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Elisa IGG Seroconversion
I have read everywhere that seroconversion takes place for half the population at 3 weeks from exposure and a majority by 6 weeks. Focus Labs recommends 3-6 weeks from exposure before having a test. I have seen experts quote 12 weeks as the line of certainty and that seroconversion plateus for over 90% of the population at 10 weeks. I have also seen that a negative is a negative is a negative. I had an Elisa IGG type specific test at 12 weeks after a risky encounter with no protection. It came back negative for HSV1 at .63 and Negative for HSV2 .02. My question is if this was long enough to be certain. I have seen post after post after post from Terri Warren saying that a negative higher than .02 is a sign of seroconverting and that a Western Blot is required. I have seen comments from the Dr's saying a negative is a negative and the results are meaningless as you either "have it or your don't". Can anyone give me some clarification on this obvious discrepancy? It is a cause for much anxiety. I do not want to keep taking blood tests for the next year. Also, can you get HSV1 genital to genital? It seems like the odds are astronomical as most people with genital hsv1 rarely shed. Thank you.
I'd be thinking of a back /nerve injury at this point being the culprit for your symptoms. if your provider isn't pursuing that part of this, perhaps seeing a chiropractor would be more helpful.
I've been having constant burning of my penis for the last 7 months since this whole thing started. Have back pain and pain in legs which was never there before. I had completely moved on from herpes and thought it was something else. Went to my PCP today for the pain and he took blood for another HSV test as he wanted to "officially rule it out". I'm completely panicked. No lesions, no blisters... just the same pain...
You could probably assemble an army at this point and take over. hah. We are all crybabies inside. We just hide it better in public. :)
totally meaningless change in results.
I really need to gather y'all up, bring you to my house and put you to work!! my neighbor just plowed my garden so lots of planting to be done!! I would keep you all to busy to think about your nether regions :)
I really need to gather y'all up, bring you to my house and put you to work!! my neighbor just plowed my garden so lots of planting to be done!! I would keep you all to busy to think about your nether regions :)
Grace, I'm sorry for harping on this and for taking up your time. It is so obvious when other posters are doing exactly what I'm doing. I know I've basically lost my mind here. I didn't know the first thing about herpes before this whole situation and never thought twice about it.
The genital issues i had with nerve damage that lasted months of severe pain, seems to be worse than herpes. I think i am suffering from PTSD from this experience and now i'm just living in constant fear that it's going to come back. No doctor was able to give me a definitive diagnosis of what i actually had. If my IGG hadn't gone up from <.2 to .5 in that 10 week period, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. Now I am freaking out at even the slightest hint of a skin condition. This has turned my life upside down out of fear of a condition coming back that probably wasn't even related to herpes.
Does going from <.2 to .5 mean anything at all or is it completely meaningless? I probably need psychiatric help more than anything else at this point. Again, please accept my apologies. You are a voice of reason and comfort.
The genital issues i had with nerve damage that lasted months of severe pain, seems to be worse than herpes. I think i am suffering from PTSD from this experience and now i'm just living in constant fear that it's going to come back. No doctor was able to give me a definitive diagnosis of what i actually had. If my IGG hadn't gone up from <.2 to .5 in that 10 week period, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. Now I am freaking out at even the slightest hint of a skin condition. This has turned my life upside down out of fear of a condition coming back that probably wasn't even related to herpes.
Does going from <.2 to .5 mean anything at all or is it completely meaningless? I probably need psychiatric help more than anything else at this point. Again, please accept my apologies. You are a voice of reason and comfort.
usually a cold sore would last more than a day or two. if you are concerned, you'd need symptoms swabbed within 48 hours of their appearance.
it really isn't all about herpes dear. worrying like this for this long is unhealthy.
it really isn't all about herpes dear. worrying like this for this long is unhealthy.
I still have the twitching even though this small red spot simply appeared and is fading without blister or scab. I can actually see the skin near it twitching when I feel the twitching. Would a cold sore blister eventually? Would it always itch? Would the area be swollen? My biggest concern is that if I do have hsv1 and had a false negative then all the genital issues I was dealing with could be hsv1 as well.
I'm sorry for posting in a new post. Apparently I've done it a couple times. Moved from my new post.
I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac. Grace, i know you think i'm always worried. had two negative bloodtests although my hsv1 went from <.2 a few weeks after my last sexual encounter, to .5 at 11 weeks from my last encounter which has always had me worried that i was seroconverting. I'm at 6 months from my last encounter and my doctor wont' give me another test because he thinks i'm being a hypo. Over the last 15 years, i have had irritated skin in the corner of my mouth, always after shaving, where sometimes it's red and painful and sometimes little white fluid blisters will pop up, but they both go away in a day or two. I always thought it was razor burn because i always cut myself in that spot. I have never in my life had a full blown classic breakout and never visually diagnosed with anything. A few days ago, i was feeling a twitch in my lower right jaw. Today i woke up with a slight soreness under the skin about an inch from lip on my cheek. i thought i could feel something under the skin. it turned into a redish blotch but never raised up like a pimple. It doesn't itch and the skin never itched but the red spot feels slightly sore and sensitive like it's superficial on the skin. it's definitely going away and fading but doesn't feel like any pimple i've ever had. It's very sensitive an feels like its on the surface. Does this sound like a non-typical breakout? I just want to know if i have to worry about transmitting something with future partners and that's the only reason i'm harping on it. would appreciate any thoughts. thank you. MJ
I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac. Grace, i know you think i'm always worried. had two negative bloodtests although my hsv1 went from <.2 a few weeks after my last sexual encounter, to .5 at 11 weeks from my last encounter which has always had me worried that i was seroconverting. I'm at 6 months from my last encounter and my doctor wont' give me another test because he thinks i'm being a hypo. Over the last 15 years, i have had irritated skin in the corner of my mouth, always after shaving, where sometimes it's red and painful and sometimes little white fluid blisters will pop up, but they both go away in a day or two. I always thought it was razor burn because i always cut myself in that spot. I have never in my life had a full blown classic breakout and never visually diagnosed with anything. A few days ago, i was feeling a twitch in my lower right jaw. Today i woke up with a slight soreness under the skin about an inch from lip on my cheek. i thought i could feel something under the skin. it turned into a redish blotch but never raised up like a pimple. It doesn't itch and the skin never itched but the red spot feels slightly sore and sensitive like it's superficial on the skin. it's definitely going away and fading but doesn't feel like any pimple i've ever had. It's very sensitive an feels like its on the surface. Does this sound like a non-typical breakout? I just want to know if i have to worry about transmitting something with future partners and that's the only reason i'm harping on it. would appreciate any thoughts. thank you. MJ
correct - if you have hsv1 orally, very unlikely you'd contract it genitally later on.
It's never really bothered me. It's not even noticeable. I'm just surprised that it all of a sudden stopped around my mouth after an unprotected high risk encounter. Could my antibodies be higher now from another exposure or am I just grasping at this point? I would imagine that my body would have adjusted after years and developed some immunit and antibodies. Also, if I already had hsv1 orally for years, and the test missed it, it would also make it highly unlikely that I contracted hsv1 genital from that one encounter right? Unless I'm not creating antibodies for some reason. I'm pretty confident I don't have hsv2 based on the lack of clear symptoms and the 12 week blood test. I just want peace of mind that i didnt get hsv1/2 genitally. Thank you.
it wouldn't work like that at all. also no, no such thing as a minor vs major herpes infection .
how often you get cold sores is actually just as much about your genes as anything. one more thing to blame on mom and dad.
even the best blood tests still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections. you can be seen within 48 hours of the appearance of your symptoms the next time you have them for a lesion culture and typing to try to determine if these are oral herpes lesions or not. You can even ask for the supplies to have at home to do a pcr swab and drop off at the clinic/lab.
how often you get cold sores is actually just as much about your genes as anything. one more thing to blame on mom and dad.
even the best blood tests still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections. you can be seen within 48 hours of the appearance of your symptoms the next time you have them for a lesion culture and typing to try to determine if these are oral herpes lesions or not. You can even ask for the supplies to have at home to do a pcr swab and drop off at the clinic/lab.
Grace, thanks for the reply and good advice. I have a very interesting question for you. My whole life I've periodically gotten irritation and tiny fluid filled blisters in the corner of my mouth. Usually from shaving and when I say tiny, nobody could ever notice. I always assumed it was a very minor hsv1 infection that my body wasn't really picking up on and I've learned to live with it. It came with some regularity and always ranged from slight irritation to tiny blisters. Since this sexual encounter, I have not had it at all. It's completely gone. This fact, along with some irritation after the encounter, is what led me to believe I had contracted a genital hsv1 infection. I thought that my body had developed antibodies to this more intense exposure and that the raised level of antibodies in my blood is now preventing the minor hsv1 infection on my mouth from reappearing with the same frequency. Logically this makes sense to me but I have no idea if this is medically possible. I could be completely off base and that there is no such thing as a minor infection vs major infection and my body would have developed antibodies regardless. Would love your insight on this. Thanks for your time.
really no reason for more testing for herpes. you are a clear negative and waited enough time.
yes, you can transmit hsv1 from genitals to genitals. about 10% of all cases are acquired that way. It's main mode of transmission is oral to genital contact but it can happen. is it worth a lot of worry over? no it is not.
grace
yes, you can transmit hsv1 from genitals to genitals. about 10% of all cases are acquired that way. It's main mode of transmission is oral to genital contact but it can happen. is it worth a lot of worry over? no it is not.
grace
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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.
