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Can herpes show up as sore throat?
Hi,
I recently went to an FBSM provider and ended up kissing her deeply (for a few seconds). She also gave me oral sex, but with a condom on. It has been 5 weeks since and I have been extremely paranoid and depressed during this phase. All my tests (Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, HIV), taken after 20 days after exposure, have come back negative, but I have not gotten tested for HSV1 or HSV2. The one symptom that is freaking me out is that I had a bad sore throat and cold 4 days after exposure. It was like sore throats I've had before (I cant tell if it was any more painful than a previous sore throat), but I'm really worried about the timing. I have been monitoring my mouth and my genital area on almost an hour by hour basis and I have not found any abnormalities / sores / bumps / blisters.
I have 2 questions:
1. Can HSV1 (or HSV2) show up as a bad sore throat without any visible blisters elsewhere inside the mouth?
2. How accurate are tests for HSV1 / HSV2? What is the probability of getting a false positive?
Please help me as I've been freaking out. I am really lonely and depressed.
Thanks.
I recently went to an FBSM provider and ended up kissing her deeply (for a few seconds). She also gave me oral sex, but with a condom on. It has been 5 weeks since and I have been extremely paranoid and depressed during this phase. All my tests (Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, HIV), taken after 20 days after exposure, have come back negative, but I have not gotten tested for HSV1 or HSV2. The one symptom that is freaking me out is that I had a bad sore throat and cold 4 days after exposure. It was like sore throats I've had before (I cant tell if it was any more painful than a previous sore throat), but I'm really worried about the timing. I have been monitoring my mouth and my genital area on almost an hour by hour basis and I have not found any abnormalities / sores / bumps / blisters.
I have 2 questions:
1. Can HSV1 (or HSV2) show up as a bad sore throat without any visible blisters elsewhere inside the mouth?
2. How accurate are tests for HSV1 / HSV2? What is the probability of getting a false positive?
Please help me as I've been freaking out. I am really lonely and depressed.
Thanks.
Depends on the test, on the HSV you test positive on. There is a lot that goes into it. A positive culture is very rarely false positive unless due to lab mistake. PCR has a very lose false positive and negative. Rarely is it false. Now there are instances where an IgG test may report false psoitive and require you to test using a WB. But you need to get one positive for someone like Grace to give you an idea.
Hi,
Many thanks for your response. I ran on a windy trail one evening and I woke up in the morning with a sore throat. It got better after I gargled. I remember it subsided significantly in a couple of days, but I was really freaking out by then. It was just like a sore throat that I had got just 5-6 weeks back (before the exposure) and so I can't tell if it was different from that.
Your answer to my question was really helpful. But if there is a positive result, what are the chances of it being a false positive?
Again, you don't know how much I appreciate your answers. Thanks a lot.
Many thanks for your response. I ran on a windy trail one evening and I woke up in the morning with a sore throat. It got better after I gargled. I remember it subsided significantly in a couple of days, but I was really freaking out by then. It was just like a sore throat that I had got just 5-6 weeks back (before the exposure) and so I can't tell if it was different from that.
Your answer to my question was really helpful. But if there is a positive result, what are the chances of it being a false positive?
Again, you don't know how much I appreciate your answers. Thanks a lot.
To answer your questions
1. Yes. But this would not be typical of Herpes. As explained by the STD experts it would be the worst sore throat of your life with lots of open sores. This could very well be something other then HSV. See your doctor and let them take a look if you are still suffering from this.
2. Blood work can miss 1 in 10 HSV-1 infections. However, you are talking about a low risk encounter here if she didn't have an actual cold sore. You should test at 16 weeks after the encounter for accurate results. However, if you show up HSV-1 positive you are like almost half the adult us population with oral HSV. If this is HSV which it doesn't sound like it is. If you have symptoms again see your doctor within 24-48 hours for culture/PCR test.
1. Yes. But this would not be typical of Herpes. As explained by the STD experts it would be the worst sore throat of your life with lots of open sores. This could very well be something other then HSV. See your doctor and let them take a look if you are still suffering from this.
2. Blood work can miss 1 in 10 HSV-1 infections. However, you are talking about a low risk encounter here if she didn't have an actual cold sore. You should test at 16 weeks after the encounter for accurate results. However, if you show up HSV-1 positive you are like almost half the adult us population with oral HSV. If this is HSV which it doesn't sound like it is. If you have symptoms again see your doctor within 24-48 hours for culture/PCR test.
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
