New Diagnosis, could I have autoinoculated?

[Needhelp19]

 I kissed a man on April 27 and then became paranoid a week later once my lip started to tingle and slightly burn and I had a slight sore throat. I was concerned that I might have contacted herpes 1 from him so I took a blood test 2 weeks later on May 13. A week later the results came back positive for HSV 1 with an index value of 3.87 (took the IGG test). I believe this is a new infection because I have never experienced tingling lips, warm lip sensations, lower back pain, nerve pain in my arms and thighs, or a stiff neck.

In between the time before I took the blood test I masturbated after having recently shaved but I had no visible outbreaks on my lips and I don’t remember touching my lips before I touched below the belt. I didn’t wash my hands first. Is it possible that I autoinoculated myself without a visible cold sore since this is a new infection? Could I have been asymptomatically shedding? I have been experiencing some itching on the hood (where I was rubbing) and opening of my vagina and slight burning so I went to my OBGYN. She said its a yeast infection but I have not had one since I was a kid and I have been having slight nerve pain in my left thigh and the on and off itching. She said it could be do to the scented detergent I might be allergic to or ingrown hairs. I started experiencing these symptoms a week ago.

Questions: Is it possible to autoincoluate yourself with no visible sores present if you have a new infection? Should I take the Western Blot Test to confirm my results since my index value is low? This diagnosis has caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety so I want to make sure the results are correct. 

 

[tiredandlonely]

Your IgG test is positive. It's on the lower end of positive, but the IgG for HSV-1 has a high positive predictive value (meaning false negatives are rare) and your result was above the "equivocal" cutoff of 3.5. 

You can certainly get the Western Blot if you want to confirm, but I think it's worth considering what a confirmatory result will do for you. Getting a positive result will not confirm that the symptoms that you describe are definitively associated with HSV-1. 

It seems like you might be considering getting the Western Blot because you are hoping for a negative result on the test. If that is the case, it may be worth examining whether your symptoms really add up to HSV-1, or if your anxiety about having HSV-1 is distorting your perception of the symptoms.

Over half of the adult population has HSV-1 and most are unaware of their status. I am somewhat skeptical that this is a new infection unless the man you kissed had an active cold sore. 

In any case, there is no way to know for sure. It is true that antibodies can show up within 2 weeks after infection, but most doctors recommend waiting at least a month past the suspected exposure before testing. 

Also, you mention that your lips "tingled and slightly burned" and that you had a "slight sore throat." Did you ever develop lesions/bumps/sores/blisters/cracks? Anything that actually looked like a cold sore? If so, did you have it examined?

If you didn't have any actual cold sores, it honestly sounds more to me like you had a minor cold or mild allergies which caused postnasal drip and chapped lips (chapped lips can cause tingling and burning of the lips, which get worse if you become anxious and fixate on the symptoms).

And even if the symptoms were caused by HSV-1, there is again, no way to know that this was a new infection or if it was an old infection that was triggered by stress/low immunity/etc. Some people have the virus for years without experiencing symptoms.

While it is possible that you contracted a new HSV-1 infection and autoinoculated yourself, I think it's relatively unlikely, unless the man you kissed had an active cold sore lesion, and it does not sound like he did.

Cold sores are most contagious when there is an active lesion. While asymptomatic shedding does occur, your risk of indirect transmission (ie, transferring the virus to the new spot on your hand) would be a lot lower than transferring it from an active lesion. 

I do think that your doctor was suggesting alternative diagnoses that she considered to be more likely than herpes. Just because you haven't had a yeast infection since you were a kid, does not mean you do not have one now. Did your doctor swab to test for yeast or bacteria? Did she treat you for either of these infections? Have you stopped using the detergent that may have been causing irritation? If so, did your symptoms subside?

 

 

 

[Needhelp19]

Hi,

I appreciate your response. I have never developed a cold sore so I couldn't have an active lesion tested. I know it's less likely to have autoicoclulated myself if I had no sore present but I have been experiencing lower back pain, nerve pain in my upper thigh, and anal tenderness. A yeast infection could not explain why I am having these symptoms. I have no history of other medical problems besides off and on stomach issues so I am running out of ideas. If this infection is new, which I believe it is, it is highly likely that I was shedding the virus from my lip. I don't remember directly touching it before I masturbated but maybe I brushed up against my lip and didn't remember doing so.

The doctor took a swab to test for other STI's but they came back negative since I am a virgin. It was hard for her to get a good look at everything else inside of me since I had so much discharge. I have stop using the detergent and I am currently taking medicine for the yeast infection.