It is sore throat season here in Kansas. Oral sex is very easy to get (and give) so it is the form of sexual recreation I participate in most often. And the cases of gonorrhea in men is steadily increasing. So now my inquiring mind has begun to wonder how to tell the difference between an old-fashioned sore throat and good ol' gonorrhea.

I can find loads of descriptions of symptoms of other forms of gonorrhea, but minimal info on determining whether a sore throat is run-of-the-mill or a sign of an STD. I figure if I contract this STD genitally, I will know without a doubt what I am dealing with. But with the oral form, there doesn't seem to be a definitive symptom unique to gonorrhea.

So, when should you decide your sore throat needs medical attention? Should you automatically assume the worst and request a test for gonorrhea if you have given head to a guy lately or start with Strep and work from there? Does a gonorrhea sore throat "clear up" even if you are still infectuous?

I know that if I were to have a sore throat, I should not be kissing anyone. How risky is kissing to others, ie. Under the Mistletoe, if you have gonorrhea of the throat but are asymptomatic? I am not talking "tickle each other's tonsils" kisses, but the kind you'd give your aunt-with-the-ticklish-mustache kind of kisses.

I have a feeling most of the answers to these questions begin with "it varies" or "it depends", but since I a wondering I figure others might be wondering also.

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I realize I have the luxury of living in an urban envrionment with a gay health clinic, therefore can go get checked for STD's anytime without judgement and get appropraite treatment.

However, I really think that if you're worried about an STD, go the the fucking Doctors! Really, I'm not that harsh, but I just think it'll give you so much peace of mind, not to mention make you more comfortable physically if you're in pain.

To answer your question Guy, you can have gonnerhea of the throat with no symtoms at all. That's how most tops get it just from oral because the bottoms, hopefully, don't know they're carrying it in their throat.

Go to the Doctor, they'll swab your throat, hopefully they'll treat you right there for it just to be on the safe side, it's administered by a shot, and you'll be on your way.

Good luck buddy, hope this helps.

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Thanks for the info.

You confirmed what I suspected: that a person could have gonorrhea of the throat exclusively and be asymptomatic.

As for getting myself checked, nothing to get checked, symptom-wise. The sordid fact is that every holiday season, when I go out of state to visit family, I wake up with a sore throat within 2-3 days of returning home. And this year, like all years, it happened again. It is usually mild and always clears up within a week. Near as I can tell, familiarity breeds not only contempt but a mild infection of the throat.

Since I like oral sex, this annual sore throat means I am "celibate" for the week or so it takes for the dang thing to clear up. Mine has cleared up right on schedule. But getting the yearly sore throat got me thinking about the "what if" scenario of incurring gonorrhea via oral sex. And, having visited relatives recently, I got to wondering if, potientially, I could unknowingly be a carrier of gonorrhea and give it to my hirsute aunt just by kissing.

There is a local health clinic and they are competent, but usually swamped. I go to them to keep my tests "off chart" and off insurance. I get tested for HIV every six months, and syphilis yearly. I guess an annual throat swab for gonorrhea should be added to the list just as a precaution.

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How does one go about finding gay friendly clinics? I would expect to find them listed right here on CFS along with the bookstores and baths but no luck. I live in the DC outer burbs and have no idea where to find one. I was told Whitman-Walker clinic only does HIV/AIDS testing.

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MWM, 53yo, 5' 9", 190, br, bl, moderately hairy, clean cut business type, 6"c

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Good suggestion...with all the sex the site promotes, directions to a gay friendly clinic may help at times too ;-)

I'd check out your local gay newpaper to find one.

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The suggestion to look through your local gay newspapers is a good one. You can also stop in or call the bars or any bathhouses in your area -- usually you can find someone who has some decent information to pass along. Folks who work on a daily basis with the gay community are generally "in the know."

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "gay friendly clinics," however.

I'd HOPE that there aren't too many clinics around that would be unfriendly to a gay person who is seeking testing or treatment. As far as I know, medical professionals do not discriminate based on their patient's sexuality.

Except maybe in rural Mississippi and certain parts of Arkansas...

Also, try just looking in your telephone directory. Browse the standard medical listing, but also take a look and see if your directory lists anything for gay and lesbian services. Many directories indeed have sections for regional chapters of gay organizations. Most larger cities also have a sort of gay chamber of commerce kind of thing -- I forget what they are called, but I've used these services a few times when traveling. They can put you in touch with just about anything even remotely queer.

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For me, "gay friendly" clinic means one where they are in the know about sexual health for gay men. Kind of like a post recently about noting that a patient has sex with men, women or both. It wasn't until I got a Dr. in the city that I found out about Hep A vaccinations and learned about STD's in a more useful way so to speak. Kind of scary, it's like the Doctors in the suburb I grew up in assumed I couldn't possibly be at risk for anything like that. I could imagine walking in telling that Dr. in the burbs I may have gonorrhea of the throat and he'd probably be like, how could that possibly be?? ;-)

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you can also try looking on gay.com under the health section they have clinic locators

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