Clear Answers Needed

[extremelycurious]

Hello,

I have asked my questions in the public forum and have been answered but I guess I am asking to make sure because in all honesty, i REALLY want to make sure of everything and be morally responsible if i have to admit to anyone anything.

On July 5th,  a boy with a cold sore on the outside of his lips (not inside his mouth) touched me in my genitalia. He very roughly fingered me (I apologize for the crudeness). He did use some saliva as lubrication from his own mouth with the sore externally located.

I had been battling a yeast infection before hand to begin with from taking a series of antibiotics. I finished the yeast infection treatment July 7th. July 8th my genitalia was red and itching again. Since July 9th I had been having major pains up and down my legs, including my thighs and buttocks. I went to see a gynocologist and explained to him my scare about herpes. He said I had a yeast infection still (I saw him July 11th).  I asked him to give me an STD test. I had always been negative for both HSV tests. My score post one week was HSV 1- IGG: 1.2

I still have had no blisters/sores/red bumps or anything.  The muscle aches specifically in my thighs, butt and groin continued for 4 weeks. The yeast infection also continued all throughout those weeks. It only semi ended on August 5th.

July 21st, after spending the day in the sun, I got a red rash on my left butt cheek near my groin area. I had ONE and JUST ONE pimple looking small blister. It popped a few hours later and created no big looking scab. It was surrounded by about 8 small red bumps but that weren;t clustered. No red skin.

I understand there is a prodromal phase to herpes and that muscle aches are a symptom. And I also understand herpes manifests itself as a yeast infection for some people. Now the doctor saw me twice during my yeast infection and saw no lesions/blisters. But considering my new positive score, couldnt that have been it? It seems all too coincidental. I saw my general practicioner and asked him for a western blot test which i am waiting for hte asnwer to. I suspect it will come out positive for HSV 1. I have never had cold sores or anything. The general practitioner said that if the muscle aches were associated with herpes, I would have definitely had sores in my vagina because herpes wouldnt manifest itself only as muscle aches and a yeast infection at that point. I am not sure who/what to belive and really just want to make sense of it all so that I know for myself and any future partner.

I have only had two sexual partners at 27. This recent sexual experience which was only him fingering me but taking saliva from his mouth where he out a cold sore externally was the only other sexual experience i have had.

Please help me figure this out. I would love your expert opinion on this.




Please help shed some light.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I think your risk of acquiring HSV 1 from this partner with no direct contact and only saliva contact is very low, but I guess I can't say no risk at all.  since you've already been diagnosed with an ongoing and persistent yeast infection, my guess is that that is the most likely explanation for your yeast infection.  You've had nothing swabbable, it sounds like, so that's not helping.  when you say that your symptoms were so awful, they made you cry, what were those symptoms specifically that were so awful?  

If the western blot is positive and you have never had either a cold sore or a genital lesion, that there is just no way to know for certain if your have an asymptomatic oral infection or a genital infection that has atypical symptoms.  the only way you will know for certain is if something turns up swab test positive.  

did you receive oral sex from the previous partner?  did that partner have any history of cold sores?

terri

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Just keep asking for the PCR swab - you can take it home and gather it when you symptoms and just drop it off, no need to even interact with the doc.

terri

[extremelycurious]

Thank you Terri for you help and answers. The only problem now is convincing my gyno to do the PCR testing next time I have the discharge from the yeast infection although everything is still going crazy down there. She keeps telling me she can only test a sore/lesion.

Anyway, thank you again to you and Grace and Petal and MistakeGuy. Yes, I seem to have exhausted everyone here but thank you to all!!!!! I hope I solve this (more importantly I hope against all hope that it was a false positive! )

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

You could be positive from a new infection 1-2 weeks post infection, with a value of 1.2, yes.  I have actually seen that 10 days later, so I'm not clear that that will give you a time frame that you are looking for.  but just fingering you wouldn't give you herpes and the saliva thing is such a long shot.

I wish I could be more helpful in terms of what is going on here.  but certainly, if you ever get symptoms again, you should immediately go in for a herpes PCR swab test.

terri

[extremelycurious]

I guess another question also is more of a confirmation of an assumption...

I am assuming that this cant be atypical symptoms of HSV 1 because of the length of time right? I mean, for me to have a burning sensation, a constant "awareness" of my vagina, and different pain shooting in my pelvic area, buttocks etc for 5 weeks is too long for them to be symptoms of HSV 1 right?

I have taken 4 treatments of yeast infection medicine also, along with 5 pills of Diflucan, and  i am constantly taking Azo Yeast pills but nothing seems to be helping. I feel like I am going crazy but am hopeful that the length of time cancels out the idea that it could be symptoms of HSV 1 instead.

[extremelycurious]

Also, last question, please correct me if this is assumption is wrong. If the western blot is positive, and the fact that the other test i took was 1.2 IGG positive for HSV 1, it would mean that I got it before that experience right? 1-2 weeks post possible exposure is too soon to show a score of 1.2 IGG on a test right?

[extremelycurious]

HI Terri,

The pain was just unbearable in terms of itching and burning. My vagina seemed to be on fire and kept me up and the only thing that seemed to make it feel better was sitting on a cold floor in the bathroom all night with clothes on obviously.

I had received oral from this third partner (though I did not have sex with him). He did not have a cold sore then and had one actually about 8 days later. He said the tingling started 8 days after our oral sex experience. This was the only time with that partner and I have cut off relations with him since this all started because of obvious stressful and mental disturbance. I've only had oral sexual relations with my only two other sexual partners both of whom are negative.

Next time I have a "yeast infection" should I ask for a swab of it? Is that swabbable and testable for HSV 1?

In the case of me not knowing where I have HSV 1 localized and no lesions/outbreaks per the classical symptoms, how do I explain this to a future partner?

I should be getting my Western Blot results next week but again, I assume that I won't be the very rare case where it turns up negative since it has already turned up positive.

Thank you so much for your answer and help in figuring this out. I am really just trying to know and understand to be more helpful and honest to whomever I end up with next. I am a very conservative sexual being and do not intend to have one night stands anyway.

[extremelycurious]

sorry for adding again, but for example, august 8th, i still am having some localized pain in my groin as if theres a swollen muscle just above the vagina that hurts. i feel like it jusrt going crazy down there.

[extremelycurious]

and by yeast infection symptoms: red, itchy, tingling (maybe that was in my head), weird pains sometimes that were localized. all that good stuff. one night on July 22nd, the yeast infection symptoms were unbearable and made me cry (but still never any blisters/lesions/paper cuts/sores/red bumps in my vagina).