laffysaffymi

Okay I'm not a doctor but I am someone who's grown up with a LOT of allergy/inflammation and skin related issues and crappy doctors. All your symptoms are valid and real, you aren't creating them, that said if repeated blood tests come back negative the chances of you having herpes simplex is low. You can get the WB test and be absolutely sure. BUT this doesn't mean you don't have herpes altogether, Shingles and Chicken pox are also a strain of herpes virus, and in those who are older/have lower immunity, herpes zoster is also a thing, with similar symptoms. And the herpes test you get is for HSV aka herpes simplex. A lot of doctors suck because people's conditions don't fall into neat little boxes they learn in school. My doctor often sees my sore and peeling and inflamed lips and tell me I'm fine when I'm clearly in pain and just says, "you're too stressed". The sad thing is, they're not wrong. Here's the thing stress leads to lower immunity which causes flare ups for herpes AND a whole slew of other stuff with THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I know this because I have recurring exfoliative cheilitis and eczema and HSV-1 AND HSV-2 and oral+lip yeast infection, and it sucks because I never know WHICH it is and what medicine to use or if it's all of them. But they basically have the same prodromes and are all caused by stress and anxiety lowering your immunity. Itchy, red bumps in groin.-> Allergic reaction and or dermatitis due to stress reducing immunity Brain fog, confusion, headaches, hard time focusing and recalling information (made worse by eating sugar)-> can be caused by depression and anxiety, BUT also if you have candida/yeast infection, especially in your GI tract (since sugar totally triggers candida in the GI tract) Tingling in the nerves of my hands, legs, and feet-> Herpes tingling travels around nerves where the virus is located in, so either your thighs and pelvic region or neck and face. If it's in the hands and legs it's more likely paresthesia. When I had an incredibly stressful episode, it felt like people were constantly dunking my hands and legs inside buckets of ice water. not nice. Lip constantly chapped and cut-> Cheilitis and fissured lips, a lot of it has no cure, doctors have no answers for it beyond moisturize. Can also be a result of candida infection/oral thrush (at this point maybe you notice how fucking annoying yeast actually is and that good immunity actually should also include healthy gut and overall body flora), which is once again linked to stress, lack of sleep, not drinking enough water, sun exposure, eating of spicy foods, drinking coffee or alcohol Small cuts on penis shaft with occasional peeling skin->Sounds like Genital Psoriasis, basically a kind of genital eczema. Also, dry skin leads to small cuts and flaking of skin. ALSO will spread to groin area Constant itching in my anus-> Can be hemorrhoids, especially if there are no blisters. If you have a delicate anus and your poop is too 'rough', it could lead to it too, because of micro-healing 'cuts' that itch. I got them a lot growing up and I only tested positive last year, my HSV test two years ago was negative and I've been getting itching in the anus since i was a child. Loss of hearing and a fullness of the ear -> tinnitus can be caused by stress. Can also be inflammation of your inner ear, hence the fullness. Blisters on gums -> COULD be herpes, but also gum disease, canker sores, and a number of other oral hypersensitivity reaction Tingling in lips-> Guess what, Cheilitis and lip eczema AND allergies ALL cause tingling in lips. And if your lips are constantly chapped and inflammed then it's more likely that than a no-blister outbreak of herpes. Discoloration of penis glans -> Once again, please refer to Genital Psoriasis (https://www.healthline.com/health/genital-psoriasis#appearance ) but can also be thrush/yeast infection Constant fatigue -> If all these symptoms are happening to me and I don't know why and I'm stressed, I'd be constantly fatigued too. I can't imagine the emotional stress this all causes + fun fact, fighting off constant infections and inflammations is tiring AND poor diet and candida can also lead to constant fatigue Eye pain and constant dry eyes. -> Guess what else stress causes? Dry eyes. BUT it can also be caused by other diseases such as like Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and collagen vascular diseases. Or just regular old red-eye infection. Can also be a side-effect of eating anti-histamines, which if you're getting rashes you might be on. Itchy skin on butt checks -> Can just be eczema, skin there is thinner and more fine as well, so when it's try they're more likely to itch or rash. Red, sore skin on corners of lips. -> Inflammation of lips, common when your lips are often chapped, they are more exposed and prone to irritation. I'm not saying that you definitely DON'T have herpes, but it sounds like it could be a lot of other immunity related inflammation that unfortunately all fall under the category of "stress-induced" by modern day medicine. I'm not saying western medicine is flawed, if I get a bacterial infection I'm bloody getting antibiotics but all this...you might find naturopaths have better answers for you. Or maybe a nutritionist, a lot of this can also be food sensitivities (NOT allergies, food sensitivities present themselves in bizzare ways, from hair fall to itching). Either way, even if they can't fix your problems, they'll help you have a healthier lifestyle and better immunity which should help you with your problems. What a lot of medicine (not all) does really is weaken viruses or strengthen our body to fight them OR to reduce symptoms. Much of actual healing is done by our own body. So keeping a healthy mind and body is important. Thing about our body and allergic responses is that we know NOTHING. You can live your life allergy-free for 40 years then one day have pollen allergy. The body resets itself every 7 years. And there's a lot of environmental stressors we don't even realize, like noise pollution in cities which we THINK don't affect us but scientists have proven, yes they do even when we don't realize it. Finally, just a quote. If exercise was a pill, we'd all think it's snake oil. Because exercise actually is PROVEN to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, better sleep, better immunity, prevent diabetes, helps you lose weight, helps body detox etc. So maybe it sounds like platitudes to say: drink more water, meditate, eat healthy and sleep more. but sometimes, that really IS it. Sounds easy but a lot of us don't do that. We want medicines and creams with immediate effect. But okay, say I'm wrong, say all the tests are wrong and even if what you DO have is Herpes, well...at the end of the day, it's all these things that keeps your immunity up that suppresses the virus and outbreaks. You shouldn't have to suffer so much and I can't imagine the stress and frustration this is causing you. Doctors should be better. it sucks, you're absolutely right. And here's a hug. *hugs* Maybe you won't find a cure, but you WILL find something that works for you to ease all these annoying irritations, from the perfect moisturizer to lip balm to eye drop.