Did I make a mistake on holiday?

My Mycoplasma genitalium Story of STD Tests

Is It driving me insane?

UPDATE: 16th January?

Writing this for anyone who comes across this post in case it can help. I got a Mycoplasma test. It was positive. I showed my STD test report to my GP, and he gave me some treatments. Moxi treatment didn’t work. Afterwards, I was prescribed 14 days of Minocycline followed by 10 days of Pristinamycin combined with Doxycycline. Following this course of six, I still didn’t feel any better for a while.

However, happily, my symptoms have improved slowly but surely since the Pris course; overall, I feel dramatically better (no more burning or pain). Some very slight symptoms persist. My TOC has been delayed as I am still overseas for work, but I will be tested on 28th January. My Fingers crossed. Will update after my TOC.

UPDATE 2: I’ve tested negative for mycoplasma since the Pris course. The first test was on January 28th, 7 weeks out from antibiotics. I’ve finally cleared it; if anyone has any questions, please message me, and I will try to help.

The curse

UPDATE 3: 24th November 2020 – Editing this a final time in the hope it can bring some hope to anyone who comes across this and may be trying to treat a complicated multi-antibiotic resistant strain of Mgen. It’s been 10 months since I got an STD lab test result that was negative (28th January 2020). The lingering residual symptoms I had took 3 to 4 months to clear completely. I’ve now had 7 months of being 100% symptom-free and feeling 100% like myself again. I have had 3 negative Mycoplasma PCR tests spaced out over multiple months, so I feel comfortable that I am clear of the infection. Happy to be out the other side of this nightmare of an experience. As I said in the last update, feel free to DM me if you are reading this and need advice. Over and out.

I’m writing this for anyone else who gets this nasty, increasingly drug-resistant bug and (like me) can’t find any proper advice or similar experiences.

So, first of all, how has this STD not been discussed more? There is a wealth of up-to-date info on STDs, such as Chlamydia, but I can hardly find any relevant proper information on Mgen. It has been known since 1981… I am not over the top when I say that Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) has turned my life completely upside down. The scary thing is that in my experience, most doctors have NO idea what Mgen is, let alone how to treat it properly…

A little background:

Male

175cm

70kg

Australian

In August, I had a one-night stand (female) in Vietnam, unprotected sex. So yes, I take full responsibility, knowing I brought this on myself by doing something stupid and risky.

In September, I returned to Australia and started to experience symptoms with my penis. Constant watery and milky discharge. I got an STD Full test locally as the symptoms got worse. An INTENSE itchiness inside my penis and especially at the tip. It feels like one of those hairy caterpillars is wriggling inside my dick. Red/inflamed at the opening of my penis. I went to my first doctor, who said it was most likely Chlamydia. I took a urine sample kit, which tested for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Mycoplasma genitalium. Now, this is where things get frustrating.

My first doctor read my results and said that I had tested positive for Chlamydia ONLY. Little did I know till later that he had made an error, and I had also had another Mycoplasma Test, which was positive for Mgen. I do not know how he even made that mistake when everything was right before him. In a way, I was relieved. Take this one dose of 1g Azithromycin, and my symptoms would disappear, and I could get on with my life! So I did just that, and within a week, I was completely symptom-free. Fast-forward two weeks, and I was back at the doctor as all of my symptoms had come completely back. I have abstained from sex over this whole period since diagnosis, so re-infection by sleeping with an infected partner is not a possibility.

Another one

I took another urine test, and afterwards, a different doctor read my results and said that not only had I still tested positive for Chlamydia. On this second test, but on the first test, I also tested positive for Mycoplasma genitalium. I was given 7 days of Doxycycline 200mg and another dose of 1g Azithromycin to treat both. This was a complete mistake. This second doctor had given me my correct test results but had neglected to read that my strain of Mgen was “macrolide-resistant”.

This means that Azithromycin did and would do anything to treat my strain of Mgen. Doxycycline was the first antibiotic that helped my symptoms. Unfortunately, this antibiotic has become too weak to eradicate Mgen by itself. Hence, it only helps by lowering the “bacterial load” of Mgen, which then can let a subsequent antibiotic successfully eradicate Mgen (hopefully).

I finished the Doxycycline (I enjoyed the 7 days of being symptom-free and feeling like I had eradicated this thing; this also finally cured the Chlamydia), and then, like clockwork, my symptoms came rushing back in full force. Back to the doctor! I was then given 7 days of 200mg of Doxycycline and 7 days of 400mg of Moxifloxacin.

At last

I finished my last Moxi pill three days ago, and I can feel my symptoms coming back again. This means I’m now looking at going on the last known way to eradicate this. Off to an infectious disease specialist and then 10 days of another (extremely expensive) anti-biotic called Pristinamycin (I don’t think you can’t even get this in America. Luckily, in Australia, you can go to a specialised Chemist to obtain it, but again, it is going to be super expensive) combined with 10 days of Doxycycline 200mg (trying not to think about what all these anti-biotics are doing to my body…).

After all that

And that’s it. This STD Panel Test Kit that no one is even talking about has one last line of defence, and then it is essentially incurable. Again, how is this not a bigger thing in the world of STDs!? Luckily I can afford Pristinamycin, but if someone caught this resistant strain of Mgen and they couldn’t, then they would have to live with these shitty symptoms for the conceivable future and also risk spreading it to more people…

Moral of the story. Wear a fucking condom. I’ve practised safe sex my entire life (in my late twenties). The ONE time (not exaggerating) I decided to risk things, I contracted this shitty thing. I’m not sure if it’s because I caught this particularly nasty strain picked up in a Mycoplasma genitalium Test. The majority of people who get it have no symptoms at all in Vietnam. There, rampant misuse of antibiotics is making regional superbugs or whether this STD has become even more increasingly resistant over the past year.

But trust me, Mgen is not worth catching. I used to think if, on the odd chance, I did catch a disease again and I needed another STD home Test, it wouldn’t be a big deal because a simple course of pills would solve everything. But I’ve now been on antibiotics for two and a half months with no sign of getting rid of this thing at all.

The symptoms are the worst aspect, a burning pain inside my penis during and after urinating. Also, a red/inflamed opening of my penis, watery discharge and the ITCH, god, the itch is the worst part.

Again, wear a condom.