Having sex has been like playing Russian roulette for quite some time. But for such a sex-obsessed civilization, we sure don’t want to talk about its perilous ramifications that much. When it comes to sexually transmitted diseases it tends to be don’t ask, don’t tell. Or ask, but don’t tell. And the shame behind this resistance may be keeping a lot of us from getting tested, medicated and clarified on such prevalent issues.

Staff writer Andrew Rooney spoke to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student Nick, 25, whose first-hand experience with STDs and unabashedly honest words may just open up one’s eyes and ears: once is all it takes. If wearing a condom it is still risky, imagine the risks without one.

Which STDs have you had?

Gonorrhea, crabs, genital warts, molluscum …

Which one was the worst?

Gonorrhea, definitely. The other two are annoying, especially crabs, but gonorrhea is really gross. It hurts every time you have to use the bathroom and it is constantly dripping, which leads to chaffing.

When the first time you had an STD?

I think I was 20.

When was the last time you had an STD?

Last year.

How did you contact crabs?

From contact. They live basically in pubic hair, although can spread to any part of the body. They feed on blood so they tend to attach to the skin, but they do crawl around periodically, which is gross to see, by the way.

What is molluscum, and how did you realize you had that?

Molluscum kind of looks like genital warts, but it is not. They are small bumps that appear caused by a virus. You get them from skin-to-skin contact. I believe the doctor told me when I had them that they can even be contracted from bath towels.

How did you feel, emotionally and physically, the first time you found out you had an STD?

The first STD I had was crabs. I’ve had it twice. I felt gross … These little things are crawling around and you can see them … It is nasty. Physically, I was very itchy.

How long did the STDs stay with you?

Depends on the STD. When I had gonorrhea it took 10 days of medication, I believe, to completely get rid of. Since it is bacterial it is then killed after these 10 days and is no longer in your system.

Do you feel differently about STDs now than when you first had one?

Yes, in a way. Now that I know a lot more about them, I think it makes me way less scared … which I guess is not a good thing. I know that everything I have had has gone away and was treatable. Although many argue that if you carry HPV, the virus that causes genital warts; you will always have it. Although there are some valid statistics that say that one in four people carry the virus, and since it is passed by touch, I kind of dealt with the inevitability of getting it. Because I know these are all treatable, I think of them more as inconveniences than as anything else, which is probably a bad attitude to have.

Did your STDs come about by having unprotected sex?

The crabs, no, because it does not matter. The genital warts and molluscum did not come from unprotected sex either. The first time I had gonorrhea, it was in my throat … I know that they suggest using condoms for oral sex, but, please, who does? The second time I got gonorrhea, it was the normal penis gonorrhea thing. That time it was from unprotected sex.

Is there social baggage attached to having an STD?

For any of the STDs I have, I would say not much. They are gone and a part of the past. I know though, if I had one that was not treatable or curable I would definitely have some baggage with that. Those two that I am most afraid of are obviously HIV, which everyone should be afraid of, and herpes. I feel I am lucky that I have never contracted either of those.

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