2/21    There is a sore on my groin.  Is it herpes?
        \_ If you bike a lot, it'll go away.
        \_ I am pretty sure that no one licensed to practice medicine posts
           to the motd. Go see a doctor.
           \_ I think there is one.
        \_ There are a lot of things it could be.  It probably isn't herpes,
           but you should definitely get the sore examined before it goes away
           to be sure.  If you don't have insurance, there are plenty of free
           clinics that offer this service.
           \_ i thought herpes gave you this IMMEDIATE FIERY WHITE SORE
              OF DEATH LEAKING HERPES INFESTED FLUID DOWN MY LEG INTO
              MY DRESS SHOES INFECTING ALL I COME IN CONTACT WITH
              ON THE SUBWAY, but my symptom is this little annoying bump.
              No fluid (yet).  No scab (yet).  Just sitting there.
              I don't know what it is.
              \_ Sheesh.  calm down dude.  It's not AIDS
              \_ You have smallpox.  No big deal.
              \_ smallpox guy nuked my post, but anyway... you could have
                 this:
                 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum
                 which isn't really that big of a deal.  You might have
                 genital warts.  You might have a couple of other dozen
                 things.  You might even have herpes, which has enormous
                 variability in symptoms.  Mostly, you need to get yourself
                 to the clinic and stop ranting on the motd.  You'll be
                 fine.  Get a hold of yourself.
                 \_ Woah thats gnarly.
                    \_ What, molluscum?  Nah.  Clinics don't even bother
                       to treat it, since it has no ill health effects,
                       causes no pain or irritation, and tends to
                       go away on its own without recurrence.  There's
                       also no evidence that condoms do much to help
                       prevent its spread, since it can be transmitted just
                       by skin contact.  If he has it and he's really freaked
                       out about it, he can get a doctor to freeze the bump(s)
                       off.
                 \_ I used to have this on my lower body (from stomach down)
                    for more than ten years.  It came and went by itself.
                    Neither betadine nor permangenate helped.  Then it
                    mysteriously stopped a few years ago, and I have no idea
                    why.
                    \_ Yeah, it's an odd one.  Children get it on their faces
                       a lot as well.  Essentially the virus is in the papule,
                       and contact spreads it.  The reason it came and went
                       is that molluscum has a high tendency to "self-infect"
                       - i.e., you rub the bump on your lower stomach, then
                       rub some other part of your stomach and pretty soon
                       you've got two bumps.  And like you said, it just seems
                       to go away by itself.  This isn't the same mechanism
                       as herpes recurrence, however.
                \_ My symptoms do not look like
                   http://www.herpes-coldsores-treatment-pictures.com
                   but the 'weird pimple shows up once, then another a few weeks
                   later' bit does.
                   but the 'weird pimple shows up once, then another a few
                   weeks later' bit does.
                   \_ You sound like you have molluscum for sure.  You should
                      get a doctor to check it out, and maybe freeze the bumps
                      off if you're really concerned.
        \_ Sounds like syphilis to me.
        \_ key word: usually