What's the big fuss is when it comes to other STDs?

[GermanFucker]

Frankly, I don't really see what the big fuss is when it comes to other STDs (well maybe not hepatitis), because things like clamydia or gonorrhea are treatable / curable. You just have to abstain from sex for a short while and and follow doctors orders. There's nothing dirty or shameful about it.

I once talked to a young barebacker, who basically told me "Well, I will get HIV and I'm fine with that, but I'm really afraid of syphillis." What the fuck?

I've had syphillis. It's a short pain in the ass (literally, as you get antibiotic injections in the ass), but then it's gone. Just go see a doctor and deal with it. Nothing to worry about too much.

[wood]

Frankly, I don't really see what the big fuss is when it comes to other STDs (well maybe not hepatitis), because things like clamydia or gonorrhea are treatable / curable. You just have to abstain from sex for a short while and and follow doctors orders. There's nothing dirty or shameful about it.

I once talked to a young barebacker, who basically told me "Well, I will get HIV and I'm fine with that, but I'm really afraid of syphillis." What the fuck?

I've had syphillis. It's a short pain in the ass (literally, as you get antibiotic injections in the ass), but then it's gone. Just go see a doctor and deal with it. Nothing to worry about too much.

Heres my reason. I dont want ANY STD's, but realize it can happen. I have PrEP for HIV protection, Im vaccinated about Hep a/b, and C hasnt been proven to be readily transmittable to negative guys during normal sex. With that said, I already go to the doc 4x a year for PrEP checkups, I dont want to go anymore! Also unlike many guys on here, I dont have lots of different partners I have a few partners I enjoy, and I care about their health too. I dont want to give them anything, even if its curable. Yes, the bacterial STD's are curable, but I still need to go to the doc, be uncomfortable, get treated, and tell my partners. I simply dont like, or want to do that.

[txlaw69]

While that may be true of most STDs, HIV is not the only STD that stays with you forever.

I was diagnosed with herpes 13 years ago, and it's not as easy as just getting antibiotics. I can tell you that I have had a large number of guys on BBRT (of all HIV-statuses) turn down a meeting as soon as they found out about the herpes -- even guys who were "poz-friendly" or even bug chasing got freaked out by herpes.

And, despite what some people say, herpes can be passed even without symptoms -- the CDC estimates that 1/2 of the people who have it don't know because their symptoms are so mild that they don't notice them; and something like 3/4 of the people who have herpes got it from a partner who was not exhibiting symptoms. In fact, I was shocked to learn that I had it -- I had never had any symptoms, and I just happened to go to a gay doctor who routinely tested new patients for everything -- I thought he was being stupid until the test results came back.

As for the reason some people might be uncomfortable with herpes . . . I have a friend who is HIV+ and also has herpes -- he ended up in the hospital for two weeks with no feeling in his legs because the herpes that was dormant in his spinal cord flared up. So, some STDs do present issues that simple antibiotics don't help.

Even with the STDs that are easily treatable, it's not always a minor things. Some strains of HPV (the virus that causes genital warts) also cause cancer -- so even after your doctor burns the wart off with acid (or freezes it off with liquid nitrogen)--a process which I can tell you from first hand experience may require weekly or bi-weekly appointments for months--you still remain at risk for genital, anal, or oral cancer (depending on where you had the wart).

A friend who was a medical student in NYC (so he knew better) thought he had an eye infection, but it progressed very quickly and within a day or two it got so bad that he couldn't open the eye -- when he went to the doctor, they told him that he had gonorrhea in his eye and that if he had waited another day to go in they would likely have removed his eye. Likewise, syphillis can have major effects if not treated.

So, in some senses, HIV is no bigger worry than the other STDs that are "nothing to worry about."

Sorry to be a downer.

[wood]

While that may be true of most STDs, HIV is not the only STD that stays with you forever.

I was diagnosed with herpes 13 years ago, and it's not as easy as just getting antibiotics. I can tell you that I have had a large number of guys on BBRT (of all HIV-statuses) turn down a meeting as soon as they found out about the herpes -- even guys who were "poz-friendly" or even bug chasing got freaked out by herpes.

And, despite what some people say, herpes can be passed even without symptoms -- the CDC estimates that 1/2 of the people who have it don't know because their symptoms are so mild that they don't notice them; and something like 3/4 of the people who have herpes got it from a partner who was not exhibiting symptoms. In fact, I was shocked to learn that I had it -- I had never had any symptoms, and I just happened to go to a gay doctor who routinely tested new patients for everything -- I thought he was being stupid until the test results came back.

As for the reason some people might be uncomfortable with herpes . . . I have a friend who is HIV+ and also has herpes -- he ended up in the hospital for two weeks with no feeling in his legs because the herpes that was dormant in his spinal cord flared up. So, some STDs do present issues that simple antibiotics don't help.

Even with the STDs that are easily treatable, it's not always a minor things. Some strains of HPV (the virus that causes genital warts) also cause cancer -- so even after your doctor burns the wart off with acid (or freezes it off with liquid nitrogen)--a process which I can tell you from first hand experience may require weekly or bi-weekly appointments for months--you still remain at risk for genital, anal, or oral cancer (depending on where you had the wart).

A friend who was a medical student in NYC (so he knew better) thought he had an eye infection, but it progressed very quickly and within a day or two it got so bad that he couldn't open the eye -- when he went to the doctor, they told him that he had gonorrhea in his eye and that if he had waited another day to go in they would likely have removed his eye. Likewise, syphillis can have major effects if not treated.

So, in some senses, HIV is no bigger worry than the other STDs that are "nothing to worry about."

Sorry to be a downer.

I agree 100%, which is why I try to take other precautions against other STI's.

The big thing with HIV is that it predisposes you to pretty much every other illness out there. Have HIV? the herpes flare ups will be worse, got HPV like pretty much every gay man does? There is more of a chance of side effects, etc, etc.

One of my friends who was diagnosed HIV+ last year also ended up with early stage anal cancer, most likely brought on by his initial infection. He had the HPV, but his HIV infection and compromised immune system allowed it to progress. He is fine after a minor outpatient procedure, but still he's 27, and already had a cancer scare and HIV.

Herpes especially is a tough one. Lots of people have it, but many don't know it, and many don't get symptoms. Also its becoming more common to see HSV1 infections on genitals. HSV1 is the cold sore virus. Also many doctors wont test for herpes unless there is an outbreak because the tests are not that reliable, and it is considered a self limiting illness.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

one additional reason to be interested in otherI is that they can reduce effectiveness of antivirals (for HIV treatment and PrEP.)

So during those infections, or even garden variety colds, risk increases.

[Poz1956]

One of my friends who was diagnosed HIV+ last year also ended up with early stage anal cancer, most likely brought on by his initial infection. He had the HPV, but his HIV infection and compromised immune system allowed it to progress. He is fine after a minor outpatient procedure, but still he's 27, and already had a cancer scare and HIV.

There are Sooo many parts of that statement that are not quite right.

The cancer was caused by the HPV, not his HIV. Very unlikely he got both at the same time. Most gay guys get exposed to HPV within the first couple of years after they start playing. The 18 or less crowd, or those just out of the closet, should consider getting vaccinated against HPV as soon as possible.

If his immune system was seriously compromised by the time of his HIV diagnosis, he, like most of the rest of you, wasn't getting tested often enough. If you're BBing get tested every three months like clockwork! Top - Bottom - Doesn't matter -- Every Three Months! The full suite of tests for all the STIs

It's not like you come in contact with HIV, and then next day the immune system is completely destroyed. For most, it takes years to reach the point where the immune system is considered compromised (ie a CD4 count of less than 200). Of course your friend could have been doing lots of other stuff with negative impacts on his immune system -- Drugs, Not eating right, Not sleeping enough, and getting very little exercise.

It's just as likely that your friend already had the HPV caused cancer, which could have affected his immune system, and the rectal cancer also left him at greater risk of catching HIV.

Uniagnosed, and and Untreated, HIV does leave you a higher risk for all the other STI's, and a host of other infections. But under treatment, with a healthy immune system, a guy with HIV isn't at higher risk of catching an STI. With HIV, the STI can progress quicker, and be harder to treat, but that's a totally different matter.

HPV caused rectal cancer rates amongst gay men are hugely on the rise. And yes, docs are recently seeing it a lot more in LONG TERM Poz guys.

Neg or Poz, you really should talk to your doc about getting an anal pap smear test done every year.

[bbboix287]

Just to state. That HPV has many strains. Certain strains, such as 16 and 18, give cancer. The strains that give genitals warts (6 or 8, and 11) do not give cancer. If you have warts, you don't have the strain that gives you cancer. That being said, you CAN have multiple strains of HPV. When I found out I have the wart causing strain (So far being wart free for 3 months) I immediately took the vaccination, so not to catch another strain. And this strain was caught BEFORE i started barebacking on and off.

BTW, Anal Pap smears aren't really FDA approved yet. Men can't really get pap smears to check for cancerous strains of HPV. This is what I've been told by my doctor.

[TigerMilner]

BTW, Anal Pap smears aren't really FDA approved yet. Men can't really get pap smears to check for cancerous strains of HPV. This is what I've been told by my doctor.

Not sure whether the FDA has approved them or not but there is plenty of information online that proves that Anal Pap Smears are effective in detecting pre-cancerous growths and are recommended for men who are bottoms. Once a year if HIV positive, every three years if negative and if you have had anal warts. Not all doctors are as up to date as other ones. Shop around and find one that gives better advice.

http://www.cancer-network.org/cancer_information/gay_men_and_cancer/anal_cancer_hiv_and_gay_men.php

[Poz1956]

And the CDC has been recommending anal pap smears since 2010.

HPV DNA screening of the rectum is not recommended. I wonder if that's what you saw?

[seb537]

I recently got a bad strain of HPV (apparently quite common around here), had to get the warts removed surgically under complete anesthesia. Warts can be pre-cancerous as mine were. It can be pretty hard for the surgeon to remove everything because he cannot necessarily see everything that's happening in your rectum, they had to rip big areas of skin to make sure it won't appear again. They will still have to put me under sleep again to check. 

 

If I needed one thing to convince me chasing should just be a fantasy that was it to be honest. 

[gngbngslut]

I actually just spoke to my doctor the other day about my risk for anal cancer. I was concerned because I had had a flare up of warts around and in my anus (small ones, hardly noticeable). I had used Aldara cream on them and they cleared up nicely. I asked him for an anal pap and he said that I couldn't get one. I live in NZ where procedures have to be approved by the health board before they are subsidized by the government. There just isn't enough empirical evidence to suggest that getting anal paps reduce cancer risk. Part of the reason for this, as my doctor explained, is that a pap can come back as 'abnormal' when the HPV virus is detected, even though there's no pre-cancerous growth. The current practice is to then burn off warts, which is very damaging to the anus, even though they may not be cancerous. He said that a digital rectal exam is sufficient to test for lumps and bumps inside the anus that may need to be biopsied. 

 

I called the American Cancer Society's free hotline to get a second opinion and the specialist there concurred with my doctor, that there really isn't enough evidence to show that a pap is useful except to show that you have HPV or warts and may be susceptible to anal cancer.

 

The advice I received mirrors my own experience with HPV. I've had two outbreaks of warts since I tested HIV+ in 2006. During my first outbreak I had an anal pap that came back abnormal and a proctologist suggested I get them burned off. He gave me the option to wait and see, and that's what I did. An anal pap I had a few years later came back normal. So, it seems that HPV is a condition that can come and go, just as my doctor here in NZ explained to me, and its presence doesn't necessarily mean cancer. It's important to be cognizant of what's going on around your anus and get any abnormalities checked out. Even if it makes you uncomfortable.

 

In the United States medical care is for profit, so the more procedures they can do to you, the more they can bill your insurance. Sometimes that motive comes into conflict with doing what's really best or most effective for the patient.

 

As far as other STD's are concerned, just get checked up regularly, every 3 months if you're barebacking a lot. A lot of the reasons why STIs turn into horror stories is because people are too embarrassed to get checked up regularly, especially when testing positive for an STI usually comes with a healthy dose of slut shaming and condom preaching. That's why it's also important to find a doctor who understands gay men's health issues.

 

It's also important to look at your overall health. Eat properly, exercise, stay away from drugs and tobacco. And for God's sake stop consuming so much added sugar! 

[Guest AnalKinkySlut]

Tbh I think the worry for STI's is underestimated. Ok let's say most of us are POZ, that can be treatable. In other cases preventable with regards to PreP. HPV is one example that is common in pretty much everyone sexually active, but other STI's don't have to be transmitted. If you have it, abstain from sex untill you are cured. Obviously with regards to genital herpes disclousure is prefferd, it's not something that I'd like to catch. If you suffer from something, cure it, then start to play again, just dont ignore it and infect anyone else willy nilly.

[bearbandit]

Syphilis can have a synergistic effect with HIV - ie each encourages the other to be more destructive. There are strains of gonorrhoea that are resistant to all antibiotics bar one. HPV is certainly a causative factor in anal cancer, which is more common in men with HIV than HIV- men. You don't even have to have sex to get herpes: I had cold sores when I was a kid and the virus migrated to the other end of my digestive tract in the early days. It lasted six months defying 2 grams of acyclovir per day. The only time my ass was comfortable was when riding my bike because that spread my legs sufficiently for the lesions not to rub against each other.

There are also a host of intestinal parasites which can cause the proverbial V&D (vomiting and diarrhoea) as well as sapping all your energy because you either can't keep food down or it goes straight through, and of course men with HIV are more likely to get them if they're playing in the "right" conditions (ie going from ass to ass without washing between). Giardasis, shigella etc are now considered STIs in the UK. Even genital thrush, which men with diabetes are very prone to, is sexually transmissible.

Read a site that's good on STIs and it's easy to leave it thinking "from now on it's my right hand and porn". Get checked regularly (at least every three months, more frequently if you have the sort of sex life some guys here profess to have), and always finish the entire course of meds if you have anything. Too many guys think that they'll save money by stopping the treatment as soon as the symptoms have gone so they can take the rest "next time". False economy: whatever it is, the general rule is that it's down but not out when symptoms stop. A few weeks later guess what makes a come-back?

[Poz1956]

In the United States medical care is for profit, so the more procedures they can do to you, the more they can bill your insurance. Sometimes that motive comes into conflict with doing what's really best or most effective for the patient.

 

At least in the part of Canada I live in, they consider anal PAP smears a worthwhile test to run on Poz guys.  Since we also have a socialized medical system, the test must have value to the patient's health, or they wouldn't be doing it.  In the US, the CDC has recommended anal PAP smears for gay men for several years.

[Giftundpozempfangb]

If I sex I think do not have to follow, if so what happens there.