RingofFire

@J.L2018Hey, that's great news! I'm happy for you. I'm kinda bummed at the moment, because I'm single, and I'm a guy in his 40s, so the path ahead is a little bit intimidating. Dating always came naturally, but now it feels like there's this additional obstacle. It's refreshing to hear that you found someone. Did you need to take antivirals to keep your partner from getting it?

@Flowerteacher55Have we heard anything back from the University of Washington?

@Flowerteacher55 Well, another update here. I spoke with a doc online and he said what I've been dealing with may actually be something completely different. He said it could potentially be Chlamydia or Non-gonnococcal Urethritis. So they are trying out a week of Doxycylcine 2x a day for 7 days. So far, it's been 3 days and I do feel better. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed here. I'll be happy obviously if this does the trick, but also angry that the other 5 visits to a doctor in a real-life office and they couldn't figure out that giving me an antibiotic might do the trick. Instead I've spent a ton of money on all of these false diagnoses, plus an ultrasound and a false hernia test. So stupid. I also spoke with Terri Warren and she said this in her forum "Groin and thigh pins and needles feeling, pelvic pain, swollen groin, testicle pain and pain in the tip of my penis are not really signs of HSV 2. Neither are light nausea, loss of appetite, frequent urination, and exasperated symptoms after sitting. Some people who have HSV 2 can have the pins and needles feeling but it should not be constant." Anyhow, keeping my fingers crossed here that this is just about over and I wanted to post so that those who think they may be experiencing a breakout, may be actually experiencing something completely different.

Hey all, I'm curious if anyone has experienced or heard if getting the Shingles Vaccine could cause an outbreak. Obviously Shingles and HSV-1 and 2 are close cousins, so it's possible, but I thought I would reach out and see. I also heard that having the Shingles vaccine could reduce outbreaks, but they are unsure if that's a coincidence.

I had the both Pfizer shots last Spring. The virus had been dormant for about 5 years though, but it did not cause an outbreak.

@Ksanz96If you haven't tried meditating, it has helped me with a lot of things such as anxiety and panic attacks. I use the Headspace app on my iPhone. There is a 30-day program for pain on there. It's 10 minutes a day and it really helps to ease the mind. I originally started using it for sleep and it's amazing for that too! Things will get better!

Well, Happy New Year @Flowerteacher55and this is still going on. The intensity is not as bad, but I'm still feeling tingling, itchiness in my thighs and pain in my groin pretty much every day at some point. What's weird about this to me, is that I know I experienced similar symptoms 5 years ago, but I have on record that they subsided in less than 5 weeks. I'm now into week 13. I'm hopeful that at some point it stops, but what's making me anxious is the idea that this means I'm constantly shedding the virus, so if I want to have sex, I shouldn't, because I'm not trying to pass this on to anyone. My only hope is that this maybe will mean that the virus was dormant for a long time, was literally sucked out, and caused it to have an intensity far worse than anything I've experienced before. Maybe this means there won't be an episode for another 10 years. I still haven't had any types of lesions or sores, just these nagging symptoms which could either be constant prodromal or nerves I guess. Does anyone have any insight into the difference between prodromal and nerve irritation after an infection? I'm very healthy in general, I don't have any immune deficiencies or any other reason why this should be happening that I can tell. My symptoms seem extremely rare from what I've read on here. Thanks for any insight!

@Flowerteacher55 Oh, I thought of a few more questions if it's not too late. Is there any correlation between IgG test levels and viral shedding. e.g. If your levels are higher do you shed less than someone with levels that are lower? Is there any correlation between number of outbreaks and your IgG level? Also, what is the highest possible IgG level on a test?

Well, @Flowerteacher55, I returned to the doc, but he doesn't really know what to tell me. He said that the negative ultrasound for hernia is more than likely correct and at this point to just see how things progress. He didn't have any suggestions for a specialist, because he's not finding anything that would be causing these prolonged symptoms, so he's unsure where to refer me. My symptoms aren't what they where, but I still have daily discomfort, itching thighs, groin pain, but less testicular pain and penis pain. I feel like I'm getting my sex drive back, although I've been worried about spreading to someone else. I guess I just wish I knew if this is basically a recurring infection or sort of the aftermath of having an infection. Prodromal symptoms are basically described as the same thing I'm having, but it seems unlikely from what I've read that I would have symptoms for 12+ weeks. I wish there was a way to know whether the virus was shedding or not. I can deal with my own pain, but I don't want anyone else to have to experience it if I can avoid it.

@Flowerteacher55I have several questions. Thank you for doing the leg work! Studies: How can we get involved in any studies on HSV testing or vaccines if we don't live in the Seattle area? Reading Tests and antibody levels: Why are igG tests so confusing? The higher numbers must correlate with something that has to do with the virus antibodies. The explanation I keep getting is that you may have been exposed to the virus at some point if it's positive. There has to be a difference between a 1.7 IgG positive and a 19.7 IgG positive, otherwise, why wouldn't the test just be a pass/fail, without the numbers? If antibodies are higher, does that mean fewer outbreaks due to higher immunity? Viral Shedding: How is Viral Shedding tested for in lab studies, especially in males where there's no mucous membranes? Is it just a swab(q-tip)? Does showering reduce viral shedding? Is there any way to find out your personal shedding rate? Why are there no HSV shedding kits available for home testing, similar to what we have for Covid? Supplements: Are there any supplements that help with radiculopathy from HSV-2? Outbreak intensity and length: Everything on the internet says the first outbreak is the worst, but I'm pretty sure I've had one before five years ago. I'm currently experiencing another and it's worse than ever and I've been having symptoms without lesions for 12 weeks. Can the virus be more intense if it lies dormant for many years? Thanks so much for your help!

Well, update here @Flowerteacher55. The ultra sound was negative, so the doc said he would recheck me in a week. Is there any way this is being caused by HSV-2? From other people's stories, it doesn't sound like they really align. My pain has been pretty constant on a daily basis for 10 weeks now. I've had dull groin pain, pins and needles, testicular, perineum, and penis pain. No lesions on penis or elsewhere and I've been checked by the doctor 4 times. I'm definitely getting really irritated with the daily pain. I'm also dealing with the idea of dating again. I was just finally getting my groove back when all of this happened. I haven't attempted dating since this happened 10 weeks ago. I'm not sure how to move forward. Right now, just taking it one day at a time. Hoping to feel better physically, then try to tackle dating again. I'm in my 40s now though, I've never been married and I live in a small town. I'd really like to find someone, but with the pain and potential hsv diagnosis, my head is all over the place.

Hey, thanks @Flowerteacher55 for getting back to me! No rash or sores, and I may or may not have had swollen glands. It may be that if it's a hernia that it makes it feel like my groin glands were swollen, but I couldn't feel any increase in size. It was just kind of a dull to mid-level pain in my groin area. The only flu-like symptoms were a bit of light nausea and fatigue, but I'm still having that occasionally, and the fatigue could very well be due to loss of sleep. The IgG test was definitely for HSV-2. The doctors said that it may or may not indicate that I have HSV-2. That I should come back to test if I see any lesions, but I haven't seen anything like that. Having an ultrasound done here for hernia in the near future. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you again for your support!

Update on this one: My doctor is now 90% sure it is a hernia. I've also had a full exam done 3 times on my genitals, no lesions at all, but that HSV-2 Test IgG level at 18.7 still worries me. I was taking 5,000 mcg of Biotin daily at the time of the test (and also took it right before I went to the doctor that day) and had heard it could elevate and provide false results. Has anyone else had experience with this?

Hello all, I had unprotected oral and vaginal sex with a woman in early October. I felt initial burning, pelvic pain, slight groin swelling, stinging at tip of penis, testicle pain and light nausea for several days. These symptoms have been intermittent throughout the last 8 weeks. I have felt all of this before 5 years ago, but that time, the symptoms went away in around 6 weeks and I was never tested for HSV 1 or 2. So we just assumed it was some sort of unidentified bacterial infection. This time, the doctor did test me. My HSV-1 IgG count was negative and my HSV-2 IgG count was 18.7. Which seemed high. I was told by them though that I may or may not have been exposed to the virus. They gave me no medication at first until I visited a second time a couple of weeks later because I was still having very intense symptoms. I tried 1g of Vacyclovir 2x a day for 7 days but it did not help. Anyhow, I'm eight weeks in and while symptoms seem to be diminishing on somedays, they seem to come back, but not quite as intense. I have no visual lesions, just the internal, intermittent burning and pain. It seems worse after sitting. I thought things would have subsided since they say the first out break is the worst, but I believe this is the second and it's still going. Has anyone else had this experience with nerve pain? I'm just hoping it gets better. I'm supposed to travel a few times this winter and I can't imagine it if I'm in pain like this. Any background or experience you can point me to would be much appreciated. Thanks!