Dean Street Express/56 Dean St

[NightKid]

Partly inspired by this thread in the South West reviews board, I've decided to write about a recent experience with the establishment mentioned in the topic title after having had my first yeast infection.
4 days after my last reviewed punt, I started feeling that burning pain when urinating. Didn't think much of it at the time, as I've experienced the discomfort before in my teenage years and was also on a holiday trip in Cornwall to boot.

However, a couple of days after the pain first came, it also began to subside slowly but I noticed that the tip of my penis was slightly swollen.
And another couple of days after that, some white spots appeared which quickly degenerated into minor blisters that also eventually subsided.

By the time of the white spots phase, worry was steadily creeping in and the only comfort was I never had any discharge. Got back to London the next week so went to Dean Street instead of my usual local GUM for quick results.
The next part where Dean Street was involved, there were some things I did which was made out to be like it was my mistake but it easily could've been theirs, depending on perspective. In chronological order:

Mistake 1: Didn't realise that 56 Dean St is purely appointment-based. (Their website says to go there if you have symptoms, plus I also wished to see a consultant)
Mistake 2: Thought it was smart to get a quick diagnosis on record at Dean Street Express as well so I wouldn't have to do follow-up appointments at 56 later ... apparently not since it creates patient duplicates.
(What's the point of Express & 56 being part of same organisation then?  )
Mistake 3: They assign you a card with a sticker that has some numbers & a barcode on it at Express, couldn't get the damned thing to scan at self check-in so I re-registered myself.
Aanndd, yup, created another duplicate ... reception at Express sarcastically said I was the first to ever do so. (Well that's fucking great, isn't it? If I'm exposing flaws in your shitty system then next time you'll know how to prevent it.  )

Above annoyances aside, my experience with them was undeniably positive. The tests came back negative for the usual STIs, within 6 hours, and I just got the negative result for herpes a few days ago.
According to the consultant at 56, it was likely caused by penile thrush as I admitted to using soaps/shower gels/etc. on little NK ever since I started punting. Uh-uh, if you want to wash that area, mix some salt with water.

So, moral of the story? Never ever use chemicals to clean your privates, no matter how formula-resistant you think you are, and don't freak out the moment you feel something wrong after sex ... go get checked out first.

[el-fei]

Common for those of us with foreskin. Had it a few times, from soaps, girlfriend, keeping clean or generally vigorous sex.

[joe diddley]

Yep, I just went to Dean Street Express for the first time. Nothing wrong as far as I could see but an occasional check up is always a good idea, I think. My experience was also positive. Registered with a false name, DOB and address (which I consigned to memory and later wrote down for future reference). They will ask you twice for these details, once when you check in with the touch screen and once again when you are interviewed downstairs, assuming you are going for the HIV test which requires a blood sample. Probably doesn't happen if you just do the urine test. No sarcasm from any of the staff for me, I"m glad to say. Results came very quickly as NightKid says. They also send you a reference by text, which is how the results come. So when they ask you at the touch screen for a number have your punting phone number ready, rather than your ordinary number, if you have an OH. There was a huge queue for the downstairs blood test when I went down around lunch time but they process you very fast and I only waited about an hour. I suspect at other times it is less busy. If you just want the urine test, it is almost in and out in ten minutes. Dean Street Express is for those with no symptoms but either wish a check up or are worried. 56 is for those with symptoms. For those of you who punt regularly tests of this kind are a good idea periodically, even if (like me) you eschew bareback.

[viktor1080]

Yupp, you cannot use funny substances there even for me oil is a problem or if a women pulls the foreskin too hard, this was the one reason I started hating those fucking Romanians Machine cunts. As they will in an effort to make you come hand wank you so hard, no feeling at all and I am in pain after that.

Also I think you might have had this thrush as in a party one can over work their own tool, for my worst experience in a GUM clinic was at the one near King's College. I went their last year with the problem and the 2 most fit ladies came to examine me...for all the time they were performing an inspection I was thinking about them as evil so I will not get any hard on...

In the end the result was no STI just what you have been told...but I went to the clinic at the first itch (better safe than sorry)

[LL]

I ditched the little registration card from Dean Street Express as I don't like to leave a paper trail (or carry one around with me).  I made a note of the number on it so next time I go I'll try to type it in on their system or ask the receptionist to help me (have been very friendly with me so far).

[mrhappypants]

A very useful post Night kid.  I went Paddington and got some attitude from the Doctor.  Dean Street is much more convenient. 

Thanks for sharing

[stayer]

I went to Dean Street Express in 34 Dean St yesterday at just after 3pm. It was my first visit to such a clinic. Having registered on a tablet you go into a toilet cubicle, provide your urine sample in a bottle, place it in in a container and put the container in a chute which sent it upwards.

I then went into a waiting room for my HIV test. There were so many people in it - well over 30 - that there were insufficient chairs for all. Most were men, a mixture of punters like me and gays, I thought, and I reckoned that all the women were prossies. I'm not passing judgement, just my thoughts at the time.

Well over an hour passed before my first name was called. (By then only a few people were left in the room.) Then a women came up and said that she had missed hearing her name and the nurse asked if I minded waiting for five minutes. No problem, but I have to say that the music being played in the toilet cubicle and waiting room was fairly loud. Why have it at all?

Finally I was able to see the nurse. She took a blood sample from a vein in my left arm, which was painless. As I'd been seeing prostitutes, she recommended vaccinations against hepatitis B. All you do is turn up at DSE, tell hem that you want hepatitis B vaccinations and you get priority treatment.

Later that day I got five text messages giving clearance for hepatitis B, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. I have to say I was nervous about getting these texts, who wants a positive. I'll definitely go back to DSE at regular intervals.