Can I be imagining prodrome?

[WorkingOnIt]

Is it possible to imagine having prodrome. I've been having a slight sensation for about a week now. I've taken my medicine for five days, twice a day now today and have had no outbreak (espisodic treatment right now). The sensation doesn't feel like the first go around a month and a half ago and I've read to take the sensation as viral shedding but if viral shedding only happens a percent of days, it can't be that, right? Could I just be imagining it or is it actually prodrome?

HSV 2 btw.

 

Also I was reading up on some forum posts and saw that most herpes infections happen during asymptomatic shedding but how is that possible? Granted people who know they have virus are less likely to pass the virus because we can recognize symptoms and such but if asymptomatic shedding is so low, how is it still passed that way more than? And the stat is that there's a 4% chance of passing it during no active outbreak and no medicine/condom use so that also makes me wonder how it's more common to pass during asymptomatic shedding

 

And one more thing, I had sex with the person I got it from twice over a two week timespan. The first time, it was unprotected(stupid I know) and the second time, we used a condom. However I broke out three days after the second encounter. Or immediately after the second time we had sex. I'm not too sure but I can clock the exact time I started getting worried was three days after the second encounter. It was a non stop discomfort. Then I broke out Saturday night/Sunday morning. That would mean that it was 13 days out from the first encounter when the tingle started and then 17 days out for the actual outbreak to occur. But it was 3 days out from the second encounter and 7 days for the actual outbreak. I keep thinking the unprotected encounter resulted in the infection since my outbreak was on my labia minora but I'm not so sure anymore because I've been reading that people usually have their outbreaks a few days after being infected (so for me, my second encounter, the protected one). This is starting to freak me out now because I gave him unprotected oral sex (stupid I know) during the second encounter so if I got it the second time, and not the first time like I thought, it's now possible for me to have it in my mouth as well, right?

 

And I don't think I would be as worried as much if I didn't have a boyfriend that I'm trying to protect to my full advantage. He knows about the situation and we used a condom when we had sex but I don't know, I'm still worried that he'll get it from me and that's the last thing j want

[Stc]

With regard to the shedding question:

 

I think asymptomatic shedding periods show a high rate of transmission because people are having sex during these times, unaware that they are shedding. Most people avoid sex during an ob so its not transmitted much this way. Its more about how the data is collected that when you are most contagious. You are more contageous but less likely to have sex (therfore less likely to transmit) during an ob.

[2Legit2Quit]

Well, HSV 2, especially the first year, you can shed up to 30% of days. There's no accurate one size fits all for everyone. It varies for everyone. I take it as a sign if shedding. Any sensation I have, is prodrome and I take as I am active or it's trying to be active. Asymptomatic shedding is pretty common. I obviously was infected by someone who didn't have an OB. I have symptoms all the time. It's more common to pass during asymptomatic shedding by those who don't know they have it, because they get no symptoms or prodromes. If they do, they don't realize it's from H.

 

I had symptoms w in a day after, but thought it was just cause I hadn't had sex in awhile. By day 3, I developed fissures and knew I had it. Some people take longer to breakout than other's and some like myself, breakout immediately. You can still catch H using condoms. I know people who have.

 

HSV 2 doesn't like the mouth. Like 1-2% of oral herpes is from HSV 2 & typically in those w compromised immune systems like HIV.

 

Are you taking daily suppressive therapy? That coupled w condoms will loser your risk of transmission to 1-2%.

[WCSDancer2010]

@WorkingOnIt

 

Prodromes are a hard one to advise on because soooo many things can cause tingles, including your imagination.... so I can't really help you there. Just pay attention to what seems to bring them on... keep a diary. You may start to see a pattern then you will know this is your prodrome (or not).

 

As for your encounter; you can't get "more" herpes from someone. But you *can* have a bad reaction to his fluids and/or the condom/lubes/etc. And sex often causes OB's in some people, especially rough sex.

 

Asymptomatic shedding: I agree with the others: people rarely want to have sex with an OB and if they know it's an OB, even more-so. Many who pass it on never ever *knowingly* had a prodrome/OB but they may not have known that some tingle they had was a prodrome.... bottom line is, when we know we have it (with or without OB's) we are generally FAR more cautious around sex :)