Cannot move on after negative WB

[sadguy2019]

This all started 18 months ago on Friday 13th  . Yes Friday the 13th!!! the most unlucky day of the year. 😞

I was a 28, young professional, gay male, I had just moved out into the city, and was ready to explore & enter the scene again.

One night I was invited over by an older male that reached out to me on a dating app, pressured me into bed,  had oral & anal sex, but he did not inform me that he was not wearing a condom, until after it was finished. I asked if he had been anything & or was drug/disease free?  before & during sex, he kept replying no. 

4 days later, had the worst stomach aches ever, mucus when I wiped, tenesmus, what looked like a hemorrhoid or fissure, and swollen anus. This all resolved and repeated over a course of 3 or 4 weeks. 

Then milder IBS symptoms months in between, I was scared 😞 

Timeline & Testing:

-2 weeks after encounter, I went to get the extended STD panel, blood work & Urine sample. All negative results.

-6 months later my paranoia kicked in, and decided to use a more legit test "mylabbox", did a dried blood spot card, methodology was ELISA HSV2 IGG. Result came back Negative.

-7 months late, still no symptoms, but could not stop dwelling on the past decided to go see a Gastroenterlogist for a Colonoscopy / Blood work. Colonoscopy found nothing, but blood work came back suggestive of Crohns disease , perhaps it wasnt flared up at the time, no rectal biopsy was taken though 😕 

-9 months later i Screened for HIV/HSV2 via mylabbox again, result was negative for both.

-11 months later, still paranoid, depressed & no harsh symptoms but mild IBS, i decided to screen myself for both hsv1 & hsv2. via "letsgetchecked" . The methodology is CLIA "Chemiluminescence Assay " Results were hsv1 neg: 0.02 & hsv2 neg: 0.09!!! really low negative numbers.

-14 months later, did my own testing through "PrivateiDNA" screened for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and hsv2. All results negative, The test were ELISA IGG/Urine PCR.

1 1/2 yrs later, here I am..... Negative  Western Blot results for hsv1&2!I did this test because its the most accurate & I dont want to hurt anyone. I still have mucus sometimes, but not all the time. Can I trust these results with 99.9% accuracy? The anxiety is crazy cause I want to believe my results.

 Theres not a day that goes by where I feel some type of self hatred, loneliness, depression, sadness. I cannot talk to anyone about what Ive been feeling over the past 18 months 😞 , I could live with hsv1, since so many people have it, but not hsv2. The LGBT community is so small, I would feel as if i'd be alone forever... 

[sarahsfocus]

hey sadguy2019 your in the clear you don't have hsv1 or 2  you took the western blot test and like you said it is 99.9 accurate.i don't want to be mean here but maybe you need therapy to talk to someone about this problem your having.i go to therapy once a month and it has really helped me.i was like you in the past (I'm going through Menopause) anxiety and being scared and sad. I also take anti-depression pills. it has really helped me with the therapy. I was scared to death to think I had herpes 2 I wiped my self with friends towel and she has hsv2.i was so terrified. I finally had the Courage to get tested I took the IGg test. I was positive for hsv1 and Negative for hsv2  I take days that I have to remind myself that i'm ok. I don't have hsv2. but I take it one day at a time.. I think with a little help you will be ok.Sarah

[sadguy2019]

12 hours ago, sarahsfocus said:

hey sadguy2019 your in the clear you don't have hsv1 or 2  you took the western blot test and like you said it is 99.9 accurate.i don't want to be mean here but maybe you need therapy to talk to someone about this problem your having.i go to therapy once a month and it has really helped me.i was like you in the past (I'm going through Menopause) anxiety and being scared and sad. I also take anti-depression pills. it has really helped me with the therapy. I was scared to death to think I had herpes 2 I wiped my self with friends towel and she has hsv2.i was so terrified. I finally had the Courage to get tested I took the IGg test. I was positive for hsv1 and Negative for hsv2  I take days that I have to remind myself that i'm ok. I don't have hsv2. but I take it one day at a time.. I think with a little help you will be ok.Sarah

Sarah, thank you so much for the moral support. Even Terri Warren told me to move on. Maybe therapy is something to consider, I'm still not happy and my anxiety is still very much there. 

[sarahsfocus]

I still have anxiety to a certain degree. but I think the more I go to therapy and I actually open up myself about my fears and hopes and dreams. it really helps me. I  hope you a good life  and you can put this anxiety away. hugs Sarah

[Tone12]

I've also taken the western blot at 17 wks post exposure and got negative results for hsv2. Hsv1 has been positive since childhood. Also negative igG at 22 wks. I feel something isn't right still and not sure what to believe. The pros say 12 wks is enough time for the western blot. I did it at 17 wks. Isn't it up to the person to seroconvert. What if it takes longer then 6 months. I'm stuck in a limbo and it's driving me insane 

[sadguy2019]

Sarahsfacous:, Godbless you and your kind heart, you truly made me feel better.

Tone12: Trust me i know exactly how you feel, my encounter was high risk. Like i stated above, i just want to believe my test results and put everything that happened to me behind me. 1 1/2 years of constant worrying and paranoia. 

From what i've learned this week is that the Western Blot at 4-6 months plus is 99.9 % sensitive for hsv2. I've never had a swab, only blood IgG tests to compare. Either all the 15 proteins are there for either strain or they are not. It also picks up IgG deficient strains, which is even more reassuring. I'm still afraid of though.

I think I will be going to therapy next month for Mental Help. and maybe talking with a GI doctor again. A nurse practitioner suggested I should look into Mycoplasma Genitillium since its not apart of routine STI's, I also plan of getting an HPV Vaccine since they raised the age from 26 to 45 ! 🤯

[sarahsfocus]

hey Sadguy2019 I'm glad your wanting to go in the right direction. you won't regret therapy.it has helped me a lot like I said.take care and if you need to talk I'm here.Sarah

[hope27]

@sadguy2019 for sure you dont have hsv. Otherwise it would have come positive by now in one of the tests. Have you tried talking about it to your closed ones? I guess you need to talk with someone about it in person to come out of the emotional and mental struggle you are going through. Really glad to see the results are negative for you. Wish you a healthy life ahead, both physically and mentally. More power to you. 

[sarahsfocus]

I think hope27 that sadguy2019 can't believe the results.i too had the same problem.but slowly I am accepting my results.(0.<90 for hsv2 and 35 for hsv1)  I talked to a std check website and they assured me that the IGg test for herpes is accurate. I am slowly trying to move on and tell myself i'm ok. you really need to tell yourself that your ok and your negative.i hope you a good life also. Sarah.

[hope27]

I also too think the same @sarahsfocus. I hope @sadguy2019 finds out how beautiful this good news is and can move on. Also I am praying my results to be false positive. Only time will say what it is. Since I am from India it's very very difficult for me to talk about std with a girl. Its like every does it but the moment they find someone has std he or she becomes bad. Whenever I think about my future I become depressed. So right now only focusing on present. 

[sarahsfocus]

hope27. I hope your test results are a false positive.it could happen. my sister had a false positive she was tested three times.her first one was positive and the last two test were negative. but I think the test confused her results with having hpv. I hope things turn out good for you I hope you can move on with your life.take care Sarah.

[TBarr]

Sad guy they actually say now 12 weeks post exposure for most I just got a negative WB at 17 weeks but I have hsv mild symptoms albeit 3 negative OCR swabs 

hsv is very prevalent in the gay community so be careful and use condoms and as difficukt as  hsv is it is not HIV so truvada is a good call as well 

You actually emerged completely unscathed from this so breathe deep and have a buddy when you go out to make sure you don’t have unprotected sex even with truvada 

[sarahsfocus]

hey TBarr maybe you really are Negative. and those mild symptoms are in your head? I'm just suggesting this. I'm sorry if I sound mean about it.i hope things go good for you Sarah

[TBarr]

Yes today was a good day and maybe the mild symptoms are something else like HPV ? 

[sadguy2019]

2 hours ago, TBarr said:

Sad guy they actually say now 12 weeks post exposure for most I just got a negative WB at 17 weeks but I have hsv mild symptoms albeit 3 negative OCR swabs 

hsv is very prevalent in the gay community so be careful and use condoms and as difficukt as  hsv is it is not HIV so truvada is a good call as well 

You actually emerged completely unscathed from this so breathe deep and have a buddy when you go out to make sure you don’t have unprotected sex even with truvada 

thank you for your perspective on my situation even though its reminiscent of a jerry springer story 😕 its been something i've slowly been getting over. Congrats on the negative western blot.

What were your symptoms of I may ask? 

& How common in the Gay Community? have you met hsv positive gays? The only thing the internet told me was most MSM who were (+) for hsv2 were also likely to contract HIV or be coinfected! I found that frightening 😞 

In addition to the negative Igg/Western Blot antibodies, I've also tested neg (-) on 1 hsv surface antigen swab (similar to culture) & 1 negative NAAT PCR swab, both of the inside Anus.

I don't know what else could have caused the episode for me other than perianal crohns, which was suggestive by my IBD panel & maybe the colonoscopy missed it.

I've read on reddit & 1 other forum where a gay male thought he had hsv2, under went a rectal biopsy, only to reveal it was High Risk HPV!

His symptoms seemed worse like "rectal bleeding". And there is very little information on how high risk HPV effects Gay males, other thank Cancer in the late stages, isn;t it upto our body to react to the virus that determines symptoms? I've read some studies on how Epstein Barr virus can infect genital & Colon tissue, even causing ulcerations, but it all depends on how one's body reacts to the virus.

[UTC2033]

I mean I think if you've done so many tests surely its going to be negative? 

Im not gay but in somewhat of a similar situation background wise and there is definitely still some uncertainty over my test results as well- I left a relationship but after some prompting and fears over friend's diagnosis got quite scared. I even bought antivirals but took a WB a year after and a IGG this year, which still turned out negative. Im planning to get tested soon too since sometimes my parts do get a bit... itchy and there's always a big fear looming. 

I suppose its just easy to mistake the symptoms for other things? The discomfort could be due to the actual physical roughness as opposed to something viral or medical. 

[sadguy2019]

11 hours ago, UTC2033 said:

I mean I think if you've done so many tests surely its going to be negative? 

Im not gay but in somewhat of a similar situation background wise and there is definitely still some uncertainty over my test results as well- I left a relationship but after some prompting and fears over friend's diagnosis got quite scared. I even bought antivirals but took a WB a year after and a IGG this year, which still turned out negative. Im planning to get tested soon too since sometimes my parts do get a bit... itchy and there's always a big fear looming. 

I suppose its just easy to mistake the symptoms for other things? The discomfort could be due to the actual physical roughness as opposed to something viral or medical. 

I can believe the negative tests. But when I have mild itching or sometimes "discharge" it sets me off, 

To be fair I've never had "classic or typical blisters". With the exception of 1 tiny anal fissure, thats appeared once & only once, Every picture i've googled looks nothing like what i've ever had, just mild irritation. All tests for HSV1&2 comes back (-) neg. But My blood work comes back suggestive of Crohns, but no rectal biopsy ever taken, just sigmoid & above.

For me it makes no sense that someone would make Antibodies ( Vaccine or exposure ) towards VZV, CMV, EBV, HEP A&B, but not HSV? if I ever was exposed. If you & I were truly exposed, wouldnt our bodies produce an antibody a year after exposure?

I even remember going to a psychic "yes a psychic" 1 yr after exposure, when I was deeply depressed,  she told me to face the decisions I had made but to also" take a chill pill!!! " 😮 which was her way of saying "you're fine, stop worrying" 🙂 

i guess all we can do is learn to move on, and let fate rest in Gods hands  ❤️ 

[UnluckyMan]

I tried to have sex with a HSV2 positive female, and the condom broke after we just started.  I have been suffering with various problems ever since.  Never tested positive on a blood test and I've taken them one too many times.  I don't trust anyone when they say they are accurate.  I believe the medical community really knows how inaccurate they are, and that is why they aren't even offered unless you specifically request one.  

What I do trust is that something got inside my body that has subsequently caused all sorts of issues that I didn't have before I was exposed to HSV2.  I've taken every STD test I could, and all of them are negative.  My penis burns at the tip often, and I feel pain in the skin of my penis (usually after sex or masturbation), as well as constant itching in the anus and random burning nerves in my legs, feet, back, and sometimes even arms and hands.  I have been dealing with these issues ever since the herpes exposure, with the penis burning and anus itching being the most annoying of the symptoms.  I was also severely constipated for weeks following the exposure and my bowel movements took a while to go back to semi-normal.  Back pain and testicle pain is also something I have been dealing with. 

I believe there are many of us who will never build the detectable antibodies for the HSV blood test for whatever reason.  But I can assure you, before I attempted to have sex with this HSV2 positive woman, I was perfectly fine.  None of these issues existed for me. And I have had sex with various women in the past, none of whom ever informed me that they have genital herpes.  And every time I was perfectly healthy afterwards.

[sadguy2019]

8 minutes ago, UnluckyMan said:

I tried to have sex with a HSV2 positive female, and the condom broke after we just started.  I have been suffering with various problems ever since.  Never tested positive on a blood test and I've taken them one too many times.  I don't trust anyone when they say they are accurate.  I believe the medical community really knows how inaccurate they are, and that is why they aren't even offered unless you specifically request one.  

What I do trust is that something got inside my body that has subsequently caused all sorts of issues that I didn't have before I was exposed to HSV2.  I've taken every STD test I could, and all of them are negative.  My penis burns at the tip often, and I feel pain in the skin of my penis (usually after sex or masturbation), as well as constant itching in the anus and random burning nerves in my legs, feet, back, and sometimes even arms and hands.  I have been dealing with these issues ever since the herpes exposure, with the penis burning and anus itching being the most annoying of the symptoms.  I was also severely constipated for weeks following the exposure and my bowel movements took a while to go back to semi-normal.  Back pain and testicle pain is also something I have been dealing with. 

I believe there are many of us who will never build the detectable antibodies for the HSV blood test for whatever reason.  But I can assure you, before I attempted to have sex with this HSV2 positive woman, I was perfectly fine.  None of these issues existed for me. And I have had sex with various women in the past, none of whom ever informed me that they have genital herpes.  And every time I was perfectly healthy afterwards.

Western Blot or IGG ? Any swabs? What does your Doctor say? Have you talked to Terri Warren?

What is your IGG index value if I may ask? 

Unfortunatly there are a lot of things were exposed to, there's no HPV test approved for males, or a routine test for mycoplasma.

Both cause similar symptoms. And Mycoplasma cannot be cleared from the body without antibiotics! it lays dormant just like a virus 😕 

[UnluckyMan]

I've taken IGG blood tests at 11 days post exposure, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks,  and 6 months.  All were negative for HSV1 and 2.  Just the less than .9 index value.

Never wasted money on a Western Blot and never will.  I don't believe they are any better than the IGG test.  It just looks for more antibodies.  But if I'm not making the detectable antibodies at all for whatever reason, it won't do any good. Initially, about five days after my exposure I got one single bump in my pubic hair that my PC doctor agreed looked like an ingrown hair.  It didn't look anything like classic herpes, so she never swabbed it.  At the time I wanted to believe her, but now I wish I had demanded her to swab it.

She said I would get painful lesions on my penis if I did have herpes.  I've only gotten one other sore near the base of my penis about a month or so after exposure that I got swabbed, but it came back negative.  Again, this didn't really resemble the watery blisters associated with herpes, and there was no fluid to really swab.

I just finished off a course of Cephalexin 500 about a week ago, after I went to the doctor because it was starting to sting at the onset of pissing and I'm having testicle pain.  The stinging went away but the rest of my symptoms remain.

I learned from Google that even if a male shows symptoms of HPV (which they say is rare) HPV will usually completely clear up on its own.  It's been 9 months now, and this keeps reoccurring, which is making me lean even more towards herpes. This doesn't seem like it's clearing up anytime soon.  

Doctors can't come up with any other answers, and I've seen two urologists as well.  The only thing I know for a 100% fact is that she has HSV2, and all these problems started after that night.

[sadguy2019]

2 minutes ago, UnluckyMan said:

I've taken IGG blood tests at 11 days post exposure, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks,  and 6 months.  All were negative for HSV1 and 2.  Just the less than .9 index value.

Never wasted money on a Western Blot and never will.  I don't believe they are any better than the IGG test.  It just looks for more antibodies.  But if I'm not making the detectable antibodies at all for whatever reason, it won't do any good. Initially, about five days after my exposure I got one single bump in my pubic hair that my PC doctor agreed looked like an ingrown hair.  It didn't look anything like classic herpes, so she never swabbed it.  At the time I wanted to believe her, but now I wish I had demanded her to swab it.

She said I would get painful lesions on my penis if I did have herpes.  I've only gotten one other sore near the base of my penis about a month or so after exposure that I got swabbed, but it came back negative.  Again, this didn't really resemble the watery blisters associated with herpes, and there was no fluid to really swab.

I just finished off a course of Cephalexin 500 about a week ago, after I went to the doctor because it was starting to sting at the onset of pissing and I'm having testicle pain.  The stinging went away but the rest of my symptoms remain.

I learned from Google that even if a male shows symptoms of HPV (which they say is rare) HPV will usually completely clear up on its own.  It's been 9 months now, and this keeps reoccurring, which is making me lean even more towards herpes. This doesn't seem like it's clearing up anytime soon.  

Doctors can't come up with any other answers, and I've seen two urologists as well.  The only thing I know for a 100% fact is that she has HSV2, and all these problems started after that night.

The Western Blot is by far your best bet for clarification, not all hsv2 viruses have glycoprotein- G or G- deficient strains, thus IgG will always be negative.

And .9 as in .90? thats a strong negative btw, almost borderline equivocal. unless you meant 0.09

The blot looks for all of the antibodies associated with the virus IgD, IgE, IgC, VP16, and VP5, and according to Terri Warren picks up G-deficient strains.

If your PCR was negative I would strongly believe in that, considering you actually had something to swab. I'm curious to see what your Blot results would be.

Also Cephalexin is a weak choice for any STI or UTI 😞 its a cephalosporin meaning it cannot kill any bacteria that lacks a cell wall "Chlamydia & Myco" only gonorrhea and maybe BV

As far as HPV, i posted about what one individual went through on reddit, bleeding and pain in the anal area, his biopsy didnt reveal any hsv but HPV! a high risk strain at that, There's no information on symptoms because not all HPV strains cause symptoms, 40+ strains, and not everyones body reacts the same way...and people who get the vaccine experience similar symptoms such headache, fever, fatigue, and redness.

I would talk to terri warren, she made me feel a lot better going over results with me.,

A biopsy might also be an option, the tissue is processed and made into a glass slide where a pathologist examines your sample under a microscope. Cellular changes and foreign subtances such as " bacteria/viruses" or abnormal cells "cancer" are stained with chemicals / or monoclonal antibodies to confirm diagnosis.

But Its upto you, no peer pressure, we're all friends here , hope you feel better❤️ 

[UTC2033]

Thanks for the positive words! Yeah it is stressful, and I do get itching quite regularly, though its not necessarily localized (and I do get jock itch very, very, very easily). It can really bring out fears. For me I've noticed that there are dots on my penis but they have been persistent (1+ years) and not really abated- so I'm guessing its something that natural for me rather than a result of an infection. I did have mine swabbed but I got scared over something else and took 1G Valtrex 9 days before I did the swab so I intend to get tested later next week. 

Given all of our similar stories please do keep us (and me) updated if you go on testing. I definitely will as well since my shaft has gotten a bit itchy and there's a very small rash (no fluid though) so not sure if I can swab or just do another WB. 

I agree however that WB testing is the way to go but it really ought to done before an IGG. I come from a science background and if you've done a blot, its essentially just lines on a gel-paper. I'd imagine that since both of us have had exposure dates of over a year (if we were infected) our antibody counts should be rather high and the bands ought to be prominent. Either way, since all of us have taken an IGG, that's sort of out of the question and a WB would be warranted. 

 

 

[UnluckyMan]

As much as I’d like to believe otherwise, I’m pretty much 90% certain what I am dealing with is some form of herpes.  Ive had sex plenty of times with several women in my life, none of whom ever told me that they had genital herpes, and I have never experienced any problems like these.  Never in my life.  

I attempt to have sex with a woman that is HSV2 positive, and when the condom breaks, I pulled out my penis and I see streaks of her yeasty looking vagina secretions (a symptom of herpes according to Google).  I wiped it off as quickly as I could but the damage was done.  In my mind, i knew I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, and sure enough just a day later, the tingling in my penis starts up.  It hasn’t let up since, and has evolved into a full out burning sensation.  Herpes is the only STD that has an incubation time of 2 days.  All other STDs you won’t notice symptoms immediately.

So out of all the times I had sex, why out all times would it be this extremely brief encounter (I literally pulled my dick out within 5-10 seconds after I stuck it in) that I happen to get infected with some rare bacterial STD?  And why wouldn’t the herpes get in my penis if this other STD was able to?  That seems like a highly unlikely scenario to me.

I’m open to all ideas, and I’ll even ask doctors to look into that mycoplasma as a cause of all my symptoms.  But I’ve heard too many testimonies on these forums of others testing negative by blood tests AND the Western Blot and either swabbing positive for herpes or they just strongly believe it is herpes.  Had this experience not happened to me as well, and if all my symptoms didnt start right after attempted sex with someone I KNOW is HSV2 positive, then I probably wouldn’t believe them either and would be skeptical as well.  But when you’re body is showing you all the signs of a herpes infection (Google even says up to 80% of people don’t get the typical lesions, thats a lot of people), and you stop and wonder why isnt the herpes blood test apart of the routine STD screening, it leaves me with little  faith in the medical community’s ability to safely tell you that you aren’t in fact infected with herpes.

Why is it that the only confirmatory test for herpes is only available in one location in the entire country?  

Why is that you have to ask for a herpes blood test specifically, and even my primary doctor herself said she doesnt administer that test because she doesnt think its good at all?

I think people have been lied to and dont realize how faulty the herpes blood tests (including the WB) truly are.  Yes they can work for many, but for many others they give false results.  If false positives exist, and you know they do, why do you have such a hard time believing false negatives exists just as frequently?  

Doctor after doctor has told me I dont have herpes, but my symptoms remain.  

Why do my lips tingle and burn now?  Why does my genital area itch more often now?  Why do I wake up with a burning penis tip almost everyday?  Why did my armpit lymph node swell up days after the exposure?  Why did I become severely constipated a week after exposure?  Why is my anus constantly itching and burning? Why does my neck tend to get stiff and hurt when the cycle seem to restart?  Why do my arm joints sometimes have sharp pains now?  Why did my nerves go haywire and start to burn all over my body directly following exposure? Why do I get strange random headaches out of nowhere? Why do I have pains down the back of my legs sometimes and itching in my inner thighs when Im walking?

Herpes causes all those things.  But in light of that fact, people continually tell me to believe a blood test that are known to be imperfect.  

Its kind of infuriating.  I have been dealing with this for almost a year now.  Ive pissed in more cups and stuck with more needles in the past 9 months than I have in my entire adult life.  They can find no answers.  But deep down I know what it is.  I know that had I not stuck my dick inside that woman that night, I wouldnt be here on this herpes forum right now. 

You can have blind faith in a hidden test if you want to... because thats what the herpes blood tests all are...hidden. but I am not the only voice telling you those tests are wrong.  Look elsewhere on the internet and you will find many others sharing my sentiments.

 

[sarahsfocus]

have you thought about maybe it could be hpv? I heard somewhere that your Penis head could be swabbed for hpv. I don't know how true that is.my sister was misdiagnosed she took the blood test and it said she had hsv2 and hpv and her second blood test said she had just hpv and that her hsv2 test was negative. thank God she had the kind of hpv that would go away eventually. she took another test they swabbed her inside and her hsv2 was negative and her hpv had disappeared. do you know with a shadow of a doubt that this woman has hsv2? I'm just curious about that. I hope that helps Sarah

[blurneworder]

1 hour ago, UnluckyMan said:

As much as I’d like to believe otherwise, I’m pretty much 90% certain what I am dealing with is some form of herpes.  Ive had sex plenty of times with several women in my life, none of whom ever told me that they had genital herpes, and I have never experienced any problems like these.  Never in my life.  

I attempt to have sex with a woman that is HSV2 positive, and when the condom breaks, I pulled out my penis and I see streaks of her yeasty looking vagina secretions (a symptom of herpes according to Google).  I wiped it off as quickly as I could but the damage was done.  In my mind, i knew I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, and sure enough just a day later, the tingling in my penis starts up.  It hasn’t let up since, and has evolved into a full out burning sensation.  Herpes is the only STD that has an incubation time of 2 days.  All other STDs you won’t notice symptoms immediately.

So out of all the times I had sex, why out all times would it be this extremely brief encounter (I literally pulled my dick out within 5-10 seconds after I stuck it in) that I happen to get infected with some rare bacterial STD?  And why wouldn’t the herpes get in my penis if this other STD was able to?  That seems like a highly unlikely scenario to me.

I’m open to all ideas, and I’ll even ask doctors to look into that mycoplasma as a cause of all my symptoms.  But I’ve heard too many testimonies on these forums of others testing negative by blood tests AND the Western Blot and either swabbing positive for herpes or they just strongly believe it is herpes.  Had this experience not happened to me as well, and if all my symptoms didnt start right after attempted sex with someone I KNOW is HSV2 positive, then I probably wouldn’t believe them either and would be skeptical as well.  But when you’re body is showing you all the signs of a herpes infection (Google even says up to 80% of people don’t get the typical lesions, thats a lot of people), and you stop and wonder why isnt the herpes blood test apart of the routine STD screening, it leaves me with little  faith in the medical community’s ability to safely tell you that you aren’t in fact infected with herpes.

Why is it that the only confirmatory test for herpes is only available in one location in the entire country?  

Why is that you have to ask for a herpes blood test specifically, and even my primary doctor herself said she doesnt administer that test because she doesnt think its good at all?

I think people have been lied to and dont realize how faulty the herpes blood tests (including the WB) truly are.  Yes they can work for many, but for many others they give false results.  If false positives exist, and you know they do, why do you have such a hard time believing false negatives exists just as frequently?  

Doctor after doctor has told me I dont have herpes, but my symptoms remain.  

Why do my lips tingle and burn now?  Why does my genital area itch more often now?  Why do I wake up with a burning penis tip almost everyday?  Why did my armpit lymph node swell up days after the exposure?  Why did I become severely constipated a week after exposure?  Why is my anus constantly itching and burning? Why does my neck tend to get stiff and hurt when the cycle seem to restart?  Why do my arm joints sometimes have sharp pains now?  Why did my nerves go haywire and start to burn all over my body directly following exposure? Why do I get strange random headaches out of nowhere? Why do I have pains down the back of my legs sometimes and itching in my inner thighs when Im walking?

Herpes causes all those things.  But in light of that fact, people continually tell me to believe a blood test that are known to be imperfect.  

Its kind of infuriating.  I have been dealing with this for almost a year now.  Ive pissed in more cups and stuck with more needles in the past 9 months than I have in my entire adult life.  They can find no answers.  But deep down I know what it is.  I know that had I not stuck my dick inside that woman that night, I wouldnt be here on this herpes forum right now. 

You can have blind faith in a hidden test if you want to... because thats what the herpes blood tests all are...hidden. but I am not the only voice telling you those tests are wrong.  Look elsewhere on the internet and you will find many others sharing my sentiments.

 

I am in the exact same situation! The only difference is I have met some specialists that admit I probably do have HSV.