A few quick questions

[Answersneededplz]

Hi . I was diagnosed with HSV 1 genitally about 15 years ago . From what I remember it was a pretty mild outbreak... I have had no noticeable sores since then ... until recently ... starting Saturday I noticed swelling, pain , itching & discharge ... I noticed today that overall the symptoms are better & one of the sores is scabbed over . I still have some discomfort and discharge though. My question is this... is it normal for the second outbreak to be worse 15 years later with HSV 1? I had a blood test 5, almost 6 months after my last sexual relationship & it was positive for HSV 1 of course, but negative for HSV 2... is it possible that it was a false negative & I do have HSV 2? Also , I have noticed at times that I have a constant "sensation" in the original site of my outbreak. Is that me being paranoid or is that constant viral shedding or something related to the HSV ? Thank you for taking the time to answer :)

[Bambina3]

I just wanted to respond so you so not feel alone, but not sure I'll be much help. I have h 1 and 2, I have no idea which came to me first. The research I've read states hsv1 helps protect against 2, but considering I have both,not sure I believe it.

For peace of mind just retest.

Ooo and yes, everyone reacts differently, so yes 2nd outbreak can be worse

I went almost 30 years before another noticeable outbreak, which prompted my official diagnosis.

[Answersneededplz]

Thank you so much for the response . I have done a lot of research & as you know there is a lot of conflicting information out there. I read that a blood test will likely be accurate 16 weeks after exposure , but then I also read the only really accurate test is the western blot which sounds expensive... it's so frustrating...

[ash2018]

Hi there,

 

I'm relatively new to this all as I was diagnosed less than a month ago. But I have spent the past month (even before diagnosis) reading any and every thing I can get my hands on! That coupled with having a medical background (I'm an RN) have helped me to much better understand these viruses then before. I knew a small amount about herpes but nothing near like what I do after putting some effort into reading up on them. Its amazing that they don't better educate people, especially health care providers, on them. That being said, I'm certainly no expert and everyone's body reacts differently to these viruses.

 

I had my first outbreak of genital HSV1 last month. It wasn't fun, I had about 4 open areas, but not as horrible as I've read they can be. I've read that while it is the "norm" for subsequent outbreaks to not be as bad, I have also read that this is different for every one. As are symptoms for outbreaks, so many people don't get the classic blisters which is why a lot of cases go undiagnosed. Some people get fissures or symptoms mistaken for a fungal infection or "jock itch" or a rash.

 

The constant sensation can be what they refer to as "prodromal" symptoms. This can mean an impending outbreak or it can mean that the virus is actively shedding. A lot of people who take meds will start to take their antivirals at the first twinge/itch/tingle/whatever their prodrome feels like, to help prevent an outbreak.

 

You could be positive for HSV2, but you won't know until you get another blood test done 4 months post exposure as you've written. I have read that western blot is the *most* accurate test, but the IgG tests are *usually* very accurate. The only iffy part about them that I have come across is that some people with very low positive readings (< around 5, depending on the source you read), can be getting false positive readings. These people are usually the ones that seek out the western blot test.

 

I hope this helps!

[Answersneededplz]

Thank you so much for your response . I was tested over 4 months after my last sexual contact and it was negative for HSV 2 > 0.9. I'm wondering if I should do it again in another 4-6 months or just be confident that it's only HSV 1... it just concerns me that I had my first outbreak in 15 years & it seemed worse than the initial. It also makes me wonder if other things along the way were outbreaks & I didn't know... and that makes me wonder if my body is reacting worse than I thought. Also , now that the sores are healing , I still have discharge, slight itching & just noticed today a rash on the skin on my bikini area. It doesn't itch or hurt ... I don't know what the heck is going on !!!

[ash2018]

@Answersneededplz

 

I'm still very new to this so I get the thoughts of wondering what previous "outbreaks" if I've had them and not known look like. For me I'm pretty confident I probably haven't as this one, thought to be the initial one even though I've had the virus for some unknown amount of time, included a lymph node in my groin swelling which I've never experienced before and is more common with initial outbreaks.

 

Anywho, have you been stressed or did something happen you can think of that preceded the outbreak? There's no way to know when you'll get one short of if you get prodromal feelings. From what I've read some have one then never have another. Others have one then get one many years later, like you. Some have them regularly, some have them when brought on by triggers. It's all very individualized. I don't think that having a bad outbreak 15 years later means your body is reacting worse. It just means you haven't had an outbreak in 15 years and for some reason one happened.

 

I have a long post about the weird ongoing symptoms I've been experiencing since my sores healed that you could read, if only to let you know that you're not alone and others also experience strange things after an outbreak. I've had random vulvar burning and itching since a few days after the areas appeared and my outbreak was in my perineal area close to my rectal area and totally healed over at this point. It's hard to say. Maybe a visit to the doctor to make sure nothing else is going on would do you some good, especially mentally. Because this does take its toll and make us obsess over every little thing

[Answersneededplz]

Yes, I certainly do obsess about it sometimes ( well, a lot) . Yes, I had a very stressful week right before this outbreak, which I'm sure was the reason this happened now . I can't tell you how much I appreciate having someone to talk to who understands this ... it feels very lonely sometimes. And of course this had to happen when I was just starting to feel ready to try and date again ... now I'm not sure I should even try :(

[ash2018]

@Answersneededplz It can feel very lonely for sure. This forum has been great even though I just stumbled upon it. I haven't told anyone I personally know except my fiance. I had a support group for vulvodynia I used to post in all of the time with those struggles and they were the first group I reached out to for support. A few ladies on there actually replied about their own experiences with this virus which was nice because I could talk to people who had experienced it. My fiance has been great through every thing but he sees it as no big deal at all. Which I'm thankful for, but he also doesn't understand why it has taken a toll on me mentally.

 

Once you get through this outbreak I think that your feelings about not being ready to date again will pass! I've seen so many success stories where someone who is H+ has disclosed and the H- person has seen it as a total nonissue. A lot of the stories talk about how the person they were dating then had so much more trust and respect for them for being upfront and disclosing something that certainly isn't the easiest thing to tell someone.