Lisa2021

Hi Guys. Please can someone help me with my blood test results - I first had symptoms end of July and was diagnosed by sight with herpes. No swab was taken . I since had 1 further OB last month and took a swab which was “rejected by the lab” My partner has oral HSV1 and negative for HSV2 , so I presumed this was the type I have but genitally. I have since done blood tests at different points waiting for the 12 week mark. I am now 14 weeks on and still testing neg for both. However there are some fluctuations in the readings. Can anyone help me understand what might be going on. My results are below - SEPT HSV1- 0.188 HSV2- <0.500 AUG HSV1- 0.265 HSV2- <0.500 NOV HSV1- 0.246 HSV2- 0.589 What do you think my next step should be here? What could cause a delay in antibodies? What can cause fluctuations in the readings ? What would you take from the above readings ? Does the jump in HSV2 look like it’s more likely to be that? I’m so confused!! Thanks, Lisa

Hey all, I am a 32 year old female , living in the UK (north west England near Manchester and Liverpool) , dating, I am a distance runner very active and outdoorsy , anyone similar get in touch and we can support each-other through the various challenges we are facing x

I was trying to let the sores heal at their own pace this time too, but it’s gotten more painful since they came up 2/3 days ago so I have began the medication. I had a cross country race yesterday and a particularly low point in my life being freezing cold , wet through and standing in some disgusting public toilets trying to peel my underwear off the cluster of sores they had become stuck to :’( I was wearing pretty short tight legging shorts for my race and I think those, and the friction from running just was a painful depressing recipe for disaster. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my outbreaks don’t continue so frequently and settle down as yours seem to have. i am sorry to hear about your eating disorder battle. I can also relate to that. I am 32 and I have had an eating disorder since my early teens. I did seek help when I was 30 because I too lost my period for around 2 years but I was trying to start a family with my ex so I knew I needed to face up to it. I am much better now but still not completely relaxed around food. If you ever need to talk then I’m here x

Hey ! Thank you for the reply. How soon after the first did your second one come? Do you take any supplements to help keep them at bay? I didn’t notice symptoms before the blisters really, perhaps a bit irritated down below. I did have some aches but I run a lot and I am in the middle of a marathon training block , so aches and pains and feeling tired and the norm . I will pay more attention in future so I am aware what the signs are for me. Hope you are ok. I saw the post about the other symptoms that you have around your period. Sounds like a horrible thing to have to deal with each month. Push for the hormone test and make sure the doctors listen to you or even ask for a second opinion. Nobody should have to put up with that - we have enough to deal with already! Xx

Hey Brian , I was diagnosed with HSV1 genitally in July . I know how bad it feels , I have a lot going on currently in my life ; the breakdown of an 8 year relationship, being 32 moving back in with parents and buying my own house, add to the mix catching herpes from the first person I sleep with. My hair has started to fall out and I’m losing a lot of weight I have had blood tests but the doctor tells me it’s down to stress. I completely understand how you are feeling when you say you are so low. I have been doing a lot of “inner” work to try to come to terms with this and love myself again and I can honestly say that time is a healer and it does get easier. I’m determined that this will not define me , I am no longer giving myself to this. We are all more than a virus and absolutely deserving of a life and normal love life. I’m not going to be stopped by this and neither will you ! Feel better soon! Lisa

Hey ! So I am having my second outbreak which is nowhere near as bad as my first. I have collected my antiviral prescription, however, as this outbreak is manageable - not too painful , minimal blisters and I don’t feel unwell up to now I am thinking of trying herbal remedies such as tea tree oil and manukau honey which have natural antiviral properties. my question is, has anyone else tried these things over medication ? And is there any reason why medication is better ? Does it help with anything long term such as how frequent the outbreaks are or the severity ? I don’t want to put myself at a disadvantage but if I can avoid taking tablets until I need to (if I had a bad one again) I’d much prefer to try something natural. Thanks ! Lisa x

Hi all , I first had symptoms of herpes back in July and currently awaiting the 16 week mark to do my blood test although I'm Pretty sure I have GHSV1 as my current partner gets coldsores. He did a blood test and is negative for hsv2. anyway , it looks like I am having a second outbreak now … My first outbreak was truly awful - I felt sooo unwell with an awful headache and flu symptoms and excruciating pain from the sores that were spread out on my skin , Labia and inside the opening to my vagina. Currently suspected outbreak 2 I just have one sore raised patch with a few blisters very close together and no flu symptoms at all. I am really hoping this is how it stays and I don’t wake up tomorrow feeling awful and with lots of sores! My question is , how often do those with GHSV1 have outbreaks? I have read that they are less frequent than GHSV2 outbreaks and less likely to transmit to someone else’s genitals.. is this correct ? Any other information re GHSV1 I should be aware of ? A lot of the stuff online focuses on HSV2 I think . thanks all - hope you are all well x

Hey ! I am sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. I am also in the UK I have been using bold tests tomorrow a company called Let’s Get Checked. What is different with the western blot test ? What company have you used for your blood tests so far ?

Hey ! So I’m (not so) patiently awaiting the 12 week mark after I had herpes symptoms so I can do a blood test and find out for sure if o have it . The way I contracted herpes seems to be a bit unclear and I didn’t have a swab when I had symptoms , the doctor just did a visual exam and prescribed me antivirals . my new partner has HSV1 orally from childhood but hasn’t had a cold sore in years and hasn’t done oral sex on me. I did a blood test 1 week after symptoms (I now know this is too soon) results : Hsv2 <0.5 hsv1 0.188 now at 7 weeks the results are: hsv2 <0.5 hsv1 0.205 (pos range is >1.1) would this slight increase over the past 6 weeks show that this is likely to turn positive or can other things cause fluctuations with the reading ? Thanks , Lisa

Hi grace ! Thank you so much for the response , the great advice and also for the kind words ! Reading the posts on this forum has really helped me understand things a bit more over the past few days. I have found this all very helpful and quite comforting. My doctor didn’t take a swab , he just examined the sores and prescribed me 5 days of medication. After leaving his office I immediately did some research and called him back to request a swap - he refused as he said it wasn’t appropriate as he had no doubt it was herpes. He said I’d need to go to the sexual health clinic for further testing if I wanted it. The sores had started to heal and I couldn’t get an appointment until September 8 and even that was just a telephone call from a nurse and she would decide if I needed to see a doctor face to face . Frustrating, but I decided it was pointless by then and I would just wait for the 12 week point to do my blood test. I don’t really doubt his diagnosis at this point though… So the sores didn’t really look to me like they blistered and there wasn’t a scab or crust — they began as small bumps then became more red and “angry” looking ,then started to calm down and flatten , they faded to a darker red almost purple before they disappeared. they calmed down pretty quickly , the bumps started to appear on the Tuesday and by weekend they were dark red blotches and nearly healed . They were veryyy painful until they reached the “really red” stage then they started to become less painful. I have spoken to new partner and he remembers getting coldsores as a teenager but doesn’t remember if he had them as a child. He does think it was before he became sexually actively but he is going to ask his mum if she remembers him having them as a child. your suggestion does seem to be the most realistic explanation though ! thank you so much once again ! Lisa

Hey ! I am so confused and would appreciate any words of wisdom … I recently got out of a 7 year relationship - I haven’t slept with my ex since Jan (now Aug) and never had any H symptoms before. About 7 weeks ago I slept with a new partner , someone I have known as a friend for around 2 years. We’ve had sex like 5 times, after the most recent encounter I noticed an uncomfortable feeling down below around 3 days after - this feeling didn’t improve and I began to feel very unwell. Tired like I have never felt before , muscle aches, a headache that felt like I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow!! I was becoming increasingly sore down there and rang the doctor as I started to see some small blemishes . The doctor wouldn’t see me without a negative covid test so it was around 2/3 days before I got examined , over those days the blemishes got worse and SO painful, I couldn’t pass urine I couldn’t wear jeans or leggings . I’m a distance runner and train every day but I couldn’t stand the pain of underwear touching my genitals. when I finally saw the doctor he diagnosed me with Herpes just by sight. I felt like my life was over . 32 newly single and how will I ever meet someone now ?! Devastated is not even close to how I feel. I came home and panic bought 3 x IgG blood tests and took one myself , gave 1 to ex and 1 to new partner. my result came back hsv2 <0.500 neg / hsv1 0.188 neg … ( I know now I tested way too soon as this was about a week or so after , however it did get my ex off the hook as if it had come from him I would have antibodies by now- both his tests negative) new partner came back positive for Hsv1 (expected this as he gets coldsores but hasn’t had one for 2 years) / hsv2 <o.5 neg. looking at those results I am *predicting* that I have somehow picked up HSV1 from new partner from his mouth to my genitals … however he has NEVER done oral sex on me and has NEVER had a visible coldsore since I have known him ?! Is it possible to pass it from mouth to genitals by fingers with no visible outbreak or is this far fetched?! Surely I’d have caught it on my mouth before genitals through skin to skin contact kissing ?! any ideas would help as I am waiting to re do blood test at 12 weeks and this is driving me mad !! also , what does the hsv 1 result of 0.18 suggest ? Perhaps antibodies are building or does a small reading like that not really mean anything ?