Got tested for STIs

[Yoda90]

I'm sorry that this will be a long post.

I just got back from an STI test but they could only test me for gonorrhoea, chlamydia, HIV and syphillus. They could not check for trich or BV (not enough facilities) so I have to go to my doctor. I've never had unprotected sex. Except I've given oral unprotected though to my one partner. However they couldn't test my mouth I have to ask the doctor for that.

I had to fill in a sheet of my symptoms. After the lady reading the list and telling the lady I was treated for thrush in December (but had no pessaries), the lady said it's probably yeast. I said my symptoms aren't consistent but she said that it is fine it can come and go? I'm on birth control, the combined pill.
I have increased discharge sometimes (the lady said i was ovulating, I didn't know you could ovulate while on birth control?). I posted on here a few weeks ago and said that it sometimes looks like I have a huge buildup of smegma and it itches. I notice itches also when there is no discharge and I know the pill can cause dryness. However these symptoms seem to happen after sex. Safe sex, though.

My problem is I now have to wait two weeks and I can't get away from the anxiety thinking it's worse. I don't know how I'm going to act normal/be happy when I have to wait two weeks. my worries are that I could have trich (because I hear symptoms for that also come and go) or an sti of the throat. I've given oral to my bf before and haven't worried about it. It's literally only the last week I've been thinking I had symptoms of an STI in the throat. I've never been worried about an STI of the throat, until my last time doing oral on my boyfriend (Saturday). 20 hours later my throat felt cold but I thought that's too soon to develop an STI. My throat stopped feeling like that but it's doing it again today. It's not necessarily even a sore throat? Idk maybe I've had to clear my throat a few times. And last night I had a painless ulcer in my mouth but it has healed already.

I don't know what I can do. I'll try to get a doctors appointment ASAP so I don't have to wait even longer.

I've always suffered with anxiety and I'm really hoping I'm being a hypochondriac in this case. I feel very upset and scared

[Yoda90]

Oh one more question:
Can you have a sti infection of the mouth at the beginning of the week, but towards the end of the week the symptoms calm down? Can an sti of the mouth go away in its own, and if so can it do it that quickly?

[Onionpie]

Hi Yoda90! You're right that you do not ovulate when you're on the pill -- that information the person provided was false.

However, it sounds like you may indeed have a yeast infection, as the symptoms you're describing fit that, and it also can sort of "come and go" in a sense if it goes untreated -- sometimes symptoms will worsen, and sex does tend to increase irritation with a yeast infection. However, we can't tell you for sure, that is something that only a doctor will be able to tell you once they have run the tests.

Symptoms of an STI anywhere, including your throat, wouldn't show up within hours of infection. But participating in unprotected sex of any kind does pose some risk of STI so getting tested regularly is always a good call. However -- you've done everything you can do here, you're getting tested. So it really is just about waiting. And I hear you that waiting that long for results when you're anxious is hard. Do you have any established coping methods that work for you? Is there anything you usually do to calm yourself down? We also have a list of resources here that you may find helpful:
Anxiety and Other Mental Health Resources

[Yoda90]

Hi Onionpie!
Thank you for your reply.
Im not really sure if I have any coping methods, I know for sure that I'm not doing so well coping. But as you say, I can only wait. And eventually I do become calm. It's a cycle, I am unhappy, then calm, then unhappy again. Thank you for that resource I will check that out. I'm actually on the waiting list for therapy right now.

Since you say I could'nt have produced symptoms of an STI in my throat that early, and I sort of thought that before you told me (I just thought I'd check), I'm going to assume the feeling in my throat is just coincidental. I thought to myself it was irritation from foods. It actually went away for two days and now it is back. I feel a bit concerned by that. if I hadn't of had this worry in my head, I wouldn't think anything of it. Perhaps from a physical examination a doctor would be able to say if there was an infection. I'm not saying it is, but yes, I have done the typical googling of symptoms, and it looks like the visual symptoms of a throat infection can look really obvious. All I'm saying is - if a doctor looks at me and says it LOOKS okay, but does the testing, then that may give me peace of mind while waiting for results. I can't know myself, only the doctor can. I know the body is a strange thing, but I can't help but think I have bumps on the back of my throat. However I kinda think I've noticed this in the past before I was sexually active.

I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up, just in case

[Sam W]

Hi Yoda,

If you' feel like you don't have a ton of coping methods to draw from, you may be able to find at least a few here: Self-Care a La Carte
And long-distance high-five for getting on the waiting list for therapy. That's a huge step to take in looking after yourself.

With your throat, even if it's not an STI, if the pain or irritation is not going away or increases in intensity, it's a good idea to check in with a healthcare provider to see what might be causing it (though you're right that sometimes irritation can come from eating a certain thing, or sometimes from being in a certain place)

[Yoda90]

Hi, I thought I'd update
I went to my GP today since the lady last night told me I could be tested for yeast and BV by my GP, as she couldn't do that. I rang the receptionist for my doctors and the receptionist knew what my reasons for going were. However when I got there, the doctor was very annoyed and told me he isn't qualified to test for STIs, even though I'd mentioned yeast. He said I should've gone to the gum clinic. But I'm very annoyed that the receptionist couldn't tell me that he is not qualified. I asked the doctor if he would look at my throat to see if it looked healthy and he wouldn't. Sore throats are caused by many things, and he is a GP so how come he didn't check?

I'm so upset by this. Fair enough I wasted his time but I was provided false information and he knew that and I don't think he should have been that way with me.

I started my period today so I don't think I can get tested in the next week, can I?

[Carmen]

Hi Yoda90,

Ugh! It is so frustrating how difficult people can make our efforts to take care of ourselves... I am sorry you had such a bad experience with the doctor Are there any other resources you have in mind as of now? Maybe you could check back in with the lady you mentioned in your first post and tell her what happened and ask for an alternative resource?

In terms of getting tested on your period, it can depend on the specific test, the doctor, and how heavy or light your flow is, so I'd recommend just calling the clinic and asking them.

[Yoda90]

Hi again!
So, I after going to the clinic and only being tested for a few things, then going to the GP and being sent to the GUM clinic, I finally got to the GUM clinic and there was only one nurse available so I couldn't be tested!!

I got the results back just fine for my previous tests but I wasn't that worried for them because I was protected. My main motive was because I had a sore throat (again, 20 hours after 'exposure') - and it lasted for a week. There were no other symptoms and it freaked me out as I'd read online that gonorrhoea etc mostly doesn't really have any other symptoms, or any at all. I can go to the clinic on Monday but since my sore throat is pretty much gone - is there a chance my body could have fought off the STI ? I really think it's important to known if it was an STI but now I'm worried it's too late to find out ...

Edit-
Bearing in mind, I know that it wouldn't really be possible to develop symptoms after just 20 hours... and a week, surely mustn't be enough time for the body to fight off an STI? im just hoping I'm right in saying this

[Karyn]

You're right that symptoms of pretty much any infection wouldn't show up that fast, but since you're still worried about this and feel like testing would help ease that worry, I think it's a good idea to see if you can get it done. There's really just no way to know what the cause of your sore throat was, although if it was due to gonorrhoea, it's not that likely that your body would clear it on its own, and you'd probably still be having symptoms.

I also want to check in with you about the anxiety you mentioned in your first post: are you getting any mental healthcare around that? (I ask because it sounds like this whole situation is really stressing you out, and while health concerns can be stressful, I'm hearing a level of anxiety in your posts that I'm wondering if you need some extra help dealing with.)

[Yoda90]

Hi
Thank you, I should be getting tested on Monday.
In terms of mental health care, I'm just waiting on counselling. I've been on the waiting list since early December so I'm not sure how long it'll be before I can go. I just turned up to the service and had an assessment to see if I needed counselling. I've never actually been diagnosed with anything, despite always being anxious, so I'm not sure if I'd need to see a doctor for that. I suppose it depends on the counsellors qualifications.

[Karyn]

Counselling is a good first step, so fingers crossed you get an appointment soon! If, when you do see a counsellor, they think you should also see a doctor, that's something that can be discussed at the time and it will really depend on what they think the issue is.