Urethral Herpes

[Robmat]

I was diagnosed almost a year ago with genital hsv 1. My primary symptom was extreme urethral pain. I believe there was a sore inside my urethra but due to misdiagnosis I was never totally examined, but I was diagnosed after most of my symptoms with a blood test. Since then, I’ve experience what I think is pretty frequent prodromal symptoms. I almost daily have moments where I feel a tingling or itching in my urethra. I currently supplement 1000mg of lysine a day as well as take 1 gram of valocyclovair daily. Since it’s been so long and I’m doing so much to suppress it, is it likely these are just symptoms in my head? I’ve never found anyone with the same type of infection as I. Thank you

[AlexFrancis]

Robmat, this is my take on the subject. HSV for some, it seems a massive deal, for others it's barely a thought. Those like myself, reach out to the internet and we are presented with horror story after horror story and it reinforces our own belief on what we are experiencing. I am guilty of this same fact. No one posts to forums like this to say HSV has been insignificant to them. You can look in an outsider and think what!! That is all in his/her head but you aren't able to apply the same logic to your own situation.

But looking at facts. HSV1 diagnosis is most likely to be oral herpes, even if you don't get cold cores. So you are in a situation whereby there is uncertainty in your diagnosis and this probably causes you to think about every sensation in your genitals, you end up in a destructive cyclic loop.

I think if you were truly GHSV1 positive, you would see something visual, as opposed to just having a tingling/itching feeling.

From what you have posted if I were to place a bet, I would say what you are experiencing is not GHSV and is more psychosomatic.  

[Robmat]

So my initial outbreak had all the classic prodromal symptoms for two-three days, followed by about 3 weeks of horrible pain. So much so I was hospitalized at one point, (because of the urethra presentation no one even thought to test me for HSV until I was able to see a urologist some weeks later). I tested negative multiple times for all other STIs and had recently gotten out of a relationship with someone who had oral HSV-1. This person ever had more than the beginnings of a cold sore in the year we were together but still could’ve been transmitted orally. My outbreak occurred about 2 months after that relationship ended 

[AlexFrancis]

Not sure if you read my story a few posts below this. But having not had a diagnosis and my problems starting immediately (within 1 day of the event, peaking with intense pain at day 4) after a very unique single event that did not involve sex, oral or other (which I don't want to discuss). I am as certain as I can be I have GHSV. I don't know whether it is type 1 or 2.

In the first 4 or so years I had probably 40 doctor appointments, seeing maybe over 10 different doctors, I found one understanding doctor and had many appointments with her. But what I learnt from my experience is that detection and diagnosis of infection/virus/disease is not as clear cut as people or the medical profession would make out. And most of the 10 doctors knew very little about GHSV and again most gave factually incorrect information to me.

You said you were tested for all STI, that may be the case, but it doesn't mean that they returned correct results. Maybe one was a false negative and you indeed had an infection other than HSV. Also you had symptoms 2 months after you broke up. My experience was intense pain 4 days after exposure, but feeling symptoms within 1 day. I believe if you were infected with GHSV you would have experienced the symptoms within days, not months, especially as you were hospitalised. 

Serology testing returning positive for HSV 1 means nothing, 70% of the population are positive by the age of 40.