Herpes question

[12advice12]

Doctor,

Here is my situation, and I would like your advice.
1) On July 1 I had a one night stand with a woman.  A condom was not used for oral sex, but was used for intercourse.
2) On July 14, I noticed a single pustule about 1-2mm in size that looked like a pimple.  This was located about 1/3 up from the base of the penis.  I exhibited no other signs, (multiple blisters, pain in or around blister, fever, discharge, etc.) sometimes associated with an initial.
3) I contacted the woman I was with on July 15.  She said she was tested negative in May for all STDs.  She said she would get tested again
3) On July 15, I went to a GP.  He looked at the pustule and said and heard my background information, he did not feel it was Herpes, but he took a swab test of the site to be sure.
4) Hoping that the pustule was a simple pimple, I applied Clearisil to the site of the sore.  By July 19 the pustule was completely gone and no further sore has since appeared.
5) On July 18, the swab culture test for herpes came back negative.  I assumed everything was fine.
6) On July 24, the woman I was with informed me that a blood test (ELSA test)came back positive for herpes.  She told me that herpes can manifest itself with very mild symptoms or none at all, so I should not take any comfort in the doctors visual diagnosis.  She also said that swab culture tests often produce false negatives.  She said that it would have to be a very big coincidence for me not to have the disease with a sore showing up on my penis 14 days after intercourse with her just testing positive for herpes  
7) I immediately began to panic after hearing this.  I went to my doctor and got a blood test for herpes on July 24.  

I have been going through hell over the past few days.  Please give me your advice on the likilhood of me having the disease and what prudent steps I should take at this point.  I have since met a very sweet woman who I would like to have a relationship with, but I am not terrified that herpes will destroy my chance for any long term relationship.

Thank you.

[Karaaaa]

Dear Doctor.
About a week and a half ago I had an somewhat irritating sore about half an inch in size around my genitals. I put desitin on in and apparently it "popped" and emitted a clearish fluid. It didn't reall scab over but it just went away. Its had me worried ever since though. I've never had sex before, is it possible that its herpes at ALL or anything that I need to worry about? Thanks.

[Apgirl]

My 21 year old daughter has had unprotected sex with one boy she's been seeing for about a year.  She broke out with sores all over her genitals that were both painful and itchy.  We went to the doctor and they said it was probably warts or herpes.  Well the herpes test came back negative.  The doctor was shocked because she believed that's what she has.  Can you be in the middle of an outbreak and still get a negative reading?  

She also found HPV.....but claimed the sores had nothing to do with that.  

Any advice/help you can offer would be appreciated.  Also, if you can refer me to a place that I can get the latest information on HPV and herpes.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I think you have guilt, not herpes.  I suggest you consider counseling, personal or marital.  You have to get past this, and you need help.

Dr. Rockoff

[12advice12]

Dr. Rockoff,

After my doctor saying I had nothing to worry about, I felt a great sense of relief and thought I could move on with me life.  Just yesterday evening, I saw another two small pustules about 1/2 way up the right side on the shaft of the penis.  The original single pustule I saw (about 25 days ago and it disappered in 5 days) was about a third of the way up the shaft of the penis on the left side.

Given that the woman I had the one night stand with told me that she had a positive blood test for herpes and this reoccurance of pustules, I can think of no other explanation other than herpes.  Please review my previous notes and advise.  

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I agree with your doctor.  I think you're all set.

Dr. Rockoff

[12advice12]

Dr Rockoff,

One final question.  I received negative blood tests, but these blood tests were taken only 25 days after my my one night stand encounter with the woman.  My doctor has said given his negative visual diagnosis, negative swab tests, and negative blood test, I should forget about things and not worry about moving forward with the relationship with the new woman I have been dating.

Do you see any merit in me taking another blood at a later time on the chance 25 days was not enough time to give antibodies to develop

Thanks.

[12advice12]

Doctor Rockoff,

The blood tests came back negative.

Thanks so much for your calm words of wisdom.  The Internet can be a great source of information.  However, I've clearly learned that people can misuse information from the Internet and elsewhere without the filter of knowledge provided by  medical training and experience to pull any number of facts out of context of a person's individidual circumstances and create a nightmare scenario.  

Thanks for taking the time to use your knowledge and experience to help so many people.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Why on earth are you taking medical advice from a woman with whom you had a one-night stand?

A blood tst for herpes just means that she had exposure to one of the herpes viruses somewhere on her body sometime in her life.  It does not mean that she has genital herpes, or that she had an active herpes at the time of your intercourse.  Add to that the fact that a localized outbreak represents recurrent-type herpes, which has nothing to do timewise with a partiuclar exposure.  Add to that the fact that you used a condom.  Add to that the fact that you had a single pustule, not a cluster of blisters.  Add to that a negative culture of a fresh lesion (Where does your expert get her data on unreliability of swabs?)  

Please rely on your doctor for the results and interpretation of blood tests.  It really doesn't sound to me as though you have anything to worry about.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff