TBarr

Hi Alex read my last post if you have had igg all negative and never had a fluid filled blister it is something else I know i lived this for 2.5 years

I want to report the following since it is important that others know what happened to people who posted here. Timeline Dec 9 2018 Unprotected sex with person who later admitted they had herpes it was no oral at all just genital. Jan 2019 constant redness in penis blue rim comes and goes daily; light burning on penis; nerve pain down leg and on face and hands lasted until started taking Valtrex 1g daily on May 1 2019; from Dec 2018 to May 1 2019 I had been prescribed valtrex in smaller amounts and taken it about every other day Sept 1 2019 symptoms returned milder but continued 2/3 days a week even on daily vatlrex until Jan 21 2021 Note burning down leg and face did NOT reappear however just some redness on hands groin and some groin burning Testing: March 2019 at height of redness and pain swab pcr test qty 2 over 2 weeks = NEGATIVE Blood IGG AB Test = March 2019 14 Weeks post; UW Terri Western Blot April 2019 16 weeks post; June 2019 26Weeks Feb 2020 1 Year 2 Months = All HSV1 positive - have had an annual cold sore on lip since since i was a pre-teen years ago but hSV2 Negative Never once had anything close to a "fluid filled blister" however. Jan 21 2021 Took first Shingrix Vaccine + Stopped taking valtrex; Burnign increased for 10 days but no sores no burn on face or legs -however much to my shock post 10 days = zero symptoms Feb 17 2021 Began to cry uncontrollably when i realized i had had no symptoms and was back to pre Dec 2018 self April 16 2021 Final Blood IGG AB Test no Valtrex for 3 months - test was same as always postiive HSV1 Neg HSV2 April 17 2021 Took second shingrix shot So that is my story Dec 2018 to May 2019 was awful; May 2019 to Jan 2021 was ok-ish a "new normal"; Jan 2021 to present end of the nigthmare I woke up and am fine. Please know for all who are not diagnosed via swab or blood test and dont have fluid filled blisters but have those symptoms that you probably in the final analysis dont have it. Peace and good bye

The current statement from Anna Wald is that anyone exposed to HSV1 or HSV2 who has had multiple blood tests (3-4) and tests negative at 6 months post exposure does not have the virus. I would try 1 year to be 100%. Note a 6 month western bot UW test is a good idea however the IGG test currently (2/2021) from Labcorp follows a very stringent protocol to eliminate igg false negatives. This is especially true for the majority of people who are or may have been exposed who have frequent burning and tingling and heat and small red spots/redness but never any "fluid filled blisters" or "sores". Valtrex does not affect antibody production if you have any symptoms this is a sign that your body is confronting a virus that is replicating. Now valtrex might knock down a 20,000,000 copy HSV replication down to a much much more manageable couple thousand or less but the immune system still must clear those cells and it does it with anitbodies. For a theoretical case of a mild primary exposure with a positive pcr swab and then your virus never ever attempts to replicate again (lucky you as you would have ZERO symptoms and a normal life without pain or suffering) it might be theoretically possible to have no antibodies. Most people get the igg test because they have recurrent troubling symptoms that dont fit the "fluid filled blisters" model and thus never any positive pcr swb tests. As always communicate with a local infectious MD specialist (not a nurse; not a medical GP) and make sure that Infectious specialist MD communicates regularly with the anti-viral department at UW. Not the nurses there, but the micro-biologist Phds and the MDS.

I should say that i am hsv2 negative. HSV1 "very high" but have had cold sores orally twice-3 times a year for 30 years. Was I reinfected with another hsv1 ? They say that is almost impossible because of the antibodies immediately figting the virus when it tried to enter genitally and the 3 PCR swabs were negative for hsv2 hsv1 and chickenpox. But still the redness bumps and nerve pain until I took daily valtrex and vitamins.

Highrisk sex last December. I have not still been formally diagnosed. Have redness and bump on top of shaft of penis that doctors says is not herpes. But have had really bad nerve that started 2 months after incident and is just now ending at 5 months. I take valtrex daily and vitamin regimen. I have tested negative at 17 weeks via "gold standard" western blot from U Wash. I have had 3 PCR swabs during an outbreak and they were all negative. I will go off valtrex in June and get retested via blood test. However I have to say after vitamins/valtrex/twice monthly acupuncture it is much better.

Valtrex now priteliver maybe in 2 years

This is a great question. I am trying to get U Washington to give a definitive statement I assume you were dismissed by swab An igg test type specific should show by now I think most doctors agree that your first outbreak produced antibodies if you took valtrex that really just engages cells outside the viralninactive nerve center which means it activated she’d virus and valtrex combined with your immune system cleared it Not sure if your antibodies are detectable though in a blood test

So to step back since you have what you think is an OB can you get it type swab tested so you know exactly what you are dealing with HSV1HSV2 or none. Prior to having sex your status was still not confirmed. You need to get swab confirmation Your boyfriend has said nothing yet about genitals just strep and btw my son just had step yesterday so it is going around Good luck if the swab is positive and it is confirmed then I will let the veterans chime in that this is not the end of the world

How were you diagnosed?

ok 1.13 has a good chance of begin a false positive

@Tone12 " I read people taking long time to seroconvert while having hsv1 for a long time " According to terri warren it is 1-2 weeks more so instead of 12 weeks more like 14 Can you show where people took longer ?

what were the results - this is a western blot? do you get lesions?

antibodies are in your blood - virus only skin/nerves but then again they can measure virus load somehow? Unlike HIV you cant do a PCR viral load test with Herpes - yet somehow studies are able to measure high viral loads - how was that measured?

@Gorgeous I think that is good but I do know people with Herpes who don't have these issues and do not follow a great diet. Yes do the thingsyou suggest but the difficult fact as well is that some people's genetic composition pre-disposes them to fight herpes very well while others do not. How many people do you know who get one cold sore in there life and then never get another?

unluckyman/blurneworder have you called the University of Washington and asked to speak with one of the virologists Sent them a detailed email I would like to get their response. I just took the WB at 4 months and it was negative for hsv2 confirming the igg negative hsv2. Only thing I can think other then I dont make antibodies well for HSV is that I got reinfected with hsv1 genitally. Have had it orally but it is have never caused anything other then 1 outbreak a year and other then the outbreak ZERO symptoms. Not the case since I had the unprotected sex high risk encounter last December.

Are you on valtrex BTW do others with herpes have these symptoms the 80% is that people don’t even know they have it there seems to be an unlucky subset that gets these issues I have read nerve Lainey al dies get better

What is the likelihood that you contract hav1 genitally from a different source if I already have it orally and the antibodies control it very well ie the cold sores ? Wouldn’t the antibodies prevent new HSV1 from getting to nerves? Could I take longer then 17 weeks to produce hsv2 antibodies ? I am thinking after Easter go off valtrex and see if bumps return and get them swabbed again ? As far as past swab did not take antiviral but did put hydrogen peroxide on them all 3 times just before PCR swab but they were all less then 24 hours and I thought PCR was super sensitive Not sure what to do especially with Constant prodrome burning even though bumps don’t emerge note this happens with daily valtrex I started one day after WB blood draw so after Easter stop valtrex when they emerge do swab and then see ?

Yes today was a good day and maybe the mild symptoms are something else like HPV ?

Sad guy they actually say now 12 weeks post exposure for most I just got a negative WB at 17 weeks but I have hsv mild symptoms albeit 3 negative OCR swabs hsv is very prevalent in the gay community so be careful and use condoms and as difficukt as hsv is it is not HIV so truvada is a good call as well You actually emerged completely unscathed from this so breathe deep and have a buddy when you go out to make sure you don’t have unprotected sex even with truvada

It was developed by Ana Wald and Rhoda Morrow. The virologist at the University of Washington dedicate their lives to studying herpes. In one study they had 835 people long time herpes positive confirmed by recurring lesions and positive culture or swabs They took the Igg herpes select blood test and 8 % actually tested negative but on the western blot all were positive the igg test looks at 1 protein which is the first to develop but the Western blot looks at 9! It is done by 3 lab techs who look at each hsv protein by size and laboriuosly map out HSV2 and HSV1 on special blotted paper As always there is a little wiggle room currently they say 12 week post exposure is definitive unless you have taken valtrex continuously since an unconfirmed outbreak On the internet some claim to wait 6 months but they may be ufvyou are immune compromised BTW you can call them and talk to them about anything at all! They want to help

You should get a Western Blot Test from Washington

BTW the official line is that it is very rare to be orally HSV1 and then contract HSV1 genitally from some else as the virus meets antibodies before it can get to nerve cells

Did he get the University of Washington Western Blot? This will really confirm he is HSV2 negative

So started valtrex AFTER UW WB blood draw got results back today and same as igg positive HSV1 cold sores orally for 40 years but negative at 17 weeks for HSV2 stl have burning down legs and on hands should I stop valtrex now 3 PCr swabs all negative as well but twice had pain in penis and bumps on top of shaft as well as redness on top of shaft ?

I have had 2 ID doctors say you have to have fluid. However read the NUH studies on drug testing and placebo groups they involve swabbing daily and sending in results for viral shedding the nurse at the clinic acknowledged this and conducted the swab Ask u of wash virologist and they will tell you while it is a lot easier to get send of fluid if your pain is the greatest with a bump then this is when you have the most virus even though a bump is not a lesion It can be swabbed andbif done when bump first forms then tends to indicate it is not hetors again placebo studies where people swab daily is a key to that fact