Question:
Hi. I am positive that i have herpes, all the symptoms - everything. So, right when i started noticing symptoms, i noticed them one night about 9:30... a small blister was forming by 10:30 so I went to the dr. the next morning at 11:30. They did a culture right then, but when i got the results it said it was negative for the virus. I dont understand - i thought you were supposed to get to the dr. right when something started forming or ASAP so i did, and i got a negative result!!! I dont get it. Is there anything else that this could be???? Please help.

The dr. said to just monitor it, see if it happens again (even though she put me on acyclovir to begin with just from the symptoms i was having and the way the blister looked) she told me i didnt need to stay on medicine, just finish out the prescription and then see what happens from there. What do i do in the meantime, and what if i never have another outbreak?? what else could be going on?

Thanks for any replies!

Answer:
Hard to say. The thing with a culture test, is they have to get a good swab for it to work.

When they swabbed your blister, did they break it open or not? If not, then they might not have gotten any of the fluid out. The fluid inside the blisters is what is rich with the virus.

So if they didn't break the blister, they might not have gotten any.

But if you have all the symptoms, you can be pretty confident that you do have it.

As far as what to do in the meantime.... Like meaning sex????

If you are single, you should be as careful as possible, and as honest as possible wether you had herpes or not.

You should tell potential partners that you have had a 'rash' before, you thought it was herpes, you were tested, came back negative, but that you aren't sure, and you should discuss the risks of sex with any partner.

I would be confident in yourself... Don't view yourself as the only risky part of teh sex equation. Anyone who is not a virgin is potentially infected with HSV or SOMETHING... So for that matter, anyone who is not a virgin is your sexual equal.

Which returns you back to the same important things that were always the case...

know the risks, educate yourself, make informed decisions...

works the same with two people..

know the risks, discuss the risks TOGETHER, educate yourselves, discuss your options together and agree upon decisions together..

Answer:
MC37,

Thanks for the response. See the weird thing is, My Dr. did pop the 'blister'. However, I had no idea she did because she didnt even tell me until after the fact, and it didnt hurt at all. The whole time she was swabbing around she kept asking me if it hurt and i said no.... because it didnt at all. Then once i got up and got dressed we were talking about it and she said well i did pop it and got some of the fluid out for the culture. So i assumed it would be accurate (the test) But it came back negative. Anyway, you had asked if it popped, and i just wanted to let you know that yes, they did get fluid out.

As far as in the meantime, i meant emotionally as well as sexually. I am not planning on having sex at all for a while,because of this. But yes, I completely agree - i would DEFINITELY tell anyone I was in the position to have sex or anything again.

Thank you for your response.... i just wanted to let you know that it did pop and fluid did come out, thats why i still dont understand why the culture came back negative, especially since i went like the next morning after the blister appeared the night before.... Let me know what you think...

Thanks.

Answer:
if you're really concerned, try getting a blood test. maybe you're lucky and the blister isn't herpes? wouldn't that be great? you get the lesson of a lifetime w/o having to live with the outbreaks and emotional distress that some of us suffer. let us know what happens! i hope your blood tests come back negative as well!

Answer:
Thanks for that response 'no more hope'. Yeah, i really hope that i dont get more outbreaks or anything, but I just have this feeling that it is herpes, just because of the symptoms i had, including dull pains in my thigh, but who knows. I will probably have to end up getting the blood test, but dont you have to wait a certain amt. of time before the blood test will show anything? Also, what else could it be other than herpes - if i have had all the symptoms, like itching, redness then the beginning of a blister about an hour later, with a pain in my thigh? I dont understand. I didnt have any pain when urinating or fever, but it is just too weird that the symptoms resemble herpes. I just find it odd that i got a negative result, when they tested the fluid from that blister, how could that be? Oh well, thanks for listening.....

Answer:
i just wanted to let you know that it did pop and fluid did come out, thats why i still dont understand why the culture came back negative, especially since i went like the next morning after the blister appeared the night before.... Let me know what you think... Well...

I assumed that by your characterization of 'all' the symptoms that you meant you had fever, swollen glands, itching, etc.

So upon your futher explanation, if I was you, I'd be not-so-sure I had HSV.

What should you do...

Honestly... Like I said in the first email.... Be honest, HSV doesn't change how we should live/act if you think about it.

Be honest... discuss the risk of sex openly with potential partners.. Tell them you had a blister once, got tested, and it was negative.

All you can really do is wait. If you have another blister, I would probably say get tested again...

But if you don't have any more suspect outbreaks...

I think you are in the same position as the rest of the population. You don't 'think' you have it, but you can't be sure...

SAME as everyone else who is NOT a virgin.. they don't 'think' they have it, but can't know for sure.

You should still approach sex with the same caution and care, and discussion wether or not you have HSV....

So I'd kind play the wait and see game, but CERTAINLY, don't stress..

Answer:
Thanks MC37,

Thanks for responding , I know you can have no exact way of knowing whats going on with me, I just see that you seem pretty knowledeable on the subject, and thought you would be some help --- and you were! Thank you.

Oh yes, I am definitely going to be open and honest about everything with anyone who i may potentially get in any sexual relationship with - believe me.

I am just now wondering if it could have been anything else that caused the symptoms i had (itching, redness, pain in thigh, blister) no fever though.... is there anything else that this could have been other than HSV?

Is there any explanation why the test came back negative if she got a good culture and the blister popped? I dont see how this could have brought back a false negative considering she got a good, early sample. I mean could I really be negative for HSV and if so, what else could it have been?

Still wondering....but not stressing too much :c) (I know it seems i am obsessing at this point, but im really not, im actually just kind of curious now as to what else this may be) Thanks for all your help and support