Victory_in_Defeat

SO I've finally decided to share my story. Though it's not much of a story. In fact, it's very similar to most of your stories.... which is probably why we're all here in the first place. To say the last couple of months have been an absolute shi.show would be putting it politely. I've recited how this story would go a hundred times in my head... so here it is. On October 12th I had unprotected sex with a friend of a friend. It had been a while since I had sex, so even though I didn't know her very well, I went for it. She made me feel wanted and she was fun to flirt with. So before going to her house, I shaved my more private regions. (MISTAKE #1 apparently) On October 21st, she received the dreaded "Positive" test results (her previous boyfriend told her he was positive). That evening, I began to develop the first...symptoms. I apologize if the rest of this is too graphic, but considering the nature of the condition, I will just say it as it is. About 60% of my scrotum appeared bright red and it burned. Strange part is, that it was the left and right side part of the scrotum with a very distinct line in the center with about a 1/2 inch clear zone down the length of my scrotum. The right and left side felt dry, while the center strip felt and looked normal. Needless to say, I freaked out. Monday morning rolled around and I called out of work. I was so sure I had herpes that I didn't know how I could face my friends at work. Later that day I scheduled an appointment with a doctor that I had never seen before that accepted my insurance and had availability the next day. On October 23rd, I went to the doctor's office. I told the nurse my blood pressure would be high because my anxiety was through the roof. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown in the lobby of the DR's office. Sure enough, my blood pressure was high. The doctor came in, and apparently was hard of hearing. He kept leaning in to hear me, so I would speak louder. I'm sure the entire office heard about my red testicles. I told him what was going on, to which he replied "Pull down your pants". So, I was in the Marines, so I was kind of use to people seeing my privates. I pulled my pants down faster than he could turn around. He told me to point out the "herpes" and I showed him the sides of my scrotum. He took a look and told me that it wasn't herpes. He then asked me if I had shaved (apparently I had done a good job because of the smoothness) which I replied "yes". ***SO HERE'S something we have to know about that: I hadn't used that razor blade in over a year. So that blade has been sitting in my bathroom closet for literally over a year.*** I hadn't shaved my face in years, and I'm pretty sure the last time I used that razor blade was nearly 1 1/2 years. And yet would a bacterial or fungal infection take 9 days to appear??? So my doctor says that it was probably something on the razor blade that caused my issue. He prescribes Clotrimazole and Betamethasone (which is often prescribed for fungal infections).The doctor also submits a blood test for HSV1/2. This was my first indication that my Dr. wasn't up to date with herpes. Everything I had read suggested at least 4-6 weeks period after exposure with a follow up after 3 months. A couple of weeks pass by. During this time I'm debating with myself if my red balls is a symptom of herpes or something else. On October 29th, I went ahead and had my blood test. Since it had not even been 3 weeks since my exposure, I was sure my results would come back negative, which they did. But of course, life will do what it does best and throw you a curve ball. On 11/12, just a couple of days ago, I noticed a discoloration on the head of my penis. Once I got home I looked at it more closely with an LED flash light. It looked like several red dots in close proximity to each other had formed. The area around these dots was dry and skin had been peeling (though the skin peel was only noticeable with white light). Even now, these dots are not raised and I cannot feel them. There is not itching or scratching or burning associated with them. If not for the brighter lights, I would have never ever known they existed. But, I can't explain them. The only other possible explanation that I have is that the medication prescribed for my red scrotum also causes dry skin. I have researched herpes for countless hours. I have also seen more pictures of infected male genitalia then I would ever care to see in a life time. None of my issues look anything like the pictures. And yet, I can't explain any of them. Maybe I have herpes.... and maybe (and hopefully) I don't. Has anyone seen or felt any similar experiences? According to some websites, this is what herpes feels like to some people. And perhaps I won't know for sure until my next blood test. My doctor joked with me that if I come clean from this that I should just become a priest and I am inclined to agree. But if I do test positive, I can not imagine, for the life of me, passing this shit on to the next person. If I test positive, I refuse to be sexually active ever again. At least the strain of virus I have, will die with me. And so my watch begins.

I know the feeling. I've avoided my doctor because I felt that he really did not know about herpes. Why else would he order a blood test so soon without the thought of a follow-up blood test? Luckily (and unluckily) for me, there is google. I still have some symptoms that I can't explain. Well, the only explanation is herpes. I've spent so many hours of my free time researching herpes and I have looked at more pictures of infected male genitalia than I care to admit. Like really.... a lot of male genitalia. Honestly, I'm afraid to have hope. Hope will only make the "Positive" results that much more difficult to accept. But keep your head up, regardless of the diagnosis, we'll all be here for you (unless it's negative, then we may never see you again lol). Remember, perseverance defines your character and life is far from over.

Greetings! I am a male who is anxiously awaiting to find out whether or not I have been infected with HSV2. I had unprotected sex with a female that did not know that she was infected with HSV2. Thus, they were not on any antiviral medications at the time. I have spent countless hours reading online documentation about the transmission of HSV2. According to one study, I saw the rate of transmission was approximately 4-5% per year for an infected female to transmit HSV1/2 to a male partner. I will not link any of the websites here, as I am not sure if it violates the policy of the forum, but if you do a google search of "chances of transmitting herpes", you will find the results of quite a few studies. A few things to note however, is the fact that the herpes virus can be active without any symptoms present. When symptoms are present or when the virus is "shedding" (no symptoms present but virus is currently active) is when the virus is most contagious. A person "sheds" the most during their first year of infection, however the percentage here varies. One study I read suggested it was about 10% of the time, with another saying it was as high as 20% of the time. From what I have read (mind you I'm no expert but have unfortunately spent most of my recent life reading about herpes), considering that you are on anti-viral medication, the chances of transmitting herpes is low. Given that you avoid sexual activity when symptoms are present. Again all my information is gathered from various sites throughout google, but hopefully it helps your search.

I know exactly how you feel right now. Well, maybe not exactly. I was... "exposed" to someone who recently tested positive for HSV2. The exact same day they got the positive results, is when I begun to develop symptoms. I went to the doctor and he assured me that my symptoms were not herpes related.... though I still may have herpes. He ordered a blood test even though I knew it was too soon. Like you, I read what all the forums had to say about waiting AT LEAST 4-6 weeks. I waited for an extra week, but even then, this would have made it approximately 3 weeks since my exposure. The results came back negative. I'm currently playing the waiting game, and every red spot, itch, burn, ANYTHING sends me to the bathroom with the brightest flashlight I have, inspecting myself for these dreaded sores. I'm an Iraq ware veteran and I have to say, I have never been so stressed in my entire life. I will say, I've read the words of the toughest people I've never met on this forum. I really do hope the best for you. You've already passed milestones I have yet to get to lol.