QUESTION
In June of 2006, I had a nude massage by a male. There was no sexual contact other than him jerking me off at the end of the massage. A few weeks later, I felt a firm round sore near my anus. It was tender when I touched it. It went away after a few weeks. About nine weeks after the sore, I had similar bump on my forearm near my elbow that lasted a few weeks. During that time, I also had a light colored rash from my elbow to my mid forearm. Could this possibly be syphilis?

ANSWER
It is impossible for me to make a diagnosis without examining you. The massage you had was very low risk for HIV. But a syphilis sore can be passed to another person without having anal or oral sex through skin contact with a contagious lesion. That said, what you're describing may or may not be syphilis. The painful bumps you noticed could also be caused by normal skin bacteria like staph causing a small abscess or sore, or numerous other non-sexually related things. The only way to know for sure is to get a check-up and get tested.

You can ask your doctor for a syphilis test, or if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can visit City Clinic or Magnet.

To your health,
Dr. K