Aa
Confused
I need your help... I'm confused about if my genital hsv 2 is a result of a previous infection some 23 years ago, or something recent. Here's my history...
I thought I got genital hsv 2, 23 years ago, when I was 18. I had the classic flu like symptoms and a cluster of lesions, but at the same time, one did not preceed the other... my GYN at the time took one look and said "herpes" but no blood tests or swabs were done... I never had another outbreak so thought she was mistaken... flash forward 23 years, after multiple relationships and three kids (with no complications), and nobody ever was infected by me, to my knowledge, and now recently divorced, and seeing someone new for almost a year then "BAM" an outbreak, with blotches of nerve pain... so much so that I thought I was getting shingles... I've never had anything like it since I was 18 and even then, I cannot fully remember if this was like that or not... My boyfriend and I don't use condoms, and since recently he knew his STD status as being HIV negative, chlamydia and gonorrhea free, since that's all they test for at the free clinic... me on the other hand, test for everything, and for a long long time thought I was herpes free... I did not know herpes was not part of the STD screening...so, after I had this outbreak, I got tested...AND so I have hsv 2... my IGG antibodies were really high... my IGM was negative...
My questions are...
1. Is it possible to have an asymptomatic hsv 2 infection for this long and not have and outbreak?
2. Is it more likely that my new boyfriend gave this to me rather than having contracted it 23 years ago? (Which would be less stressful for me not worrying about giving it to him)
3. If I do in fact have a 20 plus year asymptomatic infection, do I shed less?
4. Does taking 500mg of valacyclovir daily hurt me or help me? Meaning do the pills wake up a latent infection thereby increasing asympomatic shedding (I'm so worried about shedding and transference)
5. Does valacyclovir prevent or reduce my antibodies? ...I don't want to stop what work my body is already doing to keep this at bay...and has been for doing for quite some time, if what I'm thinking is correct.
Help... I'm googling myself into a full blown psychosis...
Sincerely Confused
I thought I got genital hsv 2, 23 years ago, when I was 18. I had the classic flu like symptoms and a cluster of lesions, but at the same time, one did not preceed the other... my GYN at the time took one look and said "herpes" but no blood tests or swabs were done... I never had another outbreak so thought she was mistaken... flash forward 23 years, after multiple relationships and three kids (with no complications), and nobody ever was infected by me, to my knowledge, and now recently divorced, and seeing someone new for almost a year then "BAM" an outbreak, with blotches of nerve pain... so much so that I thought I was getting shingles... I've never had anything like it since I was 18 and even then, I cannot fully remember if this was like that or not... My boyfriend and I don't use condoms, and since recently he knew his STD status as being HIV negative, chlamydia and gonorrhea free, since that's all they test for at the free clinic... me on the other hand, test for everything, and for a long long time thought I was herpes free... I did not know herpes was not part of the STD screening...so, after I had this outbreak, I got tested...AND so I have hsv 2... my IGG antibodies were really high... my IGM was negative...
My questions are...
1. Is it possible to have an asymptomatic hsv 2 infection for this long and not have and outbreak?
2. Is it more likely that my new boyfriend gave this to me rather than having contracted it 23 years ago? (Which would be less stressful for me not worrying about giving it to him)
3. If I do in fact have a 20 plus year asymptomatic infection, do I shed less?
4. Does taking 500mg of valacyclovir daily hurt me or help me? Meaning do the pills wake up a latent infection thereby increasing asympomatic shedding (I'm so worried about shedding and transference)
5. Does valacyclovir prevent or reduce my antibodies? ...I don't want to stop what work my body is already doing to keep this at bay...and has been for doing for quite some time, if what I'm thinking is correct.
Help... I'm googling myself into a full blown psychosis...
Sincerely Confused
Thanks for reply Grace, he doesn't have a therapist and is just about completely anti doctor, so being that he probably won't go get tested, should I just assume he has 1, even though he gets sacral rashes/blisters? Maybe he has 1 and 2? This kills me. I don't want to take the antivirals if I don't have to, they give raahes and pettichia, and low platelets and a high white blood cell count, but I feel I need to do everything I can to protect him.
Not likely he has hsv2 orally only. Most people who have hsv2 orally have it both orally and genitally. Almost all cold sores are caused by hsv1.
It really is best for him to get tested so you both know who has what and can decide together what precautions to take from here on out. Does he have a therapist he can discuss this with?
It really is best for him to get tested so you both know who has what and can decide together what precautions to take from here on out. Does he have a therapist he can discuss this with?
No other STD testing was done that day, just a swab that can back negative...I think my BF has 2 as well. I noticed a scar grouping on his sacral area, we won't know till he's tested...can you have hsv 2 orally and generally? The problem is that he doesn't want to be tested, which gives me anxiety about possibly giving him 2 if he doesn't already have it... is it possible that he already has oral hsv 2 if he rarely gets oral outbreaks? Another thing I noticed is that gets widespread rashes or hives from time to time... all this is so stressful because he doesn't want to get tested, I feel such massive anxiety about giving this to him, even if he accepts the possibility of catching it...it's all I can think about...if I could determine his hsv status based on symptoms, that's be great...I talk to him all the time about getting tested, but he simply refuses... he's bipolar and said the knowledge would destroy him...I can respect that, but it doesn't lessen my anxiety... help...
Can you have a humdinger of a recurrence years into being infected? You can. When you were seen did they also test you for other vaginal infections too?
So what do you do now? At this point, make sure your partner gets tested for hsv2 to know his status. He already knows he has hsv1 so he can just seek out a hsv2 igg blood test.
Have you read the free herpes handbook by Terri Warren yet? It's well worth reading to learn more about the herpes you have.
grace
So what do you do now? At this point, make sure your partner gets tested for hsv2 to know his status. He already knows he has hsv1 so he can just seek out a hsv2 igg blood test.
Have you read the free herpes handbook by Terri Warren yet? It's well worth reading to learn more about the herpes you have.
grace
Thank you for your reply...yes, i had a blood test recently which showed hsv2 antibodies, negative hsv 1...my boyfriend does get cold sores though,not often, just once since we've been together... he hasn't gotten tested yet...not sure if he had hsv2 or 1
Hi.
1. yes
2.since you did have a questionable outbreak way back, it would be safe to assume youve had it since then but no way to confirm this but it would appear so.
3. no
4. no
5. no, it keeps the virus from multiplying and aids in healing. Has nothing to do with antibodies.
stop googling. and by the way, you were confirm positive with a blood test correct?
1. yes
2.since you did have a questionable outbreak way back, it would be safe to assume youve had it since then but no way to confirm this but it would appear so.
3. no
4. no
5. no, it keeps the virus from multiplying and aids in healing. Has nothing to do with antibodies.
stop googling. and by the way, you were confirm positive with a blood test correct?
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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.
