Prodrome? First outbreak? Anxiety??

[throwaway]

Sorry, it's kind of a long story..

 

I've been seeing someone new, and we started having unprotected sex a few weeks ago. The last time was 6 days ago. I experienced itching afterward the same day, and the next morning, and had a bunch of red spots all around my pubic region. I was first worried and tipped off because I had itched my penis when I woke up and saw there was a little crater in that spot (never saw a pustule). Over the next 2 days, a few developed into pustules, and a lymph node in my left groin got swollen and tender (there were 3 red spots, one with a pustule above that area). I went to an urgent care clinic Monday and the doc said it was folliculitis (because of the distribution, the fact that they weren't clustered, they seemed to all be at the base of a follicle, and the speed with which the one on my penis healed). He Rxed Doxycycline, but gave me Famvir just in case they didn't get better within a few days.

 

The next day (Tuesday) I went and saw a dermatologist, who agreed that it was folliculitis. He even seemed more sure than the urgent care doc.I then heard from my partner (with whom I had a talk with before we started anything, and said she was clean) who said she was having burning with urination. She saw the doc the next day, and he prescribed her with Cephalexin and thought it was a UTI. On her home UTI test, the strip for nitrites (made by the most common UTI organisms) was negative. (Possible non-bacterial infection?)

 

So I've continued my antibiotics as recommended, and everything seemed like it was clearing up. The red spots are all but gone now (most never formed pustules), and the larger ones in my groin (doc said they could even be furuncles) look like they're going down and healing well.

 

Now, I'm worried I may be experiencing an HSV prodrome. I've gotten two headaches over the last couple of days, and the one last night was bad (none today thankfully). Starting today, I've been experiencing a constant burning/stinging sensation from the left base of my penis to my left inner thigh for the last 7 hours. The skin looks normal. Granted this is giving me a good amount of anxiety, and I've got a huge final monday, but could anxiety really cause this feeling in this one area, constantly? I've been tested for HSV1&2 and been negative months into my previous monogamous relationship. So if I have it now, I've acquired it in the last month.

 

So I have a few questions:

 

I've read Dr. Handsfield's comments from Medhelp.org, in which he states that prodromes ONLY occur with recurrent outbreaks and NOT the first one. Is this true?

 

How long does your prodrome (or did your first prodrome) last?

 

Is the feeling you get during your prodrome constant?

 

Does the prodrome area look different at all? Does it hurt to touch?

 

Did you get headaches before/during your prodrome?

 

Any other info you have, please share!

Thanks!

[WCSDancer2010]

So I see that you were on here earlier this year with concerns about a cold sore? So did you get tested since them to find out your status?

 

Prodromes tend to happen between OB.s ... I am not sure I would agree with Dr Hansfield because I am sure that many have prodromes and no OB (or recognizable OB, or like you they are told it's something else if they go to a Dr and never think about it again) ... so it *is* possible you are having an OB, and it *is* possible you just have folliculitis.

 

The only way you will know is if you and your GF get blood tested ... it's possible she didn't get tested for herpes because you are not usually tested if you don't specifically ask for it... AND it's possible that if she has had a cold sore in here childhood that she is not aware she could be carrying that strain ... so you could have got it from oral sex.

 

I really urge you to both go get tested rather than worrying about trying to figure out if you are having prodromes ... if you are both negative, odds are very good that it's something else (I say that because if either of you were sexually active with someone else within 4 months of the test, it may not show up just yet ... if you both have only been with each other in that time, the test would be pretty conclusive)

 

(((HUGS)))

[throwaway]

Thanks for the reply!

 

I don't think I've been tested since then. I went to a dermatologist and he said it was just a couple of pimples, and then I actually forgot about it. I didn't really get to see if they went through a normal progression for an OB, since he hit them with some kind of caustic chemical to "dry them out", and that was the last I've seen or heard of anything there. I was with that same partner up until about a month and a half ago.

 

Whatever nerve pain I was feeling has since gone away.. It was on-and-off the whole day, and seemed to get worse with my anxiety, culminating in my heart pounding as I was trying to sleep and the pain turning into a pretty painful burning sensation. I had also taken a "wakefulness promoting" drug earlier in the day to help me study, which may have amplified my anxiety. When I woke up the next morning it was gone, and hasn't come back since. Nothing has showed up in that area either. As for the folliculitis or whatever I had, that's all but gone as well.. only a little dry skin over the worst one in at the top of my groin, and two other red bumps that have all but disappeared, no pain or anything.

 

As for my new partner, her UTI has cleared up, and she actually is getting her results back for her first HSV 1&2 IgG tomorrow. I think the timeline of my testing will depend on her results..

 

I keep finding contradicting opinions online as to whether prodromes occur before the primary outbreak (the first outbreak after exposure/contraction)..

 

Thanks again for your time and help!

[WCSDancer2010]

I had also taken a "wakefulness promoting" drug earlier in the day to help me study, which may have amplified my anxiety.

 

That may be a large part of the problem .. it may well have put all your nerves "on edge" which normally wouldn't be a problem but right now your body is trying to get control of things so any nerves that were already sensitive because of the Virus may be more likely to flare up by anything that that affects the Nervous System ....

 

 

(((HUGS)))