Question:
Hi everyone...just got the news today...but I'll start off with my story and why the blood test is the only way to really know.
My hell began back in september of '06..I was dating a girl and we broke up for a few weeks. One night I decided to go to a bar, get alittle drunk and drive myself home. I get pulled over, get a dui and have to call someone to pick me up from jail. I called my ex and she came to pick me up. Still alittle tipsy I talk up a good game and get me some. A few days later I wake up with a crazy rash and burning when I pee'd. Scared crapless I go to a minor medical emergency right away. I pee'd in a cup and while awaiting the results he swabs the rash for herpes. In an uplifiting moment he tells me that they don't have anything to put the swab in so he can't actually test me for herpes but not to worry, I didn't really look like that anyway. Dumbfounded I ask where I can go to get it done. Well considering it was a friday night I had to wait until monday for the std clinic to open. Frustrated I went to my family doctor on saturday. He said that it wasn't herpes and there was no need to get swabbed. Feeling kind-of relieved (only because I didn't know anything about herpes) I just went on about my weekend. Come tuesday, the clinic calls me up and says I have chlamydia and I need to be treated. I get treated and angrily call my ex. She says sorry and she'll go get treated as well. about a few weeks goes by and BOOM, another bad rash. I've never had the "typical" herpes signs or sores so It was kind-of confusing. I tried cortaid and it didn't work. I decided, screw it and I'm going to the std clinic. I went and they did a blood test for syphillis and a swab in my peehole which was soooo much fun. I showed the nurse the real reason I was there and she said it looked like a yeast infection on my penis and use some anti-fungals and it will subside. I go home put 50 million creams on and hope for the best. It goes away and I just go on with my life. About a month later, another rash hits and this time I go to a dermatologist because this thing itches and hurts like all hell. He tells me that it's possibly herpes and does a culture on it. He gave me acyclovir cream and told me about a week on the results. I put the cream on and it gave me an even bigger rash. I wait out the week and go back on my next appointment. He tells me the culture was negative and he gave me a steriod cream to get rid of the newly acquired rash. Feeling very very relieved I go home and put the cream on. It goes away. another month goes by and I get another rash. Pissed off I go back to my derm wondering what the hell is going on. So he decides to do a biopsy of the skin to find out what's wrong. He tells me to come back in a week to get the stitch out and get the results. In very much pain I last the week and go back to the office. He said the biopsy didn't show herpes but perivascular dermatitis. A cool medical term for simply inflammed skin. He asked me what medicine, soaps, detergents anything I was using different. The answer was nothing. He gave me another cream and told me to take my mind off herpes because I didn't have it. Again relieved but still feeling suspect I go home and go about my life. About a month later, you guessed it, another "rash". I go back and even though he said no herpes before he swabbed it again and this time swabbed me for a bacterial infection. He gave me antibiotics and told me the results will be in a week. I go back a week later with no improvement and again another negative result. I'm going to the doctor the day of the start of the rash so it's not like it's not fresh. I go home and decide to do some home therapy. I use anti-fungal cream which is pretty much the last I can do. So here I was about a few weeks ago, and still not had sex for the past nine months, and another rash. I ran out of things to put on it so I went and got the blood test, which I had to pretty much beg for. I had to get doctor permission, all kinds of stuff. It made me feel pretty low calling all of my city asking people for the blood test. They sounded all upbeat until I asked then it was like Oh, this dirty herpes boy wants a test..eww..yeah I felt pretty low. So here I am today...I just found out a few hours ago I tested positive for hsv2...shocked,relieved, amazed, disappointed, emotional, angry, depressed, scared, hurt. Now I don't really know what my life entails...I feel so alone. Let me say to anyone going through medical hooplah and wondering about rashes on your genitals, I know that it's hard to know that you have herpes, but just get a blood test, don't mess around. I've wasted 9 months just to get to this point and now I feel as if I have to start all over again. Sorry about the long post, but anyone have any insight or some words of encouragement, please..I need it.

Answer:
BadKarma,
I can't believe it took 9 months for you to get a blood test. Sometimes doctors look over what is right in from of them. The doc told me I had a bad bladder infection and sent me home. It got much worse so i looked up herpes on the internet and I knew it. I went back to the doc and sure enough, herpes.
I know how you feel BadKarma. I felt scared and alone too. But I swear it will get better. Just knowing that you aren't "the only one" is comforting. We are all going through the same things and just trying to make it one day at a time. Are you on any medication to slow the outbreaks?

Answer:
I just want to say welcome and you have quite a flare for writing. I had a different but similar experience but it took over 10 years to finally get a diagnosis. To this day still haven't had that bloodtest.

I know for me that finding out was traumatic but gave me relief from the constant feeling that I was crazy and that one of these days they were going to just lock me up.

It was also nice to finally get the right treatment - one that actually makes this stuff go away.

Answer:
I pretty much knew when I looked on the internet it was herpes. I never have the watery blisters, but I still knew. My dermatologist who's been moping around the whole subject sounded like he did a good job when we finally got the problem. I was the one who had to make him order a blood test. SO I pretty much have lost a lot of faith in doctors. I'm going to treat the natural way. L-Lysine with zinc and vitamin C, Reishi Mushroom and Acidophilus Bacteria. Pray alittle, meet some new people with this same problem and help anyone out there that feels the way I do. I don't want to take prescription medicine.