one herpes test came back positive another test came back negative

[PlzHelpMe]

now I am confused but I am waiting on this other test, the first test came back 1.55 index igm but hsv 1 and 2 negative.. then I went to another doctor hsv1 and 2 negative igg and igm so I went to a third doctor last Wednesday what is taking so long?

[WCSDancer2010]

So I went back and reread your posts - I'm not clear - why do you think you may have Herpes? Have you had an outbreak? As in blisters? Or just some kind of pain/rash? What are your symptoms?

[PlzHelpMe]

Pain, tingling, burning, itching muscle pains headaches

[WCSDancer2010]

And what are the doctors saying - ie: the tests are coming back all over the place - have you been tested for other STD's? Or are they diagnosing on the symptoms alone?

 

You may want to try to find a place where you can get a PCR test - it goes on DNA instead of antibodies. Supposedly very accurate. Call around all the clinics (there are a lot of STD clinics nowadays) and OBGYN's till you find one that offers it.

[PlzHelpMe]

my obgyn hasn't called me back yet, and I got tested last Wednesday for the 3rd time, he tested me for herpes 1 and 2 and hepatitis b and hiv this time around, what is pcr testing I been searching online, will it tell me if my ex gave it to me since dna is involved?

 

like I said one doctor tells me I had herpes but unsure where and which one because my test came back 1.55 index but hsv 1 and 2 negative

 

then the next test was negative for both- with another clinic

 

now I am waiting on my obgyn to call me back

[WCSDancer2010]

PCR test: no, it can't tell you who gave it to you - it's a blood draw (there is also a PCR swab culture too but you need an open sore to do that one) that looks for the DNA of the virus in your system...

 

http://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/guide/genital-herpes-diagnosis

 

Have you been tested for Chlamydia, syphilis and Gonorrhea? If you never got blisters and you keep coming up neg on the Herpes I'd ask the Dr to look for a place that does the PCR test - and get tested for the other stuff just in case.

 

FYI my daughter had a rare form of Chlamydia years ago (before they could test guys) that she got from her BF....took several tests to get to the bottom of it all. For months they kept treating her for a yeast infection :(

 

Another case that I followed up on turned out to be a cutaneous yeast infection - it took the girl several months and change of Doctor to get to the bottom of her issue - she had (what turned out to be a false positive) test initially for Herpes even though she was a virgin - then numerous bouts like you are having - and finally the Dr tried Lotrimin (basically the same stuff as you use for Athletes Foot) and it cleared it up.

 

Which comes back again to the whole issue that there *could* be other things that are mimicking the Herpes virus ...so best to get tested for all of it....

 

AND - it could just be that your body is taking a long time to come up with enough antibodies to be detectable. How long has it been since you were exposed?

 

Sorry to not be able to get you a straight answer but perhaps you need to start looking at other possibilities ... just in case.....

[PlzHelpMe]

i don't even know I became sick in july and got tested in sept. of this year and got tested.. that's when I was supposedly exposed, my ex girlfriend messes with anybody but I love her so much, last night we did something I been weak since and she started bleeding after I used the strapon, on her I looked that up to, she will never go to the doctor

[PlzHelpMe]

I got my test results back today negative for hsv igg 1 and 2 <90

 

everything came back negative but I still have symptoms

[PlzHelpMe]

<90 is a negative but

90 to 1.10 Equivocal

> 1.10 positive

[WCSDancer2010]

I asked Dr_H_Positive to chime in when she gets a chance as she will understand those numbers and be able to explain them better than I can.

 

But I think you may need to look at other possible causes like the ones I mentioned.... have you been tested for Chlamydia, syphilis and Gonorrhea?

 

And you may want to try Lotrimin (you can get it over the counter) and see if that works (in which case, you have a yeast or fungal infection)

 

What did your Dr say?

[PlzHelpMe]

i got tested for Chlamydia, syphilis and Gonorrhea they came back negative too, I'm going to get the lotrimin to see if it works

 

my doctor didn't say I had any infections just discoloration of the clitious

 

I urinate frequently like 20 times a day I wonder if its my soap but why did my first lab come back 1.55 index negative igm for hsv 1 and 2 I got the aycroivor 10days.. got restested la test came back negative igg hsv 1 and 2.. so to make sure I got tested the 3rd time since july of this year, from my obgyn and its negative igg hsv 1 and 2 index.90

[WCSDancer2010]

Sounds like you have some other kind of infection going on - esp with the discoloration. Did they try Monistat for a yeast infection? That's the other standard topical treatment that you may want to try (do one at a time - lotrimin and or monistat)

 

Do you normally urinate that often or is that just since this started?

 

[PlzHelpMe]

They gave me a one day pill for yeast infection, and no I just started urinating a lot, I've been googling so much stuff I come up with nothing I am just going to keep my mind off of it I was looking at my older test results my IGM and IGG index was .37 for hsv 1 and 2 now its pretty high at .90

[dr_h_positive]

Hi PlzHelpMe,

 

Sorry it's taken me a few days to respond, I've been trying to look some things up based on what you've said and get some clarification myself on the blood test.

 

A few things still confuse me:

 

1) like I said one doctor tells me I had herpes but unsure where and which one because my test came back 1.55 index but hsv 1 and 2 negative

This doesn't make sense to me because the IgG result should have corresponded with a positive result for either HSV-1 or HSV-2 because that's what the assay tests for. An index of 1.55 would not be interpreted as a negative result. When your doctor said that you had herpes after that test, how did he/she explain to you how that diagnosis was made? When you were on acyclovir after that, did it help your symptoms?

 

2) I read back through your previous posts and you mention "getting real sick" and "breaking out on the back of your arms and down below" and feeling like your mouth itches and your buttocks burn, and "Pain, tingling, burning, itching muscle pains headaches", but still not being sure if it's in the genitals or the mouth. When you say you get sick, what does that mean? Is it like having the flu? Have you ever been to see a doctor during the time you were experiencing these symptoms?

Do you have/have you ever had blisters or sores near your mouth or around your genitals (were they fluid-filled? can you describe them?)

If yes to both, have you ever had one of the blisters cultured? (The doctor would have opened one of the fluid filled sores and swabbed it with cotton).

 

A note about IgG and IgM assays, and the difference between them:

 

WCSDancer was absolutely correct in a previous post that IgM results are less clinically useful than IgG results because the level of IgM antibodies can vary widely. They are like your body's first responders, and get produced quickly upon first exposure to an infection, or during reactivation of a virus, but their levels drop afterwards. Also IgM testing is not reliably type specific, so it can't distinguish between HSV-1 or -2.

 

The reference range for IgM (Types 1 and 2) are:

<10 --> Negative

>=10 --> Positive

 

IgG tests are type specific, and use which recombinant type specific antigen (glycoprotein G) is present to distinguish between HSV-1 and -2. IgG antibodies take longer for your body to produce, but once they are made they typically persist. So if you are worried about your index value increasing from 0.37 to 0.90 you could, if you wanted, get retested in 2-4 weeks. However, depending on your current symptoms (and I am not sure what those are, nor do I have I taken your history or physical so this is NOT direct medical advice), it may not be necessary to keep getting tested. You are on the low end of a range the test considers an equivocal result. (When you say your index was 0.90, was that for the HSV-1 or HSV-2 IgG? The two would probably yield different values).

 

The reference ranges for IgG (Types 1 OR 2) are:

<0.90 --> Negative

0.90 to 1.10 --> Equivocal

>1.10 --> Positive

 

At this point I would say treat your symptoms and go from there. From what I can tell, not being entirely clear on what your symptoms are (or when they began, how frequently they occur, whether they reoccur, etc), you've had some negative or ambiguous serologic results for herpes, and although herpes probably can't be ruled out at this point, I definitely agree with WCSDancer that there could be other causes for your symptoms that might be mimicking herpes.

Some other conditions that came up in my searches include chancroid, which is bacterial, or Behcet's disease, which is an inflammatory disorder that would present with symptoms elsewhere on your body in addition to mouth and genital ulcers. (You mentioned previously some "break outs" on the backs of your arms... are you still having those and what are they like?) Again, this is definitely not meant to be medical advice, and certainly not meant to scare you - but if you would like to PM me I can link you to more info. Honestly I would do what you're doing and try to deal with the emotional effects that all this is having on you. And we are here to help with that.

[PlzHelpMe]

My doc said 1.55 meant I been exposed to herpes maybe a cold sore in my past life I was like HUH.. because she said hsv 1 and 2 was negative I wish I could post the test results like a screen shot or something because its hard to explain what I don't even understand :-( and the 10 day acyclovir is what brought the symptoms on I didn't even have them back in Sept, I only felt nauseous then

 

never had any blisters, ulcers nothing, I been blood tested and swabbed, just itching, irritation, burning, and I don't see how my index went from .37 to 1.55 I've been with the same woman but I know she is messing around.

 

how could my index go down though? to .90?

did the acyclovir trick the blood test?

 

I feel that I have it but unsure of which type I know its located in my genital

and yes I break out in hives or some sort on my back and my arms my mother said it looks like singles or chicken pox im not sure what that has to do with anything though

 

ive been treated with yeast infections bacterial infections no meds have worked the herpes med didn't even work

 

my obgyn is pissed at me he said he has babies to deliver than to worry about a nut case that thinks she has a disease and told me merry Christmas

 

my main doctor doesn't want me back in her office and she refuses to test me again for 6 months

 

my last choice is the hospital

[dr_h_positive]

Hi PlzHelpMe,

 

I know it can be frustrating to explain lab results when you don't know what the names and numbers mean. If you're able to post a picture or a screenshot that could help, but it sounds like all of your physicians are in agreement that you don't have enough HSV-1 or HSV-2 antibodies to be considered "positive" for either, and that your blood test results wouldn't change from negative to positive if you retested now. I know it's not very satisfying to hear given that you still have symptoms, but try to put HSV-1 and HSV-2 out of your mind for now. There can be variations in the blood test numbers for unknown reasons, but they don't really indicate anything clinically - meaning it doesn't change your treatment options. Also, because you've never had blisters or ulcers, there's no way you can get a more sensitive test (there aren't any active fluid sores to culture). Going to the ER is not a good option because they wouldn't tell you anything different, would probably be even less encouraging, and certainly wouldn't admit you.

 

If you have had bad experiences with your primary care physician and your OB/GYN, you could try Planned Parenthood for the next time you decide to get tested (and I agree that this shouldn't be necessary for another 4 weeks at the very least).

 

I think there is something to your mother's guess, and shingles (which is how the chickenpox virus expresses itself in adults) is what I thought at first too when you mentioned a rash on the backs of your arms.

 

I explained it in more detail in a comment on your post a while back (http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/comment/7114#Comment_7114) but basically, shingles is caused by Herpes Zoster. It is related to HSV-1 and -2 in that it is in the same FAMILY of viruses. That means that it can present with somewhat similar symptoms as other herpes viruses.

 

I'm happy to give you more info about shingles if you want but for now here are a few links:

Pictures of what shingles can look like -

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/ss/slideshow-shingles-pictures

The Mayo Clinic on shingles symptoms - http://www.mayoclinic.org/shingles/symptoms.html

Drugs to treat shingles are the same as for HSV-1 and -2 (the acyclovir family of meds, because it's the same herpes family of viruses) -

http://www.mayoclinic.org/shingles/treatment-and-drugs.html

 

Some questions for you about the rash:

 

1) Did you tell your doctors about/show them the rashes on the backs of your arms?

2) Do the rashes happen on both sides of your body or only on the left or right arm?

3) What do the rashes look like? Do they blister first in what looks like little fluid bubbles, and then crust over or dry up?

4) Does it look like there is a clear line dividing the area of the rash and unaffected skin?

5) You said that " the 10 day acyclovir is what brought the symptoms on " - can you clarify this? Did the acyclovir help the rash at all?

6) Does the rash come and go? How long have you had it?

[WCSDancer2010]

my obgyn is pissed at me he said he has babies to deliver than to worry about a nut case that thinks she has a disease and told me merry Christmas

 

Time for a new OBGYN ... I get it you may be seeming to be overreacting to him/her but that kind of talk is uncalled for :(