Help with results and a timeframe

[Thankfulforthisgroup]

I will start from the beginning to make this easier to understand. My boyfriend and I dated for a year. We had sex very frequently and he was honest that his previous partner had hsv2 but they both had blood work done frequently and he had not gotten the virus. We broke up for 10 months and then slowly started a relationship again.
He told me he was not with anyone else while we were broken up. I however was raped during that period of time. I did not get tested afterwards because I was trying to ignore that it happened. I have since been through 12 weeks of therapy which has helped, but with this diagnosis I am now struggling.

We had sex again and 5 days after he noticed a bump and got tested. His result was positive for GHSV2 from PCR. Negative both for IGG. I also got tested by 2 separate providers and both came back negative for hsv2 and 1. I thought I saw a bump and swabbed it, But no indication of herpes.

Fast forward about a year. I had a Shingles outbreak for the first time and was put on antiviral meds. I’m sure from stress at work and therapy was stressful. We had sex maybe a few times that year because I was having a difficult time through therapy. He was on daily suppression medication and had no more outbreaks.

3 months later we had sex and 2 days later I noticed a bit of a smell. 3 days after that a large amount of thick discharge and UTI symptoms. 11 days after that I noticed a blister, then 2 more the next day. I got swabbed and they confirmed GHSV2. They did no blood work that visit because “I already had it and it came from my partner that has it”

I went and had bloodwork done again 10 weeks after the positive swab. I knew it would come back positive. The result was HSV 2 positive at 6.48. Now that I know what an outbreak feels like, I know I have never had this feeling before. Is it possible that when I had shingles hsv2 would remain dormant? 
I really wish the doctor would have tested my blood when my swab came back positive. Would it be helpful to get Western blot at this point? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello, Friend,

Welcome to the forum! 🙂 We are so glad you can speak your mind and share your story here. 

I am so sorry to hear about the struggles you've faced. Please know that you did not deserve for any of that to happen. None of it is your fault. You are good. You are pure. You are worthy of love and good things. 

Trauma is something that is rooted in our brains, and both consciously and subconsciously impacts us. I have my herpes from someone who was abusive to me. Knowing I have this virus reminds me of that relationship, and it really is not a fun reminder. 

I am so happy to hear you have been in therapy. It really is difficult, but it pays off. Also, there is something called tapping which has helped me with a lot. It's an emotional freedom technique similar to meditation. It really is beautiful. I suggest tapping with Brad Yates on Youtube! It's awesome. 🙂 

In regards to the timeline... He got the PCR swab, it came back positive, and the IgG test came back negative; that sounds like he was recently exposed to it, which is why his body did not build up detectable amounts of antibodies for the blood test to come back positive.

I wanted to ask for clarification, how much time passed between the time you were assaulted to the time you got back together with your ex? It happened during that 10 month break, however did it happen close to when you both got back together and were intimate?

In terms of the shingles, what type of antivirals did they prescribe you (if any)? If it was Acyclovir, this actually is herpes medication and if you had herpes while you had shingles, it would have probably caused it to be dormant (not active with sores). 

Although the shingles antivirals may have suppressed the virus, it is also possible that you didn't have HSV when you had shingles. It is possible that the outbreak that happened with the UTI  was your primary/first outbreak, as you said you have never felt these symptoms before, which means it is possible that your boyfriend gave it to you. 

I am so sorry that they refused blood work. That is so frustrating and patronizing. So many people have had the same experience of being denied blood work. Getting the blood test during the outbreak could have provided information about when you contracted it (either recently with an IgM blood test or over 12 weeks prior with an IgG blood test).

Because you now know that you have HSV-2, and it has been verified via swab and blood, you don't need to get the Western Blot Test, as that is usually done for those who believe they have HSV and are getting negative test results on all other tests, or for those who believe they have a false positive. More information about the test can be found at the University of Washington's Virology Clinic website, here (this is about HSV FAQs): http://depts.washington.edu/herpes/pages/frequently_asked_questions

I am so sorry if this was confusing! Feel free to reach out with any other questions, or feel free to direct message me anytime 🙂 

I am sending you prayers and blessings of health and happiness. 

Remember that you are beautiful. You are safe. You are loved. The world is so blessed to have you! ❤️ 

Blessings,

Grace

[Thankfulforthisgroup]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I have heard of tapping, I’ll look into it. I have been meditating which has been very helpful for me lately.
The assault happened in January 2020 and we were intimate again in August 2020. In April 2021 when I got shingles my Dr. gave me acyclovir. I didn’t have any of the prodome feelings then that I feel now. I have been feeling it since my outbreak with uti symptoms even with daily suppression medication and Lysine and watching my diet, so about 10 weeks now. Anyhow, the shingles rash I had went away within about 10 days but the shooting pains everywhere took a few months and some gabapentin to go away. 
Is 6.48 a large amount of antibody and is it the same antibody that was fighting the shingles? 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello!

Meditation is wonderful 🙂 Keep up the self care ❤️!!

Shingles can be so extremely painful, because of the shooting neurological pains 😞 It's great that you have since healed, although it took so long 😞!

In regards to the antibodies, that is a great question. A lot of people have wondered this, too!

I am not a medical doctor or professional by any means, however I have found some helpful information from Mayo Clinic Laboratories:(Here is the original source) https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/84429

The source says that the Herpes IgG Test tests for type-specific (HSV-1 or HSV-2) antibodies called glycoproteins. So, this means that there are specific antibodies that are tested for. I would then assume (I don't know for sure) that there are specific antibodies that are tested for when testing for Shingles. 

Your result of 6.48 is 5.38 above the positive starting amount (anything greater than 1.09 is positive). I am not exactly sure what the measurement means (is it measured in points? grams? atoms?) but I wish that test results were better explained to us. If anyone can answer this better, please respond to this post! 

Sorry I am not more knowledgeable! I will continue searching for answers from reliable sources and get back to you! 🙂 

Blessings,

Grace