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Confused and Depressed, In need of answers!
I guess I should start with a time outline.
In the middle of April, I started having sex with a new partner. We always use a condom.
My FIRST sexual partner was nearly 5 years ago, and though I have yet to confirm, his most recent herpes results are negative. A brief (protected) sexual encounter happened shortly after that. Unfortunately I do not know this person's status because the occurence was an assault.
Besides those encounters, I have only received oral sex once around the beginning of January from someone who did not have any visible sores on or near their mouth.
Around the beginning of May, I left for a tour on another continent, and for the first few days was under some unsanitary conditions. About 6 days into the trip, and roughly 7 days after my last sexual encounter, I began to run a fever.
Hypothetical Timeline:
Sunday- Itching in the nose and throat, Fever of 100.4, aches, skin crawls, hot and cold feeling
Monday- Temperature returns to normal, sore throat and runny nose develops. Throughout the day, temperature goes up to 101, down to 100.4, up to 102. Horrible body aches, stiff neck, and the feeling of a congestion headache.
Tuesday- Temperature goes down to 97.7, notice a bump-like growth near vaginal opening. No itching, burning, tingling, or pain. Red bumpy patch with two milky white centers. Also feel sensitivity and swelling in cervical lymphnodes, particularly on the same side as the wounds.
Wednesday- Examined by a doctor who tests me for syphillis and HIV, both come back negative. Also given a prescription for 3 antibiotics including Azithromycin. Wounds still do not hurt, but there is sensitivity when poked or prodded.
Thursday- Within 12 to 20 hours, nearly all symptoms disappear, including body ache and fever. In the next few days the runny nose and and sore throat taper off. Inspection of the wound looks to be two raised ulcerative lesions that are slightly tender.
Friday- That night, I used the bathroom only to feel the most scathing, earth-shattering pain ever. I inspected the wounds again and saw raised white, spongy looking bumps where the lesions had been.
Saturday- That morning I inspected the wound again, the red bumpy base was gone, and out of the two lesions were two ivory-colored spongy, rubbery growths, tinged somewhat green in the center. They were not on the surface of the skin and did not in anyway resemble blisters or cold sores. Instead, they appeared to be growing OUT of the lesions. They looked as though if you squeezed them they would disintegrate or come apart. I remember thinking they looked as though they could be plucked off and it appeared to be eating through the skin. That evening, I used the bathroom (urinating didn't burn, just the urine making contact with the wounds) and patted myself dry to avoid irritating myself. The growths stuck to the toilet paper and came off, quite painfully, and one of them bled just a little.
Sunday- urine and soap continued to irritate the lesions, which had a white substance in them
Monday- Examined by my doctor in the US who suspects something viral and expresses doubt that what I had was herpes. He says that the white material in the lesions indicated that it was already healing. From this point, I feel little to no pain when urinating and in a matter of days I feel no pain at all.
Wednesday I am tested through serology for HSV 1/2 (not type-specific), CMV, EBV, and Dengue fever through LabCorp.
The following Tuesday I receive my results, and my doctor informs me that I tested positive for HSV (though he doesn't know which type) and that I should assume I'm a carrier until I can see a gynecologist.
I was negative for Dengue, but also tested positive for CMV and EBV.
My results are as follows:
EBV Ab VCA, IgM ---> 0.2
EBV Early Antigen Ab, IgG ---> 0.2
EBV Ab VCA, IgG ---> 4.6
EBV Nuclear Antigen Ab, IgG ---> 6.0
CMV Ab, IgM ---> 4.4
And finally...
HSV, IgM I/II Combination ---> 1.86 High
HSV I/II, IgG ---> 20.3 High
My questions are:
Do my symptoms, especially the external, sound like herpes?
What do my test results indicate? Could the IgM be a false-positive? (I've heard it's unreliable) Could my CMV, EBV, and chickenpox infections be registering on the test instead?
For what reasons could by IgG be so high? Is it unlikely that this is a false-positive? Possible childhood infection of HSV 1?
What steps can I take to determine what kind of HSV I have, especially if I never have another noticeable "outbreak"?
Could this be a double infection of the same strain or is it likely that its both 1 and 2?
Did my symptoms heal too quickly to be like a typical primary outbreak?
Will herpes symptoms react to antibiotics as quickly or as well as mine did?
Can anyone offer me any other comments, suggestions, advice, or even hope that this isn't herpes? I'm so new to this and fearing the worst at this point!
In the middle of April, I started having sex with a new partner. We always use a condom.
My FIRST sexual partner was nearly 5 years ago, and though I have yet to confirm, his most recent herpes results are negative. A brief (protected) sexual encounter happened shortly after that. Unfortunately I do not know this person's status because the occurence was an assault.
Besides those encounters, I have only received oral sex once around the beginning of January from someone who did not have any visible sores on or near their mouth.
Around the beginning of May, I left for a tour on another continent, and for the first few days was under some unsanitary conditions. About 6 days into the trip, and roughly 7 days after my last sexual encounter, I began to run a fever.
Hypothetical Timeline:
Sunday- Itching in the nose and throat, Fever of 100.4, aches, skin crawls, hot and cold feeling
Monday- Temperature returns to normal, sore throat and runny nose develops. Throughout the day, temperature goes up to 101, down to 100.4, up to 102. Horrible body aches, stiff neck, and the feeling of a congestion headache.
Tuesday- Temperature goes down to 97.7, notice a bump-like growth near vaginal opening. No itching, burning, tingling, or pain. Red bumpy patch with two milky white centers. Also feel sensitivity and swelling in cervical lymphnodes, particularly on the same side as the wounds.
Wednesday- Examined by a doctor who tests me for syphillis and HIV, both come back negative. Also given a prescription for 3 antibiotics including Azithromycin. Wounds still do not hurt, but there is sensitivity when poked or prodded.
Thursday- Within 12 to 20 hours, nearly all symptoms disappear, including body ache and fever. In the next few days the runny nose and and sore throat taper off. Inspection of the wound looks to be two raised ulcerative lesions that are slightly tender.
Friday- That night, I used the bathroom only to feel the most scathing, earth-shattering pain ever. I inspected the wounds again and saw raised white, spongy looking bumps where the lesions had been.
Saturday- That morning I inspected the wound again, the red bumpy base was gone, and out of the two lesions were two ivory-colored spongy, rubbery growths, tinged somewhat green in the center. They were not on the surface of the skin and did not in anyway resemble blisters or cold sores. Instead, they appeared to be growing OUT of the lesions. They looked as though if you squeezed them they would disintegrate or come apart. I remember thinking they looked as though they could be plucked off and it appeared to be eating through the skin. That evening, I used the bathroom (urinating didn't burn, just the urine making contact with the wounds) and patted myself dry to avoid irritating myself. The growths stuck to the toilet paper and came off, quite painfully, and one of them bled just a little.
Sunday- urine and soap continued to irritate the lesions, which had a white substance in them
Monday- Examined by my doctor in the US who suspects something viral and expresses doubt that what I had was herpes. He says that the white material in the lesions indicated that it was already healing. From this point, I feel little to no pain when urinating and in a matter of days I feel no pain at all.
Wednesday I am tested through serology for HSV 1/2 (not type-specific), CMV, EBV, and Dengue fever through LabCorp.
The following Tuesday I receive my results, and my doctor informs me that I tested positive for HSV (though he doesn't know which type) and that I should assume I'm a carrier until I can see a gynecologist.
I was negative for Dengue, but also tested positive for CMV and EBV.
My results are as follows:
EBV Ab VCA, IgM ---> 0.2
EBV Early Antigen Ab, IgG ---> 0.2
EBV Ab VCA, IgG ---> 4.6
EBV Nuclear Antigen Ab, IgG ---> 6.0
CMV Ab, IgM ---> 4.4
And finally...
HSV, IgM I/II Combination ---> 1.86 High
HSV I/II, IgG ---> 20.3 High
My questions are:
Do my symptoms, especially the external, sound like herpes?
What do my test results indicate? Could the IgM be a false-positive? (I've heard it's unreliable) Could my CMV, EBV, and chickenpox infections be registering on the test instead?
For what reasons could by IgG be so high? Is it unlikely that this is a false-positive? Possible childhood infection of HSV 1?
What steps can I take to determine what kind of HSV I have, especially if I never have another noticeable "outbreak"?
Could this be a double infection of the same strain or is it likely that its both 1 and 2?
Did my symptoms heal too quickly to be like a typical primary outbreak?
Will herpes symptoms react to antibiotics as quickly or as well as mine did?
Can anyone offer me any other comments, suggestions, advice, or even hope that this isn't herpes? I'm so new to this and fearing the worst at this point!
Thank You so much! I have some hope now that the test was misleading if not false. Will keep you posted.
these do not sound like herpes going on.
your non-type specific herpes igg blood test was a total waste of time and money. It tells you nothing other than you might have hsv1 and/or hsv2 in you body. most adults do test + on it and it also has a high false positive rate.
continue to follow up with your provider as needed .
grace
your non-type specific herpes igg blood test was a total waste of time and money. It tells you nothing other than you might have hsv1 and/or hsv2 in you body. most adults do test + on it and it also has a high false positive rate.
continue to follow up with your provider as needed .
grace
Have an Answer?
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.
