Razor bumps or H?

[Chrissy_]

I woke up and for the past couple days I’ve noticed small bumps on my legs. They aren’t really red until I scratch them but they appear to be on both legs. I get really paranoid about these things and always assume the worst. Does it appear to have been H or just razor bumps? 

[Chrissy_]

[Chrissy_]

[makepeacewithit]

I don't think anyone here is truly qualified to form an opinion on the nature of your bumps, but I wanted to respond because I am also a person who worries about every little bump. So just know that what I am going to say here is the lowly opinion of a layperson who is dealing with GHSV-1, and this not medical advice . . . 

My first question to you is this: Do you know that you have herpes due to previous outbreaks or positive tests? You don't say your status, and therefore I am not going to make the assumption that you are indeed positive for either HSV virus just because you are here. If you don't KNOW that you have herpes, stop right there. These are not herpes sores. There is a product called Bump Stopper that works great on folliculitis (both razor bumps and the butt acne kind). It's in the men's shaving aisle and costs less than $4 at WalMart. Get some of that and anytime you shave use a little in the areas where you normally get bumps. They will go away. I use this religiously because I, too, get afraid of every little bump. Seeing the creme work on my random folliculitis helps me stay sane and stop worrying about bumps.

If you DO know you have herpes, you need to develop some parameters for questioning yourself when you have worries so that you don't dwell in anxiety. Everyone is a little different, and there are no absolutes because herpes outbreaks can move around and appear on the skin covering the nerve area we refer to as the "boxer shorts area" (the genitals, the base of the spine, the buttocks, the upper thighs), but there are "norms" that help guide us, so think about your previous outbreaks, if you've had them.  Ask yourself these questions: 1. Have I had previous outbreaks that happened in these non-genital areas (the photos don't *quite* seem to be showing the traditional "boxer shorts area" that GHSV usually restricts itself to, but if you've experienced them there I won't say the location rules it out, I'm not an expert) 2. Have I had any other symptoms with these bumps? Did I have tingling or burning? 3. Did I have any nerve pain or tingling prior to the appearance of these bumps that could have been a prodome? If not, I think the odds are in your favor that these are shaving bumps.

We all have a tendency to worry and fear the worst, and it helps to run through some simple questions to bring our worries to a resting place. If you are uncertain about your status and have a reason to worry about it then consult your doctor, but otherwise I would try the Bump Stopper.

I hope you will feel peaceful about this moving forward.

[Chrissy_]

@makepeacewithit I have tested positive for it. I haven’t experienced any negative symptoms associated with the bumps besides itching, but my mind likes to go into stress mode and worry about everything. Previously, I haven’t had any outbreaks in the “boxer shorts area. “ I’m quite asymptotic but I do like to be very aware of my body since I know an outbreak doesn’t have to very apparent so that’s why I questioned if this was one. 

[makepeacewithit]

I am like this too! I had seemed pretty asymptomatic until recently, and I even worried about a bump on my neck endlessly. Shaving bumps send me into coniption fits. It's really easy to worry about every thing when you are in this state, I think people who have regular bad outbreaks would argue with me for saying this, but I think having mild or asymptomatic herpes can be psychologically worse because we worry about everything, we don't know how to distinguish the real from the fear. Like I said before, I can't offer an informed opinion, but I think these are just shaving bumps, and I can tell you I just had my first (very mild) actual outbreak after taking a break from antivirals. I have GHSV1, so it was indeed mild, to the point if I hadn't been alert for it I might have dismissed it. It was accompanied by tingling for a period of about 3 days, and I think a short prodome of nerve pain in the vaginal area the day before. Once before I also had a cluster of tingling sores on my lower back, and I feel certain that was also an outbreak. So the tingling is really my key here, and I think bumps that aren't in an obvious herpes place that don't tingle we should feel free to call "just plain bumps." Now that I've had this second experience, I probably won't worry about shaving bumps much in the future! I hope what I've learned can help you, too.

[Chrissy_]

@makepeacewithit thank you! I definitely didn’t experience any prodome symptoms besides itching but that could be accompanied with razor bumps, rashes etc. I just want to be aware of everything so I don’t accidentally give it to a loved one, not only that it makes communicating my condition a lot easier when you know what’s going on. Half of the time I feel like I don’t REALLY know what’s happening. I question everything I see on my body even when all logic says I’m fine. 

[makepeacewithit]

Figuring out how herpes is working inside us is really hard.

@Chrissy_ I don't want to pry, but I am curious about how you discovered your herpes and whether you have a good doctor helping you navigate this. Was it through blood testing only (since you are asymptomatic), or did you get a very strong confirmation of having the virus through something like a PCR swab or Western Blot? I ask because my blood-testing only diagnosis was very confusing . . . it started out with false low-positives for HSV-2 (that were wrongly presented to me by the clinic as a strong confirmation), and only after getting a Western Blot did I confirm I was actually dealing with HSV-1. In retrospect I feel that before I tested I had a few outbreaks that I didn't recognize at the time as the onset of my infection, but the blood tests and the clinicians who performed them led me down a confusing path for over two years before I finally got the real scoop. To be fair to them, they didn't know. They were doing what they thought was right, but they totally misunderstood how to interpret test results. Now I am in the place of knowing for sure what my situation is, and it has definitely helped me get a grip, so I am wondering if you may need to delve a little further into what your test results were and whether they were truly definitive.

[Chrissy_]

@makepeacewithit my old pediatrician had done a swab test and it came back positive but when she did the swab test it had already been past 48 hours. I read that if it’s past that time frame your test results might not be accurate. I’m going to get retested at my university since it’s free with a blood test. 

[makepeacewithit]

So I am assuming this was genital, did she give you any more information about which variety of hsv you tested positive for? You could ask to have a copy of your lab results, just to make sure of the test she performed and that the results she verbally reported are written down and can be taken into consideration. While positive swabs are usually considered pretty accurate I think confirmatory testing is a good idea for you, especially if you don't have a paper record of the test or if your pediatrician wasn't very specific with you about the form you tested positive for, but I also feel it's really important to be educated about the possible problems with all the testing forms. 

Testing for herpes is a very imperfect situation. I can tell you a few things I've learned, but if you could manage to pay for a consultation with an expert I highly recommend looking at Terri Warren's offering at the Westover Heights Clinic website. It really helps to discuss your situation with a TRUE expert. Most doctors and clinics out there sort of confuse things for us. Westover Heights and Askexpertsnow (dotcom) are two places where you can pay a small fee (around $25) to get detailed insights from experts, or you can pay Terri Warren a higher amount for a phone or video chat consultation. You will want to give them details about symptoms you had that led you to swabbing as well as the tests and results you've had, and it's very legit to say you need help differentiating when you are just having anxiety and when you should really be concerned about symptoms.

Here are a few things I have learned about having blood testing done: IgM is a form of blood test that is NOT recommended anymore, but many places still do it. The results of it aren't considered helpful at all. IgG is a good blood test to confirm established HSV-2 IF you haven't been taking anti-viral suppressants since your primary outbreak (anti-virals delay the process of forming antibodies, so you should be off anitviral medication for 3 months before retesting). Low scores on this test are an indication that re-testing is in order, anything under a 3.5 is questionable as a positive, and many doctors and clinics do not know this. IgG isn't the BEST test for HSV-1 because it misses 30% of HSV-1 cases, just a flaw that is well known by experts. What this means is that if your previous swab was positive for HSV-1, a negative IgG test that says negative for HSV-1 isn't going to mean you don't really have it (but if you get a high number positive, then it's reliable). I do not test positive for HSV-1 on the blood tests, so far. The Western Blot test for herpes is considered the gold standard and that is what I had to confirm my HSV-1. It's harder to get it and more expensive, but results are far more accurate. Terri Warren helps with that through Westover Heights Clinic. 

Sorry for all the information, I hope it isn't overwhelming and that you find it helps!

[Chrissy_]

@makepeacewithit i have documentation that says I tested positive for type 2 but I don’t believe it says what specific test was done. I mean I personally know it was a swab test but I’m sure there can different techniques used to test it once the sample has been taken. Thank you so much for the information!! I appreciate it. While I have you, when you spoke to your professional did they say how easy it was to spread it without having symptoms? I ask because I’m worried I might have spread it to my navel piercing. One night I had used the restroom and the string of my pants had directly touched my vagina. I proceeded to wipe it down with a towel that had soap and water on it but when I woke up my pants had ridden up and I’m concerned that it could have spread something to my naval. Especially since right now it’s fairly new and I’ve been having difficulty with it. I keep getting irritation blisters that happened prior to this event so I know for a fact it wasn’t H also it wasn’t like an open sore it looked like a plain blister you’d find anywhere else. Well from time to time said blister would burst and blood would come out. Since my naval piercing is quite delicate right now I’m concerned that I could have given it to another part of my body. 

[makepeacewithit]

I wouldn't worry about the navel piercing--if it has been many months since your primary outbreak you are not at risk of autoinoculating any longer. Generally the risk of that is restricted to the first few months of having it, and even then clothing is never considered to be a potential carrier of the virus. There would have to be significant rubbing contact for there to be any transfer, too. Soap and water kills the herpes virus when it's not already making its way into your skin (so handwashing right after touching an active sore is always a good idea, but you don't need to be overly concerned with "shedding" types of situations, random light contact with a shedding skin area is very different from the friction required to pick up the virus from asymptomatic shedding). You took the precaution of washing the string and I think that was good enough. I think you can let go of this worry.

[Chrissy_]

@makepeacewithitthank you for bringing some light on this situation! I was very concerned and I didn’t know how to go about it. You’ve been extremely helpful and I appreciate all the knowledge you’ve given me. 

[makepeacewithit]

No problem! I'm glad I helped!