4 Months of Penile Pain, Irritation, Dribbling, Rash - No STD or Diagnosis. Help!
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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
dave37973 Guest
Edited
So... I have a lot of info that about this that I believe can be beneficial and I hope it gives you guys some hope. I have had this same problem which my symptoms began back in December 2019. Now it has been a little over a year and after several expensive doctors visits, tests, cultures, cystoscopies, DNA sequence testing, PCR testing etc.
Anyhow, initially it began with a burning tingling sensation on the glands, then i began to develop a light redish rash on the glands, then it began to burn when urinating. I did multiple full panel STI - STD tests which all came back negative. My local Doctor continued to put me on several antibiotics despite him not knowing what he was treating... Sounds pretty silly right, however this I have found is pretty common with traditional medicine doctors.
After getting nowhere and spending many hours researching potential causes I asked my doctor to test my for UREAPLASMA PARVUM, he laughed and told me he had no clue what that was but agreed to have me tested for it. Well, sure as s**t... My test came back with a positive reading for an infectious amount of pathogenic ureaplasma parvum. I was thrilled, as I thought this was the beginning of the end of this entire mess. However I was wrong, it goes much deeper than that.
After 3 months of doxycycline, 1 month of moxifloxacin and several other antibiotics, my symptoms continued and also seemed to worsen. These symptoms always come and go at different levels of pain and intensity. I decided to ditch all my local doctors that failed to help me, as I was getting nowhere.
After about 5-6 months I noticed other symptoms that hadn't happened before become more prevalent. My knees began to ache really badly, my lower back and mid lumbar began to hurt badly, I had a strange aching pain in my right heal, I also began to randomly get blurry vision as if my eyes were irritated. I did additional research and found a rare autoimmune disorder called REACTIVE ARTHRITIS.
After I read the symptoms of a sexually acquired reactive arthritis, I was convinced that this is what I had. I began to see doctors at UCLA, I has dermatologist, infectious disease specialist, rheumotologist and urologist. Half of the doctors believed I had reactive arthritis which is a Rheumotology issue, but my Rheumotologist wasn't convinced, as my inflammation markers in my blood work came back normal. 3 weeks after my initial rheumotology appointment, my knees both swelled up to the point that it was quite noticeable and on my next visit to the rheumotologist she was convinced that I have reactive arthritis.
There is not test or specific test that identifies reactive arthritis, it's more or less an accumulation of the reactive arthritis symptoms that help doctors to diagnose you, however... some people are asymptomatic with some symptoms while others, like myself presented with several of the reactive arthritis symptoms. If you have 3 or more of the reactive arthritis symptoms then that is the deciding factor of whether or not you have reactive arthritis.
I was re-tested several times for all std's sti's and mycoplasmas including ureaplasma parvum, all of which have now been negative for more than 8 months despite my symptoms continuing. Basically, REACTIVE ARTHRITIS is when your body has an incorrect response to an infection, even after the infection is gone, often times these symptoms continue even after you have no infection. The body believes that there is still an infection and sends incorrect signals to different parts of the body where the infection wasn't even at, causing inflammation of the urethra, glands, causing balanitis, lower back pain, heal pain, knee and lower extremity joint pain etc.
They prescribed me celebrex an anti-inflammatory medication, it helped a little but not much, the next step they wanted to put me on a rheumatoid arthritis medication and after looking into the negative effects of this medication, I decided not to go ahead with there plan, as all of the doctors I had seen in the last year were not beneficial other than the initial detection of ureaplasma parvum.
The crazy thing is there is no evidence that suggests that ureaplasma parvum can cause reactive arthritis. There are not many studies on reactive arthritis and it is still a mystery to the medical world. I recently began to see a good "functional medicine doctor" which treats you with natural supplements. In my situation, they had prescribed me so many antibiotics that it had done more harm than good.
But there is good news, do some research and look into reactive arthritis as it is to much for me to write on here, but I believe a large number of you have reactive arthritis. They say it usually lasts 3-6 months for most people and others up to a year, and some several months for it to go away. Some people have ongoing reactive arthritis that they have to live with for the rest of their lives, but that is a small percentage.
My symptoms have improved greatly and I have noticed certain foods or drinks tend to irritate and initialize flair up's such as alcohol, gluten, and cafeene. I eat mostly vegetables and fruits and fish and chicken, I have cut out red meats and all the other BS and although it has not fully resolved, it is much much better than it was before.
So I hope this message finds, you as I know the struggle is real! This made me depressed and effected emotionally and physically. So, do some homework go see a rheumatologist and discuss reactive arthritis as your potential diagnosis.
eric16001 dave37973
Posted
Wow. You got me at random blurry vision. I've had some diabetes symptoms over some years but all test came back negative. I'm almost at the one year marker, Symptoms are less frequent but might be due to me handling flare ups risks better, like abstinence. This is my first local doctor diagnosis. White cells that added up in the wrong place. I would still need surgery as one lip got bigger and deformed with all the swell ups. Hopefully time will make this go away. It is making me depressed as well
dave37973 eric16001
Posted
Hi Eric, do you have symptoms of urethritis, rash on glands, slight itching burning or tingling sensation, irritated eyes or random blurry vision, lower extremity joint pain?
do these symptoms come and go with severity and may not have all of them at once but have had those symptoms through your experience? If so then you have reactive arthritis....
richard65710 dave37973
Posted
That is quite the ringer you have gone through over the last year. i have very similar experiences, tested positive for Ureaplasma U and mycoplasma homins after first starting with symptoms, red rash, pains etc.
Then when they were testing negative and symptoms remained it took me a year to get to next bacteria, which was Enterococcus faecalis. nitrofurantoin appears to have killed that off as no longer culture but that was only 5 months ago. reddness is now lighter but i do have aches in hips, groin, on off blurry vision, swollen glands in neck and raised immunoglobulin A, albeit not classified as high at 3.6g/l.
its very interesting your journey as i think so many on here with exact same symptoms are potentially suffering after effects of a previous infection
maryass Guest
Edited
me and many people here got this issue after using doxycycline I think its somehow related!!
glikkon33 maryass
Edited
Yes, any antibiotic use can cause this. Mine was caused by azithromycin. They disturb the normal penile bacterial balance and this is what we get.
mike01515 Guest
Edited
i recently had some testing done, dna testing, all std testing, blood testing, so all test came back with no infection all negative, but my doctors say that blood test and urine test show that my body is showing signs of fighting off some kind of infection, but all are negative ... could this be what you are talking about with the reactive arthritis ? my body thinks i have infection but i dont?? i have had symptoms for over 2 years with this ...
Steves8012 mike01515
Posted
I'm thinking along these lines now. Had multiple tests and all negative so they can't all be wrong. Wondering if did have something thats now gone but immune system still firing. Touch wood sorts itself out with time as nothing else has worked
nick87946 Steves8012
Posted
i too have had all these symptoms for 4 month, tried everything, medication, creams you name it i have tried it, or so i though.
then just 3 days ago i tried applying zorirax 3 times a day, within 3 days my symptoms have almost gone, still applying for a few more days and hopefully the symptoms dont return, if it works for me it may work for you. im no doctor, if you try it its your choice but i just applied a very small amount to the affected area.
let me know if it also works for you
nick87946
Posted
zovirax
mike01515 nick87946
Posted
nick did it go away with the cream you described ?
nick87946 mike01515
Posted
yes, its a lot better. ive asked for a HSV blood test which am waiting for results, to see if i am positive, my partner suffers from cold sores which is the same virus, cant believe how quick it has improved, thought i had this problem forever
mike01515 nick87946
Posted
can you describel your symptoms please? how long you have been dealing with it and what other things you have tried or what the doctors think it might be? any help is appreciated thank you
ed68163 mike01515
Edited
hey guys, im all good now. after months of trying everything and reading everything i can say im pain free and no inflammation. theres a mix of things i believe did it. first and most important change in my life was my diet. im 25 and fit, eat my greens and dont have a drinking problem so i never thought the food i eat could effect my body so much, especially since my diet didnt cause my problems. but for about 2 weeks now ive gone vegan. choosing foods that dont cause inflammation was the key. red meat especially has been linked to irritated prostate. which is what i believe caused my pain, or it could be pelvic floor muscle. either way one of them was inflamed causing red and painful urethra (identically pictured in the orginal post of this thread) because i had a risky sexual encounter and was misinformed about their std history, ive never been so stressed in my life. i took every urine, blood and swab test i could with no results. i waited for the correct incubation period for each std test. i freaked out and was being rough with checking my urethra a lot in the beginning so that didnt help either. i did coconut oil on the meatus for a long time with only mild relief. i took antibiotics that helped inflammation, and steroid creams that MADE IT WORSE. ill eventually go back to eating how i did before but i want to do this for a month or so to make sure im in the clear. if anyone here has tried every method to fix this and youre sure its not an infection, give it a try. you need your protein, vitamin b12 and omega fatty acids that can be hard to find only in veggies but once you have those the veggies will do the rest. ill check back here every few days w updates and stuff but im pretty confident im good. got to shake the rust off the ole bed springs last night lol and ive not had a twinge of pain since.
kj36042 ed68163
Posted
congratulations bro. I'm gonna consider do the same once I get the all clear for the urologist. keep me posted.
dave37973 mike01515
Posted
Sorry for the late response I havent been on here in a while, but yes... That is classified as reactive arthritis, your body's response to an infection that no longer exists and sends inflammatory responses to different areas of the body to attack something that is no longer there. it can cause urethritis, balanitis, irritation and inflammation of the eyes, blurry vision and lower extremity inflammation of the lower back, spine, knees etc.
dave37973 ed68163
Posted
Hey there Ed, I'm glad to hear your symptoms are gone... I still have symptoms, much more mild then at first but for me its been 1.5 years. How long did you eat vegan for before you had relief and how long have you now been symptom free, ive been eating a lot healthier the last few months but still drink and splurge with food a couple times a week. Please let me know cause i would sure like to be 100% pain free again, I've almost forgotten what that feels like.
rockyboi007 ed68163
Posted
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