“It really sucks when you’re in the middle of it, but it will get better.”
Several days later, small red splotches popped up on his fingers and arms, confirming his hunch.
Now, hes among thealmost 2,000 peoplewho have tested positive for the disease in the United States.
Verywell Health / Design by Michela Buttignol / Kyle Planck
The pain that can be associated with monkeypox is very intenseits a very unpleasant experience.
But you will come out on the other side, Planck told Verywell.
Mpox has long been studied in West Africa, where it is endemic.
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Planck
I don’t fully blame him for that, Planck said.
Some people are not super comfortable talking about being gay or being bisexual and with their healthcare providers.
He reached out to a friend who got him an appointment at the travel medicine clinic at Weill Cornell.
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Planck
Through a connection with the CDC, the providers there were able to order him an mpox test.
But by that point, lesions had popped up across his body and Planck was certain of his diagnosis.
It is something that’s definitely very limited and there’s a lot of red tape right now.
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Planck
The CDC considers tecovirimat to be an investigational new drug.
They were super, super painful, Planck said.
These lesions often caused him to lose sleep and hindered day-to-day activities.
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Planck
Planck began the treatment course a week after getting sick.
His pain quickly diminished and half the lesions shrunk in size, he said.
Typically, mpox lesions turn to scabs and fall off when they heal.
In this case, Planck said they were literally disappearing into his skin.
Hes waiting for the remaining lesions to scab over and fall off so he can end his isolation.
Looking back, he said hes glad his case was mild enough to keep him out of the hospital.
But the disruption of his day-to-day life and isolation period, he said, were a struggle.
Under the right conditions, the mpox virus can survive on surfaces for weeks.
Fortunately, a friend offered up a spare bedroom and bathroom where he could isolate without fear of contamination.
Without asking questions about social and sexual interactions, important information may be missed.
He added that you might argue the semantics of whether or not its sexually transmitted.
But ultimately, mpox symptoms are cropping up in genital regions and often as a consequence of sexual activity.
Providers at these clinics are often seen as less judgmental when it comes to STIs, he said.
We already know about monkeypox.
What are you doing to ensure we can get vaccinated?
What are you doing to check that that we can get treated if we get sick?
Those are the kinds of things that are materially affecting people right now.
Theres kind of a gulf between that and what were hearing from officials.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monkeypox Prevention.
