Question:
when they say take a test up to 4 months, so they mean 4 months from your first "seeable" outbreak, or from the time you were exposed via your partner? let's say you were exposed and three weeks later had a supposed outbreak

Answer:
by test I mean "blood test" which determines the IgG antibodies which can take up to four months to develop according to western blot. i've had the herpes select test done three times, which measures IgM antibodies where a positive result "could" reflect a recent and first time episode...in that case the IgG antibodies which reflect having had Herpes for some time, would not show up. I tested negative for IgM all three times and IgG all three times. The last was test was at four months. Or at least four months from the sexual encounter with the woman who may have given it to me. Three weeks after meeting her i developed symptoms such as a totally painless crust on the tip of my penis which lasted two days and was gone completely no scars. Also one on the side between my thigh and stomach area, or at least there more of a slit. Also coincedentally a rash of "bites" that itched on my right ankle. The doctor did not know what caused the "bites" and if they were related or not to my genital condition, but she thought it was most likely herpes for the genital portion and gave me a box full of free samples of valtrex which i declined as i wanted to take a blood test to confirm and i don't believe in pharm. companies but rather natural approaches where i can.

so, apparently taking a viral culture wasn't an option that she mentioned as maybe the crust or such was past the point of taking the sample. instead i took a blood test at what was then (and this is weeks related from the sexual encounter)
three weeks (1st test) negative both IgM and IgG
11 weeks (2nd test) negative both IgM and IgG
16 weeks or 4 months (3rd test) negative both Igm and IgG
in fact my IgG reading for the 2nd and third test were 0.00, how crazy is that!?!

to make the story more interesting, i had contacted the woman who i had the sexual encounter with after the "doctor" had diagnosed me with genital herpes visually, and i told the girl she may have given me HSV2 and that she should test hereself. she got back with me for the results just before my second test at 11 weeks and she indeed has HSV2.

so they say that """most""" or almost all people test positive for HSV2 by 30 days. but to be sure they say that testing up to 16 weeks is the baramoter for testing positive for HSV2 via IgG antibodies which stay in your body for life and reflect that your body has "seen" the virus...
again IgM means your body has "seen" the virus as well, but that IgM antibodies are short term and come and go...they are like the grunts in the army, who have a firefight with HSV2 and subdue it but then leave your system. IgG antibodies are like the generals that have the information from the grunts and make a potion that fights the virus into submission, until the virus hides in your cells via camaflouge so the IgG generals can't touch them.

anyhow, i wonder what i had. symtoms that may look like herpes.
or maybe i do have it but i am the anomly who hasn't developed either the grunts or the generals to HSV2. i wonder if that's possible? I'm in optimal health, i cycle hills, i eat very well, vegetables/frutis/fish, and i don't eat crap...
11 weeks (

Answer:
the herpes select tests for IgM AND IgG antibodies for both HSV1 and HSV2...it and the western blot test are the dependable blood tests...

Answer:
i researched and apparently the answer is that antibodies are activated from first sign of "infection". now infection sounds different from "exposure". so if a person never had an infection of outbreak apparently they would never have developed the crucial IgG antibodies and thus could not be detected by blood test. so under these assumptions it would seem a blood test to determine IgG antibodies would be best done 16 weeks after "infection" (outbreak) versus "exposure" (means of transmission from host to host).

therefore, in my case, my last blood test was at 13 weeks post infection, but still IgG antibodies were at 0.0. So, its still a possibility that in three weeks i could develop them but its percentage wise unlikely...however, i have learned that either way, herpes is just a virus that comes and goes and with it symptoms that can be painful but it seems that most of the anguish associated with this seems to be emotional and related to self esteem...are you bigger than the virus or have you let the virus be bigger than you?...therein lies the rub
no doubt its hard....having to deal with telling another, but i suspect it gets better with time and confidence.

If monica belluci or brad pitt had herpes, and they wanted to be with you, would you turn them down? that would depend on if they seemed honest about how they handle it...and with that said everyone is a foxy brown if you develop the confidence. so you do the things that make you unique as an individual, or else you are just like everyone else plus we have a unique medical condition to top it off....so take this turn of events to reaffirm what it is that makes you unique...then the herpes becomes a smaller facet and your understanding of how to control shows your partner you are interested in keeping it under wraps.

isn't it interesting that this virus cannot live without a host, which means it has passed from body to body throughout the ages of its existence, hopping from one body before that body dies out to another body. the more bodies it inhabits the more chance it has for survival throughout time to come. i believe a proper diet and exercise will control it, depending of course on the strain. nevertheless, increasing oxygen via exercise, eating fruits and vegetables, yoga, not smoking, easy on the drinking, lysine supplements, cats claw supplements and immune system supplements (vitamin c, zinc, echinacia) will go along way towards minimalizing outbreaks, and perhaps the high oxygenated body you create over time will make it less a hospitable place for the virus to roam...

this is what i did immediately following my first "supposed" outbreak, if indeed it was herpes. I declined the valtrex, but thats my opinion, and each body is different so you find your own needs.

with that said, each person owning up to it, as i have thought and still do to a degree that i have it, means that if i can try and keep it under wraps and not pass it on as best i can, then in a way i help "kill" it as i deny it the chance for more hosts in the future...

best of luck and i'll keep you posted if indeed herpes in myself does develop antibodies in th next few weeks as i'll take one last blood test in a month, which will make it for me 18 weeks...well past the 12 to 16 weeks, and past the 13 weeks mark of my last test.

Answer:
Dude, are you writing all that stoned??? hehe it goes on and on...

Yeah it's from exposure. Any alien object in your body will cause your body to attack and defend, thus anti-bodies. An initial out break is typically very noticeable and your body is rapidly fighting off the infection. I guess if you have a good immune system, maybe it won't be so noticeable. The problem is that everyone?s body and idea of odd is different. Some people might attribute an outbreak as a really bad case of acne and others might key in on it and be worried that it might be something else.

I am in the same boat as you, it has been 9 months now since I last had contact with anyone. I had something on my upper lip (brow) that I thought was acne, but I went to see a dermatologist about it and he said it could be herpes because it was recurring in the same area. I wanted to slap him up side the head because I was I had just gotten the results of a blood test that came back negative after 4 months possible exposure and I was ready to just let it go.

At this point I don't care one way or another, I just want to know. I am just waiting for the weird acne to happen again so I can get a visual conformation, because the dermatologist doesn't believe in blood tests or swabs.

I am just wondering now what I should do assuming I do have it. I haven't been with a lot of women, but none of them had ever mentioned that they get cold sores from time to time, and if 1 out of 5 or 3 out of 5 people have HSV 1 antibodies then people aren't being upfront and I am wondering if that is acceptable.

Answer:
hehe...you got me jerry, yes i decided to treat myself to some stress relief in the form of a little green bud...

in any case, you've taken the test...at four months no less...
it would seem you are in the clear...did your doctor mention anything else it could have been? besides...i'd rather have hsv1 on my lips than the genital variety...but of course i'm hoping you are in the clear...

i think most people don't really come clean on HSV1 because with such a prevelant portion of society having it, and it being the "good" virus, its almost acceptable. according to my tests i have neither

if you've tested negative with a reliable blood test, it would seem time to relax, YET i know exactly what you are talking about, me testing negative three times and at the 4 month mark no less, and yet i know i had something and i wait for it to come back...but in the meantime i don't find it important to tell potential dates that i "may" have it since i've passed the requirements, yet i will be totally safe with whomever i am with.

good luck brother

Answer:
The dermatologist said it could be anything, but I guess the first thing that sprang to mind was herpes, given my description. Looking back, I think my description was a little off and could have sounded like herpes to me too if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But he refused to comment on what else it could be and said he'd have to see it happen to say.

Whatever it is, it doesn't match the description of herpes or acne. What it does match is Impetigo, but that doesn't go away on its own apparently, so I can scratch that out too.