Herpes was ruled out by blood test, yet I have this all over. (pics)

[joey_p]

My symptoms started on 7/7 with slight sore throat and towards the end of the day tiny rash spots around my groin (male). Didn't think anything of it due to weather being hot and sweaty. Next morning, sore throat a lot worse, some swollen lymphs, the rash spots turned into small pustules of sorts. They were individual spots however, not clustered. Unfortunately all STI clinics are closed weekends around here so waited til Monday. Monday, went in to my primary care, he orders labs for HSV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, and.. monkey pox. Ok. The lab doesn't perform monkey pox test, had to go down to county. At this point I'm running like 102.3 fever, throat hurts, feel like crap. County says, yeah, looks like monkey pox, they did the test by swabbing the sores. At this time I have lesions inside my throat, on my throat glands, one inside the lip, couple blister things on the outside of the lip, chin, then on stomach and around my genitals. Some are scabbing up a bit since they got popped, during the night I presume while sleeping.

Tuesday, the tests come back, except for the mpox, everything is negative. So I go to another clinic on Wednesday, this is an LGBT clinic  where I get tested sometimes because its faster and cheaper than my doc (I'm straight however). The guy there is  convinced I have mpox as well. I'm like wow ok. He does another swab for mpox just in case and says he can get the results quicker than the county offices. Then says I need antiviral for monkeypox as it will make it go away faster and I'll feel better. The medicine is super hard to get as only the govt has it. He made calls and the next day, Thursday, I received the meds. I'm happy thinking the mpox will start withering away now and I'll get good.

Well, in the meantime, the blisters/pustules or whatever are now developing in clusters around the older ones. Which is starting to look less like monkey pox. While doing all this research I'm thinking this is probably herpes, BUT I feel no pain at all, no itching or anything, which from my understanding there's a lot of both going on, especially during the first outbreak.

ALSO, I have clusters in the back of my head that are also all pus-like and clustery. Which makes me thing is this really herpes. I have to wait until this coming Monday to actually go get the PCR test done on the pustules, since apparently blood test may not be very accurate.

Here are some images. Let me know what you folks think. And I appreciate any feedback.

 

[My_dog_is_hungry]

Herpes is pretty painful my dude! 

[joey_p]

4 hours ago, My_dog_is_hungry said:

Herpes is pretty painful my dude! 

So you're thinking this isn't herpes then?

[mr_hopp]

 

Hey there,

First of all, I want to acknowledge how challenging and overwhelming this whole situation must be for you. It's never easy when you're experiencing symptoms and trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not a medical professional, but I can offer some general insights and support.

It sounds like you've been through quite the rollercoaster with various tests and potential diagnoses. Dealing with uncertainties can be frustrating, but hang in there, and hopefully, you'll get some clarity soon.

While I can't provide a definitive diagnosis, I can offer a couple of thoughts. It's important to remember that symptoms can vary from person to person, and not everyone experiences the same level of pain or itching during a herpes outbreak. Additionally, herpes can present in different ways, and clusters of pustules are one possible manifestation. I understand that waiting for test results can be anxiety-inducing, but try to stay positive and patient until you can get the PCR test done on Monday. And you're right: Blood tests are only accurate a few months after an initial exposure, so PCR swab is going to be the best and most accurate thing to do in your case. In the meantime, take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and practicing good hygiene.

Remember, you're not alone in this journey. It's great that you've reached out for support and shared your concerns here. Keep seeking guidance from healthcare professionals who can offer the appropriate tests and advice based on their expertise.

Sending you positive vibes and wishing you a speedy resolution to this situation. Hang in there, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

[joey_p]

11 hours ago, mr_hopp said:

 

Hey there,

First of all, I want to acknowledge how challenging and overwhelming this whole situation must be for you. It's never easy when you're experiencing symptoms and trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not a medical professional, but I can offer some general insights and support.

It sounds like you've been through quite the rollercoaster with various tests and potential diagnoses. Dealing with uncertainties can be frustrating, but hang in there, and hopefully, you'll get some clarity soon.

While I can't provide a definitive diagnosis, I can offer a couple of thoughts. It's important to remember that symptoms can vary from person to person, and not everyone experiences the same level of pain or itching during a herpes outbreak. Additionally, herpes can present in different ways, and clusters of pustules are one possible manifestation. I understand that waiting for test results can be anxiety-inducing, but try to stay positive and patient until you can get the PCR test done on Monday. And you're right: Blood tests are only accurate a few months after an initial exposure, so PCR swab is going to be the best and most accurate thing to do in your case. In the meantime, take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and practicing good hygiene.

Remember, you're not alone in this journey. It's great that you've reached out for support and shared your concerns here. Keep seeking guidance from healthcare professionals who can offer the appropriate tests and advice based on their expertise.

Sending you positive vibes and wishing you a speedy resolution to this situation. Hang in there, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

Thank you for your response and words of encouragement. It is indeed a very depressing feeling not knowing what you have. And if it is HSV, it would be a hard thing for me to accept, mostly due to the stigma attached to it and what we've been "taught" our entire lives. I know its not the end of the world, I just don't think many people are very accepting, unfortunately.

As for the PCR test, does it produce results within minutes or is it something they have to send it out to the lab for? Should I ask specifically if the test is PCR?

 

Thank you!

[mr_hopp]

I get how your head can be spinning from all this, but just take this one step at a time for now. Don't future-spiral! 🙂 Once you get a definitive result, then we can take it from there. 

To your question: For a PCR test for herpes, a doctor will swab or scrape a sample from a sore. The sample is then sent to a lab to look for genes from the herpes virus. The test can detect viral DNA and distinguish between HSV1, HSV2, and VZV. Results usually come back within 24 hours. The PCR test is the most commonly used test for herpes and is very accurate, almost 100% (if enough sample is swabbed to be detectable).

[joey_p]

8 hours ago, mr_hopp said:

I get how your head can be spinning from all this, but just take this one step at a time for now. Don't future-spiral! 🙂 Once you get a definitive result, then we can take it from there. 

To your question: For a PCR test for herpes, a doctor will swab or scrape a sample from a sore. The sample is then sent to a lab to look for genes from the herpes virus. The test can detect viral DNA and distinguish between HSV1, HSV2, and VZV. Results usually come back within 24 hours. The PCR test is the most commonly used test for herpes and is very accurate, almost 100% (if enough sample is swabbed to be detectable).

Thank you for the info.

I called a couple of places and they never heard of a PCR test, they just do culture test and they say it takes about a week to get results. It's frustrating because i live in one of the largest cities in the states and nobody knows anything.

[mr_hopp]

This is common for even those in the medical profession being in a dark about a lot of this stuff, unfortunately. So it's not you, it's the system.

PCR is preferred to a culture. It has a much higher sensitivity and it provides results much faster (less than 24 hours vs. about a week for culture).

For example, in this study, culture missed half the cases (although it was a small study, but is a valuable data point): 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6156304/

Also, it's important to note that sensitivity of the testing method decreases as the outbreak advances, lesions heal, and during subsequent occurrences.

[joey_p]

2 hours ago, mr_hopp said:

This is common for even those in the medical profession being in a dark about a lot of this stuff, unfortunately. So it's not you, it's the system.

PCR is preferred to a culture. It has a much higher sensitivity and it provides results much faster (less than 24 hours vs. about a week for culture).

For example, in this study, culture missed half the cases (although it was a small study, but is a valuable data point): 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6156304/

Also, it's important to note that sensitivity of the testing method decreases as the outbreak advances, lesions heal, and during subsequent occurrences.

The system is definitely broken and has been for a while. The doc ended up doing a culture test. They never heard of a PCR herpes test, even though this is what they do for a living - perform STD tests. Very strange to me. 

Where would one normally get a PCR test? Order it online and collect yourself? I'm just curious at this point.

[BradYear23]

On 7/17/2023 at 10:26 PM, joey_p said:

The system is definitely broken and has been for a while. The doc ended up doing a culture test. They never heard of a PCR herpes test, even though this is what they do for a living - perform STD tests. Very strange to me. 

Where would one normally get a PCR test? Order it online and collect yourself? I'm just curious at this point.

No update?