Atypical GSHV1

It seems there is a strain of GHSV1 that does not act like the others.  I have met several other men both on this forum and on other forums who have the exact same symptoms and the same HSV1+ result (some with GHSV1+), contracted through oral transmission.  It seems to cause CONSTANT irritation of the meatus and urethral opening.  It doesn't appear to have a dormant phase and varies in intensity throughout the day.  It is completely unresponsive to anti-viral therapy.  

Why isn't anyone discussing this?  It is a major problem for a lot of men.  Most of the GHSV1+ posters on this forum are women.  Please help us men.  And don't tell me it's not herpes.  I may be an infected individiual, but I'm not an idoit.  There are men who have had this condition for 5 years or more.

[freeman10]

Did you get your herpes test ?

[toughdg]

I've had the same symptoms almost continuously for months, texas2009 and have a positive culture for genital HSV1 from the meatus.  This is of course a very sensitive area, and receives constant stimulation and moisture during urination, which is one of the reasons I believe one can have frequent recurrent symptoms there.  The severity decreased somewhat on a suppressive dose of Valtrex (500mg.d) after a few weeks, but they didn't go away.  Finally now these symptoms have all but disappeared in the last month or so after I've taken the following additional steps.  I don't know if these things worked or if my body is just finally getting used to controlling the infection, which also happens over time:  I applied 3 products liberally to the areas several times a day: Abreva, Lipactin, and Tea Tree Oil.  The first two are topical oral cold sore (HSV1 in or around the mouth) meds with some data behind them showing they shorten duration and decrease severity of cold sores, and are safe to use on the genitals according to my dermatologist.  Tea Tree oil is a common anti-herpes topical that has anti-viral and drying effects.  Within a few days of doing this, the symptoms all but disappeared and came back only very mildly now and then, after which I quickly apply more of these topicals, which seems to work.  After ejaculating, I apply the Abreva and Lipactin to prevent a recurrence (not the tea tree oil as it can be irritating), which can happen from the friction and probably the nerve stimulation.  Some have said that herpes doesn't come back "where it has been defeated many times before," so perhaps this is the reason I no longer have the symptoms there is because of that.  Also, there is some evidence that visualizing success in combative scenarios boosts interleukins in your bloodstream which are immune modulators.  Therefore, whenever I feel a twinge I momentarily visualize a battle type scene and prevailing, and I'm convinced this has some effect (you seem to really have to imagine it vividly).  I know it seems kinda out there, but there is some medical evidence for this type of thing.  Along those lines too, try to relax and keep a positive outlook in general, as this will avoid the mild immunosuppression getting stressed or depressed can have.  Other things for which there is some evidence include lysine (1g three times/d), zinc (stimulates immunity), and generally keeping your diet healthy and high in antioxidants.  Good luck!

[texas2009]

Does anyone know if Lipactin is available in the US?  If so, where?

[texas2009]

My condition has gotten much worse this evening.  I now have a central, bright red, inflammed portion of the head (around the urethra) that has a narrow white band around it and finally the purple edge of the glans (glands).  It definitely has 3 colors.  Please someone give me some advice.  I don't have doc appt with infectious disease expert until Friday.

[freeman10]

What type of pain do u have ?

[gracefromHHP]

actually abreva showed no affect on genital herpes lesions and not much on oral herpes lesions but that's why they went for otc treatment for oral herpes and not genital herpes.   haven't read anything on lipactin but honestly you are probably wasting your money on them using them in the genital area. there is big money in genital herpes treatment so usually they go for both when they can and there are reasons why they only go for marketing for oral herpes.   I'm guessing you are getting more from the moisturizer base on those than you are the active properties in them.  Throwing a lot of this and a lot of that at things means you never figure out which one really is working.  

TTO shouldn't be used full strength either. it has terrific anti-inflammatory properties but can also be a source of irritation so be careful with its use. I use it by wetting a cotton ball and then putting 2 or 3 drops of TTO on the cotton ball. still smells herbally ( you know what I mean ) but it's less irritating and works well.  another thing to try if you don't like the smell or it's too irritating when you have issues is to steep a tea bag and let it cool and then use it as a compress for 10 minutes. the acids in the tea are also helpful for decreasing irritation and inflammation with skin issues.  

raw honey is also helpful a lot of times too. some evidence this is one of the most effective topicals for oral herpes out there, don't recall any studies on genital herpes but I did my reading on it quite some time ago.  

you also might want to consider stopping suppressive therapy and when you have a recurrence, be seen promptly for a lesion culture again. continuing symptoms might not still be hsv1 going on either. it's often worthwhile to confirm this to differentiate  hsv recurrences vs dermatological issues.  

grace

[petal130]

And to elaborate on Grace's last comment, one we frequently reiterate on this forum, is that just because a person HAS genital herpes does not mean everything that goes on down yonder IS genital herpes. I can vouch for that myself, having dealt with both yeast and bacterial issues after having been diagnosed with genital HSV1. Remember, both yeast and bacteria can easily mimic herpes symptoms, hence why it makes sense to be seen for proper testing than to self-treat (possibly incorrectly).

[texas2009]

toughdg and I and other men on the board have a different form of herpes outbreak.  I think the reason being that we were infected near, or in, the urethra.  We don't get typical symptoms like ocassional lesions and blisters.  Because of this, things that don't work for those problems seems to work with our problems.  My biggest complaint is the inflammation, swelling and redness that NEVER goes away.  Especially right at the tip of the penis.  Rubbing against underwear is excrutiating.

I have taken all the anti-b's known to man for this so I know it's not bacterial.  I tried yeast meds to no avail.  Continuous anti-viral treatment has done NOTHING for my condition.

[gracefromHHP]

in all the years on the boards with men coming and complaining that it HAS to be hsv1 because it started after oral sex, never once has any of them ever come back as having hsv1 being the cause of all their constant issues. In fact most of them never even come back with a + hsv1 test at all either by blood test or by lesion culture.  Your + hsv1 test if I recall more likely reflects your status prior to the incident of saliva touching your penis , not anything you contracted from that incident.    Toughdog's situation is a little different as he has ongoing psoriasis issues even on the genital area. He's discussed his issues before with the medhelp experts also.   His situation definitely falls out of the "norm" and you two can't really compare your situations though certainly you can be sympathetic as well as supportive for each other.

herpes is not the only virus out there.  herpes antivirals won't help if it's not a herpes virus causing symptoms. it really is not always herpes just because it's genital and occurs after oral sex.  what is normal flora in our mouths isn't always so normal in our urogenital tract. Studies have even found that the bacteria that is associated with stomach ulcers is a significant cause of genital issues in men. Most of the antibiotics you are given for std prevention/treatment do not cover that infection either.  Really, don't sell yourself short and continue to  pursue non-herpes causes.  

grace

[texas2009]

Unfortunately for me, now you can finally say that you met a guy who was SO UNFORTUNATE that after his only ever trip to a massage parlour he contracted a nasty HSV1 on the tip of his penis during less than 20 seconds of oral while she was getting on the condom.  

Is it really going to take a positive swab from open blisters to convince you and the doctors?  Nevermind that I had ALL the other symptoms during the approriate timelines.  And again, I will mention the normal IgG 1 month prior.

What about all the poor guys who are suffering from GHSV1 but can't get a positive swab for whatever reason (maybe cause no lesions or blisters on head of penis)?  Isn't that doing them a disservice?  Remember the nerves running from the spine to the head of the penis run further than to the vulva.  This may cause the virus to act differently.

And why hasn't anyone mentioned you should never clean up with rubbing alcohol afterwards.  It dries the skin, causes irritation, and can create openings for disease to get through.  Either use soap and water or hydrogen peroxide.  That's better advice than telling someone categorically that they don't have herpes.

[toughdg]

Grace, are you saying that studies were done with Abreva on genital HSV1 and they were negative?  I've read their FAQ and my impression is that they are saying it doesn't work on "genital herpes" by which I presume they mean HSV2.  Lipactin is only available in Canada and there is similar evidence from the manufacturer that it works against oral HSV1, and by extrapolation might work on genital HSV1 too.  Not HSV2 though, for either of these products.  I think the reason why they did not apply for market approval for genital HSV1 may be that they didn't want to confuse the issue since more people have genital HSV2 (in this country anyway).

It is true that my psoriasis is a confounder, but I never had any symptoms resembling these (i.e. no pain, no meatal lesions) before I contracted genital HSV1.  I do believe that these topicals are helping since I was having considerable near-continous pain and red spots identical to those that were culture-positive for months before I started using them.  

My doctors also told me that they didn't think these products wouldn't work, but I am actually am an M.D. myself and at this point, given my atypical symptoms and subsequent relief after using them, I think there is at least a reasonable chance they are working.  The ingredients in these meds have been shown to be effective in inhibiting HSV1 and there is no reason I'm aware of why the site on the body should matter.  

Thanks for the idea about honey - that is interesting.

Texas2009, I agree with the experts here though that you definitely need a positive culture from the penile lesions before you can conclude that your symptoms are due to HSV1.  Otherwise you may not be treating something else that could be serious.

[gracefromHHP]

You can't just assume it's hsv1. You do need a + lesion culture for proper diagnosis.

[gracefromHHP]

it's not the type that it's effective on, it's the location. Topicals seem to work a little better on oral herpes than genital herpes in general though when you read the studies it's minimal effect with most of them. for instance abreva only heals cold sores less than 1 day sooner than using a placebo. Not much bang for your buck there.    If I recall, the original studies with abreva were oral and genital and it did nothing for genital herpes.  they were done quite some time ago and I read them quite some time ago.  No idea what they charge for it in canada but it's about $15 for teeny tube here in the US.  

Ask for the supplies at home to do home pcr swabbing the next time you have symptoms. certainly worthwhile and easy enough to do ton confirm that this is all a hsv1 issue with you.  

[boyblue]

Like the others on this post my situation is very similar... 5 years ago I was the receiver of oral sex from a complete stranger. shortly after- about 2 weeks things started going horribly wrong with my penis.. all started with MAJOR pain- frequest urination- severe redness/ irritation/ numbness, painful ejaculation... I was FINALLY diagnosed with an e-coli infection about a year later after all other tests came back negative and still insisting that something was wrong I went to an STD specialist in Manhattan.  My infection was treated but to this day still have major problems- my penis just has not been right since.  On the HSV-1 topic- my penis tip is severly irritated that never goes away- ejacualtion makes it worse- the skin is almost thin in appearance....at times I get this pinching/ bee sting sensation.. also the sensation at the tip of me penis feels different. At times it actually feels as if there are little electric shocks at the tip of my penis, and at times I get this INTENSE itching in the opening that goes away as fast as it comes. Although I never have had any typical lesions or open sores at times it does look like the skin at the opening has little slits in it but when I pull the skin taught there does not appear to be any break in the skin.. I have been swabbed literally like 10 times at different times but never any postitive culture for hsv1  I did however test positive for hsv1 via blood test- I KNOW that this does not mean that I have it genitally- I have been to 10 urologists and 2 dermatologists- all telling me that the redness they see is in normal range- NO WAY.. what condition would cause the opening of my penis to be red in the a.m get a little better in the afternoon then a little while later be really red and itrritated again?  This condition has been on going for literally 5 years- it has periods whre it is ok for 2 - 3 days but then like clockwork it comes back... can this be hsv-1 ???  One Dr asked me " will me telling you it IS HSV1 amke you happy and stop your obsession?"  well the answer to that question is NO it will not make me happy but after years of being told what it is NOT, it would be nice to finally be told this IS what it is and have it treated.   I do leak urine after I urinate through out the day.. could it be urine that is irritating the opening ?  I mean the constant wetness could I guess cuase irritation.... I am one of many that is truely very frustrated not to mention the mental anguish this has caused me. Look I hold no one responsible for my actions but am just looking for answers to my situation.   I KNOW my own body and know when there is something wrong- to have all the Drs tell me that this is all in my head is very disheartning, I actually had one Dr tell me that he better not ever see me in his office again.  

I guess my questions are:

Can HSV-1 stick around constantly like this?
What are the chances of having hsv-1 genitally and NOT EVER have obvious blisters...

If you do have blisters/ sores do they always have to be visible ? Can you have them and not notice- or can the be so small that you are not sure they are really there ?

Would urine passing over an open sore- no matter how small burn like hell ???  

I have become obsessed with this situation and my penis- it is CONSTANTLY on my mind- I know obsessing about it will make your mind play tricks on you but with out a doubt there is something going on....it's been 5 years and it has totally put me into a depression and sex is no longer fun- it is now a act that when done causes me pain for hours/days after.....   we just want to know that we are all not crazy and just want answers....  

[gracefromHHP]

yes indeed leaking urine constantly is an issue as far as irritation to the sensitive genital skin.  have you tried treating this with medications from your urologist?

no, hsv1 genitally does not stick around and cause constant symptoms like this.  It also won't cause pain and itching and comes and goes like this.

sometimes also what happens is when you have frequent pain like this, you start 'guarding' against it with muscles you normally wouldn't use like this. You know how when you twist your ankle or something similar and you start trying to put all the weight on your other  leg and you walk a little differently to try to avoid pain and then within a few days you have aches and pains in both legs and all the way up into your back?    Same thing can happen in the pelvic area - you  start using body parts differently and it can cause long term issues that further complicate things.  Stopping the pain cycle is sometimes very hard to do once it's been going on for awhile.  Have you ever tried going for therapeutic massages to help with things?  Sometimes you don't even realize where the source of your pain really is, you just know where you feel the pain. A trained massage therapist can help loosen your pelvic muscles and work on your back muscles to help loosen things up so they aren't contributing to things ( plus any excuse for a good massage right? )  Make any sense?  Also since even you admit this is an obsession for you, consider something like biofeedback too so when you have the pain, you change your reactions to it.  are you working with a therapist for the depression issues surrounding this too?

Not saying anyone is crazy. Been there, done that myself as far as the chronic genital issues that do seem like they are going to successfully drive you crazy - the pain/sensations are real. it's the cause of them that you just haven't gotten to the bottom of and honestly may not ever figure out unfortunately. Pretty easy to do pcr swabs on the skin when you have active symptoms to check for herpes. Not so easy to figure out any other viruses present initially that triggered ongoing issues.

[texas2009]

Grace, it could be that I never have lesions or blisters to culture.  This is true, correct?  I am having a blood test done next week as follow up.  My first HSV1 IgG came up as 1.94.  Should I expect it to be elevated on the next test?

[gracefromHHP]

It would be very atypical to not have any obvious lesions with a newly acquired hsv1 genital infection. it typically presents with "classically" .

[texas2009]

Grace, my question is how would these classical lesions present on the tip of the penis next to the urethra.  The end of my penis has many many small folds in the skin.  You could almost see little cuts in the skin within those folds, based on light reflecting off of what looked like liquid (subcutaneous), around a single bulbous, blister-like, massive object.  Do you have a link to images that would kind of show what I should have seen?  I wish I had taken a photo at the time.  When the bulbous blister started to shrink, the red irritation seemed to encircle and inflame the meatus, as if it moved around.  That stuck around for a few more weeks and it's still present although now I seem to be able to tolerate underwear.  I did come across a picture on the internet which closely resembled my situation but I can't find it now, of course.

[gracefromHHP]

your symptoms lingering like this for so long isn't likely to be due to herpes. antivirals also would've helped heal this much faster and they had no affect.

you need to continue following up regularly with a dermatologist at this point.

grace

[texas2009]

I just got back from the infectious disease specialist.  He said my symptoms and timeframes do sound herpetic.  He said my first blood test was too soon and was likely positive from a previous HSV1 infection.  That is bad news for me.  This could be HSV2, after all.  He has scheduled another blood test in 2 weeks to confirm.  The confusing test was the IgM at around 3.5 weeks after infection that came back NOT DETECTED.  He also said one of the sores on my backside might also be herpetic.  He did not swab anything today.  My nightmare continues.

[texas2009]

I can't believe this but now I have a huge patch of red, dry, flaking skin on my scrotum that I have never seen before and the doctor must have missed today.  What do I have to do to get this to stop?

[texas2009]

Sorry for another comment.  

Forum operators:  There should be a way to edit your posts after they have been posted but before others have responded.  It would keep scatterbrains like me more in check.

To update everyone, the infectious disease doctor I met with today made it sound like I had genital herpes with high degree of certainty based on my symptoms etc. and that the blood test at this point was academic.  When the blood tests come in he says he is going to put me on Valtrex once a day every day for a year to monitor my response.  Welcome to my new world.

[freeman10]

Did you get your herpes test ?

[texas2009]

Grace, I basically responded in detail on the other thread with Nurse Warren.  The dermatologist had no other suggestions.  I am still applying the ointment she gave me but it's making no difference.  All of this is too coincidental with my sexual encounter and too coincidental with herpes symptoms and timeframes.  If any of the experts could provide alternatives I would feel much better.

[WarOnTheTerraces]

IGM is a silly test to get. Texas how long after exposure did you get tested?

[texas2009]

The IgM was 3.5 weeks after exposure.

[WarOnTheTerraces]

Go back and have an IGG done for HSV2 and HSV1

[texas2009]

I am having the HSV 1 and 2 IgG done again this week (about 8 weeks from infection).  Do you think if this is HSV1 that my results will be much greater than 1.94 from the first test?  

[texas2009]

Let me be clear, I got the IgG testing done at about 10 days after infection.  The HSV1 came back positive at 1.94 and HSV2 negative.  I did the IgM at about 3 weeks (no later than 4) after I learned that it can detect acute infection (at that point I still had the obvious swelling).  Note: The IgM was supposed to be done with the first blood test but wasn't for some reason.  I am following up with the testing company to see what happened.

[texas2009]

BOTTOM LINE is that I now have nerve damage on my genital.  Herpes is a nerve disease.  I had all the symptoms of herpes in the appropriate timeline.  

I now have pain in my spine that started from my lower spine and is moving upwards.

My inflammation occurs after EVERY TIME I urinate or take a shower.  Wearing underwear is almost unbearable.

Anti-virals don't seem to make a difference.  I don't know who to go to now.

[freeman10]

I have the same problem too with all the same pain like you and my blood test came nack negative. I am very confused.... did u test again for herpes?

[WarOnTheTerraces]

If you were positive 10 days after the encounter for HSV1 it was when you was a child, on every single forum and post ive read, ive never seen someone produce antibodies after 10 days.

[gracefromHHP]

you've been told by multiple people now this isn't due to herpes.  because it's not a herpes issue, this forum really isn't the right place to be posting about it.

grace

[WarOnTheTerraces]

Herpes doesnt stay around all the time after you have an OB it travels back down the nerves into your spine.

[freeman10]

There are many cases and websites now talking about herpes outbreak as is legs ,tight.buttoaks and back pain from the nerve plus groin area inflammation if there absenece for lession.

[texas2009]

I've had an infectious disease doctor just last week tell me that my condition absolutely sounded herpetic and depending on some blood work next week he wants to start me on suppressive Valtrex therapy for 1 year.  I had another ID doctor tell me that I have nerve damage on the tip of my gential (genital) from this infection and reiterated to me that herpes is a nerve disease.  What forum am I supposed to talk to others with these same symptoms and concerns on?

Grace, what is it going to take for you to agree this is obviously herpetic?  My list of  symptoms don't seem to matter, nor the manner in which I was infected, so will it take a positive swab and only a positive swab?

[freeman10]

SO why the ID doctor will run another blood test if he sure its herpes ????
Did he tell you can test negative and still have the virus ?

[texas2009]

He ordered another because the first test was too soon for an accurate result for anything.  I think you are supposed to have one 2-3 months after infection and if still negative have one at 6 months.  I'm sure there is a post on here with those exact details so please don't quote me.

I have heard of people never testing positive in the blood test but having diagnosed HSV.  I believe they never "seroconvert".  I understand it is very rare.

[freeman10]

I tested after 3,6,11 months all came back negative but still have your same pain... I have ultrasound on testicle and came back with epidid. cyst ... it confused....

[texas2009]

I have learned a lot from this infection.  I think that the medical community does not have a solid grasp on this virus at all.  I don't think they know just what it is capable of.  For a virus to penetrate the bodies CNS and then just shut down and go "dormant" is ridiculous.  It has the keys to the city.  And then to reawaken simply to cause discomfort to the host?  That is also ridiculous.  I guarantee that this virus is up to something at all times.  I have read horror stories about people who have constant pain all throughout their body.  There is now connections between HSV and Alzheimers.  It's no different than HPV and cancer.  The HSV virus is neither benign nor a friend.  It is NOT simply a skin condition.  It is not the family dog sleeping cozily at your feet (or in your spine).  Most of us might not live long enoughto die from it's damaging effects, but who's to say?  For this disease to still be around in 2010 blows my mind.  Especially considering the number of infections.  Really?   Really?

[Mistakeguy789]

Wow... I know I may get in trouble with MedHelp for this and quite honestly I don't care.

Texas2009:  Dude, get over it.  You have been told what you wanted to hear from different doctors.  They are probbly tired of hearing your story and how you are TRYING to convince them you have herpes based off YOUR own thoughts and processes.  I am sorry to tell you that your theory is slightly flawed on your gripes about how doctors don't have a grasp on this virus.  

There is not ONE CURE for any virus.  Once you find a way to cure a virus you can I am sure cure multiple other ones.  The body can build a defense but hell even that won't give you 100% chance of not getting infected.  

There are doctors out there that are ID doctors that are specialist but they don't care about certain viruses such as HSV because it doesn't do much in studies other then cause a skin issue and spread.  Now you want to talk about a life threatening virus say HIV then you are going to be going to the right doctor.  

Just because you read papers and websites doesn't mean you know more about the virus then someone who has HSV (Grace happens to actually have the virus, gone to STD conferences and hell is respected among the STD AND Herpes forums experts. To top it all off she does have some medical training.)  You seem to think that because you don't understand how the virus works yourself that others must not.  I disagree completely.  Doctors that study this for a living (such as the STD Experts and Terri Warren) know more about Herpes then most doctors.  A good example was Terri Warren even corrected the previous Dermatology expert on Herpes information that he was passing out.  These doctors make their living off this virus and knowing it is what they do.

You have constant symptoms.  You regret the fact that you went and got this massage done and had some oral encounter.  Guess what bud we all make dumb mistakes.  I have been myself in your shoes.  I freaked out just as bad as you did.  At some point though I had to sit down, shut up, and read what Grace and Dr. Hook told me.  This is a low risk activity I came back with negative tests get over it.  I have a dry skin patch on my scrotum as well.  Been there for months now.  I even to the left of my penis base have a red patch.  Guess what it can't be herpes been there too long.  Had it checked for fungal infection came back positive.  My scrotum is just dry skin because I am sure I don't dry myself well enough after I use the rest room and I sweat.  Given the climate I live in here in Texas I know that is going to be the case.

The different is you had a positive test.  Sure is it possible you have HSV?  Sure it is possible.  Could your blood tests have missed it all before?  Sure.  Could you be struck by lightning while holding a 200 million winning lottery ticket?  Sure!  Guess what though?  Tests can be wrong.  Tests can miss things.  The test is not 100% accurate.  But when you consider the risk and a test that isn't 100% accurate there is something to say "Hey I am negative".  You have genital issues and you wish to blame HSV.  Fine get your self swapped and sent for a PCR culture and Lesision culture.  If you have read so much you would know you don't need a "blister" to pop and them take the fluid as the virus is on the skin.  

To correct you there are a rare select people who do not seroconvert or their antibody levels are not enough to be picked up by most IgG tests and are picked up by Western Blot.  Sure this happens and as such is just the way the IMMUNE system works not the virus.  However, they get the symptoms they get cultured and they find out.  

Like grace said out of the years shes been doing this she hasn't heard a single case go come up positive.  So to answer your question.  Yup I would want a positive typed lesision culture to believe you.  Once you have that I will appologize myself.  But I tell you I would want to see that paperwork not just a forum post that says "yup I got a positive culture."

In the long run what is it going to take for YOU to understand the people like grace, petal, Dr. Hook, Dr. Hansfield, and Terri Warren know what they are talking about.  Their professional reputations are on the line when they answer questions here on the forums.  Those doctors and the owner of a clinic (Terri) have an ethical and moral obligation to be honest with the posters in their responses.  Their reputation as doctors and professionals is out there for attack on a public forum if they are giving invalid information or advice.  Dr. Hansfield just recently won an award at and STD conference.  given the number of STD specialist out there chances are they didn't just give it to him because of his age.  They gave it to him because he knows a few things.  Dr. Hook has been in the field just as long as Dr. Hansfield and both of them are good friends.  I know with my friends I share my knowledge as it relates to computers so I am pretty darn sure they talk well and talk about STD's.  In the long run it is easier for you to say it is herpes because that will punish you for your mistake.  Instead of thinking logically and looking at the evidence from the professionals you paid to speak with have told you.  For the public forums I would follow the advice of petal and grace any day.  Quite honestly Grace won't tell someone something isn't herpes related if she even THOUGHT it might be.  Time to move on.

[petal130]

I'll probably get in trouble with the moderators, too, but here goes. And no doubt this whole thread my be deleted....

Texas, what you wrote is utter nonsensical paranoia, plain and simple. I would gladly give you the $15 bucks to post that on the STD Expert's or Terri Warren's forum. It also  gives false and misinformation to others, and insults those such as Drs Hook, Handsfield, Terri Warren and Grace who have incredible knowledge and experience in this area.

This wasn't even a risky encounter; it was protected oral with a woman's saliva touching his penis prior to the condom going on, in case you missed the kicker to all of this, mistakeguy :-)

[texas2009]

Just because I have questions does not mean I am being insulting.  That is ridiculous.  I know you guys have thicker skin than that.  You are twisting this all around.  And, I don't think you need to speak for others.  

Is this not a forum for questions and answers?  I continue with questions because I continue to have a problem.  Which forum should I go to?  The infectious disease forum is empty.

Just for the record, there was unprotected oral from a meth addict.  This place apparently has a reputation in town for the "dirtiest" girls who do WHATEVER they are asked, no matter how risky.  Men who go there don't get serviced at other places because of this.  My risk level is greatly elevated because of this.  This wasn't a simple one-time suburban bar-hookup with a secretary from accounting.

[Mistakeguy789]

*sigh* I said I wouldn't but I find I can't help myself.

(Petal I did miss that kicker... wow)

How are we twisting this around?  You are the one going out on a limb to quickly state that these doctors have no clue about what they are doing and that they don't know what they are talking about.  Quoting you as saying "They don't have a handle on this virus".  

This forum is for questions and support regarding Herpes.  This isn't a place to bash on those that are providing you the support to your questions.  Quite honestly we are answering them.  Look I won't claim to be anywhere close to the knowledge of Petal and Grace and I couldn't even touch the knowledge of Terri, Dr. Hook, and Dr. Hansfield with a 10 ft pole.  However, I do know a few things from the MONTHS of my own research on this virus from trusted resources (using Pubmed.gov ) and talking to the experts about my own fears.  Grace and Petal both can vouch for the number of posts that were anxiety driven and so forth.  Comes with part of the posting here at MH.  The regulars here (myself being one of them) know this.  As I said I have been there.  I met a guy off Craigslist.  Who the heck knows where he has been and if he could be trusted.  I did it.  I had to A) Man up to the fact what I did was stupid, childish, and while I may explain my actions due to a very bad divorce were I was left for another woman gave me no right to experiment.  B) Accept that the risk assement given to me by those I paid for their opinion.  

Let me share something with you Texas.  For the last post on any of your threads or questions.  Take a minute and read my journal post on the 12 week nightmare.  but for now let me explain to you something.  I saw in the course of January 4, 2010 I went to an emergency room (200 Co Pay) because I had a panic attack that lead me to believe I was having a heart attack.  I was checked down there NOTHING looked out of the ordinary except a fungal infection.  I went to a Family clinic (75 dollar co pay) I had a test done at 3 weeks (85.00), I still had fears went to ANOTHER clinic the next week and was told I had balantitis (25.00 Co Pay).  Went to and STD Clinic (25.00 to be seen) tested for STD's other then HSV.  Went to another clinic a week later because still having concerns and "dots" was checked and told negative (25.00).  Went back to the same STD clinic (25.00 to be seen).  I have freaked out over bumps on my legs multiple times and check with a dermatologist (55.00 x 6 times), went to a clinic at 9 weeks with a family member ended up getting a blood test (25.00 co-pay) was negative.  Tested again at the clinic at 12 weeks (25.00 co pay).  I spent 840.00 saw several doctors and still to this day have several of the issues I ran to the doctors.  Now lets see I have had 30 dollars on top of that (asked 2 experts questions at 15.00 a pop) so a total of 870.00 spent on that one night.  Guess what bud I was told by Grace (for free) Petal (for free) that it was low risk I had nothing to fear and chances I was infected was low.  Guess what bud I have a fungal infection I have itching and sometimes my skin gets raw and sometimes it gets inflamed.  It happens.  After I sat down and LOOKED at the evidence myself and talked to and read and re-read Dr. Hook's responses to me I know that the man isn't going to tell me I am needing to move on if in his expert opinion I needed to look into further testing.  

For kicks and giggles at week 23 (1 week shy of 24 weeks however, no data exists how many weeks before an accurate result in that "6" months window) I re-tested.  Mainly just to make the insurance company lose money because they stiffed me with an EMS bill (sevre stomach pains which turned out to be an ulcer). I was negative.  

If you are having encounters with these women and they are meth addicts you should consider looking into something more emotional and deeply about your sexual needs with a licensed professional.  I suggest this not out of rudeness or disrespect but for you to go that far and put yourself in a risk such as that really you have some challenges you need to face and that is outside of this forum.

However, it isn't as easy to transmit the virus as one things.  It doesn't just happen with one virus getting on you and boom you have it.  HSV is a fragile virus in all honesty.  Yes it happens but look at petal she has GHSV-1 and she got it from a very active oral sex life but it took her years to get it before she was infected.  

Let's put this into perspective.  If you aren't going to sit down and think about this logically then that is outside this forums support.  We have helped you.  Dr. Hook has helped you.  Your questions are redudant for the most part and have the same response.  You want to prove us wrong fine please do so with a lesion culture.  Until then no one here is going to support that you got herpes from a little saliva.  You do realize that saliva is a very hostile enviroment as well?  I mean your saliva kills a lot of germs that enter your mouth from food.  Helps to break down foods etc.  Its a protective layer as well.  You will note that when you throw up 9 times out of 10 you start to salivate more it is the bodys reaction to protect your teeth and fight the acid about to come up.  

It seems truly that your support needs to come from a local HSV support group in your area where you can talk to knowledgable people who will debate this and offer to help you more.  Maybe you need to look at ASHA's site on transmission and or Terri's Herpes Handbook and reivew the transmission section.  

At this point I am no further looking at any of your posts.  I have given you the best darn advice I can give anyone.  Grace and Petal both are better resources then I but as you can see the 3 of us stand united in what we say.  Truly bud you need to get with people who KNOW HSV and use them as a support system.  

I wish you the best of luck and hope you find the answers soon.  I feel pretty confident in saying HSV is very seriously not the case here.  

[WarOnTheTerraces]

Texas you said you had a positive swab right?

[petal130]

No, he didn't. Clearly a positive swab would mean he has herpes.

Texas, you stated in your first post that: " I think I got some infected saliva on the head of my penis" and " I had saliva from a high risk partner touch my genitals before a condom was put on" - As Dr. Hook said, this wasn't a risk.

And please stop inferring that herpes is a correlation to dirty people. Your grandma probably has oral herpes, as does mine! And yes, the secretary from accounting, too! It's that EXACT stigma we try to teach people about here on the forum as being so, so wrong!

[Emily_MHModerator]

We are closing this thread.  It has served a purpose, and is just now getting into debates.

As has been mentioned several times, there are many many causes for these symptoms (prostatitis, NGU, entrapped or pinched nerves, anal fissures, and many more) and we encourage everyone to follow up with a urologist before assuming anything or self-diagnosing.  You could be doing yourself quite a disservice by not getting a prostate exam, a urine test to look for white blood cells, etc.

No one here can tell you if it's herpes or not.  They can tell you if you have had proper testing or not, if you might want to look for another cause.  

Please do not post to this thread again.  It is now closed.

Thanks,
Emily

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