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
jorge21548 Guest
Posted
Hi guys. first, I hope all your problems are getting less uncomfortable, as I am i the same situation and would not wish this to happen to anyone.
I am gonna share with all of you some tips that i have develop to improve my symptoms, they have worked fine. Definitively not a cure, as even the doctors seems to unknow the origin of our malady.
Try to change your diet, including a lot of vegetables such as Lettuce, spinachs, tomatoes etc and drink a good amount of water everyday. of course, skip junk food and spicy things. for better adjusment , check online a proper list of vegetables with anti inflamatory properties and include them in your daily basis.
I came to this conclusion as I was having bad eating habits and I found out that, that lifestyle just co-operates with bad bacteria to grow inside your body and the symptoms can manifest anywhere in your anatomy.
Try to walk more. soft walks, not forcing your body. I came to this after noticing my muscles weak and - lets say irritated- at the groin area, the upper muscles of my legs. Sorry for the bad description, but English is not my first language, just hope my whole message is understandable for you.
soft walks help me to re-enforce that area. always accompanying the "exercise" with mineral water to keep the body hydrated and to clean the system through urination
In case you try this, of course buy it just in a safe way, with proper sellers and do not exceed the recommended dose as this is a long run, not something that you will achieve in a week.
I also included in my routine another product to restore the intestinal flora as I was having some problems ( I think I had my Candida population overgrowth inside my body and that was the origin of all my problems).
But obviously this tip is just for those who reckon that something like that can happen to them. My lifestyle was absolutely rubbish and I also suffer high levels of stress in my life, so a good environment for Candida to grow wild.
If any of you suspect that something like that can be happening to yourself, just comment it with your doctor or with a good herbalist, never decide thing based on what you can read online.
I prepare two bags at night, one to drink and the second, in a plastic disposable cup, to gently wash my penis and to soak it afterwards before going to bed. The liquid must be cool when you apply it. I put the disposable cup (with boiling water and the sachet) to mature, with a small plate as a lid while I drink the other one. once I finish and suspect the other is cool enough, I go to the toilet, urinate for last time before bed and then, apply the disposable cup, washing very gently my urethral meatus and then soaking my penis head inside for two minutes before disposing the cup.
IDK if this step will help all of you, guys, I wish. For me, it helped with the irritation and swelling, so I hope it works for you too.
Sorry for the long text but i considered that I need to share this in case it helps. I hate when people drop all the negativity and desperation in this kind of posts but disappear once they find relief.
For any questions, do not hesitate to ask, I would try to check this page often despite my current stressful life. Hope my english is understandable for all of you, guys
kind regards
Jorge
jorge21548
Posted
just a quick update for you, guys.
After several months of frustration and lack of diagnosis, blood tests, urine, swab etc. I pushed my doc to run a swab test looking for any micro organism causing all this. They provided me a swab stick and told me to take the sample at home.
i followed the instructions found in legit sites ( inserting the swab stick about 2-4cms into the urethra, doing it first in the morning prior first urination, after washing my hands thoroughly and preferably at the cleanest environment possible) and they found Streptococcus Agalacitae and signs of infection as they found desquamative cells and leukocytes in my sample. I do not know if this will be the end of it -Please, God!- but at least is an update as till now they told me that I was making in up as nothing showed up in previous test. I knew that something caused this as I know my body better than them. they prescribed me specific antibiotics as this "coco" is quite resistant to certain antibiotics.
so, until I update again, if you experience symptoms such as mines - urethral discomfort, redness, swelling, disuria, on and off slight burning etc- tell the doctor to run a wider test, not just the typical ones looking for chlamydia, Candida or gonorrhea as there is plenty of micro organisms on earth that can cause from nothing to severe problems and this people tends to be lazy looking for a solution unless is their family or themselves involved
Wish you all a quick recovery and good luck dealing with doctors
kind regards
Jorge
jorge21548
Posted
ah, and sorry as I forgot to mention it before. In case you run a swab test at home as I did, do it steadily but properly, as it was quite unpleasant but I knew I had to. I did not have discharge apart from a very small amount of clear one.
when I did the swab, my urethra was dry and I performed a soft massage on my shaft to make the pre-ejaculation fluid appear, and then, i made sure I rubbed well all over the walls of my urethra to get a valid sample
it is just my recommendation and I just wanted to share it as I think it was important.
gunz93052 jorge21548
Posted
Did you get urine cultures done before this test? From what I have read Streptococcus Agalactiae should culture from urine but if it takes more drastic measures for detection I may take this to my urologist. I have had so many urine tests done surely one of them would have picked it up.
So far my symptoms seem to come and go, resistance stretching seems to help manage it but never seems to 100% cure it.
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
hello my friend. yes, I got a urine culture prior to the urethral swab and Streptococcus Agalacitae did not show up that time. that is why I specially requested my doc to run the swab.
i say this as I know that sometimes the bacterias can be easily seen with the gram tinction (I think is called like that) specially when the population is huge, but when you have just a maladjustment in your genital flora, it can be difficult to target the cause of the problem. that is why most of us never had fever or purulent fluid coming out, I suppose we don't fight potential high risk bacterias or at least we have them in low populations and that is why is more difficult to point out the cause.
if I was you, i would submit a urethral swab test to get a wider inspection of what is going on there. If you need to do it yourself as they told me, follow the basics of cleanliness as it is strictly necessary or your test can be invalid.
Hope you get better
kind regards
Jorge
gunz93052 jorge21548
Posted
Thanks for the info. Will definitely take this to my urologist tomorrow.
has the treatment cleared up the symptoms for you?
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
So far, I feel better as I do not feel that chronic discomfort at the base of my penis and also the occasional stings on my glans. anyways is the 7th day taking antibiotic and the treatment is set for two weeks (expandable to three is we consider it on my next appointment) I do not want to say this will cure it as I am not sure, but at least I feel truly a bit better. "the swollen lip" on my glans is also better, less redness there, but seems that it will be the most difficult part to fully recover in case we are on the right path. I am a christian and I believe He will help me to manage it and improve with the help of my GP (he is an amazing professional)
I will update my status when something changes. Also I will keep an eye for your comments in case I can help.
regards!!
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
and BTW, once you get news on your case, please update here as this kind of posts tend to melt with time and it is f*****g frustrating. We need to find a solution for this as there is nothing valuable on the internet regarding our symptoms.
😃
gunz93052 jorge21548
Posted
Thanks for responding. Great to hear that the treatment appears to be working. I will update with any info from my end too, seeing specialist tomorrow but might see my usual gp with this if the urologist does not want to entertain this as a theory. I think the idea that this is an imbalance of flora holds some weight. My symptoms seemed to worsen slightly after taking antibiotics that won't kill strep b. Hope were are onto something here.
Take care.
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
any update, my friend?
hope something positive happened to you.
i am three days away from the end of the treatment and I feel better, but not completely, so I will ask to extend it and repeat the swab after it.
due to some feelings that I had this days, I am starting to think that if the antibiotics do not end this nightmare, they should check for kidney or vesicle stones. I was monitoring my urine and I saw white particles on it, also felt some discomfort on my pelvis.
lets see how it goes.
take care, man!
gunz93052 jorge21548
Posted
Saw my urologist the other day. He said my theory was plausible but as I was doing bett er before I got the flu and sinusitis recently he thought I should wait and see if things settle in a week or two. If I still wanted to investigate he would give me a referral to another doctor. I think I am going to contact him and ask for the referral.
Good to hear that some of the symptoms have been solved. I have had a cystoscopy before and they found "debris", nothing else.
Will update when i know more.
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
well, if you are doing better, at least is good news.
I will see my doctor today and will see what is next...
You have had a cystoscopy, exactly the thing that I want to clearly avoid... hahaha
was it really bad?
kind regards
gunz93052 jorge21548
Posted
Doing better is all relative. I had very bad pain when I first started seeing this doctor. Resistance stretching helped reduce the pain down to virtually nothing. I mainly have the pink meatus and urethral discomfort now, was almost gone before I got the flu recently.
Cystoscopy was not that bad, like one of the other posters I had a biospy of the meatus taken, inflammatory cells and trace white blood cells was all that was found. I don't recommend that.
Good luck at the doctors.
jorge21548 gunz93052
Posted
Wow , sorry to hear about that meatus biopsy, sounds quite bad. . .
I went to my doctor today and told him that the symptoms did not disappear but he considered that two weeks on levofloxacin should work to kill those streptococcus, so I just finished my treatment last night and, next week they will run another urine test to see how it goes. Despite the improvement, I have reached the point which I was afraid: Ending the antibiotics with no total recovery and trapped in the system (urine test, monitor the symptoms... as you know, the wheels can spin forever)
wish you the best.
i will keep updating you
Take care!
KeepPrayin94 gunz93052
Posted
HELLO okay ive been following this thread for many months now without an account figure i could add some help now since im going on 10 months of this constant pain
i had a one night stand in my drunken stuper with my Ex... happened to be only the second girl ive had sex with.. im 24 . it included the following : oral , sex, and a painful scratch to the tip of the penis, this is only the second girl ive given myself to sexually, and im reminded why i dont do that. two days after i accumulated a burning sensation at the tip of the penis. urethra is very inflamed also is the meatus. urin seems to feel like its getting trapped in the inflimation making it worse. almost seems at times the meatus is glued shut and have split urin stream with at times the penis can be milked with a clear sticky substance that barely comes out
was tested for gonnahrea clamitia (urin and swab) fungal urin culture hiv hsv (blood and swab) skin biopsy, and scopcoscpy (showed tons of inflimation)
doctors : 2 urologist , primary doctor, urgent care doctor, dermatologist.
i was prescribed "Doxy, azithro" the pain went completely away for 3 weeks then came back.. i got a prostate exam done was noted to be inflamed.. went on medication" cipro " no improvement. was then treated with "flagyl " still no improvement. got retreated with the doxy azithro felt better for a few days and the pain came back. noticed 5 months after contact i had a rash on my foreskin and very hard pimple on the rim of my penis appear pretty much over night had a skin biopsy on the rash of my foreskin it turns up as eczema.. the pimple has been ignored. i changed my soaps laundry detergent etc. with no improvement. i quit drinking coffee and alcohol no improvement. i eat healthier no improvement I WILL find out whats making our lives a living hell. i want to help all of you as you have helped me after my next urology appt im going to go over the the infectious disease specialist for a new stab at this. everyone i go to is stumped. i will keep you guys updated after my appointment in 5 days. steroid creams have also been prescribed with no improvement.
jorge21548 KeepPrayin94
Posted
Hello man
sorry to hear that you are carrying that bad experience for so long with no improvement and glad to read people determined to find a solution for this crap.
I will also test my urine again next week. I keep monitoring my urine with transparent disposable plastic cups and a lantern and I always find a lot of sediments on my urine and a cloudy look if I am not extra hydrated.
I was asking this to myself yesterday: Do you guys feel much better when you drink LOTS of water? or its just me.
kind regards!
KeepPrayin94 jorge21548
Posted
the more water i drink the lesser the pain, i should also add that when i first wake up the pain is almost not existent until my first urination on the day. i would also add that if you have been taking medications be careful on what you consume for it could alter the benefits of the medication due to iron zink acidity etc. im currently not on any meds we will see what the new urologist says tuesday. hes a younger doctor with ambition so thats also important from my experience older isnt always better and often means lazier. that doesnt hold to all of them obviously. but push for new doctors if your current ones arnt determined IT MATTERS. i have been eating plenty of greens and a small glass of orange juice twice a day seems to slightly help. the pain or discomfort DOES come in waves sometimes ill go a week feeling great and boom its back. leads me to beleive its something in our routine that triggers the inflimation. also allow dry time for your manhood after a shower before putting on clothes it seems to help me as well. nothing is a forsure improvement but we must figure this out the more of us that push for answers aggresivly the better our odds. stay positive its taken almost a full year of my life at this point and im determined to put an end to that.
KeepPrayin94
Posted
but sometimes the more water i drink also the more the pain and discomfort. its wishy washy
KeepPrayin94
Posted
i should also add i talked to her she claimed she was clean. she did say she just got over a yeast infection so ive been pushing that idea with the doctors but they are not convinced thats what it is. either way what was once my favorite appendage is now my most hated.... lol...
jorge21548 KeepPrayin94
Posted
LOL
nice one, we should never lose our sense of humor.
You are right, I also think we all should check our routines to figure what can trigger this.
I also have to add that everything started around a time that I used to hold my urine pretty much due to being very busy and did not have real time to empty my bladder. IDK if that have something to do with it, but I just suspect it.
As I said before, on monday I will have another urine test.... so i will update once i know results.
take care!!
jorge21548 KeepPrayin94
Posted
Hello! any update?
the results from my urine dip stick came back negative (of couuuurse) and today I have another appointment with doctor. I do not know what to tell him really, as the symptoms are not as strong as they used to be, but I still feel that something is not right. sometimes I feel uncomfortable tickles in pelvic area and also some fatigue in my legs, some small pain in my toes... weird symptoms that he obviously will not identify as a whole, he will rather think that I am an obsessed f****r hahaha. it is so frustrating!
I will try to ask for an ultrasound to be sure there is nothing like kidney or vesicle stones or anything they can identify, as I contemplate the cystoscopic as the last resource LOL
take care and hope you are improving!