Anyone with herpes never having first OR recurring outbreaks?

[Hank145]

Hi,

I admit posting on the Expert Forum, and following up here, and maybe it is just to feed my obsession.  BUT, is there anyone on here that has Herpes that never had an initial or recurring outbreaks?  

I had unprotected sex both one week and two weeks ago.  About two days after my last encounter, I had significant tingling all over my genitals.  I have read that the tingling sensation is from the herpes virus infecting the sensory nerve fibers on the surface of the skin.  I've never felt this tingling before in my life and it isn't painful.  Over the past week, I had some slight redness on my scrotum, a very minimal burning sensation on certain areas of my penis, but I have looked and looked and looked for the typical bumps, or blisters, etc.  But I cant find them.

1.  Has anyone else experienced these symptoms and NOT the typical bumps, blisters, and end up having Herpes?
2.  It's been close to 10 days now with the tingling (subsided somewhat), do you think the bumps, blisters, lesions are still in store for me?
3.  If you have had these symptoms, and you ended up not having herpes, what did you have?

Thanks!

[daisy315]

Some people never have symptoms or outbreaks for a very long time while others show theirs within around 4 days .... it is impossible to know for sure whether you have contracted Herpes or not from these encounters unless you are tested,it makes no difference to your situation if someone else has not shown symptoms and still turned up  HSV+ not all follow te same pattern.
Any acts of unprotected sex with a partner of unknown status should be followed by testing for all possible STD's  .....
Waiting and watching everyday for symptoms is a a pretty fruitless excecise and will only incease your anxiety....pop down to your nearest STD/GUM Clinic and get tested   that is the one and only way you will be sure you haven't contracted anything,I am not suggesting you have but it's best to err on the side of caution.

Play safe in future to avoid future STD concerns
Daisy

[gracefromHHP]

There really isn't a darn thing any of us could add that HHH didn't already adequately cover for you hank to be honest.  He did a terrific job I think and perhaps you just need to reread your thread on his forum a few more times and it'll all sink in .

Herpes certainly isn't the only thing that can cause symptoms in the genital area. It's one of hundreds that are quite common causes of urogenital issues.  Don't become fixated on it because it's the only you are most afraid of.

grace

[Hank145]

I know I know, thanks for your consideration, though!  I was tested a few days after my symptoms arose, and was negative on everything.  But this was not unexpected because my first at risk encounter was only two weeks prior.  I was also visually examined at an STD clinic and the doctor did not find anything except urethritis.  

I agree that HHH really took the time to respond to my questions thoroughly, but I am curious to learn the experiences of those individuals out there that do have herpes, but never had a severe primary outbreak.

I know I have to wait a for a few more months to be tested again, and I think this wait is what makes me anxious.  I suppose I am trying to decipher the probable outcome here.

This forum, and your contributions specifically, Grace, have been extremely useful, thanks!

I will keep this post updated with my ultimate outcome.

[gracefromHHP]

I know the waiting part is hard but HHH told you several times how unlikely this is to be herpes. Consider retesting as covering your bases, not as potentially bad news.

grace

[skylar935]

hi hank,
i had a blood test after a man told me he had an std and my blood work came back positive for hsv2. I have Never had a symptom that is described anywhere on these sites and yet it has be over a year and still never have i am going to be retested. I did read on the handbook that grace reccomends and it did help,but everyday it sits on my mind and has taken over. Do yourself a favor and don't let it take over. I have a hard time with it daily and feel as if i will never find mr. right now because i let it control me. research wjile you wait the four months. I wish i had found this site a long time ago because talking to all of you has helped some.skylar

[Hank145]

Hi Skylar,

Thanks for your feedback and I'm sorry hsv has taken over a bit of your life.  Having gone through all of this posting and thinking has helped me put it into better perspective, though, and in the event that I do have herpes I'm confident I'll be able to overcome it.  I guess being able to post on here and feeling as though someone is listening is somewhat therapeutic.  I've got an appointment with a dermatologist in a few days as well (why not) and if he finds anything with his expert eye, I'll certainly post the results.

Thanks again for your support,
Hank

[skylar935]

Hi Hank,
Your more than welcome and i myself have been trying to learn as much as possible. I am going back to more doctor on the 11th to see if he can't shed some light on this a little better so i can possible put it behind me,so to speak. I watched the daily valtrex dvd they gave me and i already read up on that whereas i do take that daily, im just nervous that i heard taking it may hurt your liver also,but for peace of mind i keep taking it. My doctor wants to talk and make me understand more before i go for the second blood test.
Keep up the confidence,it will help alot
good luck
Skylar

[AlbumLeaf]

I have had the exact same symptoms since my last sexual encounter which was three months ago. The tingling, itching, redness and the occasional zit like bump on my hair follicles. I was terrified for the 3 months that I waited to get an accurate result, but it all came out OK. I got my results back yesterday and had very low negatives for both the HSV-1 and HSV-2, definitely not herpes. Hopefully for your sake, you don't have it either- since my symptoms are almost identical to yours, it sounds like you'll be ok. I am still confused as to what it could be, but I think focusing on it and worrying makes it worse. Try to keep your mind off of it and consider the fact that I had the same thing, but it wasn't herpes. Hopefully this will ease your mind a bit while you wait for your test. Hope it works for the best!

[Hank145]

AlbumLeaf,

That's great news to hear!  But you still have to ask: if not herpes, then what?  I'm sure the 3 month wait was fairly tough as well; it is for me at least.  I went to a dermatologist today who couldn't find any visible sign on my genitals and I was posed the question: "Is it a possibility that you DON'T have any STD?".  All three doctors had the same attitude.  And I asked them, if not herpes, then what?  And I cant seem to get a response of any kind.  And I respond by the bringing up the fact that most individuals with herpes don't even know they have it because the symptoms are so mild, so why can't I be one of them, just like Skylar935 above?

Does anyone know about "aborted outbreaks?"  Are these possible for primary incidents, or only recurrent?  There is tingling, and there is redness, and I do have urethritis, and these are symptoms of herpes, right?

[AlbumLeaf]

Exactly- I still haven't completely convinced myself I don't have it just because I have no idea why I am having symptoms like that.

[AlbumLeaf]

I was wondering- since herpes blood tests test for antibodies- lets say you did in fact have herpes, but hadn't yet had your first outbreak, would your body still have made HSV anitbodies?

[auntiejessi]

Yes, it would.  Your body would still recognize the germ and make antibodies.

AJ

[Hank145]

I just wanted to follow-up with this post because I am really curious to know, for those of you out there with herpes that don't have the extreme cases of outbreaks that we see from the images on the internet, what kind of symptoms do you have?  Are the bumps smaller, are the lesions more difficult to spot, do you get a rash or itching that never materializes into blisters, is the itching less severe, how long do those symptoms last, is it a few days, a few weeks?  I'd be very keen to know what kind of symptoms you have that might be unnoticeable for a novice at this like me.  I am at 20 days past my "at risk" encounter and I haven't experienced the severe symptoms, but these more mild symptoms that I listed above.  Maybe I have had very small sores that I couldn't notice, etc.

Thanks!

[chris32]

Hey im goin through kinda the same thing i have red testicles swollen urethra. ive been tested 3 times for herpes and its been 7 weeks. i had protected sex but i guess i wasnt safe enough. the first time my img came up questionable while I and II came up negative. second time I came positive II negative third both negative again. I cant figure out whats  wrong and the doctors are being very slow. like skyler said you cant let it take over but who are we kidding its some hard **** to deal with. If you can at least put it in the back of your mind and try to keep yourself occupied for a while youll get your answer just like i will. good luck

[Hank145]

As a follow-up:

Still no lesions, blisters, bumps after looking constantly over the past month.  Here are two additional developments, though:

1.  When I have an erection, I can see very very small red pigmentations on the head of my penis sometimes.  I have to shine a bright light and squint to see them (my paranoia...)

2.  My tongue has a white coating on it with very small red bumps close to the tip of my tongue.  There is also a large sphere shaped area of my tongue that doesn't have the white coating (possibly a sore)?  It isn't painful (yet).  This does look like the pictures of herpes or syphilis on the tongue.

When I was tested, I was negative for both HSV 1 and 2, so I am wondering if my symptoms are the result of a primary HSV 1 outbreak.

I still have two months to wait for another test, though I think I'll go to a doctor this week to follow-up on my new symptoms.

Any thoughts?  I'll keep this posted nonetheless.

[ineed2knowpls]

Hank I'm in a similar situation with mild symptoms. I to have spent a great deal of time on the internet trying to find answers. I to have made more trips to the doctor than I care to admit. I to have been driving myself crazy wondering what the heck is going on with my body....

So far all I have figured out is there's no answers until you reach 3-4 months, everything else is fear based,, no matter how we try to rationalize it.  

My symptoms are dry red skin on face, increased acne, razor rash without shaving, etc
Down below, mild pain between scrotum and anus, red scrotum, discomfort while wearinvg jeans or snug clothing etc

All of the above could very well be down to stress. Stress can do wild things to the body,, and the more we focus the more likely it is to be stress related. Actually its more likely to be stree than HSV becasue every person on here is going through stress but not everyone is going to test positive.

Well thats it, my results should be in within 1 to 2 weeks and I'll be sure to let you know if its all down to stress or that pesky little virus...

All the best!