herpes or not?

[out of town822]

i am 35 and female. my husband and i have been together for over 4 years and have never been unfaithful. i am not prone to illness and have never had an std. i have had three yeast infections my entire life- two of those while pregnant. i see my gyn yearly. the problem is that on 6/14 we had sex. on 6/17 i noticed some irritation on the outside of the inner lip of my vagina when i was washing. upon examination i noticed 2 small bumps that were not red and were some distnace apart. they did not hurt, itch or burn, just seemed annoying, similar to the feeling of a small thorn in your hand. i noticed that they had a small whole on the top like a pore, kind of looked like a pin whole. at first i was not concerned. on 6/18  6/19 and 6/20 they were still there and irritated me so i used some anti-bacterial ointment (neosporin). i called my docotor but she is out of town until 7/4. i did not pick at them but i did poke and prod. on 6/21 i got really nervous and went to the emergency room. the bumps looked like they had puss on top. they hurt a little and were really annoying. they were not red and neither was/is the skin around them. the doctor did a pysical exam and at first could not find them. he then said that they looked like herpes. i was devesated. he opened them and took a culture and put me on acyclovir. for 4 days i was a mess. the nurse from the hospital called and explained that the test came back negative. i asked her if she was sure and she said that because the doctor was able to take a good and fresh sample that the results would be very accurate. my husband, nor i, has not shown symptoms of any type of infection at all in the 4 years we have been together. I had no other symptoms, no aches, fever, swollen glands, discharge, etc. the bumps have not scabbed but have diminshed in size, almost gone, i only know they are still there because they are still irritating to the touch and because i have been using rubbing alcohol to keep them clean and THAT HURTS!( i read somewhere on the net that rubbing alcohol helps them (herpes) heal faster. again- no scabbing.
Q-do you think this is herpes?
  would'nt i have had some type of outbreak before?
  would'nt i have known?
  can herpes lay dormant for several years? ( could i have contracted it from my ex- we seperated 5 years ago)
  would'nt my husband also show signs?
i have not been able to sleep since this occurred. i have spoken to sevral nurses who have told me not to worry. still, i cannot help it. i have never been faced with this before. my doctor does not get back for another week and i really need some peace of mind, either it is or is'nt. i have been reading so much conflicting information on the net. some say that the culture results from the first outbreak are not reliable. others say that 80% of people show no symptoms. whats the truth? how wpould i know if this a first outbreak? thanks for your input. i hope to sleep soon.
  

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Obviously I can't say with certainty.  It is indeed possible to have herpes lie dormant.  This holds true for both you and your husband.  However, if you caught herpes from him for the first time, you would likely have had a much more severe outbreak--large, blistered areas, swollen glands, fever, and so forth.  If your rash was herpes at all, it would be the type you get when you already have antibodies, in which case contact with your husband would not be relevant.

The negative culture is quite reassuring.  Hepres cultures are no less reliable first time around than otherwise, as long as the lesions are still fresh, which it sounds like they were.

I cannot give you absolute reassurance at this point.  My advice is to check with your doctor when he or she returns.  If an when you ever get another outbreak anything like this one, bring it to your doctor's attention at once, so another culture can be done.

Even if you have herpes--and I am far from sure you do-- it doesn't have to be a major disruption in your life.  Your doctor can help put the implications in perspective.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff