Question: I'm a 33 year old bisexual male, 6'1, 220 lbs. I leave a reasonably healthy lifestyle (workout regularly, active, etc). I had a XXXXXXX XXXXXXX piercing installed almost 3 months ago. During the healing, I had no sex besides masturbation. After the recommended 8-10 weeks, I finally had (unprotected) sex with a guy (I was the active partner). This was a couple weeks ago. A few days after the sex, I developed a fever and headache, but I passed it off as the flu/a cold due to the constantly changing temperatures in my city. In a couple days, the fever and headache cleared up and maybe a day later I woke up with a slightly swollen, sore lymph node on the right side of my groin. Initially there were no other syptoms and from my understanding swollen node can be the body's response to a sudden cold/flu so I didn't worry much. As the swelling in the node started to decrease it seemed to "move" first to the base of my penis, then the shaft, and finally the head. It wasn't painful, there was no discharge, etc. I called the piercer and he assured me that if sex was rough, i could have retorn the piercing and caused a minor infection and that normal cleaning/aftercare should help the healing along. I was still worried, so I kept notice as I started the aftercare process again. Everything seemed to be fine, as all the swelling went away. One day, I woke up with an erection and it appeared shorter and more bent than usual. Once the erection went down, it felt as if some of the soft tisssue in my penis had hardened and now I was alarmed. I don't have insurance, so i've made an appointment to go to a health clinic. But outside of the hardened tissue, nothing else seemed to be wrong. Until I masturbated on day and the swelling came back. Mostly just below the head of my penis. It's not really painful, but it does have a kind of "pressure soreness" when I work really long shifts as a waiter. In the past few days, urination randomly burns. It feels as if it burns around the penis and not actually IN the penis. And it IS random. Some days there is no burning, some days the burning is unbearable. Given the complication of having a XXXXXXX XXXXXXX it's hard to tell if the burning is because the piercing DID tear and the urine is passing over the open wound. Or if it's a UTI/STD (but it's odd that it's intermittent burning and not every urination). There has been no discharge from the head of my penis and the only discharge has been from the piercing hole. It's a whitish discharge that looks just like the "discharge" that happened when the piercing was initially healing. And, of course, there is scabbing/crusting around the jewelry. It SEEMS like the re-healing of the piercing is the cause, however the hardened tissue and swelling leaves me concerned it might be something more.

The piercer and all the resources I was pointed to told me that the piercing would be healed in 8-10 weeks. And it appeared so at the time. I'd abstained from sex (except for occasional masturbation) for the duration of that time and the intercouse mentioned is the only time I'd had sex since being pierced. I tested negative for HIV on October 26 (also the day I was pierced)