Has anyone heard of "paper cut" herpes?

[Dave1]

I recently came across a question asking about "paper cut" herpes. I tried doing research on it myself , but could not find any information from reliable sources. A few days ago I found, what looked to be like a paper cut on my scrotum. I would post a picture, but I do not think that is allowed. Has anyone ever heard about this before?

[mr_hopp]

Hey Dave,

 

Yes, sometimes herpes can manifest as what could look like a paper cut. Herpes symptoms aren't always the classic blister that then scabs over. But there is a strong tendency for if you have a certain manifestation of herpes for your body to produce similar manifestations in future outbreaks.

 

And yes, thank you for not posting a picture. :)

[chikitta13]

When my giver went to get checked out following my initial OB, his doctor found a small lesion that she described as being like a paper cut. He didn't even know it was there.

[Dave1]

Is it possible that this is my first outbreak? I did not feel any painful sensations, but I've been feeling tingly sensations on my scrotum for over a month, but didn't see any symptoms till a few days ago. Is this how I should expect to see all future outbreaks?

[Dave1]

I also had had "paper cuts" on my lips. I just thought that it was really chapped lips due to the cold. So we can assume that that was also herpes (I also had painful swallowing for a few days)

[mr_hopp]

No, it's not safe to assume that. Sometimes chapped lips are just chapped lips. ;) The only way to know for sure is to get it swabbed by your doc, but because it's harder to get enough liquid out of a paper cut lesion than it is to get one from a fluid-filled blister, it's harder to culture those sorts of herpes outbreaks and get an accurate herpes test result.

 

Aside from that, you should be able to tell a difference in feeling and sensation between regular dry chapped lips and an actual herpes outbreak. Just like with a herpes outbreak you'll be able to tell a subtle sensation of herpes prodrome symptoms as opposed to any old regular crotch itch. :)

 

Do you normally have chapped lips or was this an oddity?

[Dave1]

I do get chapped lips often, but never that severe.

[WCSDancer2010]

Have you been blood tested for herpes and if so what was the result? If you came back negative for H1 then odds are it's just chapped lips ... if you are positive for H1 at this point then there is a good chance you have "cold sores" (ie HSV1 orally) ...

 

without a swab genitally you will also want to get a blood test at about 4 months to see if you have H2 ... but for now, if you get the blood test then you will know if you have HSV1 AND it would mean you had it for at least 3 months ... :)

[Dave1]

I had a blood test last September, results were .091 for HSV1/2 IgG. The IgM was also .91

 

I took another blood test a few days ago, and should be getting the results this week. Last time I saw her was in October, so this blood test should hopefully come back accurate.

[WCSDancer2010]

Well for one thing that doesn't tell you which one you *might* have and that is not a positive result anyway ("Postive" starts at 1.1 ... though there are a LOT of false positives between 1.1 and 3.5). And any place worth their salt would not have run an IGM but according to that it's negative too...

 

I don't know where you are going for testing but you need a new Dr as far as your sexual health is concerned :/

[Dave1]

The doctor that ordered the most recent blood test was an infectious disease doctor. Hopefully he knows what he is doing.

I might have worded my last post incorrectly. I was tested for HSV1 and HSV2. They were both .91. My primary care provider told me to make sure that they test for BOTH types.

[Days_mommy]

mine dont look like "blisters" either..but they hurt..and it looks like a crack n the skin..with scabs

[WCSDancer2010]

@Dave1

 

ok - yes - you want to be tested for both types but some just have a generic "yes you have herpes" result with no typing :(

 

Right now your results will determine where you go from here ...

[Dave1]

I picked up my results today. The lab was done four days ago.

Results:

HSV Type 2-Specific Ab, IgG <.91

HSV Type 1-Specific Ab, IgG <.91

HSV, IgM I/II Combination <.91

I also had the same numbers when I got tested in September.

 

I started feeling tingly sensations near my scrotum Mid-October. That was also the last time we (girl who told me she had genital herpes) had sexual intercourse. I was still seeing her and received oral sex from her (said she didn't get cold sores). The last time she gave me oral sex was 5-6 weeks ago.

 

Should I trust these lab reports? I showed my doctor a picture of the "paper cut" on my scrotum, but he said that it might have been eczema. There was nothing there to swab, couldn't even notice it, which is why I showed him the picture. I posted that picture on another herpes community website, and was told that it looks like herpes (possibly HSV1 on genitals). I understand they're not doctors, but not sure what to think right now. Are these sensations all in my head?

 

 

[MMissouri]

Well, your numbers say you are still negative. I would think they would start increasing by now if you were positive. I would trust them. If you are still concerned, get checked again before changing partners. I would not take what they said on the other forum to heart. They mean well, we all do, but looking at something and testing for something are two different things.

[Days_mommy]

@MMissouri that is true. we aren't doctors..and lets hope the test.results dont lie

[MMissouri]

@Days_mommy, I kinda feel like if we cant trust the numbers, everyone will be suspicious of every lil bump/cut. What kind of paranoia would that bring about? Believe me, if I had low numbers like that I'd be celebrating! LOL

[Days_mommy]

lol!! i dont even know my numbers yet.. the wait is killing me...

[MMissouri]

I don't know mine either..

[WCSDancer2010]

Given that the numbers didn't shift at all, I would say you can take those numbers to the bank ... it's very rare to have a false negative at this point.

 

If you really, really want to be 100% sure (because of the tingling) then you may want to contact the Westover Heights clinic ... have a quick chat with them (Consults are $5/minute - worth it for peace of mind) and perhaps have them send you a script for the Western Blot test ( I *think* it's about $200) ... it's the Gold Standard of testing, (tests for 14 proteins rather than one or two) and whatever that result is, you can trust it.

 

Westover Heights Clinic, http://westoverheights.com/ (503) 226-6678

 

 

[Dave1]

I'll leave that as a last option in case I ever go crazy haha.

Anyways, I understand that most people are not aware that they have HSV2 because the virus stays dormant or have mild symptoms. Even if the virus stays dormant and doesn't show up for years, would the body still build antibodies against it?

[WCSDancer2010]

Yes - the virus wouldn't go dormant if you didn't have the antibodies ... they are the reason that it stays under control ... like I said, it's extremely rare to have a false negative once a person is at least 4 months post exposure ... you may want to test one more time just to be sure but right now I'd say you are H- ... the reason that there is a number in the result is that everyone pretty much has been *exposed* to the virus ... but many don't get enough for it to take hold. But the exposure causes you to creat the antibodies. Sort of like how we are always around people who may be exposing us to a cold/flu ... but we don't catch every one that comes around, because every time we are exposed we create antibodies ... so until you are run down or exposed to a bigger dose of the cold, you can usually fight it off....

[Dave1]

I think I'll get another blood test in a month or two. Thanks for the great explanation.

[FeMarie]

So I just joined this group but up until a little while back I only got the papercuts.. I didn't realize it was herpes. I thought I had scratched myself or that somehow the top of my vagina had torn. It was always in the same place. This last year I was under a ton of stress a lot of bad things happened and I had my first actual sores come up. I had been having what i thought were yeast infections so the first time it happened i thought I had clawed myself and it had gotten infected. This last time I realized it was in the same place and it was really painful so I decided to get checked. It turns out I had herpes for years and just didn't have the normal symptoms. I also dont get the clustered sores. Just sores that look like ulcers..

[blurneworder]

On 1/15/2018 at 1:18 AM, FeMarie said:

So I just joined this group but up until a little while back I only got the papercuts.. I didn't realize it was herpes. I thought I had scratched myself or that somehow the top of my vagina had torn. It was always in the same place. This last year I was under a ton of stress a lot of bad things happened and I had my first actual sores come up. I had been having what i thought were yeast infections so the first time it happened i thought I had clawed myself and it had gotten infected. This last time I realized it was in the same place and it was really painful so I decided to get checked. It turns out I had herpes for years and just didn't have the normal symptoms. I also dont get the clustered sores. Just sores that look like ulcers..

How were you diagnosed?