Syphilis/ Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia

[bosguy]

Hey guys:

I want to share this here to tell my story and to get helpful feedback. After a round of routine STD testing (I go every three months), I found out that I had syphilis, chlamydia of the anus, and gonorrhea of the anus. And to be completely honest, I've felt completely unsexual since I got that call on Wed. night. Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm going to explain my past, and then my present for clarification. I was diagnosed with chlamydia last year, which manifested itself via a painful anal fissure. I was put on 3-week, 2-a-day doxycycline regimen, and when the anal fissure disappeared I went back to bareback sex. I managed to stay STD- free, and everything was fine.

This time, though, I feel very differently. I think I may be done with barebacking. Hearing that I simultaneously have three STDs at 26 made me feel disgusting. The eyes at the clinic for treatment seemed more judgmental; the nurse was terse when administering my treatment; I felt like every person I interacted with was disgusted by me, and I was disgusted by myself.

Right after my treatments (2- pills for chlamydia, a shot in my right cheek to treat gonorrhea, and 1 (of 3) shots in my left cheek for syphilis), I went to get a bite. After eating, I got the most painful stomach pains of my entire life, and spent the rest of the evening shitting and vomiting, all while dealing with muscle aches, cold sweats, and headaches.

I have to go to the clinic for the next two weeks to get follow-up syphilis treatments. I'm terrified the pain of last thursday night will re-occur the next two weeks as well.

I still have an anal fissure (it reoccured due to one of the STDs I was diagnosed with), and the discharge from my anus has become increasingly more red and bloodlined, and my hole is constantly sore. I previously showed now outward signs of any of the diseases I was carrying, but now, I guess as part of the treatment process, the outward signs are appearing. My penis has visible bumps and sores on it, both the skin and the head. It's disgusting.

I am tired and sore all the time, and I now realize that this is it for me. As much fun as barebacking is, this pain isn't worth it. It's not. I'm not passing judgment on anyone here, but I have reached and exceeded my threshold for pain, discomfort, embarrassment, and disgust with myself. I have loved the sex I've had, and I think how fortunate I am that I had three curable diseases.

To anyone that disregards this, I understand. I'm not preaching, but I also figured this could open someone's eyes as to the real consequences of barebacking. We so often talk about HIV, but there are so many other diseases and virus.

I love all of you, and I hope that this website, bareback porn, and the bareback brotherhood stays strong, however I can no longer be a part of it.

Good luck boys, but I'm out!

I look forward to reading responses of those who have experienced the symptoms/ treatments I've gone through, as well as the opinions that agree and disagree with me.

[rawTOP]

I've gotten stuff... They tend to come in clusters - so if you have one you often have at least two STDs. Sometimes I can't seem to avoid them - they happen frequently. Other times I go months without getting anything. It's just the nature of barebacking.

STDs are a pain and honestly the guys who are STD chasing don't make any sense to me. I mean it's not fun to have STDs. I tolerate it here just because I think it's best if people know there are guys who are STD chasing - so you can try to avoid them...

I'm a big advocate of people telling their sexual partners they may have been exposed. I've done it on numerous occasions, but I can't remember ever having someone tell me they had an STD. I will say pretty much everyone who I've ever told has thanked me for telling them, and few of them have reported back that I infected them with anything.

[tboyer]

Hey guys:

I want to share this here to tell my story and to get helpful feedback. After a round of routine STD testing (I go every three months), I found out that I had syphilis, chlamydia of the anus, and gonorrhea of the anus. And to be completely honest, I've felt completely unsexual since I got that call on Wed. night. Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm going to explain my past, and then my present for clarification. I was diagnosed with chlamydia last year, which manifested itself via a painful anal fissure. I was put on 3-week, 2-a-day doxycycline regimen, and when the anal fissure disappeared I went back to bareback sex. I managed to stay STD- free, and everything was fine.

This time, though, I feel very differently. I think I may be done with barebacking. Hearing that I simultaneously have three STDs at 26 made me feel disgusting. The eyes at the clinic for treatment seemed more judgmental; the nurse was terse when administering my treatment; I felt like every person I interacted with was disgusted by me, and I was disgusted by myself.

Right after my treatments (2- pills for chlamydia, a shot in my right cheek to treat gonorrhea, and 1 (of 3) shots in my left cheek for syphilis), I went to get a bite. After eating, I got the most painful stomach pains of my entire life, and spent the rest of the evening shitting and vomiting, all while dealing with muscle aches, cold sweats, and headaches.

I have to go to the clinic for the next two weeks to get follow-up syphilis treatments. I'm terrified the pain of last thursday night will re-occur the next two weeks as well.

I still have an anal fissure (it reoccured due to one of the STDs I was diagnosed with), and the discharge from my anus has become increasingly more red and bloodlined, and my hole is constantly sore. I previously showed now outward signs of any of the diseases I was carrying, but now, I guess as part of the treatment process, the outward signs are appearing. My penis has visible bumps and sores on it, both the skin and the head. It's disgusting.

I am tired and sore all the time, and I now realize that this is it for me. As much fun as barebacking is, this pain isn't worth it. It's not. I'm not passing judgment on anyone here, but I have reached and exceeded my threshold for pain, discomfort, embarrassment, and disgust with myself. I have loved the sex I've had, and I think how fortunate I am that I had three curable diseases.

To anyone that disregards this, I understand. I'm not preaching, but I also figured this could open someone's eyes as to the real consequences of barebacking. We so often talk about HIV, but there are so many other diseases and virus.

I love all of you, and I hope that this website, bareback porn, and the bareback brotherhood stays strong, however I can no longer be a part of it.

Good luck boys, but I'm out!

I look forward to reading responses of those who have experienced the symptoms/ treatments I've gone through, as well as the opinions that agree and disagree with me.

Your symptoms may be from the doxycycline. Doxycycline give me those symptoms

There are other antibiotics that can be used

[NiceHard1]

BOS - raw top said it quite well but let me reply too to agree.

Much like HIV risk, STD risk is inherent with barebacking. Also like HIV, I think you can have a harm reduction strategy to avoid STDs. Further like HIV, even having harm reduction strategies can not guarantee anything, and so getting tested frequently for STDs in addition to HIV is important. But unlike HIV, most STDs can be treated.

I've had all of the above more than once. I get tested often. I try to get in contact with as many recent partners as possible to let them know, and even went with one fuckbuddy once for a syphilis test and shot as he had never been to the clinic before.

It's always good to take a little break and get off the market while you are recovering, but before you give up everything, maybe reflect a little on your choices. Happy to chat more

[hungry_hole]

...but I have reached and exceeded my threshold for pain, discomfort, embarrassment, and disgust with myself. ...

The worst part is the embarrassment, and the fact that you are the bottom getting fucked bareback. And the shame is quite difficult to deal with. The disgust is part of this shame.

Nobody likes pain and discomfort, but as everyone will agree, barebacking and STIs go hand in hand.

I don't believe in God and in miracles, but I do believe that there is a way for men to have kinky, anon, raunchy sex in an STI free environment.

[NiceHard1]

Are you in Boston? Are you going to Fenway health center? I find them to be nonjudgemental. They know that men have sex and are going to need to get treated for stds

Also, when you go back for the syphilis shots, do your best to relax before you go, and put your mind in a good frame for it, and you might even get to the point to enjoy it. Also, if you find a nurse there who gives a good shot, request him or her again. the last time I did that, my nurse practitioner came in to watch the other nurse's technique since I mentioned how good she did.

[totalasspig]

You play raw, you pay later. Look for Health Clinics that are either run by understanding LGBT folks, or find a doctor that is. In New York, Callen Lorde is great!

[PhoenixGeoff]

Any health care provider that's being judgmental is a health care provider I'd dump right fucking now. I'm paying them to provide me with medical advice and with treatment. Not moral judgments. Frankly, it's none of their business.

However, it sounds like the biggest problem is in your head. Ask yourself why you feel ashamed. Do you feel ashamed if you need treatment for the flu or pneumonia if you skipped your flu shot? Should a rock climber who falls and breaks his arm feel ashamed when he goes in to get it set? Should you feel shame because you travel abroad and forget not to drink the water and get a stomach virus? Of course not. People engage in risky behavior all the time and seek out treatment to help deal with the consequences without any moral judgment at all.

But with sex, and especially gay sex, of course it's different. Lots of people want you to be ashamed of being gay, of having sex with other men, of barebacking and having multiple sex partners. It's none of their business; they're the ones who have the problem and they're pushing it off on you.

You're an adult. You're entitled to make your own decisions about your medical treatment and the risks you're willing to take, and you shouldn't feel any shame whatsoever about those decisions. Now, you may decide that dealing with the STDs is something you no longer want to put up with. That's legitimate. It's like deciding you no longer want to work in construction because of the potential for injury.

But don't let anyone shame you into that decision. A virus is a virus is a virus, and a bacterium is a bacterium is a bacterium, no matter if you get it from a doorknob or a load in your ass. There's no moral dimension to contracting an STD or treating it.

[pisspig]

been lucky here haven't been "caught" in damn near 15 years. best if you can call anything "best" after a weekend orgy in Houston about a dozen of us ended up with gonorrhea,went to the free clinic with a good FB,we checked in and John said to the nurse "Hi we're with the Rystad party" she nodded and laughed and just pulled out the file no judgement just a total appreciation for the honesty of the situation assured that all involved had been contacted.

[AlwaysOpen]

Pisspig- that is just too funny!! I am doing doxy right now- my once every 4 mo labs showed a 1:2 RPR - it was that last time, and has even bumped to 1 : 4 on occassion- my gay doc disregards the low numbers most of the time, but this time he walked in to go over my labs, and handed me a script for doxy- said it looked like I had a glancing blow exposure-- I didn't question him- I had been a total pig the week b4 the labs- 3 days in DC, 2 bath houses/sex clubs hit there, and then I had 5 more days back home and at least 3 of them were active- so I figure he either is on this group and read of my exploits, or he just figured it was time for me to do a cycle of meds as a part of me being active

AND BOSGUY-- like others have said-- there should be no attitude or shame from your health care provider- and if there is, find a new one. If you are made to feel uncomfortable over something as common as clap, what the fuck !! Can you imagine what the 'tude would be if you had to see them for, oh, say, an infected bite mark on your ass? Oh, and never get a piercing or tattoo- the nurse might not like it ! _-_ Kick the bitch- let the doc know the issue first- he might not know and might want to dump her too

[spacemunkee3]

FROM THE HEALTH PROVIDER STANDPOINT: Bos, I take it that you are also HIV+, given that you seek medical attention for "routine" STD checkups "every three months"? As a former health care provider for many years, your perception that your nurse/tech is "disgusted" with you, may be your own shame displaced. Sorry, but having to get tested for STDs "every three months" as "routine" would cause me to be very disappointed and afraid with a patient's behavior, especially if the patient was already HIV+. What ends up happening is a very uncomfortable situation for the medical support staff, because we aren't physicians, we cannot give medical advice or opinions. Oftentimes, myself included, the nurse/tech will adopt a purely detached approach to the patient, which can be misinterpreted as meanness or non-empathetic behavior. What else can we do? Try not to judge the support staff too harshly; what you should be most concerned with is your medical doctor's opinions, bed-side manner and advice.

That being said, if your physician, or a counselor where you receive treatment, has not been blatantly honest, directly warning you about the dangers of your sexual behavior, that would bother me most of all. In many HIV+ men (or others with compromised immune systems), Syphilis never clears the bloodstream, just waiting till your numbers drop low enough to enter your brain and kill you. Antibiotics work with our immune systems to treat bacterial infections, but without the support of a (semi) healthy immune system, antibiotic therapy becomes hopelessly noneffective. And EVERYTIME you get sick, your immune system kicks in to produce more T-cells, which is more factories for HIV to reproduce in, and your viral load skyrockets... it's literally a Catch-22. Hopefully, you're avoid IV meth users/slammers/people who fuck slammers bb/and don't slam yourself, or your chances of contracting Hepatitis C increase exponentially. If you think those antibiotic shots are painful with bad side effects, try PEG-interferon.... IF it works at all. :-(

I'm not trying to scare you, but oftentimes the internet and online sex sites just don't show the reality of illnesses that can result from BB sex and HIV coinfections. As one dude above pointed out, he'd been carrying Syphilis for four months, but still had BB sex with other people, knowing he was possibly carrying the treponema and could possibly transmit it to others... even if the risk was slight (I'm just sayin'... no judgement... and hence why I don't do bath houses). Mitigating the risk, as advised above, is the best advice, and that is just some common sense looking before you leap, asking questions (especially about drug habits... methheads will brag!), and finding a select group of BB fuckbuds you trust.

BTW... sounds like you might have some herpes going on there from the symptoms you describe. Ask your doc to perform an HSV I/II IgG/IgM blood test. And I hope you're feeling better soon.

[bosguy]

To Spacemunkee3:

Thank you for your response; now I know the mindset of the (very) rude nurse that I had two weeks ago.

Please allow me to dispel you of your very unprofessional, very insensitive, and very incorrect notions about me.

First of all, I am HIV-. There is nothing wrong with being HIV+, but I am not. The fact that I choose to get tested every 3 months is because I am not an idiot. I choose to be proactive with my sexual health, and I do my best to keep myself and my partners safe.

Number two, I have had one STD before, and it was chlamydia. That was over a year ago. I also do not have herpes. What I experienced were the chancers from the syphilis, physically manifesting itself during the treatment process.

My physicians have been blatantly honest, and I am not stupid. I know the risks of what I have done in the past, and I am currently re-evaluating based on this set of circumstances. Let me make one thing clear to you, though: if I decide to engage in bareback sex again tomorrow, and were to get re-infected with the same three STIs tomorrow, your job is not to judge me (though you may, but be professional and internalize). Your job is not to shame me, your job is to administer treatment. You are right, you're not a doctor, and every doctor that I've had has never been as black and white as you appear to be. Perhaps you should reconsider your own practices, because with nurses like you and the one I had two weeks ago, I totally understand why some men wouldn't want to be routinely tested for STIs. Luckily, the person who administered my second of three shots last week was very nice, very talkative, and non-judgmental.

If this seems a little overly sensitive, it's because I found your response extremely rude.

[NiceHard1]

As a former health care provider for many years, your perception that your nurse/tech is "disgusted" with you, may be your own shame displaced. Sorry, but having to get tested for STDs "every three months" as "routine" would cause me to be very disappointed and afraid with a patient's behavior, especially if the patient was already HIV+... That being said, if your physician, or a counselor where you receive treatment, has not been blatantly honest, directly warning you about the dangers of your sexual behavior, that would bother me most of all. (I'm just sayin'... no judgement... and hence why I don't do bath houses)..

Munkee---

While I agree with you that syphillis is nothing to fool around with, I am disheartened by your insensitive reply. While the purpose of a forum is to offer different perspectives, we should always be supportive and respectful of each other.

This is a bareback site for guys who like to have a lot of sex with other guys. Most guys here either already have HIV or expect to have it; we do things that put us at risk for other STIs, and getting tested often for them is a great defense. I too go for HIV labwork and complete STI screening every 3-4 months. Whenever I see free STI screening at a bathhouse or bar, I jump at the chance to get in an additional test.

BOSguy - I think its great that you go every three months. That tells me that you care about your own health, and also care about the health of your partners. I hope your next shot goes a little better for you. When you go in there, smile, be friendly, and let them know how much you appreciate that they are there providing care and services for people who need it. They probably see a lot of unapreciative people there who are not nice to them, which doesn't excuse their behavoir, but maybe you can help them and change their outlook on the important work that they do.

I would be delighted to meet up with you and go out for lunch or dinner (we are not that far from each other) and once you finish your treatment, I'd love to fuck - preferably bareback if you're feeling better about it, or if not, maybe something else.

[rawTOP]

FROM THE HEALTH PROVIDER STANDPOINT: Bos, I take it that you are also HIV+, given that you seek medical attention for "routine" STD checkups "every three months"? As a former health care provider for many years, your perception that your nurse/tech is "disgusted" with you, may be your own shame displaced. Sorry, but having to get tested for STDs "every three months" as "routine" would cause me to be very disappointed and afraid with a patient's behavior, especially if the patient was already HIV+.

Those of us of a certain age were taught to go for STD checks every 3-6 months. While most of us don't go that often, there's nothing wrong with doing it...

[spacemunkee3]

To Bos and NiceHard1 and RawTop:

Whoa! Bos, I was NOT judging you. YOU SAID, "as well as the opinions that agree and disagree with me." So were you seeking sympathy or truth? I admit I made an incorrect assumption about your HIV status, however your profile states that you're a "Don't Ask. Don't Tell" sort. Forgive me, but usually that response is indicative of dudes who are either HIV+, or don't know or care about their status, hence my assumption. “I choose to be proactive with my sexual health, and I do my best to keep myself and my partners safe.” As we all should be. Fantastic! I was only being “proactive” and offering some helpful advice about herpes, given that it is the most common STD in the United States. Glad you don’t have herpes.

You said originally your nurse was "terse" (abrupt, concise and clipped), but now you say she was actually, “rude” (impolite, vulgar and disrespectful). So which is it, Bos? You admitted that, “The eyes at the clinic for treatment SEEMED more judgmental; the nurse was terse when administering my treatment; I FELT like every person I interacted with was disgusted by me, and I was disgusted by myself.” But now you say she was downright “rude” to you? Of course, no health provider has the right to treat you rudely and I would never condone such behavior. My only motive in responding to you the way I did was to be blatantly honest about the viewpoint from the clinical side; many times it’s the patient’s mis-perceptions of a health care worker's detached persona. Maybe, the nurse/tech had just come from interacting with a patient with Hep C and HIV, or HIV and neuro-Syphilis, who isn't responding to therapy and the prognosis is grim... that was the sum my point. You’re a very passive/aggressive person, but that is a common trait with guilt.

I never called you an “idiot” or “stupid”. Those were your own words to describe how you perceived yourself. I’m an HIV+. I am not ashamed. I’ve had gonorrhea and chlamydia before myself.

“I am tired and sore all the time, and I now realize that this is it for me. As much fun as barebacking is, this pain isn't worth it. It's not…. To anyone that disregards this, I understand. I'm not preaching, but I also figured this could open someone's eyes as to the real consequences of barebacking.” Bos, I think you’re totally wrong and overreacting, but hey, it’s your life. I Love to bareback. I hate condoms. I know the risks and I accept them. Hell, unlike you, I’m fixed with one of those STDs for life. Bos, you were “preaching” and I’m sorry, but you’re the one “judging”, not me. Bos, your post was personal, and I responded personally and honestly. I don’t need you to ‘open my eyes’, and perhaps you are the one requiring the education, given your shock, shame and dismay at catching "curable" ailments.

“Why are you even on this site? Who are you, and why are you trolling around? You're rude, you're unprofessional, and you've clearly got some issues. Reconsider your life. I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm young, I'm smart, and I don't need internet trolls making blanket assumptions and being assholes. Do everyone a favor and sit and spin...bareback...on a poz dick.”(Bos’s email response to me) I regret that you feel that way, and you’ve taken everything I’ve said out of context, and forgive me, but you don’t sound, “happy”, you sound afraid. I hope that you can overcome that fear someday, and I truly do hope that you successfully recover from your ailments, as I stated previously... guess you missed that part. True, one of my many "issues" is that the painful and ugly side of STIs goes ignored by many barebackers, who prefer to remain ignorant, therefore creating greater risks to all of us who do bareback, especially the dangers and reality of STI coinfections with HIV.

Depending on provider advice, geographical location, patient demographics and sexual behavior, many providers have advised sexually active gay men with multiple partners to be screened for STIs “every 3-6 months”. This was especially true at the height of the HIV pandemic. I applaud every sexually active gay man to be truly proactive about STI testing. Many metro areas (and more liberal states) offer easy and free access to STI testing, but in many areas of the country, the patient must go a private provider or a county health department, and still have to pay the country to get tested. Also, the ailing economy has caused many public health services to cut back on community outreach programs. But every 90-days?!!! WOW! Sorry, but in my opinion, that’s kind of too frequent. In my state, and many other states, HIV/syphilis/hepatitis carriers are monitored aggressively by the public health department, up to an including mandated interviews with the patient and their sexual partners, surveillance of their online activities, and workplace/home visits by infective disease investigators.