4 Months of Penile Pain, Irritation, Dribbling, Rash - No STD or Diagnosis. Help!
Posted , 234 users are following.
Hello, I am seeking advice! I am 32 years of age and situation has lasted over 4 months. It started when a female at a strip club slid her hands into my pants and rubbed / grabbed my erect penis near the urinary meatus (opening). I felt a sharp pain at the time (not sure why honestly). I feel like perhaps it was due to her rubbing near the meatus. The symptoms below started almost immediately from what I can recall.
Symptoms:
1. Slight rash on the top of the penis glans (head of penis). It is worse after a hot shower. It comes and goes, and can appear almost like a plaque covering, scaly at times. It sometimes starts at the top of the corona (where head meets shaft) and runs straight down to the urinary meatus (opening) like a stripe.
2. No visible lesions (or blisters) or warts on the exterior skin surface. Does not appear to be any internally as well and doctors have not been able to observe anything.
3. Slight purple on one side of urethra, when the meatus is opened to look inside. A small bump is near the top of the purple, or tip of the meatus; however, two urologists believe it is vein related.
4. After urinating, urine dribbles out of the bottom of the meatus. The meatus opens and closes (at the bottom) and urine drops drip / discharge. I have to wipe considerably. The glans around the meatus looks swollen (more one side) and when I press on it, urine will discharge. It is almost like urine gets stuck in the tip of the urethra.
5. No noticeable discharge, but the penis appears and feels “wet” inside, especially post urination. It seems that I am leaking / dribbling throughout the day, after urinating. Urine color is clear.
6. Pain consistently on the underside of the glans near the meatus. The pain can sometimes be very sharp and burn. I also feel a tickle or tingle sensation in the head of the penis that comes and goes. The entire glans is sensitive to touch. This is extremely irritating.
7. The meatus looks red and inflamed at times. It can be very sensitive or painful to the touch and irritated by clothing. This feeling comes and goes in intensity.
8. The bottom of the meatus opens wide (top remains closed) when the penis has increased blood flow and/or is erect. This is abnormal for my body. You can see directly into the urethra when this happens.
9. When erect, the glans / head region seems larger than it had previously and I would describe it as swollen. There is also an internal pain near the underside of the meatus, where it opens up near the bottom (as described). Feels like it is stretching / pins and needles.
10. The glans has a more prominent reddish rash, during and after an erection. The rash appears like I have scaly / dry skin. Post ejaculation my urethra appears red and inflamed as well, when looking inside the meatus. This subsides after some period of time.
11. Semen color seems to be more yellow that I remembered, prior to this incident. Sometimes I feel like there is pressure on the front of my testicles.
12. The pain and irritation increase throughout the day. When I wake up in the morning the symptoms are not as noticeable, besides a dull pain on the under-side of penis glans. Sometimes there is some redness on the top of the glans area.
Testing:
I have been well tested (multiple times) and am negative for the following STD's; HIV (RNA testing done as well), Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Trich, HSV-2, Syphilis, Mycoplama & Ureaplasma, Hep A, Hep B, & Hep C. Again, all negative.
I found in this process that I am HSV-1 positive and likely have been for some period (so is a large % of the population). I have had blisters and a HSV like rash on the bottom of my nose in the past. I don’t think this is HSV-1 as there are no lesions in my genitals and this has gone on too long.
Due to viral load factors, I tested the viral infections (HIV, HSV-2, Hep) at 30 days and again at 95 days post exposure. I assume that I am in the clear based on statistics, but am certainly not a doctor. These tests were unlikely to be positive given the event as there was no intercourse.
Urine analysis looked okay. Red and white blood cell counts were okay, no bacteria infection or UTI found or diagnosed based on urine culture.
Treatment:
I have seen 5 urologists, 1 dermatologists and 1 family practice doctor. I have had 2 cystoscopies, and nothing was found (same urologist).
A family practice doctor thought it was due to some soap or lotion, but referred me to the 1st urologist. He thought nothing was visually wrong.
The 1st and 2nd urologist said they have no clue as there was nothing outside of normal visual tolerance. The 2nd urologist gave me the 2 cystoscopies (camera up the urethra to the bladder) and nothing abnormal was found.
2nd urologist thought it was contact dermatitis due to the rash as nothing surfaced in either cystoscopy. My prostate was examined physically and was ruled to be okay. He referred me to another urologist and also said I should see a dermatologist.
The 3rd urologist confirmed the inflammation in the glans. He suggested to try Quercetin (there are clinical trials which have shown it has helped the prostate) and then potentially Doxy over a longer period as a next step (can be anti-inflammatory). My fear is taking an antibiotic without having a bacteria pathogen diagnosis could be pointless.
The 4th urologist (who the 2nd urologist referred me to) believed that this was related to nerves in the penis. He is a pain specialist and put me on Nortriptyline.
The dermatologist (urologist said I should see one) also saw inflammation and diagnosed the rash as a non-infectious seborrheic dermatitis. He prescribed a topical antibiotic / corticosteroid, which I used. I also tried a steroid. It has reduced some of the redness but not relieve any of the described pain or urine dribble. I am concerned about the use of a topical for an extended period (skin thinning) and have stopped using it. I have a follow-up visit with him scheduled.
Medication:
1. Doxycycline 100mg x2 times a day for 10 days, initially when symptoms started. No relief.
2. Topical cream for rash: Ala-Quin initially for 4 weeks, then tried another steroid cream. Has somewhat resolved the rash issue (not totally).
3. Metronidazole (Flagyl) 2g, x 1 dose for Trich as there is not a great test for this (urine apparently has weak sensitivity). Trich can cause swelling, come and go symptoms, etc.
4. Nortriptyline 20mg every day to resolve nerve issue. I just started this.
5. Supplements currently taking: 1g of Quercetin daily (shown to reduce inflation in clinical trials), Multivitamin, AHCC, Folic Acid, Vitamin E and B12.
The symptoms continue to persist and these treatments have not worked.
My Questions:
1. Does this sound like an STD? Could it be another bacteria pathogen or NGU?
2. If this nerve related due to some trauma, would it cause the rash?
3. Are there any ideas regarding further testing or a diagnosis? I was considering a semen culture but don't know where to have this done.
4. Would a HPV virus cause these symptoms? In men, I believe the HPV virus is typically asymptomatic and/or presents itself with warts.
5. How can I test for HPV other than a biopsy of the penis or penis scrape (which most doctors don’t perform)?
6. Could this be yeast related based on the symptoms? I have noticed an increased coating on my tongue which scrapes off and dry mouth symptoms. I have also noticed the coating and dry mouth is much worse after drinking alcohol or eating sugar (yeast related).
I should mention that my anxiety over this is through the roof and am aware of some changes in my body as a result of it (anxious, no hunger at times, weight loss, etc.). I also think the dry mouth could be related to anxiety.
Please, I am looking for some help! I know there is someone out there that can help me as this has gone on for so long. This is such a struggle and always on my mind.
Further, I am terrified about infecting a new person who I just started dating. A couple doctors indicated that I was safe to have intercourse as I was well tested, but I don’t feel right about having intercourse with the symptoms persistent.
Thanks all for your help. - Steve
12 likes, 867 replies
iain93360 Guest
Posted
hi everyone,
ive been drinking lots of water over the past couple of days. making sure im totally dry after i p**s and have seen some improvement. maybe worth a try?
john87441 Guest
Posted
UPDATED**********
I just wanted to update amazing news on my condition. I will start off with my initial symptoms and what I went through.
A year ago I noticed a stinging sensation in the opening of my penis. Sitting down also started hurting. There was also a redness on the tip, not sure if I became obsessed with looking at it but it may have always been that way? Maybe nerve pain caused it... so then I went to primary care Dr, got tested for the whole std spectrum, everything negative.
Went to Urologists where they performed multiple prostate exams because I complained about tightness in perineum (area between anus and scrotum).
Went to primary care to have extensive bloodwork. Everything was normal. Everything came back normal from urology and primary care. I even had a cystoscopy and it was normal.
Finally I ended up going to a pelvic PT in my area. She then thought this could be a compressed pudendal nerve. She pressed on the nerve and it hurt like hell. So fast forward months. I just had a pudendal nerve block a few weeks ago. Pain is still there.
2 days ago I go back to my PT. I tell her the pain is right above my rectum but to the left. She presses on it and says, that's your obturator. You need to get it dry needled.
Today I go to a PT who speciailizes in dry needling and oh my gosh what a relief. I haven't felt this great in an entire year. I'm going to go once a week to make sure it goes back to normal.
Summary:
Symptoms: Urethral/opening of penis pain; hesitancy when urinating (sometimes split stream but not often); tight feeling in perineum; pain sitting down (this was the worst); pain shooting into lower abdomen; knife-like feeling in perineum
Tests: Primary care extensive bloodwork; ~10 urinalysis samples; multiple std panels; cystoscopy; 2 bladder ultrasounds; 3 prostate exams -- ALL NEGATIVE/NORMAL
Next step: Pelvic PT -accessed nerves through rectum with finger. Eventually pinpointed exactly what is tender and giving sharp knife-like pain.
Solution: Dry-needling to release muscle/nerve from compressing areas in pelvic floor.
I hope this helps anyone suffering from my same condition. My life has been hell through this and really taken a toll on me trying to figure this out.
brianx14x john87441
Posted
You mention that this has helped you feel better. Can you compare feeling pre and post dry needling? Also, has the redness subside as well?
john87441 brianx14x
Posted
yes the redness went away a few months ago.
pre needle: pain with sitting
post needle: no pain whatsoever. I will have to go get it needled a few times since it has been this way for a year. If it won't stay released, I will go get a steroid block or botox injected into the obturator.
JohnTC john87441
Posted
Hey guys,
Im 21 years old, and probably have the similar issues like you. This st happened to me after rough painful oral sex with my new girlfriend. Sex 6th october, 8th october, we broke up and i was so stressed, on 19th of october i afraid of STDs because of red rash, he biggest difference is, that i dont have any pain or urinate problems, nothing, i just have red head of the penis and urethra, more red after shower, and red dots on glans after rough masturbation. Im using just aoconut oil, an seeing some improvements.I was tested on everything after 3 months, nothing positive. Im living healthy, working out 5 times a week, dont eat sugar, drink coffe once in a half year, eating vitamins, doing so many "health cures" including eating garlic, drinking spoon of apple vinegar and eating ginger everyday in the morning to make sure my system is healthy. Dermatologist said that its normal, on friday im going to see my urologist again. Ex girlfriend has a new boyfriend and he told me that he is ok, so i think that this st cant be viral, i ve never had problems with my dick, this was my first sexual experience after 2 years of sexual innactivity. I noticed that i have white tongue at the same time, so im going to test my whole digestion system, but i think they cant found nothing. Im also curious about that nerves and cysts, these are the last 2 things i want to check out, then i dont care about redness anymore.
pete80031 JohnTC
Posted
anxiety my good man, im sure everyone of us would settle for a rash over f***** pain! i had a scrotal rash prior to this happening to me and how stupid was i to fret so much over a harmless skin condition, when the urethra became involved the floodgates to hell opened, im stuck in a cycle of good days and bad, masturbation about once a fortnight, haven't had intercourse since August and that was with the person i blamed for the whole debacle (she is totally clean). has anyone looked into the david mccoid method? im pretty sure i fit the candidate for the condition he describes
caleb04109 Guest
Posted
Hi guys,
ill try to keep this short. I have been suffering from this problem for many years now. I believe when i was around 15 i had it (i am now 25). I have been to many doctors etc and no one knows what it is. I have had tests for every thing (clean on everything). I pretty much gave up a long time ago looking for an answer.
Here are my symptoms:
When i first noticed this i was a virgin. I have no pain whatsoever except when i urinate and i 'push'. meatus is obviously sensitive to touch as it is swollen. No discomfort when i ejaculate during sex or masturbation only urination. although after masturbation or sex the meatus is visibly much more red and swollen up.
unfortunately i do not have any answers as no one knows what the hell it is, very frustrating. I feel like i will have to live with this for the rest of my life.
tim09015 Guest
Posted
a new dermatologist suggested a biopsy. now I have a chunk of my penis head missing on top of all the original symptoms... the results? "chronic irritation"
caleb04109 tim09015
Posted
hi tim,
did he mention what the irritation could be from? urine? seamen? cotton briefs?
jj2013B tim09015
Posted
So you never got any relief?
gunz93052 tim09015
Posted
My urologist did the same thing. All they found was inflammatory cells. Very disappointing, I am actually quite angry with doctors at this point.
mike709 Guest
Posted
has anyone had any improvement at all?
mike45499 Guest
Posted
hi all , ive read all the responses & i have some of the same issues. my meatus is swollen sometimes less than others & sometimes red, i rarely have pain urinating only some mornings or if i havent drank a lot of fluids. i also have dribbling after urination after i squeeze it out & dry off i dont have anymore leakage. ive been having these issues about 4 months now all std tests came back negative , complete blood count test shows everything is normal my doctor tells me everything is fine but i definitely dont feel fine. it started after unprotected rough sex with a long time partner who happened to be sleeping around at the time but didnt tell me. i dont feel any pain except when urinating sometimes. i do sit for long periods of time some days which may have a factor. im not sure what it is but im very stressed about it has anybody had any relief in symptoms?
dk90443 Guest
Posted
Lichen Sclerosis
I had all those symptoms, went for numerous std checks cause I was certain I had something, fully paranoid, anxious all the time, losing sleep, appetite, just awful. After seeing multiple sexual health doctors I wound up seeing a dermatologist who said it was lichen sclerosis. He said often it'll start showing symptoms after you damage the skin in some way, even just a scratch. I went through various steroid based creams until finding one which cleared a rash up, after that its just about maintenance, keep it clean, moisturise, use something like vasseline to prevent urine causing flare ups. Also stress is a big factor, and its hard to keep calm as its not a thing which just goes away overnight but it is completely manageable and I'll end with the advice i was given: The best thing to do is keep your dick clean, do some exercise, don't eat junk food, sleep sensible hours and stay positive.
Hope this is of some use, apologies if I repeated anything already said but none of posts i read mentioned lichen sclerosis
caleb04109 dk90443
Posted
hi dk,
Thanks for the post. Are able to tell us what symptoms you had? did you have a swollen meatus or was it more like a rash?
i know my mother has lichen and i think it can be passed down hereditary.