Herpes on the knee

[chances1]

Hi, I am convinced I acquired herpes from an open scrape on my knee.  I remembered after it healed that I had banged my knee and this is the only explanation for these symptoms here. My dermatologitst thinks it is quite impossible but didn't see the infection initially-only after 2 weeks. The IGG was negative showing no past infection. I had intimate contact  with a promiscous woman and 2 days later, I had a blotchy blistery red rash on my left knee.  I did not have intercourse, but was on top of her and had heavy petting. She had panties on. A week later, I had bumps on my right knee with a patch of what looked like blisters trying to start but didn;t get there.  I had a few of these bumps and clusters on my arm and a fischer and pimple on my butt crack.  They all disappeared within 3-4 weeks. I am heterosexual and never had any contact with her and my anus area.  I think I may have autoinoculated myself many times.  The pictures on the internet look quite convincing and I can't see any other explanation. It didn't bother me too much.  I am convinced that I got it from this girl from skin to skin contact somehow.  Now I have accepted this total bad luck.  But, what I am concerned about is if any new outbreaks will occur on genitals or just the initial outbreak area on my knee.  This seems so crazy.  I here so many contradictions regarding viral shedding. Please help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

You are not doing yourself any favors by convincing yourself that you picked up herpes when nothing in your story supports this diagnosis--not the type of sexual contact you had, not the symptoms you have, not the negative blood tests.  Even if you had herpes in one place--and I don't for a moment think you do--you can't spread it to your genitals.  (If you could, why don't people with cold sores on their lips get herpes all over the place from washing?)  Please get whatever medical consultations you think you need to convince you that you don't have herpes.  If you get what you think is a new outbreak, show it to a doctor at once.  Otherwise, just let it go.  Internet "research" will not help you resolve your issue.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[tedp]

A related discussion, response to herpes on my knee was started.

[chances1]

Thanks Doc.  Well I guess I will have to wait 3 or 4 months on the IGG to confirm this recent rash. I had the blood test within a few weeks of this problem so I can not count on that. But, I still can not discover any other explanation for the clustery rash that looks like herpes.  And, there were so many other things that make me feel it is still that. One is that it lasted 2-4 weeks and then disappeared. The second is that I had an open cut on my knee which could have been in contact with viral shedding, correct?  And the fisher like cracks and blister on my butt. Also, I had several red cluster blisters on my arms.  I know it seems crazy, but I nor the doctors can come up with any other explanation.  Do you still think this is impossible.