Freaking out waiting for my results to return.

[AnxK]

The last time I had sex was 7-8 weeks ago. About 2 weeks ago I started getting a really itchy bottom. As I wiped a little too hard every time I went to the bathroom it soon became irritated and raw. I assumed it was a yeast infection or something but could not get it checked out at the time as I was on holiday. The itchiness also got far more intense at times after number 2's... The first time I experienced any bumps was a couple of days later after shaving. As the bumps appeared in the exact area I shaved, I thought nothing of it. However, later on that week I noticed a bump on the inside of my butt cheek that felt like a bug bite. Over the next few days I noticed about 5-6 new bumps appearing around the same area (inner butt cheeks / crack). They were small red bumps (no whiteheads, blisters, anything like that. Simply red bumps), painless and didn't appear to be the source of any itchiness I was experiencing. Most of them went away in 2-3 days (leaving behind a round patch of flaky skin). These bumps caused me to become increasingly concerned that I had caught herpes. Unfortunately for those on holiday with me, I wasn't good company for the next 5 days as I walked around in a daze, depressed and anxious about this possibility.

 

I've only slept with 3 people,, and I've spoken to all three of them about their sexual health and they've all told me that they've been tested and clean (though I know people lie, and most people don't get tested for herpes...). I've crossed one of the guys off my list as I trust him far more than the rest, leaving the most recent two. One of the guys is adamant about practising safe sex, so while he could have been the giver, I feel like the chances it was him aren't too high. We used protection when we had sex, but there were a few times were I sat on top of him naked allowing our genitals to touch (and this would sort of explain why I'd be getting bumps around my butt rather than my vagina). The last guy I had sex with is a little bit of a player. He never had condoms and I was always providing them so it makes me wonder what it was like with his previous sexual partners. He also turned the lights off the couple of times we had sex, which now makes me a little suspicious. On top of that, the first time we had sex the condom somehow 'fell off' and ended up on the floor...

 

I went to a sexual health clinic to get it checked out and the nurse didn't think it was herpes, but she tested the bumps anyway. She thinks it's just a yeast infection, or a bacterial infection. I'm losing my mind waiting for my result. I've been so unproductive the past 2 weeks doing absolutely nothing but sitting in front of the computer all day, researching herpes and lying in bed feeling sorry for myself. I simply can't imagine what else could leave bumps around my butt without being herpes :( So I have a few questions...

 

- Has anyone else had similar symptoms to me while having an outbreak?

- How likely is it that I've spread my 'herpes' to my thigh through finger tough? I now have two red bumps on the middle back of my thigh, one has a whitehead with pus and is sort of sore to the touch :/

- From your life experiences, is herpes really as big of a deal as people make it out to be on here? It's a little disheartening cause I see so much others act like they've been diagnosed with a fatal illness, and it only makes me feel the same way...

 

I'm still in denial at the moment but if my test comes back positive I don't know how I'll cope... I used to be so confident and now I hardly even look any guys in the eye when I talk to them... :(

[WCSDancer2010]

@AnxK

 

Hello and Welcome

 

Well, your time frame is outside of the "norm" for a first outbreak post-exposure... they usually happen within a few weeks. So that is in your favor. It's hard to say whether your particular symptoms are Herpes or something like Folliculitis or some other bacterial/yeast infection.... BUT... if it's Herpes I can promise you it's NOT the end of the world! I've had it 35 yrs and I've have a very normal and very fulfilling life :)

 

You may want to approach all 3 guys and educate them a bit no matter what the results are. You can tell them that you've learned a lot and want to share it with them so that they can "play safe" in the future. A few key points for them:

 

1) 80% of people with Herpes don't know they have it because

 

2) you are not tested for Herpes, even with a "Full STD Panel" unless you ASK for it.

 

3) 60% of young people have oral herpes by the time they are young adults ... which is contributing to the fact that 50% of all new genital cases are HSV1 from Oral Sex.

 

4) and finally - condoms only give 50% (at BEST) protection ... they will not help at all if the persons OB's are outside the area covered by the condom ;)

 

Those 4 facts are mostly unknown by most people so you will be doing them, AND any of their future partners, a big favor with the info ;)

 

Is Herpes overrated? Yup! The majority of people you see on these types of forums are relatively new to having Herpes so of course they think it's the end of the world ... because all that is out there is negativity and "victim talk" (which is OK at first... but there is a time to let it go and many sites seem to perpetuate that way of thinking). That's why @Adrial created this site...because when he got beyond HIS victim phase he realized that he had learned, and had so much to learn from Herpes.... and if you read your way around here (start with the Success Stories) he realized that he could have DEEPER and MORE MEANINGFUL relationships... and he wanted to share that perspective with others.

 

I'll post a few links below about things you may want to think on ... whether you have Herpes or not, this experience will give you something to grow from ... and that's not a bad thing, now is it?

 

(((HUGS)))

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/2886/herpes-yoga-and-self-love

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/92/the-positive-side-of-being-herpes-positive

 

How herpes made me a better person

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/2646/how-herpes-made-me-a-better-person

 

Vulnerability