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Could this be HSV-2?
About a week ago I noticed "paper-cut" like cuts around the opening and on the inside of my vagina. About 2 days after, the cuts got worse and 2 new sores appeared.
- On Aug 11, I got checked at a local walk in clinic. I told the doctor about my "cuts". She said that herpes is a possibly, but it also could be a yeast infection and is not 100% sure if it is herpes. She swabbed for herpes and other STDs. She also prescribed me Valtrex to get over the pain, even though I wasn't properly diagnosed with herpes.
I started to get more and more paranoid, so I continued to see different doctors at different clinics. Two doctors were usless. They just took one glance at it and said it was herpes. They gave me no prescription, took no swabs, nothing. I found those doctors to be quite unprofessional and unhelpful.
Yesterday (Aug 13) I went to my family doctor. She didn't say anything when she saw the sores. All she said was, "Oh, I see that you have some sores. We'll just do some cultures for them and your results should come in between 3-5 days." She also told me that the first herpes outbreak is extremely painful and my genitals would be covered in sores, which it is not. She also gave me info on genital herpes.
I went to the walk in clinic today to see if my results came in. All bacterial STDs came out negative. I asked the doctor about herpes. He said that the doctor who did my swabs wrote in my file that I have herpes and prescribed me Valtrex. Um, what? Why wasn't I informed?
Q1: How come the doctor told me that it MIGHT be herpes and that she wasn't 100% sure, when she wrote down in my file that I have it?
Q2: If the Valtrex is working for my cuts/sores does that mean I have herpes?
Q3: Could the two doctors who just glanced at my vagina be mistaken? How come they didn't do swabs or prescribe me anything and just jumped to conclusions?
Q4: Am I being too paranoid? Should I get the blood test done and/or wait for my swab results to come back?
- On Aug 11, I got checked at a local walk in clinic. I told the doctor about my "cuts". She said that herpes is a possibly, but it also could be a yeast infection and is not 100% sure if it is herpes. She swabbed for herpes and other STDs. She also prescribed me Valtrex to get over the pain, even though I wasn't properly diagnosed with herpes.
I started to get more and more paranoid, so I continued to see different doctors at different clinics. Two doctors were usless. They just took one glance at it and said it was herpes. They gave me no prescription, took no swabs, nothing. I found those doctors to be quite unprofessional and unhelpful.
Yesterday (Aug 13) I went to my family doctor. She didn't say anything when she saw the sores. All she said was, "Oh, I see that you have some sores. We'll just do some cultures for them and your results should come in between 3-5 days." She also told me that the first herpes outbreak is extremely painful and my genitals would be covered in sores, which it is not. She also gave me info on genital herpes.
I went to the walk in clinic today to see if my results came in. All bacterial STDs came out negative. I asked the doctor about herpes. He said that the doctor who did my swabs wrote in my file that I have herpes and prescribed me Valtrex. Um, what? Why wasn't I informed?
Q1: How come the doctor told me that it MIGHT be herpes and that she wasn't 100% sure, when she wrote down in my file that I have it?
Q2: If the Valtrex is working for my cuts/sores does that mean I have herpes?
Q3: Could the two doctors who just glanced at my vagina be mistaken? How come they didn't do swabs or prescribe me anything and just jumped to conclusions?
Q4: Am I being too paranoid? Should I get the blood test done and/or wait for my swab results to come back?
Thank you Terri and yes, it was confirmed by a swab test.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
So HSV 1 genitally is a mild infection. You may never get another outbreak (40% chance) or, if you do, you will likely get an outbreak another time or two this year, but after this year, maybe once every other year. You can read the herpes handbook at my website for free, or read my book "The good news about the bad news" available on amazon.com
You recurrences will be few with HSV 1 genitally, for sure.
Terri
Was this from a swab test?
You recurrences will be few with HSV 1 genitally, for sure.
Terri
Was this from a swab test?
I have. Positive for genital HSV-1. My partner performed oral sex on me about 3 weeks ago with a cold sore. The sore looked fully healed and was scabbed at the time, so I thought that I was at low risk for contracting it genitally. Apparently not. So where do I go from here? Is genital HSV-1 considered an STD? How many outbreaks of genital HSV-1 will I have in my lifetime? Where can I get more info on this?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The sores and cuts that you describe do worry me. An antibody test done at this time will not pick up new infection, so it may not be accurate. Have you gotten any test results back yet?
Terri
Terri
Sorry, by that I mean about 4 days after our SECOND sexual encounter
Yes, the first provider did swabs for herpes and bacterial STDs. She also prescribed me Valtrex in the meantime. Her exact words were "It's possible that this may be herpes, but I'll swab for it anyways." She took about 3 or 4 swabs and told me that not all of them will be ready in 48 hours. I went back to the same clinic 3 days after to discuss my results with a different doctor. All bacterial STDs came back negative and that I was in the clear. I told him that the main reason why I was there 3 days prior was because of herpes. He said, "Oh, it doesn't say anything about herpes here. All it says is that she prescribed you Valtrex." I then became confused. I'm sure the first doctor I saw did swabs for herpes. I then asked him if I could get a blood test for HSV-2. Since I live in British Columbia, there is no type specific test and the test for HSV-2 is $130. I decided to get the test done and pay $130. Blood results should be back in a week and swabs should be in on Monday. So what if they both come out negative? What could this be?
Long story short, but I've been having sex with one partner for about a month now. Our first time having sex was unprotected. Weeks went by and I had no signs or symptoms of anything. Two weeks after our first time having sex, he left for Vegas and had unprotected sex with a girl there, and of course, he told me this after we had sex for the second time. About 4 days after our first sexual encounter, that's when I noticed the "paper-cut" like cuts. About 2 days after I noticed the cuts, I noticed that they had gotten worse (more noticeable and red) and 2 new sores showed up. One on my left inner lip and one on my right outter lip. They were very tender and the cuts inside my vagina hurt when urine would get inside them. My partner has not noticed any signs or symptoms, but is going to a youth clinic this Wednesday to get tested.
Long story short, but I've been having sex with one partner for about a month now. Our first time having sex was unprotected. Weeks went by and I had no signs or symptoms of anything. Two weeks after our first time having sex, he left for Vegas and had unprotected sex with a girl there, and of course, he told me this after we had sex for the second time. About 4 days after our first sexual encounter, that's when I noticed the "paper-cut" like cuts. About 2 days after I noticed the cuts, I noticed that they had gotten worse (more noticeable and red) and 2 new sores showed up. One on my left inner lip and one on my right outter lip. They were very tender and the cuts inside my vagina hurt when urine would get inside them. My partner has not noticed any signs or symptoms, but is going to a youth clinic this Wednesday to get tested.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
There is a significant amount of misinformation about how to diagnose and manage genital herpes infections in the medical community. Testing should definitely have been done by the first clinician who saw you. Unfortunately, the Valtrex prescribed by the first provider might have interfered with the accuracy of the swab testing done by your family doctor. But although your family doctor was correct to do the swabs, for sure, she is incorrect that all first episode infections are dramatic and painful. Many people with first infection have a single lesion. So its still not clear what might be going on here. I think you'll have to wait until the test results come back in. But I am a little confused about something. You said the first provider that you saw did herpes swab testing, was that correct? I know you got the results of the bacterial swabs, but were there herpes tests also? If you get test results back from any of these swab tests, be certain that typing is done (that is, type 1 or type 2). If typing has not been done, ask the provider to call the lab and add it.
So for now, just wait for swab test results. If they are positive, be sure they are typed. If they are negative, then we'll talk about when and how to get the blood antibody testing done.
Can you tell me something about your recent sexual history to think about timing of exposure?
Terri
So for now, just wait for swab test results. If they are positive, be sure they are typed. If they are negative, then we'll talk about when and how to get the blood antibody testing done.
Can you tell me something about your recent sexual history to think about timing of exposure?
Terri
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
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.
