opportunity123

My advice would be to schedule an appointment with a Urologist if you do not trust the opinion of your primary care doctor. I would try to get knowledgeable on what tests to ask for and think clearly about what symptoms you have, but stop trying to WebMD diagnosis yourself. I did that for so long, I even got paranoid about penile cancer at one point. I started practicing avoidance and deferment of appointments because my anxiety got so bad. There are some things that are out of our control, but you can change how you think about them and the actions you take in the future. I totally agree with hippyherpy "If it comes back negative, then whatever. If it it comes back positive, then whatever." I had a sexual partner that actually had genital HSV-1, and I became extremely paranoid at one point. Realizing that even if I did test positive, it wasn't the end of the world like I previously thought, helped me calm down a bit. I have yet to be diagnosed with herpes, but from what my urologist told me having a new sexual partner can cause some irritation so it may even just be that. After I went, I realized that some of my irritation was probably psychosomatic. I am now waiting on the results of my blood tests, so I am still a bit anxious, but for me being informed is far better than the ignorance I previously practiced. Be cautious and get fully tested, but learn to breathe and relax about the situation because regardless of the outcome, you will be okay. Worrying won't change any part of whatever you may or may not have. Good luck, you will be a okay man regardless man!

Well shit this is exactly pretty much what I am going through now. Looks like I am in for a fun ride :/. Have my first doc appointment tomorrow, I will let you know if he finds anything that you should ask your own docs about. The same burning and dryness in the area and almost positive it is not HSV 2 given my partner disclosed to me she only has HSV 1. I tested for HSV 1 positively in the past so after the burning started and I posted on here, it seems like it is not that possible that I contracted from her, especially without blisters. glad to see you are having a sense of humor about this, it seems like my constant worrying with the burning seems to have drained me of that. Good luck on your journey my friend

Wow, thank you so much WCSDancer!, regardless of my results (I go to the doctor tomorrow), this forum has been extremely helpful and the people on here (like yourself and the others that responded) are seriously awesome! Even if I just end up having HPV, this community seems like a great resource for beating the stigma in order to have rewarding relationships. I have been beating myself up since my original diagnosis for so long, telling myself I deserve it and that I was dumb, and never gave myself the chance to use my experience as an opportunity for growth. Regarding the first test, no I have never had oral cold sores, but I also never have had any blisters genitally either. When they called me with the results of the test (about a year ago), they said not to worry and it was only the oral cold sores everyone gets. I asked if I should do anything about it, they said no. I can probably ask the office if they had the level of the original test, hopefully they still do because it was about a year ago. This second experience seems to be somewhat irrelevant now, considering your first answer to my question. Even it was passed genitally, it seems like I would have already developed the antibodies to fight this type off. As for the last part, wow, thank you so much. Framing it in this way helps so much, and translates directly to how I want to help, guide, and serve my patients in the future. "This is YOUR opportunity to look at how all this is affecting you so that your future patients will have someone who accepts whatever way they react to any diagnosis and who is supportive, educational (the definition of Doctor actually is TEACHER, after all!), and compassionate. " Thanks MMissouri again for your response, this forum seems to be pretty well informed spot and given how some people have been treated in the medical community, it motivates me even more to become informed on the subject and change how doctors respond to their patients. I will post another update once I visit the doc, hopefully he is a bit more compassionate this time, but regardless of the outcome I much less nervous going in.

Interesting, I have already confirmed 1, but was told it was just cold sores and never showed any signs. Due to the recent discomfort, but no signs or blisters or anything like that, are there any 'swabbable' areas?

Hi MMissouri, Thank you for your response. Specifically, "Irritation: itching, burning and tingling sensations on , or around, the genitals, thighs, buttocks and groin" and the "itching/burning inside the urethra when urinating". Also some fatigue, but not sure what part of that is in my head. I also have some dry skin in the area that show darker patches, but not blisters. This is certainly nothing I have ever felt with HPV symptoms. I also read that, "research shows that less than 40% of recently-infected males will actually develop blisters during their initial outbreak". To clarify we had sex 3-4 weeks ago, so it seems to almost fit into the 2-20 day time frame. I will certainly present all this information to my doctor, but I am unsure how they can actually test for this? Should I ask for a specific test? I am sure I will take a blood test anyway, but in the past I already tested positive for HSV-1 through the blood test, with no sign of an outbreak. And thank you, sometimes we can be pretty terrible friends to ourselves, and when I was writing this, I think I was making connections that weren't there, just putting myself down.

Hi All, I am a 23 year old male trying to learn how to learn how to deal with the multitude of feelings coming my way. I am about 99% sure I have HSV-1, and also have the other pleasure of having genital warts, otherwise known as HPV. I am extremely nervous for my doctor’s appointment next week. I graduated college as a successful student, but tended to abuse alcohol--- once drinking everyday and night for over a month straight--- and was quite reckless in my sexual escapades. I never held a steady relationship or partner, even during high school, and so one night stands seemed to be ‘my thing’. I regularly checked myself through blood tests for STDs, but did not realize HPV could sneak past such tests. After my diagnosis and subsequent treatment for HPV, I entered a year-long recovery process that included depression, anxiety, and luckily psychotherapy. It turns out that I probably had these mental conditions for a while, so I eventually learned to think about the HPV as a blessing in disguise. It pushed me so close to edge of a breakdown that I sought treatment for the first time, and psychotherapy literally may have saved my life. I was---and still am--- thinking of my situation in a positive light until another hurdle came my way…I hope that I can eventually think about my herpes diagnosis in the same light as HPV, but sometimes I think 2 life-long STDs is just more than I--- or any partner--- can handle I stayed away from actual sex for about a year before I met and began talking to a girl that revealed to me she was positive for HSV-1 in the genital region. I was honest about my condition as well, and I think we were both relieved to find someone that was going through a somewhat similar situation. At first, we engaged in only oral adventures, but then, drunk one night, we decided to have sex. We used a condom, and she had not had a breakout in over a year, but it was still transmitted. I think what frustrates me the most is that alcohol certainly affected my decision making process. Regardless, I think she is cool girl and has been helpful throughout this process. Reading stories of those that were given the present and then abandoned or lied to, I am certainly blessed to find myself in this situation. We were both honest about our situations and took a risk in having sex, I just wish I thought about it a bit longer. I am totally unsure where to go from here. I move to another country soon and cannot help but think about how much easier life would have been without it. I am unsure what my health coverage will be like there, how I will manage, who I will talk to, what resources I will even have, or how the stigma will be once I even get there. I do not want the pain and discomfort to stop me from working out, something that I love. I am essentially setting the reset button on my friends, my immediate family, and all of my natural comforts. I also want to go to medical school and unsure if I could even be a doctor with a diagnosis of herpes. However, I am torn because this is a decision I made quite some time ago, and I would hate for a herpes diagnosis to change my direction in life. I feel like that would make the power the stigma has over me stronger. My family is extremely evangelical, totally against drinking and sex, which is what got me in this situation in the first place. I cannot lie when I say that this causes a healthy dose of self-blame on top of all of this. I know they love me and would support me, but I also know it would break their heart and I would only put more of a strain on our relationship. They are more prone to the stigma attached with herpes than anyone else, given their religious faith. To educate them would probably only cause them to blame themselves, or cause argument, as they tend to stick to their preconceived notions regardless of education. To sum it up, I am having trouble right now seeing a diagnosis as an opportunity. Knowing that I not only have one, but two STDs seems to slip into my head whenever I am having a fun moment or enjoying myself. I have intense fears about revealing this to a future partner, especially considering I have never held a steady relationship. I really am trying to not beat up myself over this, but it’s hard knowing I just gained another obstacle with me on my journey. I am generally just scared shitless over this whole thing and hoping it gets better. Thanks to anyone that responds, my main question for now is how to reveal this to my doctor who seemed a little judgmental about my HPV in the first place and then what questions to ask about everything coming my way? I also just needed somewhere to share my story and I am extremely grateful for this forum. I am just trying to find the best way to prepare for what I believe is an inevitable diagnosis, given what I see down there. Hopefully, with a different mindset, I learn to think of this in a different light over time. NOTE: It may seem like a WebMD diagnosis, but it seems like I check pretty much all the boxes :/