Syphilis had me in the hospital for a week.

[tin]

People tend to glamorize BB sex, downplay the complications - so figured I'd share a story from the 'shit isn't always easy' side, and frankly - has made me decide to go back to monogamy for the time being. It wasn't often that me and my BF fucked around outside of the relationship, was more of a 'once in a blue moon' thing, so not going to miss it much.

Also, this wasn't a typical reaction to Syphilis - my BF got the pretty standard reaction to it, where as I ended up sick as hell.

It started a few weeks ago - I had a busy week at work, a few 12hr days in a row. Thursday rolls around before a long weekend and I started to feel a little run down - but figured I had just burnt myself out from the week and didn't think much of it. Grabbed a bottle of wine on the way in from work, had one glass then passed out complaining about a sore stomach.

Friday I wake up feeling awful - it sort of felt like a flu, but also had a 'something different' to it - I know what a flu/fever feels like, food poisoning, having a cold - in all the ways I know 'what feeling sick' feels like, this didn't really fit in. I'd drink water, and start burping it up immediately, couldn't keep food down, and pretty much slept all day - and I was like this all weekend without any real imporvement. Monday rolls by, I wake up feeling awful still - call into work sick and drag my ass to a walk in clinic.

The doctor couldn't make sense of my symptoms, orders some blood work and a urine test - while giving the urine sample I notice some red spots on my penis, I point them out to the doctor and he was dismissive of them and said "They just look like friction". But, he did notice that I was starting to jaundiced, and also ordered an Ultra sound. For some reason though, a full STD screen was not a part of this blood work.

That Monday night, I probably felt the most awful I have felt in ages - it felt like my body was shutting down on me. Stomach pains, sweats, dizzy, confused, and just 'wrong' in a way that I couldn't pin point. On Wednesday, I head back to the walk in clinic to get my results - while waiting in the waiting room my family doctor calls me (had the results forwarded to him, but he was out of the office that week) and suggested that I go to ER. My liver levels were through the roof - the normal range is like 7-56, I was over 2,000. He said I should be prepared to spend the night there. At this point, I could barely stand up for 5 minutes without getting sweaty, dizzy, gross feeling -- but I head back home, pack up a bag and head to the ER.

They ended up admitting me, asked me about my sexual past - again, despite being honest about being in a non-monogamous relationship and having unprotected sex, a full STD screen wasn't done. I guess they were just focused on my liver - and kept doing all sorts of tests for hepatitis.

Over the next few days - they did every test for hep - hep A,B,C autoimmune, viral, bacterial, reaction to medications, etc - and everything came back negative and they were getting stumped and my liver levels were still through the roof. On my 3rd or so day in the hospital - I start to break out in a rash along my arms. Wasn't a raised rash, wasn't itchy - and they thought maybe it was shingles or something. They moved me to a private room because I was a 'contact risk', and booked me for a liver biopsy.

A few more days, a few more tests - they were still stumped - but the rash had started to spread to my trunk and /finally/ they decided to do a syphilis test, which came back positive. Since the antibodies or whatever were so high in my system - and how aggressively it seemed to be affecting me, they were worried it might have progressed to neurosyphilis and I had to get a spinal tap/lumbar puncture done. That.fucken.sucked - my body broke out in crazy sweats, I just wanted to vomit the entire time - it was awful. Thankfully the spinal tap came back clear - as if it had progressed to Neurosyphilis I'd be looking at another 2 weeks in the hospital on an antibiotic IV drip.

They had warned me I might get a headache after - I thought they meant 'immediately after', but no - apparently it was 'the next day after, and it might last for a week' - I was discharged the day after that (and after getting a shot of penicillin in the ass - 2 more to go), and today is the first day since then (almost a week ago) that I've been able to sit at my computer without getting a massive headache within minutes.

Basically, the syphilis hit my liver and gave me hepatitis - spread aggressively fast and knocked me out for quite a bit. I've now missed 3 weeks of work, spent a week in the hospital. I wish they had done a full STD screen when admitting me to the hospital, but that would have only shaved a few days off of the whole ordeal.

This isn't a typical reaction to syphilis - my BF just got a sore on his penis that started to go away almost as quickly as it came with no other symptoms - but it really did a number on me.

Frankly, I'm tired of every time I fuck around feeling like I'm dodging a bullet - and glad it ended up not being Hep-C. After dealing with this, I never want to have to go through anything like that again - and back to being monogamous with my boyfriend.

[wood]

Thanks for posting. I think many on here dont understand that even regular STD's can be a royal bitch. Im not saying we are all going to stop playing bare, but they can really suck too.

[sweetbitch]

I'm sorry, of course, but do you know why a common infection had such unusual effects on your body? I live with a chronic disease and am told that STD's could exacerbate it.

[tin]

I'm sorry, of course, but do you know why a common infection had such unusual effects on your body? I live with a chronic disease and am told that STD's could exacerbate it.

I am HIV+, but on meds with a decent CD4 count. My BF was infected also - but just had bit of a red rash on his penis for a few days and no other issues. The best reason that the docs could give me is that it ended up hitting my liver - combined with being HIV+, caused it to progress really, really quickly.

None of the doctors had even seen a secondary-infection (body rash) in person before, let alone at the same time as primary infection symptoms + the hepatitis that it caused.

Typically if Syphilis does affect your liver enzymes - it's a moderate increase - the normal level is between 7-56, if raised due to syphilis - it's usually into the hundreds or something. For me, it spiked over 2,000 and that is what had them really stumped at the start.

[Walkerth139]

Interesting, I had a similar incident. Except that it hit my kidneys. Felt like shit and had pitting edema, my ankles were so swollen they hurt. They gave me red contrast dye before a test (red contrast die can cause your kidneys to shut down) they kept me in the hospital for 4 days dealing with the contrast dye issue (antidote tasted like sulfur). Finally did a syph test and gave me pills ( I'm allergic to penicillin). 1 month off work and I was fine. My doctor had never seen syph manifest in this way.

[wolf]

when my bf and I used to fool around we'd hit the clinic for tests monthly, symptoms or not. Between you and me, the fact that more guys than ever are fucking raw only means there are that many more mutations of things to pick up. Antibiotic resistance is a scary concept. There's already a strain of gonorrhea they can't treat. That means you have to ride it out. Fortunately, the clap usually does run its course. I'm not looking forward to finding syphilis has gone resistant, that one can kill you after it's finished disfiguring you and making you crazy.

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade. I've had A LOT of seriously anonymous gang bangs and loads crammed up my ass. But stay on top of your risks and watch for infections. Acting fast may be your only defense.

I have the good fortune of having a gay GP who knows the ins and outs of my sex life, drug use and health... He screens me automatically every time I have blood work done for everything (including all STD's, meningitis, parasites... you name it...) a little prevention goes a long way dudes.

[Hotload84]

Sorry to hear of the diagnosis, Tin, but I'm glad your physician finally thought to check for the possibility of syphilis. I've never come down with that malady or HEP-C, but the thought of such is decidedly enough to give me second thoughts about letting my 'inner slut' go rampant.