Sil88

After 3 months, you would have produced enough antibodies which would show up in a blood test. If you could leave it a bit longer, it may be more accurate though. I dont know where you live, but in the UK, its best to go to a gum clinic rather than your doctor. I think for the US, planned parenthood can see you quickly?

If it is indeed herpes, then it sounds like he's one of the majority that doesn't realise he has it. Unless he's had a recent blood test which said he doesnt, there's no way he can say with certainty. If you wait a week before seeing the doctor, the blisters may have healed too much and you wont be able to get an answer for at least 3 months. Best to go whilst you still have the blisters if you want certainty.

I think the fact that there's no cure is more of an argument against screening. So they find out 16% of the population have it.. all those people suffer the same psychological anguish that we all went through, yet the doctor says 'yea, so now you know... bye'. In the UK, the health service is government (under)funded and overloaded -- they cant afford to fund an unreliable test, that will quite often show results in the equivocal range, or give a false result. Also, 50% of new genital cases are hsv1, but almost everyone is positive for that after a blood test. HIV is different since the test is 99% reliable after a few weeks, plus it's life-threatening. HPV can also be life threatening, and fortunately the smear test is pretty reliable can be done at any time.

Yea, I take it back.. I caught it from sex with condoms, which is almost just external contact. Dont rule that out in your case either, condoms only cut the risk by half.

That seems strange.. do you know what the range was for a positive result? What made you take a specific blood test for it? Youre pretty unfortunate if it was just external genital contact.

On the other hand, we see many false results here and people thinking their life is over just because their blood contains hsv1 antibodies. It may well cause more confusion and grief than it would prevent, not to mention the cost.

Its probably just a pimple on your son's lip. Keep an eye on it, if it starts to spread or becomes a cluster of dots then you may be right. Whitlow is quite rare, burning could be due to leaving lotion on your finger? I have whitlow, and it started with a black patch on a torn cuticle (from biting). Then there were 3-7 quite big blisters on my finger which never opened. It repeated a few times in the first year. I don't remember the burning sensation, but the symptoms are very hard to miss in my case. Btw, hérpes sounds so much better in my head than herpes!

Just to be sure, the blood test was positive for type 2, right? Every other year for outbreaks is pretty good! I think I've gone about a year without one now, hope I can match your record. For sure, the more you think about it, the more frequent they will be. It seems to piggy-back on our feelings of rejection from past or potential relationships. Focusing on ironing those out leaves H on it's own, which makes it easier to handle.

Havent read the link, but it's from research experiments. Eg. Test the blood of 100 people, 20 come back positive for hsv2. Tell each person their result, and if they are surprised or didnt realise, then make a note. 16 of the 20 positives didn't realise that would be their result.

Its tempting to go with option 3 and let it all out, but i do think its worth removing all the negativity and making it seem like its minor and you dealt with it. Its already a lot to take in and a big decision for the people who dont understand it, so you probably need to think what they need to hear. At the same time, you opened up completely and he ought to appreciate that. You could maybe try throwing out a text if its been 4 days to see how he's reacting? Btw years ago when i was educating myself about H, I read that the % of black women with H is higher than the national average - maybe it's just talked about less. Don't know if that helps or does the opposite, but you should question that protocol or you'll feel more alone.

I showed my supposed whitlow to 3 doctors and they all shrugged. There's so many possible answers. The good thing is that the skin is very thick and rarely breaks. For me, the biggest clue was that I bit the skin around my nails and around the same time that I caught hsv genitally, I had a black bruise around that torn cuticle.. also that it returns every now and then.

For suppressive treatment, go to your local gum clinic and say youre having monthly OBs. If it doesn't work, go again and hope to see a different nurse. GUM should be better than your GP. Usually if you're newly infected or currently have an OB, they'll give you enough for a week or two, just enough to beat that OB.

Yea, it dies within a minute or so and needs repeated friction on exposed skin to pass to someone anyway. Much less chance of that happening if its an absorbant material too.

Hey I'm sorry, that sounds tough.. you can of course skip the medication if the outbreaks aren't causing you too much grief. A lot of people including myself prefered the au naturale approach. I dont live in the US, so will your parents see the drug names on their bill? I hope your mum is bluffing about the disownment thing..

Sorry to hear it, and I know its tough.. I made it into the worst period of my life. Saying that now, I must've had an easy life! Keep your chin up, take optimist's advice from the other thread and get that appetite back.

@SageBrush go to a GUM clinic and tell them you're having regular outbreaks. If they dont give you 3 months worth, go to another clinic and tell them the same thing. I've found each nurse has a different approach.. if that fails, I've got a load unopened which I don't plan to use.

@optimist On point as always - one year and still going strong!

Yes. Annoying, isnt it.

No, I've not heard of that. Most likely, he wont catch it if you act sensibly. If he does catch it, 80% chance he wont even notice the outbreak. Think about the expression 'worried sick' - it really does mess you up.

First couple of weeks I had no appetite either. 3 years later, I can barely remember those times - things go back to normal, don't worry.

Dont worry, you acted responsibly enough - and don't waste any more time kicking yourself, it's done now. I caught H almost 3 years ago and I'm fine - been at least a year since my last OB (my first 6 OBs were monthly). I check on here once in a while, but no longer because I'm feeling down. I wouldn't focus too much on a potential cure/vaccine, it could lead to frustration or prevent you from moving on. There's millions of young people out there that know they have H.. probably a local private group on Facebook or something. You're right too about it making you a stronger person. Expands your mind a bit, helps you become more empathetic towards people in a rough spot. Anyway, all the best.

Sorry, but have you had any symptoms down below? If not, you probably just had oral hsv since you were a kid. Something like 70% of adults will show the exact same results as you..

There's some creams (eg. zovirax) and medicated invisible plasters for cold sores (called compeed in the UK). I've never used them though and don't get oral outbreaks.

I told my mum and it was fine.. She only really cared about the HIV results. Deciding factor should be - if you need the support and help of your parents to get through it, you can risk telling them. Otherwise, there's really no need.

I don't think you should do it tbh. If the guy likes you, he will weigh up the risk/reward, suffer some stress and, if all goes well.. commit to you in a way, but then you'd scrap it.. It's a rollercoaster and who knows how he'd feel afterwards. Maybe if you stay friends with someone after dating, there would be less at stake.. but then that's a bit of a hollow disclosure if there was never any intent.