herpes/hiv??

[chrisaf4]

On feb 2 this year i made the biggest mistake of my life, i slept with a prostitue in cancun mexico without a condom. She also gave me oral sex.  About ten days later i noticed some little bumps and my penis, they didnt hurt just wernt normal so i went to planned parent hood and they saind it wasnt herpes and that i looked more like warts. so they gave me aldara and told me to come back in a month. so ia came back in a month and seen a different docter, this doctor said what was on my groin was mulluscum but on my penis looked more like herpes, so she did a type specific blood test at 6 weeks for herpes 1 and 2 (elisa) and hiv, and all the other stds. Everything came back negative except hsv 1 cam back as equvical .93 hsv 2 was .18. she told me that the bumps might being caused by hsv1 and prescried me acylvoir and told me to get retested in 2 weeks.  So the bumps were starting to go away by now i got retested at 8 weeks for hiv and hsv 1 and 2 againg this time hsv came back  as .88 for hsv 1 and .28 for hsv2. i had had new bumps come and go since then so i talked my doctor into prscribing me valtrax. i went back 2 weeks later and got tested again for hiv and hsv1 and2 this time the results were negative for everything hsv1 .55 and hsv-2 .03 i also had them look at my finger tips cause the had been peeling to the point that they were raw, the doctor said it was eczama and prescibed me a steriodal creme.  So my doctor thinks that maybe the bumps are mulluscum but i have a tingling sensation in legs almost all the time and my lowerback hurts. so i still think it herpes, it is all i think about and know i am worried about hiv. the valtrax doesnt seem to be doing  anything for  the tingling or the new bumps from showing all the time.

Question
i got tested for hiv and hsv at 6,8 and 10 weeks is that long enough?

Why are my antibody levels for hsv going down? is that do to the valtrex or could hiv be causing that?

i have read that some symptoms of hiv are recurring herpes outbreaks mulluscom and eczama, so now i am freaked out about having hiv?

what should i do this pain in my grion area is really annoying nothing seems to help even pain killers?

does valtrix work for everyone?

do people respond well to famvir if valtrix doesnt work for them?

please respond soon very scared

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

1.  It should be.
2. All tests fluctuate from time to time.  These differences are not meaningful.
3. Get an HIV test so you can stop worrying.  Besides, from your description I highly doubt that you have either herpes or molluscum.
4. I more than suspect that your pain is due to anxiety over possibly having herpes.
5.  Valtrex only works if you have herpes.  Since I don't think you do, I'm not surprised that it isn't helping.
6. If it isn't herpes, it doesn't matter which anti-herpes drug you use.

I think the help you need is counseling.  Please get an opinion from a dermatologist, who can tell you once and for all whether the bumps you have mean anything at all.  If that isn't enough to reassure you, please look into psychological help to get past this episode so you can get on with your life.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[tfe]

Having similar problems myself, but not being a Doctor, I hope that I can at least put SOME of your fears away.

If you ONLY received oral sex from this experience, your chance for contracting HIV is virtually 0. If you engaged in vaginal sex, as the insertive partner, your chance is still pretty low for a single exposure. Many experts argue that HIV testing after 6-8 weeks (see Dr. Handsfield's advice in the STD forum) is conclusive enough; but the official "window" period that the CDC states is 3 months. Again, I'm not a doctor, but I think you're OK with regards to HIV and that you shouldn't be too worried about that; though a 3 month HIV test to quell your fears might help.

With regards to HSV -- well, I can't help you with that. But it's not HIV and that's a start. Just relax (or try ;-) until you hear from Dr. Rockoff!

Take care!

[chrisaf4]

Hey you say you are having some similar problems as myself, have you everbeen diagnosed with herpes, if not what do your doctors think you have??

[tfe]

I'm having similar problems with regard to anxiety regarding some indiscretions with my sexual experience.

From what I understand (again, I'm not a Doctor), it's darn near impossible to get HSV2 by recieving oral sex. It IS however, possible to get HSV1. Genital HSV1 infection tends to have little asyptomatic shedding and recurrences.

You might want to browse through the STD forum and see if other cases match your own while you're waiting for an official response.

Good luck!

[ry2fly]

I think anxiety is your main concern. It certainly is mine. You did your part and saw the doctors and got tested. Your odds of aquiring HIV or herpes from a single incident is very low. Especially HIV if you are a straight male. Herpes outbreaks usually occur 1-20 days after exposure and would appear in clusters of bumps or blisters. Even if she did have herpes and didnt have an outbreak, asymptomatic shedding occurs 2-5% of days in a year or 18 days in a year at most. Plus your herpes select test is 90% accurate at 6 weeks, 10 weeks is even better than this! So the odds are greatly in your favor you didnt catch anything. Nothing ever is 100%, but you have to trust the doctors because its all in your head. Im in the same boat as you although Im not greatly concerned about HIV because Im a straight male and herpes is much more common, but still hard to transmit in a single exposure. I had questionable partners in the past and didnt always use protection. Lesson learned. All we can both do now is move on and let the past stay in the past. Take care and god bless.

[chrisaf4]

What about the eczema of my figer tips?? my docter prescribed triamcinolone acetonide cream .1%, i have been using it acout a week and a half and no help really, is there anything better or stonger i can ask for by name. I have an appointment next week with a dermatoligist i just want to make sure i know what to ask for when i tell him this isnt working. Also is there any home remeadies for this, or lotions, or changes i can make in my life to keep my finger tips from constantally peeling??  Again thanks Doc!!

[unsure77]

ok so heres the deal.....i have been with the same partner for over 2 years....the thing is about 3 months ago i got this rash on my foreskin looked like little pimples it then blistered and after a week it went away i didnt think anything of it cause we are both faithfull to one another now last night i had a funny uneasy feeling in my groin and now today i can see a rash appearing on the same spot where it happened last time...now i am thinking it could be herpes...could it be spread from mouth to genitals? other then thati dont have any other symptoms any help would be appreciated

[snlgts]

I FOUND A BLISTER NEAR MY BUTTOCKS AND POPPED IT AND BLOOD CAME OUT FEW HOURS LATER IT IS NOW BLACK, WHAT IS IT.