and neither is the duration and the persistence of symptoms after the treatments you had. Assuming the clinic does not find any other evidence of infection, I agree that additional antibiotics are not likely to be helpful.
Your symptoms are consistent with genitally focused anxiety in the form of the chronic pelvic pain syndrome. If you google CPPS (spell it out), you'll find an excellent Wikipedia article and useful information from the Stanford University Dept of Urology, both of which will be near the top of the google hits.
In any case, for sure no STD is responsible for your symptoms. If they have anything to do with the sexual exposure 6+ months ago, it is through guilt or other emotional response to it, not an infection.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Your symptoms are consistent with genitally focused anxiety in the form of the chronic pelvic pain syndrome. If you google CPPS (spell it out), you'll find an excellent Wikipedia article and useful information from the Stanford University Dept of Urology, both of which will be near the top of the google hits.
In any case, for sure no STD is responsible for your symptoms. If they have anything to do with the sexual exposure 6+ months ago, it is through guilt or other emotional response to it, not an infection.
Regards-- HHH, MD
A related discussion, Do I have an STD? was started.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
