Sore throat possibly caused by sexual contact
Good day,
For 6 days now, I have been suffering from recurring sore throat. I fear that this may be related to sexual contact with a woman.
Here is the complex story:
On September 5th, I had my first sexual encounter with this woman (mutual oral sex). Four days later, I experienced throat and tonsil pain, a slightly elevated temperature, and an enlarged lymph node on the right side of my neck. I had been treating my chronic sinusitis with cortisone drops for weeks, and the stubborn mucus finally started to clear, running down my throat. I initially thought this may be related to that (the mucus draining from the sinuses infecting the throat). Additionally, the mucus had an unpleasant smell, leading me to suspect a bacterial connection. My ENT doctor diagnosed a red throat area including the tonsils, initially suspected a viral infection, but prescribed antibiotics based on my descriptions of the smelly mucus (in addition to anti-inflammatory tablets and mouth spray). The mucus flow decreased significantly, the unpleasant smell disappeared completely, and the throat pain also went away.
On September 15th, I had sexual intercourse with this woman for the first time. As I was still on antibiotics at the time, taken in the form of dispersible tablets, I abstained from oral sex with her. The intercourse was with a condom, but in the heat of the moment, my penis was unprotected in her vagina for a few seconds. 2-3 days later, my glans started itching, so I went to the dermatologist who suspected a fungal infection and prescribed a combined cream with antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. I initially suspected that my immune system was weakened by the antibiotics, making me more susceptible to this presumed fungal infection.
On September 22nd, there was another sexual encounter with this woman. This time, I only performed oral sex on her. We abstained from intercourse, as I wanted to give my penis a rest during the treatment. Exactly 4 days later, I experienced throat pain again. I now suspect that this may be related to the sexual contact (possibly even from the first occurrence in early September). The throat pain has persisted or comes and goes. Today marks the sixth day.
What advice do you have for me on how to proceed? Do you think the connection I see is plausible?
