am i clean??

So I went for an HIV and Herpes test Tuesday and I got the results today (fri) and they were both negative.  It was almost exactly 4 months after possible exposure...like 3 days short of 4 months.  But the problem is the symptoms ( itchy scrotum and side of penis, slight pain in right testicle, groin muscle) that made me start worrying about herpes returned last night.  So my question is this... Do I trust the results of the herpes test and move on?  Or do I question the results and go back in a few months or so?  I don't want to deal with this anymore so I really want to except the results I got today.  I read about how un-reliable herpes blood tests can be and how people who already tested positive tested again later and got negative results. Could my result be a false negative?  Isn't 4 months long enough for detectable antibodies to be present?  I don't know what to think. The clinic said the test was accurate at 4 months. What should I do?? Thanks.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

You should believe the herpes test and move on.  Your symptoms ("itchy scrotum and side of penis, slight pain in right testicle, groin muscle") are in any case those of anxiety, not of herpes.  Time to take yes for an answer.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff