Help?

[veryfreaked]

All my life I have been very responsible sexually, as I am 22 and have only had 1 prev. partner(who I know didn't have anything), and have always used protection.I have always been very scared of getting a girl pregnant or catching a STD. This semester I have started dating a new girl. She was upfront with me that she has had 6 partners and is only 18. She says she has always used protection too, and got tested for STD's in Feb(everything neg). Since then, she dated another guy,and only had sex a few time, used protection, , he didn't sleep around, and got checked frequently.(She is confident he didn't have anything)Anyway, we ended up in bed, but used protection.She did grind herself against my pubic bone though. Anyway, 3 weeks later(we didn't have sex again), to the day, a painless white-head appeared about a 1/2 inch below my pubic hair line. When it popped, a small amount of fluid and blood came out. Needless to say, I freaked out. I read a bunch of stuff on the internet, which just scared me more. I got examined, and the doctor said it was just a pimple, not herpes. It faded to a pink spot and healed just like a pimple(didn't form sores or blisters). My health center only does herpes cultures, not the blood test.They did not test me for herpes. All my other STD tests came back negative. (so did my girlfriend). My girlfriend has promised me several times that she doesn't have anything, and has never had symptoms of anything. Anyway, 10 days later, I felt a burning or irriating sensation in the crease of my leg. There was a single red spot when I checked. I went to the ER, and the doctor said maybe folliculitis,and didn't think it wasn't herpes.The next day, the same thing happened in the other crease of my leg. I went back and saw another doctor. He laughed at me when I suggested herpes, and also said folliculits and prescribed 2 antibiotics and anxiety medicine. Anyway, 2 days later, I had another red spotin my pubic hair, on the other side as the previous one, but a bit closer to my penis(about an inch away from the base).This one too caused a (not severe)burning/chaffed sensation, but wasn't a constant sensation, it would come and go. I put some OTC antibiotic cream on it, but now it seems to have turned into larger red area. Anyway,all the doctors have said no on my spots(they would be VERY painful),and that it is not nearly as widespread as the internet says.Anyway what Ive read and my girlfriends past have scared me worse than I ever been scared in my life.I have had nothing show up on my penis on testicles.I also do get pimples on my legs(have for all my life) which form whiteheads sometimes, but don't hurt. My questions: If this is folliculits, why is it just now showing up in my groin and never before, and why can I feel them? How can I stop them? How will I ever be sure I don't have herpes(all the doctors have said the blood test is un-reliable). I have been under A LOT of stress, andam very afraid this is a mild outbreak of herpe

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

This would be a good time to get a herpes type-2 specific blood test.  You can read about the newer, more accurate blood tests at www.herpesdiagnosis.com.  A negative test taken soon and then if negative repeated in 8 weeks would go a long way to reassuring you in a way that all your examinations haven't done, even though I think you realize the doctors are right.

Please look at the reliable (gG) antibody tests listed on the above site, and make sure the lab does or sends out for one of those, rather the older and unreliable tests your doctors had in mind.

Also, you need to ask yourself what it will take for you to get past your fears about contracting something from the girlfriend.

Good luck.

Dr. Rockoff

[veryfreaked]

P.S. Like I said, I am VERY VERY scared (had to be put on anxiety medicine) and don't know how much of this is just in my head or not

[nervousguy]

Hi.  i dont know if i am posting this in the right place but ill try anyways.  I have only been with one partner my whole life until recently when I had a one nighter.  We did not have unprotected sex but we did do lots of fooling around. I was scared and regretted what I did immediatley after and decied to get a blood test for stds.  I asked the girl also if she had anyhting and she said no. Anyways, I got test fro all the major std about 4.5 weeks after the incident.  Among these tests was the herpes blood test that distinguishes between type one ans type two but I'm not sure which specific test was used.  Today the doc called me and said that everything came back negative except the herpes 2 test which showed "equivocal" resuslts.  This confused me.  I thought either your bod has the antobodies or doesnt.  how can you sorta have it?  Also is it possible to be "equivocal" and then be tested in a few weeks and be negative?  I'm just worried and confused.  I just dont understand what equivocal means.  the doc said its in between pos and neg but i just thought that it was like, you have the anibodies or you dont.  What is this middle ground?  If anyone has any insight on this, please respond.  Also, I am now afraid to kiss anyone even on the cheek.  Am I being ridiculous?  Help Please.

[yoshi2me]

I would also like to mention that when people go in for routine std testing ... they seem to assume they are being tested for everything ... in reality ... they are not being tested for everything. If you want to find out what you are being tested for then you have to ask the clinic and/or doctor exactly what they are checking because there are a few stds that are not included in the routine std testing process.

Something else to consider is that a condom only covers a small portion of the genitals. It's still possible to give and recieve an std even with constant condom usage. Also, the number of partners that a person has had is not a measure of whether or not they have an std. You can have only one partner in your life and still get an std.

FYI,

Angela
www.yoshi2me.com