Confused and annoyed Male with HSV-1 G

[Phillymale]

So to preface this Im still waiting for my doctor to call and review my results with me, but the blood work was posted online and I saw that I was positive for HSV-1 with a 12.50 H value (so well above the positive value threshold. Annoyingly she's had the results for days now and I still haven't heard back from her, but whatever. I went into the doctors pretty sure I had HSV-2 due to a previous sexual partner telling me they were recently positive and I had a sore on my penis like a week after we had sex. 

Is it possible for me to have already had HSV-1 and something about contact with my partner made a sore show up? I confirmed that they are positive with HSV-2 not 1, so how did I get HSV-1? 

The original sore cleared up about 2-3 weeks ago but I am now seeing a grouping of a few more sores. Is this my first OB or a continuation? I'm trying to be patient for my doctor to call me back, but I feel like I should be on medication sooner rather than later. 

I'm defeated, confused, and annoyed all in one. 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello!!

First, I am so sorry you are under such stress. Please know it will all be okay. We are here for you! 🙂 

Ugh, I am so sorry your doctor didn't call and explain the results. That is so frustrating! You can always call the office and ask to have a review of your test results. 

Do you have HSV-1 already/Have you had cold sores in the past? Have you ever been intimate with anyone who has had HSV-1? 

Sex can trigger an outbreak to occur. So, if you already had genital HSV-1 and didn't know it, it is possible that the friction triggered the outbreak to occur. It is also possible that the person you were most recently intimate with has HSV-1 AND HSV-2. genital HSV-1 is commonly spread via oral sex. 

The only way for her to know if she has both is if she had an antibody test done. A swab test done on her sores may have had a result of HSV-2, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have HSV-1 orally (or hypothetically sexually). Did she preform oral sex?

Was your blood an IgG or an IgM test? If it is IgG, it seems you must have had HSV-1 already, as having such a high positive result of IgG antibodies would typically take 12+ weeks to build up. If it is an IgM test, it seems that it was a recent exposure to the virus.

Since your first sore healed, did you remain intimate? The friction may have caused another outbreak, especially if the skin is new/sore. Also, did you notice any prodrome symptoms (burning, itching, tingling, etc) prior to the new cluster of sores? 

Also, have no fear about the second outbreak. If this is a new infection, it can sometimes take a little while for the body to get used to the virus, so outbreaks are more common to occur with short time in-between during the first few months of having it. It should get better 🙂!

Sending blessings of health and happiness your way! 🙂 

-- Grace

P.S. Are you from Philly? If so, it's nice to meet a Philly person on the forum! 🙂 

[Bootsychootsy]

Did you get the sores tested or just blood? Go get the sores tested if they show up. It will be a more accurate result.

[Phillymale]

@Flowerteacher55I don't know of any previous infection of HSV 1 and i have never had a cold sore. It was an IGG blood test.

I haven't been intimate with anyone since first sore because I wanted to get test results back, although I did masturbate occasionally. I didn't think I was particularly rough but maybe because there had recently been a sore. I didn't notice any prodrome symptoms. 

Im from south jersey and moving to philly soon. Have fam there and all. 

Thanks for the info.

 

@BootsychootsyBy the time I was able to get an appointment the sore was kind of healed so we just did a blood test. What do you mean it will be a more accurate result? What would be more accurate? 

[Bootsychootsy]

Just now, Phillymale said:

@BootsychootsyBy the time I was able to get an appointment the sore was kind of healed so we just did a blood test. What do you mean it will be a more accurate result? What would be more accurate? 

To my knowledge testing a herpes sore is way more accurate than a blood test. There's more risk for false positives etc with blood tests.

[Phillymale]

1 minute ago, Bootsychootsy said:

To my knowledge testing a herpes sore is way more accurate than a blood test. There's more risk for false positives etc with blood tests.

Okay I see. Well isn't the fact that I have sores kind of a giveaway that I have HSV? 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello! 

Okay, thanks for the information! It seems that this could have been a new infection. The IgG blood test usually takes 12+ weeks for antibodies to build up, but your test score was a definite positive, taken 2-3 weeks after the first sore presented itself. Perhaps giving your doctor a call might help clarify things?

It's great that you stopped having relations after the sore appeared. Masturbation may have impacted the sores, but probably not. 

Blood tests are more accurate than swab tests because swab tests are prone to human error (the nurse/medical professional may swab too little of material to be tested, they may swab an already healed/healing sore, etc). However, blood tests such as an IgG are much more reliable, although they often take 12+ weeks for the body to build up detectable amounts of anitbodies. IgM tests are not as reliable, since they involve testing for a type of antibody that builds up significantly when you are first exposed to the virus, but soon reduces in numbers as the body builds up other antibodies. IgM tests are more prone to false negatives due to this factor. 

Also, please know and trust the fact that your sex life is not over. I know it may feel like that, but it is not true! You have a common virus. You aren't bad or dirty or unwanted. You are good. You are clean and pure. You are wanted and worthy and deserving of love. Hold onto these truths to get you through the rough times! 🙂 

We are all here for you. Good luck with your move to PHL!

Blessings,

Grace

[Phillymale]

@Flowerteacher55 Thank you so much for the inspiration and positive words. 

[Bootsychootsy]

20 hours ago, Phillymale said:

Okay I see. Well isn't the fact that I have sores kind of a giveaway that I have HSV? 

A doctor would be able to tell, but you might not. Often herpes sores aren't the horror show that we see on google images, so people write them off as something else. But also the sores could be either HSV1 or HSV2. So it's important to get them tested.