diagnosis?

[dudereally]

Not sure if I should post it on a discussion board but I figured I'd try here first. When I had my initial outbreak that caused me to go to the doctor it was severe. I couldn't even pee without crying and cool water. It lasted a few weeks and I had tons of spots. I went and got tested at a gyno and they did a culture test and it came back negative for hsv2 but positive for hsv1. My question/concern is if this was reliable? I haven't heard of initial hsv1 outbreaks to be as severe as mine. The culture was taken on fresh and open sores if that helps. I had another outbreak about a month later and it was very mild. Lasted maybe two weeks all together until it was completely healed. I got about five spots all together. Three were on my inner thigh and had appeared one right after another, with the third never completely forming. Then I had two small spots right next to each other on my pubic hair. I never had pain, I only noticed because I keep checking to make sure. I was diagnosed in January and my last outbreak was in February to early march. So has anyone else with hsv1 had similar experiences? I also seemed to be only getting ob's after shaving. Could I have gotten my infection by cutting myself down there then receiving oral? Because that is what seemed to have happened to get my initial. The second one came after shaving as well. After that one healed I tried shaving again and this time I seen to be okay. Does genital hsv1 ever have second outbreaks? I read that a second one within a few months is normal but I was told by my gyno that I'd likely never have one again. So these things have made me curious. Any answers/advice is appreciated!

[WCSDancer2010]

Short answer is, yes, initial HSV1 genital CAN be very severe. Again, everyone's experience is different based on immune function, stress, hormones, diet, and perhaps even genetics. Possibly also just how "vigorous" the contact was when you got exposed and whether you had just shaved and had many micro-cuts in the area. Who knows?

 

And yes, some people have problems with shaving...discussed here

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/1769/ladies-thongs-shaving-and-herpes

 

(BTW, you can find discussions on any topic by typing the word into the search box int he blue header banner folks ;) )

 

And genital HSV1 usually settles down very quickly - you may have a second OB initially but most have 0-1 Ob/year after that.

[dudereally]

Are the culture tests accurate? If it was type 2 would that have showed up in my results? The doc told me I was easy to swab and it got good samples so I should be good.

[WCSDancer2010]

Yes and no ..

 

Yes if they get a really good catch.. which hopefully you did... alot of times the Dr does a culture on a nearly healed sore or a really small blister and just doesn't get enough virus to produce an accurate culture.

 

Odds are if it's HSV1 you got it from oral sex.... and the good thing is it will usually settle down after 1 or 2 OB's. But if you were very recently exposed it may come back HSV2 (because you don't have enough antibodies in the blood yet for a + blood test) ... in which case you won't know where you have the HSV1 unless you had a cold sore as a child

[dudereally]

My speed were open still so it should be what showed up on the test. Right?