Question:
Hello everyone,

I am posting here because I have had two negative blood tests and I am still having symptoms of some sort. First I'll give you a brief history of my situation.

I had sex (unprotected) with a girl I was seeing for a very short time. After we ended up going our separate ways, about 10 days later I developed a rash in my groin area. I became immediately concerned and began to worry. About a week after the rash developed, I had a large zit/boil looking thing develop at the base of my penis which popped and healed. Since then, the rash went away and I started to get shooting pains in my legs. I also get this strange sensation on my scrotum several times a day. The best way to desribe it is it feels sort of like pins and needles. But it feels alot like the same sensation you get when you get a rush of goose bumps. I also get tingling in the soles of my feet and this sharp pain in my urethra hear the tip of my penis. If feels like someone is poking me with a needle inside of my penis.

Well I got a full STD screening 3 months after the encounter which included everything from HIV to Hepatitis to Herpes including all bacterial STDs. Everything came back negative. I knew that it was recommended to get a blood test for herpes after 4 months, so I waited to get tested again before I could completely lay it to rest. I hit the 9 month mark and decided to get tested again for HIV and Herpes. The HIV test came back negative. Two weeks Later I took a Herpeselect Igg based test for HSV 1 and 2. My results were .12 for HSV1 and .19 for HSV2. As far as I can tell those numbers are way below what are required for a positive result.

I thought to myself I can finally forget all about this and move on. The only thing is I still get the sensation on my scrotum several times daily and I still periodically get pins and needles on the soles of my feet. Now, today I wake up and I have another large boil showing up at the base of my penis and another between my legs behind my scrotum.

Could this be anything else other than herpes? I keep telling myself it's not herpes, hoping that all of this is just in my head and it will go away. But I keep having problems and I don't know what to do. Does anybody know what I could be experiencing? Can you test negative on a blood test but still have Herpes. If this sounds like its all in my head please tell me. I just want to make absolutely sure that I don't infect someone else. Please Help!

Thank you

Answer:
I have heard that the blood tests are able to pick up if you have ever been exposed to the virus even childhood coldsores. Sounds like you gave yourself plenty of time before the second blood test to get positive results if you do have herpes.

Just getting one big spot doesn't sound normal for the first outbreak. I would think you would have had more of a rash. I would try to see a specialist that can help you figure out what you have. Most general doctors don't seem to know much about herpes or STD's other than to perscribe drugs.

Hope you figure it out, not knowing is the worst part!

Answer:
Yea you're right. Not knowing is the worst part.

When I went to see my doctor I had no skin conditions that he could see. I only described my symptoms up to that point (Rash, Bumbs and tingling in feet) and he said it sounded like a STD. He gave me antibiotics and I gave a urine sample that later came back negative for all Bacterial STD's.

I did feel more confident in the sensitivity of those tests when the results for Hepatitis-B came back. I have been vaccinated against Hep-B and the test could actually detect that I was immunized.

Other than the Boil that showed up the other day, the only symptoms that I've had lately are the sensations I get in my feet and scrotum. Mostlly nerve related. That lead me to believe it was possibly neurolgia. Of course it could be a result of stress from all of the worrying that I have been going through. I would have thought that if that was the case things would have settled down after nine months.

But thank you for the advice. I guess I'll have to get back with my doctor and press the issue and try to get this resolved. Thanks

Answer:
sammy boy, i have the same symptoms as you and also tested negative for herpes, let me know what your doctor says about it.

Answer:
Sure thing. I'm hoping that all of these symptoms just come down to stress. Early on when I was dealling with this, I looked around in some forums including those for HIV. I have seen many stories where people were absoulutely convinced they had HIV because they had all of the symptoms for HIV but it turned out they didn't in the end. Many people on those forums kept telling them that your mind is much more powerful than you think, and if you think you have something, your brain can have a powerful effect on your body and you can have very real symptoms.

I know when I first saw the rash on my inner thigh the first thing I thought is I hope I didn't get something from this girl and my second thought was I hope this isn't herpes. I didn't even know the sypmtoms of herpes untill I immediately went out and started to research them. So, if it is possible for your mind to effect your body like this, I gave my mind all of the necessary information it needed to give me most of the symptoms. It all started with a rash. A rash, followed by a boil. Both of which are common occurences with many people. Just not with me. The rest can be attributed to one of two things; a illness or something psycological. I'm hoping it's the latter.


I keep trying to forget about the whole thing and move on, because if this is from all the worrying and stress I need to get over it first. The only problem is, I can only forget about it for so long before something tingles or I get a pain that puts it right back in the forefront of my mind. If I find an answer to my situation I'll gladly share. I know it's been hell at times dealing with this and I would be very happy to share if it might help someone else. And please share any results to your situation. The more information that gets out there the better.

Answer:
I gotta say that I'm generally freaked right out about STD's in general- obsessive in fact. But this last weekend I had unprotected sex with a stranger. Don't ask why - Couldn't tell you. Maybe it is the fact that there has been Death of friends and family recently... dunno.
Botom line: a day after- I have inflamed pubic hair follicles and a red area that looks like a bruise size of a thumb print. 5 days later everything has died down. Red area is almost gone. No boils. No open sores. Kinda crusty pubic hair follicles.Some hair follicles look bumpy but have -well- 'hair" sticking out of them.
-BUT the whole burning legs syndrome I do have.
-What the hell is that? It comes and goes.
The last thing I wanna do is have H and give it to someone. That would be really the worst.
Keep us up to date with your search for an answer.
I plan to go for a blood test after 4 months.

Answer:
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...blah blah. Hopefully that isnt the case but it's very possible. I've seen many people that clearly have herpes test negative for quite a long time. Even swab tests that come back negative. I dont know how but it happens. I kind of just shows how behind the medical field is when it comes to herpes..and its been around for so long you would think they'd be better at it by now.. :roll:

Answer:
No kidding. I burned for 45 days and am waiting for my 3rd test results. The doc said I looks like H but could be something else. Like what?!! You're the doc!! I'd like to know one way or the other so I can stop stressing and know if my life is over or not!!

Answer:
Even if you have herpes your life isnt over. It's a controlable virus that, normally after the first outbreak, is fairly minor. There is the initial shock and it feels overwhelming at first but you come to terms with it and educated yourself on the subject. The more I learn about it the better I feel. You are not alone with this, more people have it then you know and they will admit.