Syphilis/ Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia

[HolePunchSD]

Nicehard1 said it best! Use this healing process to chill for a bit. Just like all the men that responded to this thread, I too at some point have had to deal with all three that you mentioned. I've also sworn off bareback sex as a result of having to deal with also going to the clinic for treatment so often. But while I healed from each, I took that downtime to get offline for a while and to focus on other things--beefed up my workout regimen to compensate for the loss of energy from the shots & pills, hung out with friends, etc.

Just so you know, the nurses and practitioners at your clinic AREN'T judging you. If anything, they're happy that you're adult enough to come in to get treated whereas a lot of people would just live with it. So stop thinking that they're talking about you--as any nurse will tell you, YOU are not they're worst patient.

Give yourself a month to fully recover from it all. By the end, you'll be well-rested, energized and ready to get back out there.

[anoncumdump4u]

Just thought I'd share my experience:

I've been progressively more open to barebacking for a while now and I've never caught anything until recently. The blood test for my annual physical tested positive for syphilis and I was quite surprised simply because I've not had any of the symptoms associated with that STD. I went in to the clinic to get treated and the staff I dealt with pretty much had the same kind of attitude as what bosguy described. One of the nurses even asked me a question in rhetorical tone: "why would you want to have sex with other guys?" Hard to not take that as being judgmental.

When I started barebacking I was at the stage where I loved the feeling of skin-to-skin contact but was afraid of catching something, so I was very selective of the people I let fuck me. Not that I could tell 100% (no one can), but I always went with the guys that I felt were either barebacking for the first time or guys that weren't lying when they said they were disease-free. Generally as a rule, when I asked for a guy's stats if that guy didn't voluntarily mention or tried to dance around the issue when asked the question of HIV and STD status then I wouldn't hook up with them, no matter how hot they looked or how big their dick was. I was also very cautious when going to bathhouses; I never played with guys that I felt were poz, I would mostly suck guys off but I wouldn't let guys fuck me bareback. I did that for almost 2 years and was able to bareback without catching anything. I can't say I enjoyed it very much though because I felt like I was constantly living in fear.

Recently, I've finally gotten more relaxed about whom I get fucked by and I just did one of those things that I've always fantasized about doing: taking cocks bareback through a gloryhole at a bathhouse and letting anyone that wants to use my hole unload in me. I suspect that was how I got the syphilis. When I got the news it didn't turn me off from barebacking because I chose to bareback; I chose to do something risky at a bathhouse, so it was all on me (frankly it would have been a miracle if I didn't walk away with something after that night at the bathhouse cuz I took 7 loads).

I can understand how someone would feel discouraged or "turned-off" from barebacking after having caught a bunch of STDs. And, unlike what any medical professional may think, when a patient catches an STD it's already an embarrassing situation for him. It takes courage (at least for me it does) to even go into a clinic and say to someone "I have syphilis, I need to be treated." Even if the physician or the nurse feels the need to lecture about the dangers of unsafe sex out of good intention, all that just translates into the impression of them being judgmental because WE ALL KNOW that risky behavior comes with potentially dire consequences. Knowing the risk of doing something doesn't always mean one won't do it, especially when it's something that one finds to be a turn-on.

People are going to do what they find to be pleasurable, and sometimes the risks don't really matter as much to them. The important thing is, when you are doing something you KNOW is risky, you need to be prepared to accept the consequences. If you don't think you're ready for the consequences, then do your darnest to not do it or otherwise you'd end up regretting your actions. If you are one of those people that likes barebacking but are afraid of catching anything, then just be a little "smarter" and more selective with who you fuck with. Some people only fuck bareback with a few people that they trust. Some people have monogamous bareback buddies. All that will cut down on your chances of catching something you're not ready to deal with. Unless you're prepared, don't do things that have a HIGH chance of getting you an STD or HIV (like what I did, be a cumdump at a bathhouse). And if you choose to do all those risky things, then just be prepared to accept the consequences. That's just how life goes.

In conclusion: barebacking is like tanning...you have to work your way up and go at a pace that you're comfortable with

Edited October 4, 2012 by anoncumdump4u

[nativebottom]

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.

Well said!