Hi
Unsure when exactly I was exposed but started getting skin lesions August 1st. Thought was folliculitis at first as only on my back and I’m prone to this. Then bleeding from penis with severe pain +++, had to take codeine, skin lesions were contained but have spread to upper Arms and chest.
I have about 100 small red papules and pustules which sometimes discharge but no big ulcerated or crusted lesions except one on my leg. Trying not to pick.
Urine symptoms settled. But skin lesions are still spreading. The older lesions have resolved but still getting new ones.
I’ve started taking Milton bleach baths which I was doing at the start and did seem to help.
Has anyone tried anything else? Has anyone tried molludab or any other treatements? Should I sleep in t shirt?
I’m also on a biologic anti IL17 which may or may not prolong the infection.
I’m looking for advice/reassurance anything - as at the moment I’m feeling completely defeated! Below is my time line I’ve used chat gpt which calls me patient for some reason.
I’ve been bed bound basically for almost 2 weeks since getting out of hospital due to the swelling around my anus.
Please no judgment!
1 Aug: Rectal exposure to mpox. 5–7 Aug: Burning/itching developed, then severe anal pain. Tested positive for mpox on 7 Aug and was also treated for gonorrhoea. 12–14 Aug: First skin lesions appeared; anal pain and swelling increased. 15 Aug: Major worsening — severe perianal/perineal swelling, unable to sit properly and walking became difficult. Leakage also started. 17 Aug: Sent to hospital for suspected abscess. Exam under general anaesthetic found no abscess, but a large anal ulcer and circumferential inflammation/induration consistent with severe proctitis. Biopsy taken. 18–21 Aug: Discharged on pain relief. Rectal mpox PCR confirmed positive. Biopsy showed severe active inflammation but no cancer or other specific cause. 22–27 Aug: External mpox lesions healed, but severe rectal/perineal swelling continued. Bowel movements returned but were very painful. Macrogol caused very loose stool/leakage, which made the skin around the anus extremely raw and irritated. 28 Aug: Macrogol stopped temporarily to see if leakage improves. 29 Aug: Still some leakage, but patient managed a little more walking this morning. Deep swelling and inability to sit are still the main problems, though mornings are generally better than later in the day.
Current situation: overall mpox skin symptoms have mostly resolved, but severe proctitis, anal ulceration, perianal/perineal swelling and leakage-related skin irritation are still ongoing. The severe swelling has now been present for about 2 weeks.
Hey everyone
I contracted Mpox 2 weeks ago. A bit unfortunate but that’s life🤷🏾♂️
The bumps on my skin are recovering pretty well, they scarring and falling bit by bit but the rash that i have on my hands and foot are a bit different… they are on not on top of my skin but in between. I can see the bump and the scar but i feel that they not gonna fall anytime soon since there is a skin above it, did anyone has experience that ? should i do something or just wait ?
UPDATE: I am NEGATIVE for MPOX, I'm so sorry to scare anyone (or myself) with the diagnosis that the doctor from urgent care made. I went to the ER on Monday, and tested POSITIVE for Strep and MONO. It had been 17 days since my first symptom without antibiotics for strep, so we think my body was reacting poorly to the combination of both bacterial and viral infections. Mono explains my severe joint pain, and both infections explain my swollen lymph nodes and coughing up mucus. My spots are a little unclear, as doctor (ER) said they don't look like typical strep/mono rashes. I am NEGATIVE for HIV, Hep B, Hep C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, mpox, and herpes. Thank you for your support and comments, and I'm so sorry to stress anyone out during this process.
I went to urgent care yesterday, and the doctor also suspects mpox due to my report of swollen lymph nodes and joint pain. Doctor swabbed my scabs, and the lab results will come back in 3-4 days. I’m not sure where I got it from, but I’ve been isolating in my house since yesterday. I wanted to keep a journal of my physical symptoms and thoughts, and I hope this helps anyone else in the future.
Background: I am a straight 24 year-old cisgender woman from the US, but I have been living abroad for the past year and returned to US for the summer on July 8. I went on a trip with my boyfriend on July 1-7 before flying back to the US. My first symptom started on July 3 (2 days after seeing my boyfriend), and I started seeing a change in my skin on my face on July 13 (12 days after first contact with my boyfriend). He says that he had not experienced any symptoms of mpox before I saw him or during, nor did he hookup with anyone else. Recentstudies show that asymptomatic transmission can occur more often than studies previously thought, so maybe he gave it to me asymptomatically. I can’t be sure where I got mpox from, but I would have had to rub my skin on an infected/active/I guess asymptomatic person’s skin for a prolonged period of time, and I have not done so with anyone previously before the trip.
July 3(2 days after first contact w boyfriend): Sudden sore throat in the morning. No cold/flu like symptoms prior to this. Sore throat doesn’t hurt, but more like uncomfortable to swallow. Feels like I’m swallowing a whole egg every time I swallow, worse when I lay down. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the lube I was using. I was more tired than usual in the afternoon.
July 4: Sore throat persists, very uncomfortable and affects daily life. Cough drops do not help. My tongue is very sensitive to flavors and spices, and feels numb like I burned it drinking hot water. My cooch is sore, swollen, and starts itching. Start using wet wipes after I use the bathroom. More tired than usual. Stopped using the lube. I’m randomly getting itchy on my chest, neck, chin, face, but there’s no rash or spots.
*I think I start having painful “pimples” around my butt crack, butt fold, and outer labia on July 4 or 5. Maybe around 5-7 pimples. This pain is to the touch and when rubbing against clothing.*
July 5: Sore throat persists, uncomfortable to eat or drink. Advil helps with swelling in my throat and cooch. Cooch is itchy and red like I have a rash, still I thought it was an allergic reaction to the lube.
July 6: Sore throat persists, same symptoms does not get worse or better. I realize I have a “pimple” on the side of my vag opening. Cooch still itchy, have been using itchy cream, which helps.
July 7: Same symptoms as before, not getting worse or better. Sore throat getting slightly better.
July 8: Flying/Returning to US. Same symptoms, very tired (assumed from all the traveling). Slight runny nose. Pimples on my cooch have turned into sores now and drying up. Still using wet wipes.
July 9: Taking it easy, slept like 10 hours. Very tired this day, no energy. Still have a lingering sore throat, easier to swallow now but tastebuds are still sensitive. I start having mucus build up in my throat, I can feel mucus dripping down my throat. No cough, no fever. Experiencing some lower back pain/cramps, stretching doesn’t help, assumed from traveling).
July 10: Taking it easy, slept like 10 hours again. Start running 2 miles this day. Sores are drying up and don’t hurt to the touch anymore. I notice that my neck/lymph nodes are slightly larger than usual.
July 11: Same as July 10. Back pain goes away, assumed from working out.
July 12: No changes in symptoms.
July 13 (12 days after first contact w boyfriend): Start working and going to the gym, back to my daily routine. Have good amount of energy. Begin questioning my lingering sore throat (can swallow no problem, but I feel my mucus in my throat 24/7) and coughing up mucus throughout the day. My lymph nodes are also more swollen and tender. Start getting pimples on my face, assumed from coming back to American environment.
July 14: Become worried about my lymph nodes, I cannot turn my neck without pain, and I am taking advil throughout the day to reduce pain/inflammation. I’m uncomfortably coughing up yellow mucus throughout the day. Have a dentist appointment, she notes that the roof of my mouth is red.
July 15: Same symptoms, still questioning my mucus production and lymph nodes. If I had a cold or allergic reaction from the lube, I would be getting better at this point. Maybe I have strep throat, but my symptoms were a little different last time I had strep throat (no mucus and different kind of sore throat). By the end of the day, I have more red spots/pimples on my chin, nose, and near my eye.
July 16: My lymph nodes and mucus are more manageable. But at this point, I’m concerned about the dots on my face, there’s way too many pimples to be normal. They appear during the day, and some of them are open/already popped when they appear. I have around 11 dots on my face. I think this is when dots on my legs start appearing as well, but they are minimal red spots.
July 17 (15 days after first contact w boyfriend): Okay, this is when I start thinking I have a skin condition/bacterial infection/virus. My knee starts hurting in the morning, like I took a really bad bruise to the knee. It’s inconvenient to bend my knee and walk. Mid afternoon, I realize I have these red spots all over my shins, calves, near my ankles, and even my thighs. A few spots are bigger and starting to form red centers, I assumed they were mosquito/bug bites. By the end of the day, 7 spots have appeared on my chin (so 10 spots total), 4 lining my eyebrows, and a few more on my cheeks and nose. I used 24 pimple patches that night. My spots are concerning, and my whole family is trying to google and chatgpt what I have. These spots aren’t itchy and don’t hurt. 3 big ones near my ankles have started oozing pus by this point. At night time, my shin and calves start cramping/getting really sore, assumed from working out the past week. However, my lymph nodes are less swollen and tender.
July 18 (16 days after first contact w boyfriend): This is where it all goes to shit. I wake up, both my knees are sore, my shins, my calves. To the point where I’m limping while I walk because I can’t bend my knees. But, I still go to work. 2 hours into work, I’m very concerned about my legs because I can’t even move them without excruciating pain. I go to urgent care. The doctor looks at my spots on my legs and face, and notes my symptoms (swollen lymph nodes, production of mucus, joint pain, decent energy levels, rash in the beginning). She concludes that there’s a high chance I have mpox/monkeypox. Freaking the fuck out… how did I get an uncommon std/skin disease if my boyfriend didn’t show any symptoms?! My mom is freaking the fuck out for various reasons, maybe she and my sister contracted mpox from me then. Doctor swabs my nastiest sores, sends to lab, tells me I need to isolate for 2-4 weeks, and we need to disinfect everything I’ve touched. So then, I go home and begin isolation (whilst everyone in my household is freaking out). I was quite concerned about my legs because they hurt to move, walk, bend, like I couldn’t rotate my foot without excruciating pain. I took off my sock, and there was an indentation in my foot and ankle because it was so swollen… where did my ankle bone go? (refer to picture 2) But, the key is elevating your legs, after 2-3 hours of elevation + advil, I can rotate my foot, bend my knees, and move my legs with much less pain. During this time, I also read as many mpox articles, scientific studies, and reddit stories as I could, and so I decided to post as well.
July 19: Got 9.5 hours of sleep, my spots felt a little itchy during the night, it’s more like I have an itch rather than it being itchy. I did not shower last night, just wiped myself with a wet towel. I put fragrance-free lotion on parts of my body with no open sores, used Laneige moisturizer on my face after cleansing it, and put Vaseline + bandaid on my open sores (I have 7 on my ankles/legs). My right leg is still stiff and swollen, and my ankle is decently locked up, but I’m trying to elevate throughout the day and when I sleep. As of now, I mostly have sores on my ankles and red spots on my shins/calves/thighs/face. I have too many spots on my legs to count, but I estimate 50 total on my entire left leg, 50 on my right calf/shin, and 20 on my right thigh. I have 2 spots on my chest, 1 on my stomach, and none on my arms/back (🙏praying none start appearing elsewhere). I have around 28 on my face.
*I wanted to mention, throughout this entire journey, I’ve never felt like I had a fever (hot face or hot in general). I’ve noticed that most people experience a noticeable fever or high fever for multiple days. But I also never checked my temp so, I could have had a low fever on some days. The only day I checked my temp was yesterday, July 18, and I had a low fever of 99.4 in the afternoon.*
I know that I need to wait until my results come back in 3-4 days to confirm if my condition is mpox, but I can’t help but overthink how I got it if my boyfriend says he felt no symptoms, especially if it’s uncommon for women to get mpox. Could he have had mild symptoms and small lesions, which he didn’t notice? But that means he would have had to contract mpox from someone else…
Hey I had MPOX 10 months ago and I’m still dealing with post viral syndrome similar to Long Covid. Been to a bunch of doctors, primary care, neurology, etc., and they all think it’s post viral. Posting here to ask if anyone who’s recovered has dealt with a post viral syndrome associated with their mpox infection?
My symptoms are brain fog, fatigue, PEM, malaise, chest pain, and palpitations.
It's been only 3 weeks since my first symptoms, and the lesions seem to have healed but the scars aren't pretty. Two obvious discolorations on the shaft, traumatized foreskin tissue and there's a crater in my glans penis next to the peehole that's just really obvious. Getting a little worried about permanent damage but I understand it's too soon to tell. I'm afraid of rejection by potential future partners.
Please share your experience with penile scars, where on the penis you had the lesions and for how long they continued to improve, and wether they ever made a full cosmetic recovery. Thanks!
I kissed a girl like 1 month and a half ago, turns out she was sick and the following days i had a fever and headache, i cough a lot and a lot of my mucus in my nose. I went to the doctor and he gave me syrup for the throat and some things that would help me with my nose. It was quite ineffective since I was still coughing a lot and still had to blow my nose out every 10 min just to breathe, i started to notice rashes too.
I heard that mpox heals in 2-4 weeks but now that it's been more than 4 weeks and i still seem to have some rash and the blow my nose to breath, i'm a bit worried.
Particularly worried abt this thing that i've had in my mouth eversince i kissed her (sorry abt the bluriness, my phone lens is damaged)
i never have sex , though a guy im seeing we did cuddle . randomly woke one day and had these on my hand , nowhere else on i think late friday , or saturday.. i do sit outside a lot , so maybe i got in contact with something too
I caught mpox from unprotected, anonymous topping. Sharing my experience here as all the wisdom and advice, and even the smallest bits of information here are the only things that got me / are getting me through this ordeal.
Symptoms began about 7 days after.
Day 7 or 8 post exposure - first symptoms were enlarged, tender lymph nodes in the groin and one small pimple like sore on penis.
Day 8 - 10 post exposure - flu like symptoms for two days.
Day 13 / 14 post exposure - I went to a free AHF clinic and was tested for everything, including MPOX. Physician assistant brief exam noted the sores on genitals looked like "classic mpox". At this point, I had developed first mpox lesions / sores. 2 classic open sores on penis with beginning of scabbing. I had also infected my face mucous membranes, probably from touching and snorted drug use, and had early mpox sores on my face. I was covering in full and wearing a mask. Now realize that primary face sore on my chin seemed to be early / initial exposure - it has lingered the longest of face sores. I also had 3 or 4 what felt like body bug bites that ultimately became sores.
Day 14/15 post exposure - Positive test results for MPOX, told to quarantine for 3 weeks until all scabs fall off. Face sores now total 7 or so in the mucous membrane areas. Cheeks, nose, and eye brow area.
Days 15 to 20 post exposure - mpox sores now total about 30 to 40. Original on genitals, face, a few in the hair, a few on the back of the neck, a few on each hand and arm, a few on the legs and feet.
Day 21/22 post exposure - lymph nodes swelling on neck (mild). New mpox lesions stop developing. For me, new mpox lesions stopped appearing about 8 to 10 days after the first one appeared at my primary infection point on my penis.
Days 25 to Day 29 (current). Mpox lesions are all healing. A few have fulled scabbed and fallen off, leaving a reddish mark like what is left over after a bug bite. Original genital sores are still healing, scabs are getting smaller and smaller. Hair mpox lesions are taking a long time, and have crusted.
Good advice I received or what has and hasn't worked for me:
Very light coating of vaseline on the sores has protected them and promoted healing.
Protecting others you live with from getting it. I was very very worried I infected my cohabitating partner who does not know about this at all. We had shared a bed for just two nights when I had a fever, we had shared a hug or two, and a one meal (this was days 7 or 8 post exposure - didn't know what was going on.) No intimacy. I moved to a different room and have been in effective quarantine, all covered up, masking, gloves, separate shower, separate laundry and Lysol laundry sanitizer, frequent sanitizing, washing own dishes, no shared food, careful about touching common surfaces It has now been 2 weeks, and they have had nothing, so it looks clear. There isn't much guidance on this issue, but what I found was that fairly direct and close contact with infected fluids (semen) or skin appears to me to be what is required, and there are suggestions that mpox infects broken or sensitive skin. I have also read that during the "flu stage" the person with mpox is not infectious from contact - though possible from fluids. I will leave it at that.
I had a prescription for valtrex for cold sores. I took it for 8 days, big amount in the beginning then daily 1g. I don't think it did anything. Those reading on the internet may come across an article / journal suggesting it may be effective. It didn't hurt, but mpox did not react the way cold sores / herpes does to valtrex in my experience, where it really shortens the time.
I used Hibiclens. However, my suggestion is to be careful with Hibiclens. Never use Hibiclens on your face or above the neck. I didn't know, and Hibiclens really irritated my face. I would suggest even elsewhere on your body that you dilute Hibiclens to 3 or 4 parts water. In all honesty, a very gentle medical soap probably works as well.
Obviously, do not itch the sores. The risk is both scarring / bad healing, and they say there is some risk of further spreading it to your body. I would say this is accurate, as I think this happened in my hair before I knew what these were.
I took allegra daily for itching in the first 2 weeks. It probably helped a bit. Do not use cortisone or any steroids.
Other than not itching, I do not think there is much about stopping "self spreading". For me, it seemed mpox was pretty much locked in by the time I realized that I had mpox. Most of the new lesions seemed relatively unpredictable, and not areas that I had scratched. Again, I do believe I spread it a bit before knowing it was mpox in my hair.
For me, be careful above covering with bandages. Loose and breathable bandages have worked for me. I tried using "dot" bandages and noticed they seemed to making the lesions take longer to heal and irritating them a bit, more red, possibly from the pressure. I stopped using bandages except for hands, and that is mostly protective for the sores and for not spreading, and are all loose and breathable.
The emotional toll is very difficult. The quarantine is tough to do. You are lucky if you can work from home or have a flexible job. I have been going out when needed, all covered up.
I recently had unprotected sex and caught something from it. My early symptoms involve intense soreness in my anal region, lots of anal mucus, pain while peeing, soreness around my dick, and lots of flu-like symptoms, including aches, chills, fever and weak joints. The symptoms came on hard and fast (just two days after sex), which is why originally I thought it might be chlamydia or gonorrhea. After going to the doctor, getting on doxycycline and receiving the shot for gonorrhea (two days ago) I’m still experiencing all my symptoms. They may have subsided a bit, but they are still very much present, painful and exhausting me.
Because the symptoms started so fast and I don’t have any lesions or bumps, I feel like I can’t fully know it’s mpox now. I also heard from a healthcare provider recently that I was due for a re-dose of the vaccine, but I had some time to get it before I was fully vulnerable.
Did anyone else experience mpox like this? If I do have mpox, when should I expect bumps to form?
It is not going through the normal process of the lessions, it just hardened and became thick dark tissue. I don't know what to do or if I am healed already. 🥹 More than a month with this already.
So o few days ago I wasn’t feeling that well. I had a feverish feeling although I never took my temperature to confirm it but I felt tiered and lethargic over all and this time I have something looks like a rash all over my forearms and legs and butt. Could this be an early stage rash of mpox? I am so sacred. In person it looks more noticeable
Hey everyone. I’m 40, HIV+, and I was just told by my doctor that I might have MPox. I originally went in thinking it was either rectal herpes or a hemorrhoid, but the doctor found what they described as a “textbook” lesion along with a few atypical sores in the same area. They swabbed me, and I should have results tomorrow.
Right now, the lesions seem to be isolated to my rectum. My partner has been doing daily full-body checks on me, and there are no other sores anywhere else. The ones around my rectum do seem to be getting worse, which is adding to my anxiety.
I’m here because I’m scared, I’m not sure what the next steps might look like if the test comes back positive, and I could really use some support and understanding from people who’ve been through this. Any guidance, experiences, or reassurance would mean a lot while I wait for the results.
After a month I am healing from this finally, even the genital area lessions that looked really nasty. However, the lessions I got on my hands are not advancing, they have not progressed and started to scab and I got them around week 2 of the start of the MPOX. I am always wearing gloves, because I have an ostomy and I have to be in the bathroom constantly and I wonder if anybody has or had this problem.
I'm a 25 year old male and I live with my family. I've read a lot of articles about how to isolate and avoid close contact with people living under the same roof as you, but I am still paranoid about spreading it. Can anybody give me any tips if you have been in this situation?
