Ask QC: I Have HPV! Now What?

Hello Queerclick,

I I hope you can help me out. I am 23 and have only been with a few guys and somehow I caught HPV. None of the guys had any warts or bumps or anything and when I asked if they were clean they all said yes. Last week, I thought I was getting a hemorrhoid (I’m a little beefy), but when I went to the doctor he said, “That’s not a hemorrhoid. That’s an anal wart!”

I feel so disgusting and scared. I don’t know who gave them to me or what I can do about them. I don’t have health insurance and I can’t afford to have them treated. I work have a low-paying job and I heard some treatments can cost $300 or more (and I don’t want to ask my family, they do not even know I am gay). Also, I just started dating a really great guy and I’m afraid that I may have given HPV to him. We have not had sex, but he did rim me before I got the wart, so I’m afraid he’ll get them too (maybe even on his face). Also, I don’t want him to leave me, but I hear that one of my old partners could have given me the disease, so do I need to contact everyone I’ve slept with?

Please help me. I have no one very close that I can discuss these issues with.

Sometimes we just wanna reach out and give our letter writers a hug. This guy is definitely one of those. Seems like he’s got a lot on his plate. From what we know, HPV isn’t the end of the world (it’s highly communicable, but treatable), but he still needs several types of advice. First, how can he find affordable treatment? Second, how should he go about telling his current lover about his medical condition? Lastly, should he tell his past partners as well, or is that overkill? Please share your advice and experiences in the QComments.
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