I have herpes

[Thecoolguy101]

Hello! My name is Sammy, 20 years old, and yesterday I found out that I have HSV-1 and HSV-2. I assumed for awhile that I had already contracted HSV-1, but it never really bothered me. I was never the type to sleep around or much honestly. I usually just slept with a good friend of mine every week or so, but we stopped talking. I went to this party about a week or so ago and it just happened. It was unprotected and that was it.

 

The next day I just had a feeling I contracted something, so I asked Google like a moron and immediately thought I was now HIV+. So I paid for the test and made sure they checked for everything. I was a little worried, and then I forgot about it. Time went by and I just lived my life as I usually do dealing with parents, stress, and school. Yesterday morning I got "the call." The doctor seemed as cheery as usual. Took her sweet time with andddd you don't have HIV and the other STD's. Then she finally told me I had HSV-1, oral herpes, and that I was weakly positive for HSV-2. I didn't really know what to say since I didn't know much about it. She said if I start seeing blisters down there to come by and get started on treatment and that was it.

 

I called my cousin immediately since I almost had a panic attack and she assured me that I was fine and that she knows plenty of people with it that have a healthy, happy, normal life and that she was just happy I didn't get a girl pregnant or contract HIV. I wanted to tell my parents, but she said it would be horrible and they would not take it well at all. I brought up the topic to my mother today to see her opinion on it since she did have chicken pox and her mom had shingles. Of course she said a cold sore was NOT herpes and that only dirty people catch it and what not. I feel like shit, but it is what it is. Until society views genital herpes like they do cold sores, I guess this is just how it is.

 

I haven't had an outbreak yet, so that makes me a little nervous, but I have my cousin who will help me through this. Should I start on that suppression medication or not? Do creams help at all? How do I know when an outbreak is going to occur? I can't lie, I'm scared.

[2Legit2Quit]

Can you post your test results? I have a sneaking suspicion being you have no symptoms along w taking a test so soon after possible exposure, that your tests were a combined type specific test and got a false positive. If you are not given a type specific IgG ELISA test and given a combined and already have HSV 1, it will give false positives on HSV 2, because it's cross reactive. I feel there is a good chance you don't have it. Please advise on your test results and we'll go from there.

 

That was a very ignorant thing for your mother to say. This is not true. I never slept around and got it after being abstinent for 2yrs, by having sex one time.

[Thecoolguy101]

Of course. Would you like to me take a picture or type the results? That's what my cousin said, but we will just have to see.

 

Yes... It hurt especially since this was my second partner to have sex with. She had no idea that she even had herpes.

[Thecoolguy101]

***HERPES SIMPLEX 1&2 IGM ABS***

HSV 1&2 IGM ABS *A* 2.69

 

HSV 1 IGM IFA *A* DETECTED

HSV 2 IGM IFA *A* WEAKLY DETECTED

 

***HERPES SIMPLEX 1&2 IGG ABS***

HSV 1 IGG ABS *A* > 5.00

HSV 2 IGG ABS < 0.90

[2Legit2Quit]

Those don't look like the correct tests and possible combination teststests. The IgM test is worthless and definitely looks to be the combined test, which you can throw those out. The second one where it is type specific, is not a positive result. How long afterafter contact, did you get tested?

 

Dancer should be around shortly to answer, she's better at confirming tests than I am. You've not had a single symptom right? I don't think you have it.

[2Legit2Quit]

@WCSDancer2010

[Thecoolguy101]

I would say about 3-4 days. A week at most. I haven't noticed anything honestly. Once I got the call, I started feeling funny ironically, but I'm cool at the moment. My cousin is going with me to get tested again at another clinic.

[2Legit2Quit]

It is impossible to have antibodies that early on. I am convinced you have a false positive. You need to wait a full four months from contact to be tested. Do not request HSV 1 testing, as you already know you have that and we don't want anymore conflicting results. Go in there at the four month mark and request ONLY a HSV 2 IgG ELISSA blods test. For now, I wouldn't worry.. I don't believe you have it. Go to planned parenthood BTW and request this. Most GPs have no clue wtf they're talking about.

[Thecoolguy101]

Ok I will do that then and thank you for talking to me. I've been having a lot of horrible thoughts today...

[Sil88]

What they said is right - that test is unreliable, wait 4 months and get a trusted specific-to-hsv2 one. Even if it says you're positive, you still have an 80% chance of being completely asymptomatic. Your mum will probably come around, it's a shock reaction and a sign that she cares. Probably the same way she'd react if she herself got the news. Anyway, for now you can chill out whilst you wait.. at least you can be thankful HIV is out of the question.

[Thecoolguy101]

I guess if the stigma around it wasn't so harsh, no one would care huh? I will wait for that test then. Thank you 2Legit2Quit and Sil. I'm sure you know exactly what it is I'm going through. I never actually told my mom... I just brought up the idea of it. To see her opinion of it. Yes, HIV is the real scary one and I am happy that it is not that.

[2Legit2Quit]

I highly doubt you have it dear, so try not to stress yourself and label yourself w it.

[Danaaaaaasaur]

Make sure you get tested for HIV again at the 4 month mark because those antibodies take 3-4 months to show up too (I'm sure you'll be fine though just as a precaution) :)

[WCSDancer2010]

Sorry to be absent from the conversation but I've been out of town and not online much.

 

I can't really add much here except to say that yes, the stigma is worse that the virus itself... and that sadly your mother's very ignorant comments stem from her upbringing and lack of education. We can thank our Puritanical Forefathers for making STD's to be a punishment for doing something enjoyable and beautiful.

 

For now, just know you likely are carrying H1 orally and thus you want to take care around oral sex to not do anything if you have any kind of chapped/sore lips *just in case* that's your symptoms... and if your partner has oral H (like 80% of the population) then they have some antibodies anyways and their risk is much lower.

 

As for H2, as mentioned, re-test in 4 months to give you an accurate result, but odds are you are fine.... and this will just be a great lesson for you around having sex without condoms with someone without having a conversation around testing (which you will now know to make sure to ask them if they KNOW they were tested for H).

 

(((HUGS)))