Rash / burning

I

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your symptoms do not sound like those of herpes.  They sound like those of someone worried about herpes to the point of obsession.  Such a person would feel better after taking Valtrex, because that's a herpes medicine.  People who actually do have herpes and take Valtrex don't heal up a whole lot faster than people who don't take the Valtrex--they certainly don't feel better right away.

I do not know how to interpret your herpes blood tests.  IgM antibodies are the ones that come right after infection.  The ones you should ask your dermatologist to test for are glycoprotein-based IgG antibodies.  Please consult the website www.herpesdiagnosis.com for details.

Meantime, I agree with your MD that even if you have been exposed to herpes, your symptoms don't match those of herpes.  Whether you end up being treated with Valtrex or not, I think you should consider counseling to counter the feelings which seem to me to correlate with no organic disease of which I am aware.  And do yourself a mental and physical favor--skip the unsafe sex practices in future.  Life is too short for the aftermath.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff