Expert: Mark Behar - 6/14/2009

Question
I am asking a question for my fiance because he has been shipped out for more Army training.  He is 19 years old and is American.  

We know that he has chlamydia, but he is unable to try and get it treated because of his Army situation.  I have been trying to research and get answers on his punishment if he goes to the medical team on base to get it checked out.  Not sure if they will try to discharge him for having a STD.  

I took him to the doctor the day before he was going to be shipped out because he said he was having trouble urinating because it hurt.  On a scale of 1 to 10 he gave me an 8 for the pain.  I was told this was most likely just a symptom of the chlamydia.  The doctor gave both of us a weeks treatment of Doxycyclin (100 mg tablets, one tablet orally twice a day).  She also told us to buy him some Uristat to help with the pain.  It helped for the first day and the second day it didn't work quite as well.  Now he doesn't have anymore of it.

He had been taking those until he got to the fort where they made them sort personal stuff from Army stuff and he lost the remaining pills.  So he was able to get three days of the medication taken before he had to get rid of them.  Now the pain is back and he doesn't know what to do.  

He also told me that he has noticed small white bumps on the head of his penis.  He first noticed them that night after the doctor's visit and after taking his first Doxycycline pill.  They didn't itch at first and there were only like three of them.  Then he said they have spread down the shaft slowly.  He thinks they are spreading along the rub line of his jeans and uniform.  I told him he should go to the store on the base and get him some bandaids to prevent anymore rubbing but he says that they aren't allowed to have bandaids.

Could the bumps be a reaction from the medication?  Shouldn't they be gone though since he has been off the medication for three days?  Or, would they still be there since he is constantly irritating them with his clothes?

I didn't know if this is a reaction or if he has another STD such as herpes or molluscum (I think that is what it is called).  The only reason I can't say he does is I don't have any signs of either of those.  Please help me if you can and a quick response would be appreciated so I can help him as much as I can. Feel free to ask any other questions for a better answer.

Thanks, Courtney

Answer
Hello Courtney,
It is difficult to address a health problem from your partner, who isn't able to answer questions directly. I do know, however, that service people in the military do get ill in all stages of their training, and that they are able to see a corpsman or army surgeon/doctor in their sick call. It does not make sense that he would be denied access to medical care, because in order to learn the skills of his training that may help him and his fellow soldiers stay alive, a person cannot be distracted by untreated infections, such as chlamydia. It does not matter that it is a STD, it will still adversely affect his ability to learn and remain the efficient cogg of the military. If he has need for a bandaid to prevent rubbing, he needs to go to sick call. It is understandable that he is discouraged from having bandaids to treat something that may require more care.

The civilian doctor you initially saw, could have given him a single days treatment for chlamydia, known as azithromycin-- four 250mg tabs taken all at once. I cannot speculate whether the bumps experienced are normal, an allergic reaction (doubtful, as allergic reactions will be generalized all over the skin, not isolated to the penis), are warts, herpes, or molluscum.

They will not discharge him from the service for having an illness. He may require discipline for violating rules associated with being off the base. The corps of the military is discipline and following orders of people who know more than he. He is after all, very young and inexperienced in matters involving the military. When he signed up, he signed up for the whole thing, not just whatever benefits there may be.

Good luck!
--mark