Question:
I slep with someone about 2 weeks ago who has told me that she had some type of herpes in the past. Based on everything she told me I convinced myself that she had GHSV1... said it was from a cold sore from an exbf, 3 or so early outbreaks and then none in years....

Now 2 weeks later I began having a pain in the hairy area of my pubic region.. like a soreness.... I first noticed this approx approx 1-2 days ago when having sex with someone (else), but, she was thin and I've had a similar pain (seems exactly the same really) from a lot of physical banging in that area.. I thought it was just soreness from the repeated physical hitting of the genital areas.

Almost 2 days later I noticed some red bumps... only in the hairy portion of the pubic area and in fact above the boxer line .. they are kind of like red flat ness but some have somewhat of a small bump or head to them what looks like white head maybe... There are a LOT and everytime my paranoid eyes look I seem to see more.

I've seen almost the exact same things on my chest after I shaved it before and even a few (not nearly this many) down in the genital area . I have gotten it checked before and it is usually always after trimming or shaving there and attributed to hair follicle, ingrown hair, oil gland, etc. No blood or swab ever done. I think this time is different. But, I guess is is possible that this is just my worst reoccurrence of something ive had awhile.

Or, there is small (2.8%? ) chance it is something else...............

Did I probably happen to have sex with her during that 2.8% asymptomatic shedding period and caught it?

One further factors (grasping at straws..) -

used a different soap all over recently and a different one in the genital area before activities saturday.

Went swimming and sat in wet bathing suit for many hours also saturday.

Somehow these seemd plausible earlier but now seem as distant as ever.

There seems to be a pain down there but I am so concious of the area right now I cant separate metnal from real and really dont know what i will do.. I was not very promiscuous for a long time and now i have been have been very careful (as one can be...) and now I cant imagine life if i have this. Life was beginning to finally come together for me and now this.... aiiee.

If this is HSV is it likely to be 1 or 2 ? Would this be the actualy ob, or a prodrome to whats coming (worse) ... ?

The worst thing for me perhaps is that 2nd partner mentioned. If I've read correctly , assuming this is an ob, I was very contagious when we were together. If I transmitted to her, I am not sure I can live with that.. worse than having it myself for sure.

Should I see a primary care physician, a clinic (there is one ive gone to many times for "full std" tests but i dont think they do any HSV testing besides visual), or some type of specialist right off the bat? If a specialist what kind???

I wish I didnt have to go through the next 8 hours of night

Answer:
*some above the boxer line, not all. but none on the shaft, head, scrotum, that i can see.

When all these sites say soreness in the lymph nodes, i dont understand what they mean. I research lymph nodes but they seem to be all over.

Answer:
oops! duplicate post....sorry!

Answer:
theres a good chance you do have hsv of some type, especially considering the first partner you takled about clearly had hsv.......the risk is higher then. Also, asymptomatic shedding does NOT just occur 2.8% of the time.......not sure where you got that figure, but there is no set amount, as everyone is different.....and some shed a lot, some not so much so dont let that give you any type of false piece of mind. Anyhow, as far as the second girl, your assumption is right, if you do have an outbreak of some sort right now then you were in fact very contagious and theres a good chance you spread it to her, which is why either way you need to let her know right away whats going on so she can get tested by blood in a few weeks. There is chance you had this virus in your body long before either girl and that is very likely (and by the way, you dont have to be promiscuous ever to get herpes of either type) The only thing that might help clarify is to ask the first girl what type she has, as you need to know. For example, if she says Type 1 and you test posiitve for Type 2 then she DID NOT give it to you, you had it before her. Or vice versa, she has Type 2, you test positive for type 1 she DID NOT give it to you. Also once you get the blood results if they are negative, that does not mean you dont have it, it means you need to be retested in 6 weeks by blood again, as it can take a while for antibodies to show up, in a few cases it could take more than 6 weeks to show up but that is usually when antibodies can be seen. A good idea, regardless is to now be tested every few months for herpes, as it is so prevelant and does not need to show any symptoms for people to contract it or to carry it, which is why so many people are shocked to find out they have it. Miseducation of herpes is a huge factor in the rapid spread of it. I also recommend having second girl get tested by blood and getting retested in 6 weeks as well if negative at first, and then getting tested periodically every few months from now on, as she will now be aware of how easy it is to get herpes once she reads a little about it. Also, yout assumption that getting tested for "All STDS" does not include herpes, which people are also shocked to find out down the line, you always have to ask specifically for a blood test for it in addition to the "All stds" testing. Well, good luck to you. I know it seems hard right now because facing this news is never easy but life will go on if you do in fact have it, it will just need some big adjustments and extra time to accept and get used to. good luck. keep us posted, we are here to help.

Answer:
Thank you for your reply it is much appreciated. :)


When I woke up this morning I was expecting to see canker sore looking erupted lesions but it actually appeared perhaps a little better....

I just got back from a doctor's office unfortunately the only person available was a nurse practictioner.

She quickly dismissed it as not HSV and told me to pull up my pants. I then mentioned the tenderness in the area and swollen etc feeling and she said ok get on the table. Kept saying no no no. I said I want a blood test and she said OK but it is probably not.

She said probably follicitis or some sort of (bacterial?) infection and gave me a script for an oral antibiotic. I am not sure if I should take that or not though?

I also asked if she could take a swap and send it for testing. She said OK, but, she just kind of rubbed the outside of a few of the red bump areas. I asked if she had to break one and she said no they just need a few cells.. :confused: Also she commented they werent really big and I have to agree it would be hard to get anything out of any of them...

When I was having the blood drawn I noticed she had marged HSV 2 IGc or IGv or IGx something I think. No HSV 1 was marked. I asked the lab guy and he said I'd have to talk to her to have it added. I asked her and as if some things she said earlier didnt make me uncomfortable what she then said made me discount everything she said so far:

her: "no I put hsv2 because that is genital herpes."
me: "yes but hsv1 can be transmitted there in fact the person I believe I may have contracted it from stated that she believed she contracted it from someone with a cold sore"
her: "2 is genital herpes we want to see if you have genital herpes. if you get it int he genitals it turns into 2."
me: "no. it does not. it is two different strains(not sure if I used the right word.. ) "
her: (very agitated) "did you go to medical school??"
me: "no but i have done a lot of research..."
her: "go pay. i will go add the other test. " (very irritated) :-x

So Now I don't even know if I'm any better off. I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow.

Is there a certain type of specialist I should try to see? I am willing to call several until I find one that can take me today or tomorrow.

Answer:
She also said because it was so high up (above the normal pubic hair patch) it probably wasn't.

Also you said I should find out what type the first girl had, I did ask her, she said she did not know. She was actually given a similar "you got it from a cold sore and it turned into genital herpes (HSV2) " kind of story when she got diagnosed many years ago. She hasn't had an outbreak in 6 years or something she says (i believe her).

Based on my limited knowledge I was assuming it was probably 1. Due to the cold sore connection and the cessation of outbreaks after a few initial ones.

Above should say swab not swap.

I was hoping to get an rx for an antiviral if there is the slightest chance it is... isnt that supposed to help limit the initial outbreak and perhaps even limit the amount of virus that may go into the nerve?

I am not even confident about seeing the doctor tomorrow as the doctor I have an appt with is just a family doctor and I expect a similar response. :(

If I did contract it and it was from 2 weeks ago then likely the blood tests won't show anything, the swab is probaby useless, so, I have another 6 -8 weeks of anxiety to deal with before getting next blood test results ? :(

What is the type of doctor that would be an expert on this?

Sorry for so many questions and thank you for your help.

Answer:
what a confusing dr's visit that was.

it is a good thing that you insisted that they test for both hsv1 and hsv2 and it is not uncommon for medical professionals to be clueless about hsv. There is misinformation in some of the research out there so if you see something in print numerous times and cited frequently it is probably more accurate than the obscure posts. Look for info from reputable sources.

here is a link that might help.



boxofrain's post covered many of the issues you should consider.

Just because the soreness and the bumps aren't on your penis does not mean that it could not be hsv. Many hsv infections are in the general "boxer short" area or in oral infections can be inside the mouth, or on the lips or even on the face.

Blood testing can take time and is abstract if you don't know where you might be infected and can take repeat testing to know for certain. The swab tests are quite accurate if you can get a good enough sample. Apparently hsv is difficult to culture in a lab so if it shows up as positive it is an accurate result.

Answer:
I realize the trend is for lower waistlines these days but even with a very high waistline what I have seems to extend above what I would call the boxer area... but it is more concentrated in the boxer area definitely...... but some above too.

Answer:
Is there an equivelant to an OB/GYN for males?

If you were in my shoes, and a male (sorry not sure), what kind of doctor would you seek out? I don't have much confidence in the diagnosis mentioned above. I do have an appt at my family doctor, but, as the doc is with the same office as the person mentioned above, i'm not too sure about that either. I also have an appointment at the one "clinic" I know of in town, but, as also mentioned above, they don't do HSV testing beyond inspection, and I expect more of the same "looks like some type of skin irritation/infection" or similar.

I would like to find someone who has a lot of expertise in this area, but, there doesn't seem to be a way to find that. I looked at the HC resource page for clinics in my area but 1 was the place I know of, 1 was closed, and 2 were at universities (students only I believe...).

I believe with my insurance I can see any type of doc without a referral,and even if not I'll deal with paying later.. I would like to get some information from someone who knows what they are talking about...

The only possible thing I can think of is urologist(?) but I don't even know if that is appropriate?

So....what kind of doc is best?? thanks a lot.