HSV 2 Positive, then negative two weeks later. both iGG. Help?

I really hope someone responds. Im a late 20s heterosexual male. Pretty smart about sex, but not as good as I can be. Never had an outbreak at all.

I decided to do one of those 8 panel std tests through a company online just because I was experiencing some itching after peeing. I don't know if the company's name is allowed, but it was an iGG test and it is one of the companies that offer phone consultation with a doctor afterwards. The results did not indicate a number, it just said positive for HSV2. I spoke with their doctor who was great, but he confirmed that it was almost guaranteed I had it and was just asymptomatic, but we never discussed the range number of antibodies. I know that LabCorp did their test.

I was devastated and could not believe it so I got another test soon afterwards just for herpes on my own at a local lab that used Quest ( i think). It was also an iGG test. I picked up my results today and it was .02 for HSV 1 and .43 for HSV2. It appears that under .90 is negative and the lady at this second lab said that .43 was very low and pretty accurate that I was clean.

I know that a third test is coming, but just to get me through understanding this. Please tell me what is the most likely scenario and what could have happened? Are these online companies reputable? Could they have lied to get me to refer sexual partners? Why was the doctor so certain? After test 1, and bc of doctor's advice, I did start taking L-Lysine. Is it possible that lowered the results under .90 but I do have HSV2? is labcorp known to be better than quest or vice versa?

[IDTB]

They may or may not be reputable, but as a general rule, I personally am skeptical about any online outfit that's making money (I assume that's the case here) off random folks looking to get tested or whatever other service. You can't even be certain that the guy on the other end of the phone was really a doctor.

Labcorp is a well known lab. But so is Quest, whom I personally consider the better of the two.

Either way, I would go with latest results you got from the local place, you know the place exists for real, and  you actually picked up your results in person. Plus you have the exact numbers.

And I would not think the Lysine would make any difference in your antibody blood count. Lysine supposedly is just to help with the OB's from what I understand. And there's even a lot of doubts about that claim from what I've read here.

[bicycles27]

Thanks for the prompt reply. It means a lot in this rollercoaster. I guess I don't know if its okay to name an actual company though I did with labcorp and quest. I did my first test with sexualhealth.com (analyte physicians group?) and I did also go to an actual lab and then I got an email saying my results were ready. I logged on to my account in their website and saw the results and talked to the doctor. I am going to assume he was a doctor since he was willing to prescribe me something though he recommended it not being necessary if im asymptomatic.

The second place, I also found online but i felt better about picking the results up on my own. Not as easy, but clearly I prefer their result.

I just can't help but believe that this latter test being the accurate one is something that happens. Too good to be true. You never feel like youre in the 4% of anything, ya know?

[kuri85]

You should see your primary care physician. They have your health history and can best determine whether you have HSV or not.

[bicycles27]

I have moved around a lot. Home, undergrad, grad school, and now a new place for college so no one would really have a good idea about my sexual health. I am hoping for more opinions (educated guesses) on which one is more accurate? and how common this is?

[petal130]

Grace will most likely have to comment, but the fact that you had a negative numeric test through Quest with a reliable test is what I'd go with. HOWEVER, you need to be sure it's been 3 months since your last encounter that prompted you to be tested.

Do you have a regular partner? Have they been tested for herpes?

[bicycles27]

I do. She had been tested before we started dating and everything was negative. Assuming she had all the right tests, if I have it, then ive had it from before dating her. Even so, would the 3 month rule apply when it was the first test that came out positive? Ive heard of false negatives when a test is done too early, but this is not that situation.

Also, she's waiting on results of a test she took after I told her of my first test. How bizarre is this situation? My googling has led me to find stories of early false negatives to a then accurate positive OR a false positive based on a shoddy mgg test and then an accurate negative on an igg test, but Ive found nothing on whats happened to me (two igg tests, first pos and second neg). Does it seem like I was lucky enough to be in the small error rate percentage of these tests?

[gracefromHHP]

there are false positives with both the herpeselect ( quest labs ) and captia ( labcorp ). There most likely really was numeric results associated with your first positive test but the lab doesn't report them - only a + or -.  It's not likely the labcorp lab used the immunoblot to test you which would only report that way.

odds are your first test was a false positive. You can either accept the 2nd negative testing as being your confirmatory testing and move forward or if you want to spend money, seek out a herpes Wb from your local quest lab ( you'll need a doctor to order it through them ).  


http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Herpes/low-positives---confirmatory-results/show/1097724#post_5968138  is a prior post we have ongoing here that has info on the false positive issues as well as follow up from other posters who have had similar experiences to you too :)

grace