More questions than answers...

[Vanguard1]

So, I believe I had just experienced my first outbreak on May 21st, I spent the whole night stressing and freaking out. So I decided to see the doctor first thing the next day right when the office opened. I told him about my symptoms and a brief explanation of the last time I had sex which was the previous Friday night. He examined the area and said it looks like Herpes. He prescribed me 10 days worth of Acyclovir to treat the outbreak. He also suggested a blood test to determine the type. After the shock began to wear off and I was able to speak again, I began to ask questions. I spent the previous night on the internet trying to find some sort of evidence that would argue against what I deep down knew to be true that it was a version of Herpes. I took the information I had gathered about Herpes and the subsequent testing that coincides with this STI and fired off a bunch of questions. Most of the answers were vague or so general that it didn’t seem to help. And at the same time, I think he realized the effect the news had on me and began to speak about how common and minor it really was. He told me that most experience a few outbreaks a year and diminish in severity and frequency over time. But I didn’t want to hear that. He left the room to order the blood test and the office RN stepped in with her words of encouragement about how life goes on and she tried to relate it to life’s minor bumps in the road. She had that loving mother feel about her but I was so close to passing out or having a heart attack that I didn’t really take it all in until later. So with all of this ambiguity and doubt, I posted a question with the STD experts from Medhelp. I told the doctor of my exposures, description of the bumps and what the doctor said and he basically rejected the treatment and test results form a possible new infection. And stated that with my “very high HSV-1 number, there is a chance the HSV-2 result is false.” He went on to say that I would need to wait 3 months from my last sexual contact to have an accurate IGG test. So more doubt and I’ve found out over the last few days that I can’t really accept this and move forward with all of this grey area.

 

My outbreak was just 8 small little bumps that didn’t resemble blisters or any of the horrific and ghastly images from Google. And if it hadn’t been for my own anxiety driven paranoia, I might’ve missed it all together. The location of this series of bumps was off the base of my penis just about the start of the scrotum. I wondered why and how could I be infected there of all places? The bumps healed up and were completely gone by the fifth day after my doctor’s visit. I spent the next week trying to keep my spirits up and try to rationalize and argue against the likelihood of this being herpes. But almost a week later, I got a call with my lab results saying that I was positive for both HSV-1 and 2. This was concerning because I’ve never had a cold sore but never had protected oral sex either for that matter. But I’ve been an emotional wreck for the last two weeks…

 

So my questions are as follows…

Is it possible to have a false HSV-2 positive result with a high HSV-1 number? My numbers were 34.02 for HSV-1 and 4.02 for HSV-2 for the IGG test.

 

How often do new outbreaks occur after infection? I know everyone is different and the nature of Herpes carries shaky guidelines.

 

Where do Herpes sores usually appear for men?

 

Would you recommend talking Valtrex?

 

What are some of your positive IGG test numbers for comparison?

 

 

 

 

[WCSDancer2010]

Well, you were mostly given accurate info, but just not in a clear manner...and he should have swabbed the sores to type them, but given your results, I'd guess you have H1oral and H2 genital. So to answer your questions:

 

So my questions are as follows…

Is it possible to have a false HSV-2 positive result with a high HSV-1 number? My numbers were 34.02 for HSV-1 and 4.02 for HSV-2 for the IGG test.

 

Generally as I understand it, if you have a 3.5 or above that's a clear positive. Not sure why your H1 was so high though ... unless the H1 was the cause of the OB (Ie, you have both genitally) and your body has the H2 under control. A second test in a few months is likely a good idea.

 

Where do Herpes sores usually appear for men?...The location of this series of bumps was off the base of my penis just about the start of the scrotum. I wondered why and how could I be infected there of all places?

 

You can get OB's in any area around the boxer shorts region ...esp from the top of the butt crack to the whole area where your penis is and the skin folds in the area... You could well have got it while using a condom and so the penis was protected but the area around the base and scrotum were not covered and likely your partner had it on the outer labia or inner thighs.

 

How often do new outbreaks occur after infection? I know everyone is different and the nature of Herpes carries shaky guidelines.

 

How many times will we get rain this year? Depends on where you live and there's no way of giving a true accurate answer ... some people have one OB and never have another (ie, they often mistake the first for heat rash and then forget about it). Others struggle terribly for up to a year while their bodies learn to fight it off.

 

Would you recommend talking Valtrex?

 

Only if you are unable to deal with the OB's or you have a partner you wish to protect...

 

What are some of your positive IGG test numbers for comparison?

 

The Herpes Select ELISA is reported back as an index value. A value greater than 1.1 is considered positive. False positives have been reported with values less than 3.5.

 

From:http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/getting-tested-for-herpes/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 (Dr Leone has consulted with Adrial on here and there's a video of him talking to a Herpes support group on here)

 

Hope that helps to clear things up a bit for you :)

[HerryTheHerp]

Yep, what she said. Darn near verbatim.

 

As far as outbreaks, well, blisters are not always "typical." They can show up and look like everything from a bug bite to a fluid filled blister. It's one of the reasons you never diagnose herpes by visual inspection. Based on your blood tests, you definitely have HSV1, and you most probably have HSV2. False positives very rarely occur at above 3.5; in fact, I've only ever heard of 1 person on the MedHelp forum who had that happen.

 

And, stay off Google. Google is positively horrible. Granted, my primary did look like those ghastly images, it was a one time event and it's going to stay that way. You need to focus on being positive, living positive, and staying positive. It's not easy, and there are times when it's hard, but it is possible. Right now, I'd strongly suggest a hefty dose of retail therapy and a little meditation. It really does get the ball rolling.

 

I get being an emotional wreck. I spent two solid weeks locked in my apartment, pouring over Google for any shred of information I could find, and suffered my primary on Christmas Eve (Yeah, the irony of unwrapping the "gift that keeps on giving" on that day, well, I'll never forget that.) It's not an easy feeling to shake, and the only way you're going to get your emotional balance back is by continuing to gather information and move forward one step at a time. Don't try and take this on all at once. Break it into pieces and tackle them one at a time.

 

Understanding your test results is step one. Understanding herpes, step two. Understanding who you are, step three. Understanding acceptance, forgiveness, and happiness, step four. Understanding what women want in a relationship, step five through 867,530,900.

 

Now, last question: Should you take Valtrex? Not unless you are experiencing frequent OB's that are disrupting your life OR you're in a serodiscordant relationship and trying to prevent transmission to your partner. In fact, most doctors would not recommend you take suppressive drugs unless there was a reason. In truth, you're better off allowing your body to develop the antibodies and learn to fight this on it's own without medication. Let biology work in your favor in this regard.

[Vanguard1]

Thank you all for your input and advice. I appreciate it greatly. I've decided to let this sink in and get retested in 2 months. Until then, I'm trying to not let this change who I am. Again, thank you for your expedient responses and advice.