AboutMark Behar Expertise Almost any question or concern about sexually transmitted infections, abnormal Pap smears, anal cytology (anal "Pap smears"), gay men's health issues.
There is no such thing as “d/d free” or “clean” (free of infection), so why do so many of us deceive ourselves into thinking that some people are indeed totally free from a potentially infectious disease, like HIV, herpes, hepatitis, syphilis, chlamydia, warts, gonorrhea, etc., just because they say so? Clinical laboratory tests are not perfect, and having a “negative” or “nonreactive” test does not mean that a person is free from infection. Perhaps at the moment the test was taken, the person was uninfected; or, perhaps, the test wasn’t sensitive enough to detect presence of the infection. There is really no way that anyone can determine that they are truly “disease free,” and there are over a hundred of infectious conditions that can be spread without your knowing anything.
Rather than trying to “prescreen” or “serosort” a potential sex-mate with deceptive questions that are impossible to know by today’s technologies, a wiser option may be to consider everyone infected with something, and either use appropriate protective measures (“safer sex”), or accept the responsibility and conseqences of possibly “catching” something from someone who’s hotter than expected (pun intended!).
There is much research that supports the contention that an HIV positive person reliably taking HIV medications, and having an undetectable viral load, presents a lower risk for transmission of HIV than people who may think or say they are HIV negative, but are not. Food for thought!
Experience Family Practice PA since 1981;
Volunteer Clinician for Brady East STD (BESTD) Clinic, Milwaukee, since 1977; answer STD questions submitted to their web site.
Professionally lectured at national and regional Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner conferences, and at national gay & lesbian health conferences on topics including HIV/AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, STDs, human papilloma virus (the cause of venereal warts), abnormal Pap smears, gay and lesbian health issues, among others.
Organizations Co-Founder, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Gay Physician Assistant Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Inc.;
Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants;
American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP); Board of Directors, National Association of Black and White Men Together: A Gay, Multiracial Organization for All People (NABWMT)
Publications Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAPA)
Education/Credentials Physician Assistant Certified, since 1982;
Masters in Physician Assistant Studies;
Colposcopy Recognition Award, American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP);
Awards and Honors Colposcopy Recognition Award (CRA), from the American Association of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology;
Distinguished Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants;
Fellow, Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants
Past/Present Clients Brady East STD Clinic, Milwaukee, WI
Question Here's my Story. I received unprotected Oral Sex from a
woman some time ago and about 5 months later I started to
experience dry flaking of my penis shaft. I was quite
concerned about Herpes, but STD Dr looked at it (visually
only) and said it was not herpes. Anyhow, about 6 months
passed after that I was experience soreness in my testicle
area and tingling on the bottom area of my scrotum with just
redness, no blisters. I have pretty much had this tingling
nonstop for the past 12 months every single day. I have
gone to a urologist because I started having discharge come
out of my penis after having a bowel movement. He put me on
Cipro for 1 month but I still continue to have discharge and
along with blotches of discoloration on the tip of my penis
after each bowl movement. 1st of all I have read that
Herpes can cause discharge in males but would it be a
continual discharge? Also I have had urinary problems as
well for the past year, My penis drips urine every time I
go to the bathroom. Again I heard HErpes causes urinary
problems but would it cause me to have dribbling problems
for this long? I guess I'm looking for some answers for the
following questions;
1.Is it possible that it is herpes causing me to have this
discharge & penis discoloration of the tip of my penis when
I go to the bathroom? If the discharge was because of
HErpes would the discharge come out itself instead of when I
have a bowel movement?
2.Urine dribbling, Is possible that herpes has been causing
my dribbling problems along with my sore testicles?
3.Why would my testicles be constantly tingling? Is it
common for herpes to cause this to occur? When I say I have
been having tingling everyday, I mean everyday.
I did have a blood test for HSV type I & II, I have had
coldsores in the past and my test has + for Type I but
negative for type II.
Any insight you could shed for me would be greatly
appreciated, I know my dr thinks I'm obsesive Complusive
about all this but I have the pain, tingling,
discolouration, dribbling & discharge, I'm not making it up
in my head.
Also would a course of Anti Virals help alleviate my
testicle pain, stop the discharge from happening, help my
urinary dribbling and stop my testicles from constantly
tingling if this is all Herpes related?
Answer Hello Caraudio,
The signs and symptoms you are experiencing have absolutely NOTHING to do with herpes. You didn't mention your age, the frequency of having sex (masturbation or with someone else), or whether you were circumcized or not, and the frequency of your bowel elimination ("taking a dump") and whether you were constipated at all.
Specifically answering your questions:
1) No, herpes will not cause the discharge and penile discoloration.
2) The dribbling and sore testicles are not related in this situation, and they are not related to herpes.
3) Testicular tingling is a normal physiologic phenomenona, that is not related to herpes. The sensation of "tingling" may be your perception of smooth muscle contractions (that we normally are pretty unaware of) and nerve stimulation that may be a response to the spermatozoa transport from the testicles where they initially are formed, to the epididymis where they mature and are stored until the sexual stimulation that precedes ejaculation.
4) A course of antivirals (specially directed against herpes) would be a waste of your money, since you are not treating herpes at all.
If you don't have sex often (the frequency is different for everyone), then your prostate may be full of prostatic fluid; being constipated causes stool to accumulate in your rectum and lower bowel, and this will push against your prostate, sometimes coaxing out fluids through the penis unrelated to sexual stimulation.
If you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, then normal aging may contribute to prostatic enlargement, which puts pressure on your urinary bladder as well as your urethra, which can effect the outflow of urine, such as retention, frequency, dribbling, etc. The Cipro for a month medication you received may have attempted to treat a prostate infection, but blood flow to the prostate depends on how much "exercise" your prostate gets-- such exercise (perhaps better spoken of as "sexercise"!) involves ejaculation at least several times weekly, the more the better. Every time you ejaculate, some prostatic fluid is expressed; it must be reformed, and the prostate must have improved blood supply to feed the cells that produce the fluid! If the blood supply has antibiotic in it, then that antibiotic gets into the substrate of the prostate, which should help to treat any infection.
The testicular soreness and flaking of the skin are two totally different issues, but since these have resolved, I will not address them here.
