Misdiagnosis of STD

Just wanted to share a misdiagnosis scare I had once. I'm a married male who doesn't mess around and I recently got a blistery, itching rash in my anal area, which extended from my tailbone, all the way down to just slightly under my testicles (but not on the testicles or penis). It was most itchy around the anus. Since the itch was out of control, and my normal dermatologist was not in for several days, I went with a new dermatologist I had never seen before, who was able to squeeze me in that day. Big mistake!

After barely looking at my butt, he was quick to prescribe acyclovir, which is an anti-viral medication. In the office, I suggested to him that I believed it was fungal, and that since being on an antibiotic treatment for several months, a few years back, that when I finished with an antibitotic, I was susceptible to getting anal yeast infections after stopping the meds. This time, though, it was a lot worse. He had shrugged this off and said he believed it may be a little fungal, but believed it was viral. He never mentioned anything STD related, and gave me the RX and I was out of his office within 5 quick minutes. What he said really didn't hit me yet.

At this point, I really didn't know the deal, or really correlate it to an STD, until I picked up the prescription, then went home and checked the internet about the medicine, only to find it was for shingles and herpes releted viral infections! I started going crazy, wondering how the heck I could have caught this viral infection! I had been in the hospital for kidney stone treatment, and was going crazy wondering if I had caught something during my time there, as I new in my personal life that I would not have encountered such a virus.

After being very frustrated, and feeling in the dumps, thinking I had some STD for life, I took the acyclovir for about 5 days, and there was absolutely no change, in fact, it had gotten worse. I then was able to get in to see my usual dermatologist, who I trust and had seen for countless years. He took one look, asked what the other doctor gave me for medication, and when I told him he said "throw that medicine away, you just wasted your time and money ... you don't have a viral infection, it's fungal". He treated it with some cream, gave me two creams to apply during the day, and in two days of using them, it was clearing up considerably.

This was absolutely a disgusting misdiagnosis, not to mention I am taking anti-viral meds for a fungal infection that it was not even going to work on. Not to mention the look the young girl at the pharmacist gave me after filling that the acyclovir, and I couldn't understand until later. Luckily, I stopped at a pharmacy I never go to, in another town that day. Safe to say, that doctor will never be used by me again! I should have sued just for the embarassment alone, never mind popping pills I don't need. Luckily for him, I am not that type of person.

If it makes you feel any better, about ten years ago a doctor told me that a non symmetrical bump on my labia was a mucosal wart, and that it should go away on its own eventually. Fast forward ten years, and I've been abstinent for about six years since a divorce, for varying reasons including thinking I had genital wartiness, though not HPV.

I finally say screw it and go back to the OB/GYN. I'd been examined by numerous doctors over the years who'd all agreed with the initial diagnosis, that I had warty wart nastiness on me. The OB/GYN says it is not a wart, just regular assymetrical tissue. He does a biopsy to verify his opinion.

Needless to say, the next time I saw him he sort of did an I told you so dance :) around the room, as the sample came back normal. I wasn't sure if that made me lucky or not. I'd believed I had an STD for ten years because that's what the doctors said, and I never had one. :-/