Valentin (40) had mpox

"Every time I went to the bathroom, it felt like needles and glass in my anus"

Valentin (40) was one of the first in the Netherlands to get infected with the mpox virus. “It started with symptoms that made me think I had chlamydia or something, so I got tested for STDs at my GP. Everything was negative. That seemed strange to me, it was clear there had to be something going on.” 

And so, Valentin’s GP examined his body and found some unusual spots. It seemed unlikely at the time that these spots were responsible for the sick feeling Valentin had. “I had an excuse for each spot. They looked like mosquito bites at first, so I said mosquitos had bitten me.” The GP made pictures of the spots and sent them to the GGD for advice. They were quick to examine Valentin and test for mpox.

3 weeks of isolation

In the meantime, Valentin’s complaints got much worse. “I had to cancel all my plans. I was feeling really sick and every time I went to the bathroom, it felt like needles and glass in my anus. Some of the spots became these big white ulcers with a black point in the middle, others did not. In the end all the spots became these black crusty things. You’re cured when those crusts fall off and you have developed new skin. It took 3 weeks of isolation before that happened. I guess I have been lucky. The pain in my anus was really awful, but my friend who also had the monkeypox told me he was in horrible pain from the pox themselves and they  were bloody.”

While, like with STIs, these things can happen, Valentin felt really bad about it. “I felt so embarrassed. I was one of the first who got covid too. I told my friends about it and they were quite supportive. But I have not told anyone at work. I did not want to make myself or my community vulnerable.”

Uncertainty

Valentin has been in touch with everyone he had sex with before he got diagnosed with mpox, but has not been able to trace where and when he might have contracted the virus. “Nobody else had any symptoms, so I must have gotten it from someone who never had any symptoms.”

Looking back, he is unsure of what lessons to draw from this experience. “While I was sick with the mpox I was done with casual sex. At the moment I’m more conscious about what I will do sexually. At least I won't get mpox again. But of course there are STIs that I also rather not have.”

Valentin hopes that whoever reads his story, will be cautious about mpox: “We should be aware that the number of unreported cases must be way higher than shown in the media. It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

More info

What can you do to prevent getting mpox? And what's the deal with vaccinations?

Read all about the mpox

Editor’s note

Man tot Man regularly interviews men about how they protect themselves against HIV and STIs as well as their experiences with sex. We believe it is important for people to be well-informed and are able to make informed decisions on how to protect themselves. We hope that the variety of personal stories of people’s experiences help them with this. They do not necessarily reflect Man tot Man’s standpoint. 

We used a stock photo for this story as Valentin wished to remain anonymous.
Text: Arjan van Bijnen
Stockfoto: 123rf.com

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