Dealing with lack of answers: Should I get the numbers to my herpes test results?

[Theothershoe]

Hi, I'm new. Recently I requested a full STD panel and was shocked to find out I tested positive for HSV 1 and 2. I did not get the actual numbers, should I? Do they mean anything that would be helpful to know? I thought I had been tested regularly only to find HSV was not included since so I cannot say for certain from whom I contracted it. I was most recently engaging in unprotected sex with someone for a year and my prior 3 partners always used condoms, but makes this complicated since condoms aren't a sure bet here.

 

So of course in my mind I'm looking for hindsight symptoms and recall one recent morning that it hurt badly and burned to pee (way worse than say after a night of long rounds or rough sex). It was very weird but extremely brief and I forgot about it before I had time to wonder what it was. However I remember two occasions in past years of having what I thought was hemorrhoids since it felt like an inflammation with a bad itch that was very short lived. I have also had random and short infrequent spells of itchiness but I feel like that has been happening since I was a teen.

 

I'm so paranoid, like every little everyday itch I'm asking myself has that been H all along? Not being able to tell when I got it is killing me more than finding out I have it (shocking to me too). If I had had those annual tests I would have had more clarity.

[WCSDancer2010]

@Theothershoe

 

Hello and Welcome!

 

Yes - I would get the test numbers ... to be honest you should ALWAYS get a copy of ALL tests you have done ... simply because not only do you have comparisons on hand for future testing, you would have noticed in the past that you were not being tested for herpes ;)

 

So - most Dr's will declare you "positive" if your tests are over 1.1 ... but anything between that and 3.5 can has a 40% chance of being a false positive. So given you have had no definite symptoms, it's worth getting those numbers. They won't tell you when or where you have it, though.

 

If you have HSV1 - odds are you have it orally simply because 60% of all young people have H1 (aka cold sores) by the time they are young adults. But again, that's an assumption until you have something that can be swabbed to give you the definite answer. 80% of all adults up to age 50 have oral HSV1, so if that one is a definite positive, I wouldn't over sweat it. If you have HSV2, the odds are VERY high it's genitally ... good enough odds to take to the bank. That one will take a little more education and awareness, but it's far from a death sentence.

 

Get those results, post them and then we can help you to figure out how to proceed from there... ok???

 

(((HUGS)))

 

http://herpeslife.com/hsv-1-hsv-2-types-of-herpes/

 

http://herpeslife.com/how-can-you-get-herpes/

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-prodrome-symptoms

 

[Theothershoe]

Ok, got results IgG type 1 is 1.46 and type 2 is 1.6. The scientist in me has a hard time believing positive is "grey" although I want to. So I think I should get retested in a few weeks although part of me just no longer wants to know. And then I feel like that makes me a bad person.

[WCSDancer2010]

OK - so you are well inside the numbers for a false positive and if you haven't had symptoms, the odds are reasonable (40%) that you don't have it ...

 

So you will want to contact Dr. Lisa Taulbee at the Westover Heights Clinic,http://westoverheights.com/ (503) 226-6678 ... she can order the Western Blot test for you through Quest Labs. It costs $5/minute for a consult … cheap IMO for clarity and/or peace of mind. I think the test is $200 ish. But the WB test is the Gold Standard of Herpes testing. :)

 

[WCSDancer2010]

So to "the scientist in you" -

 

A "positive" result with the regular tests only looks for 1 protein ... the WB looks for 14. The "Positive" number is something that was arrived at by human beings ... but it's been seen time and again on here when we get cases like yours that the person is often negative. The folks at Westover Heights can explain the details better, but perhaps this will help you to understand a bit better :)

[Theothershoe]

Thank you for the info, feeling a little more optimistic :) I'm not involved with anyone right now so I think I will talk to a new doc about retesting soon and then maybe the western blot. I can sorta understand a false positive, but a "low positive" is a bit more difficult to wrap my head around. If I am fortunate enough to NOT have it, I think I will be far more educated and understanding if I ever encounter a situation where I'm involved with someone who does. That said I'm still worried...optimistic, but it's been a little roller coaster ( on the positive, there are way worse roller coasters so thankful for that!)

 

Thanks for your help :-)