Question:
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read about my experiences and I deeply appreciate any feedback. I know this is quit long but at least it's not your typical story and might be entertaining to some. I think I am amongst either the most stupid and naive people to get this illness (I haven't been tested yet but will shortly). I can't believe I got this without having direct sexual contact with another person. I'm a twenty-four year old man that has had two sex partners and used protection with both. I have hooked up with a number of other women aside from those.

Prior to last spring I never had a cold sore in my entire life. I went shopping one day for dress shoes and the person fitting me had an open sore above his lip. He was touching that general area of his face in between fittings. I carry the box to the counter, and happily pay for the shoes. Like the nicotine fiend I am I eagerly pull out a cigarette and light it, however attempting not to tough my fingers to my mouth or to the portion of the cigarette that goes into my mouth. Well I managed to screw up and bumped my face (between my lips and my chin) with my fingers once. Exposed. The two days later I have an itch on this spot, which ends up turning into a sore of some type.

At the end of last summer I had four experiences which I believe could have exposed me to a variety of diseases and illnesses I wish I had been more careful with myself:

First I shared a beer with a friend who was in town visiting, he had however just been making out with a random girl in a bar bathroom about 2 hours earlier.

Second, I had gone out with some friends to a bar where my one buddy knew the bar owner. Well he treated us to some really huge drinks. I had been drinking a lot earlier in the night and was wiped out from work (I work *really* hard). Well long story short, I wander outside, throw up and wander down the street and pass out. Now this is NYC and absolutely one of the worst moves I could have made. I had my cel in my hand and was hoping to call someone to help me out and I just couldn't do it, I was that drunk. Someone actually took the phone out of my hand. This is where I get freaked out... Someone asks me for my wallet and they're feeling my pockets. I can't even speak at this point but I'm sitting on it. They can't find it and I don't give it to them (nor could I have if I wanted to, I was between conscious and unconscious.) Next thing I know I feel a sharp pain in my right elbow, very sharp. I wake up a few hours later and the only thing I can think is that I was poked with a needle. About one and a half week later I get one of the worst colds I've ever had, which coincidentally was the NYC blackout and I had to walk all over the city feeling like hot garbage. My head hurt, I had a big, bad cough, my throat hurt, my glands were swollen. I have a cold sore on my mouth. I ended up sleeping for about two days and drinking gallons of orange juice and eventually I felt better.

Now you're probably like, what could this idiot do now? I'll tell you. Third: A few weeks later I was at home and I was drinking alcohol again. I walk down the street and pass a homeless guy. I feel a deep compassion for people in need, don't ask me why after this story. I give the guy $20, which is a lot to me but I told him to use it for something he'll keep, like clothes. About a week later I'm drinking again and go out for some cigarettes (this is probably the night of the infection. I don't believe I had anyn cold sores at this time.) I see the homeless guy again and he thanks me for the money and shakes my hand. I go home (about a five minute walk) and I'm 95% sure I wash my hand (it might not come across in this story but I am very anxiety ridden and get wrapped up about little things). I decide to masturbate. In the middle I start worrying that I probably should have poured rubbing alcohol on my hand or waited til the next day after shaking that bum's hand. And I go and thoroughly wash my hands (again!?) at this time.

Fourth: Finally, About a week and a half later I'm smoking this marijuana that I bought when I was drunk from someone I didn't know and I get a headache. I put the weed down and decide to masturbate when and I felt a big tingle in my groin area. I felt in in my buttox too. This felt like an electrical shock was in me. I go to the bathroom and look in the mirror and see tiny little white marks on my penis shaft and on my buttox. I get freaked out. I didn't have medical insurance at this time so I just hoped it would go away and that would be that. Well this tingling (I didn't think much of the white marks at the time) was very persistent and I felt it in my legs, my feet, the joints in my hand, my shoulders, pretty much everywhere. I feel two types of shocks, one is more persistent and the other is more like a wave. I got bumps on my face that look like acne but aren't (most people know their bodies.) I got these painful marks on my arms, chest and back that are flat (flush with the other skin) and discolored (lighter than my skin). I had headaches. I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. I had a substance that appeared to be thrush on the inside of my cheeks. I couldn't eat. I was seriously freaking out and the worst part was I didn't have insurance . I am not even thinking this is possibly herpes at the time. I thought I might have contracted HIV (from passing out on the street and thinking I was stabbed with a dirty needle). At this time I was unable to work, concentrate, think about anything but the fact that I could have HIV. At the three month anniversery of the street incident I got tested for HIV and the other STDs (not sure if herpes was included but I doubt it) and I'm told I'm negative. I still feel a bit run down but I don't feel horrible.

I finally get my insurance (my workplace was very slow in getting it to me) and go to the doctor. I tell my primary car physician about the symptoms (which at this point are mostly just shocks to my body, as the bumps have passed) and he seems to be very doubtful but agrees to send me to a neurologist and a dermotologist. The dermotologist couldn't find much and told me he'd have to take a bioposy of the area (which were bumps in the middle of each of my cheecks). The neurologist did all types of tests to look for nerve damage. She sent me to get an MRI and wants me to go back to get more tests. I went to another doctor, paid out of pocket, and he couldn't find anything (except that I had been drinking entirely too much).

Just the other day I started to get more tingling in my genital area and had an outbreak (the first since last fall, although I have almost constant tingling almost everywhere in my body (which drives me crazy)). I compared what I saw to some pics on the internet and realized I probably have herpes. I've also been feeling very sick and run down. Today I woke up and saw another sore on my penis and a scabbed cluster on the inside of my right ankle. I don't know how the disease got there, perhaps from the shower? I didn't know it could spread everywhere in your body like that, I thought it couldn't travel like that. I'm going to be going to the doctor soon to get these blood tests and hopefull get these sores swabbed (as soon as my insurance is back up, I'm on COBRA and my damn former employer switched providers and now it's down again).

Any input would be much appreciated. I'm particularly curious is anyone has had experiences with herpes and essentially non-stop shocks and tingling of the body.


Thanks so much for reading all of this.


Cheers,
Questions

Answer:
Ok - before I respond - I would like to know what the shoe salesman has to do with you touching your cheek? He had an open sore, OK. But how did it get to your hand?

And the homeless man - I'm not sure if that should be your focus. Did he have hsv sores on his hand? did he just touch his own open sores? Jesus you can think of a million stories.

How 'bout those girls you hooked up with - did you kiss them? They could have had something...

You know you can kill yourself with these stories and in the end, if you have it, you have it. I think none of us can diagnose you obviously you need to get the sores looked at - by a doctor.

I hope you smarten up your lifestyle a bit - get a friend to babysit you while you're drinking. Who let you go out like that? whatever - get your shit together man, you have more to worry about than HSV - I think that may be the least of your worries as the Doc told you.

I hope you find something positive.

Answer:
Thanks for responding Lasmom.

The salesman was fitting me for the shoes and handed me the box and his business card. I had never had a sore like this before that week. (I had had canker sores though.)

I did not see any sores on the homeless man's hand or his face.

I didn't hook up at all last year, thus I think I can rule the women out. I don't to hook up with random girls anymore. This desire is pretty much gone.

I do realize that at times I abuse alcohol. I stopped using it for almost two months this year and have only been really drunk one time this year. Getting that way is not something I enjoy, it's more of something that can just happen once I start drinking.

I am going to go to the doctor as soon as I have my insurance reinstated. And I feel like I can't get there soon enough. I'm wondering if the symptoms I have had/have sound similar to herpes? Particularly the shocks to the body (hands/feet) and these irritations/sores transferring to different parts of the body? Does it make your whole body ache? Does it make you congested in the sinuces? -chest? Can herpes manifest itself as flat irritations? Would it make my throat sore?

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but these health issues have been a major stress point and inconvenience in my life. I am wondering if this is the (unfortunate) answer. I'm responsible for my actions, I'm not asking for sympathy, but we all do make mistakes. This wait is driving me batty. I'm hoping that some people out there will be kind enough to share the knowledge they've gained during their lives.


Sincerely,
Questions



Ok - before I respond - I would like to know what the shoe salesman has to do with you touching your cheek? He had an open sore, OK. But how did it get to your hand?

And the homeless man - I'm not sure if that should be your focus. Did he have hsv sores on his hand? did he just touch his own open sores? Jesus you can think of a million stories.

How 'bout those girls you hooked up with - did you kiss them? They could have had something...

You know you can kill yourself with these stories and in the end, if you have it, you have it. I think none of us can diagnose you obviously you need to get the sores looked at - by a doctor.

I hope you smarten up your lifestyle a bit - get a friend to babysit you while you're drinking. Who let you go out like that? whatever - get your shit together man, you have more to worry about than HSV - I think that may be the least of your worries as the Doc told you.

I hope you find something positive.

Answer:
You cannot transfer this on a box or business card.

Shaking hands with the homeless man - a slight chance but probably not.

Kissing the girls even if you know them yes. They may not knoe they have it.

As for the sores - they will stay in the same area all of the time - maybe travel along the nerves to a nearby spot - but not a completely different spot on your body.

Any virus will cause flu symptoms. You could be fighting more than one thing.

I'm worried that you may have in fact been stuck by that needle.

My suggestion. Write down all your syptoms and when they occurred - on a calendar notebook, whatever. If you get anymore legions take pics. That way when you get to the Doc, you won't have to remember stuff - and be better prepared. In fact, if you are this worried - I'd hit a clinic now.

As for the drinking - sorry to get on you - but reading what you wrote didn't sound good - I spent alot of my early 20's getting slaughtered - but alway with friends - it's hard to set limits for yourself - I have a better time with a mild buzz watching all the other drunks... and I don't feel as crappy the next day. Take care of yourself... it's the only body you got babe.

Good luck.