Have been HSV1 positive for years, but now on my genitals?

I am a lesbian - the girl I've been dating was recently diagnosed with HSV-1, after having what was a pretty extreme outbreak.  At the same time, I also suffered an outbreak which I honestly thought was razor burn at the time, mostly where we came into genital to genital contact.  It was uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as what she went through.  I had only a few sores, but she had a massive outbreak - very painful for her.  Her GYN said that her bloodwork indicated that this was a new case of HSV-1 so we both went with the assumption that I must have passed it along to her initially through oral sex. My bloodwork indicated that I've been HSV-1 positive for a long time and my GYN said I've probably had it since I was a kid and just didn't know it.  Neither of us tested positive for HSV-2.

I had never had a genital outbreak prior to this experience with her.  My questions are: I thought if I had already been exposed to HSV-1, the chances of me having an outbreak genitally were pretty slim?  Is it possible that since she was in the midst of an active genital outbreak at the time - even if I was the one who gave it to her through oral sex -  she then caused me to have an outbreak genitally when we were having sex?  

We both were prescribed Valtrex for 10 days.  While it has cleared things up considerably for me, I still feel like I could possibly be having another outbreak brewing - very tingly in the area where I had a sore. It's been almost three weeks since the initial outbreak - how long does it take to clear up (there are no visible sores left) and is it possible for me to have another outbreak so quickly?  I don't know if I'm just so nervous about having another outbreak that I'm feeling like anything that might be misinterpreted as a sign of herpes actually is??

Any and all help/advice appreciated... thanks

[gracefromHHP]

Did you yourself have a lesion culture of your symptoms that said herpes too?

I assume that you never had a cold sore that you can recall or ever had a genital ob before that you can recall?  You might never figure out where you had hsv1 first since most folks have it orally and never get obvious cold sores to know that they are infected with the virus. I also assume that like most folks you've never been tested before either?  It could've been that you had hsv1 orally, never realized it and are just one of the statistical few who will also contract it genitally later on or it could be that your first hsv1 genital ob was misdiagnosed and you never realized that it was really herpes and this is just your first obvious reoccurence. You two might never figure out it.

if you are still feeling abnormal down yonder next week - don't hesitate to return to your doctor for further evaluation. It's not unusual for a doozy of a herpes ob to trigger a yeast or bacterial infection to further complicate things.  Same goes with your partner - if she seems to be getting better and then gets worse again - she too should follow up.  

grace

[stewart09]

thanks grace - I spoke to my doctor who is putting me on another ten day treatment of Valtrex, just to be safe - he said that sometimes it can take a few weeks for the outbreak to really clear up and he'd rather be safe than sorry (me too!).  I've read that HSV-1 genital outbreaks tend to occur with less frequency as time goes on - do you know if this is actually the case or is this wishful thinking on my part?

[gracefromHHP]

If you had a choice - you'd pick hsv1 genitally as the cause of your genital herpes infection!  In about 1/2 of folks who contract it - it never reoccurs again. In those who do - the average rate of recurrences is 1 additional ob the first year and then 1 ob every other year. Only a small percentage of folks get ob's more frequently than that.

I actually disagree with your doctor saying that you need more valtrex - it certainly won't hurt to do another round of antivirals but it's not likely to be necessary.  There's really not a lot of benefit to taking more antivirals for the most part other than the psychological benefit of knowing you are doing something to help make yourself feel better.  If by next week you still don't feel quite right - go and be seen just to err on the side of caution.  

Bookmark this post so you can keep adding to it if you have more questions for either you or your gf. It's just easier to keep following the same thread so we can easily review the "whole story" :)

grace

[stewart09]

thanks, I really appreciate all your help with this - what a confusing time for me and you've helped to put my mind at ease... honestly, I think a lot of what I'm "feeling" is indeed more mental than physical.  But how did you learn so much about this - doctor, nurse or one of us?  Thanks again...

[gracefromHHP]

Because life is like a musical - help me sing "2 out of 3 ain't bad" as the answer to your question :)

grace

[stewart09]

LOL - thanks for the smile... question - my gf now thinks that everytime she gets aroused she's about to get an OB - says she gets that "tingling" (and not the good kind) along the places she had her original OB - is this possible?

[gracefromHHP]

It's all been very recent so the nerves in that area might still be a little TO'd in general yet.  If it continues - she should follow up with her doctor - sometimes bv especially doesn't present with obvious discharge or odor but can really do a number on you down yonder.

grace

[stewart09]

ugh, she went to her GYN as a follow up to ease her mind - seems like we both might be on the verge of another outbreak... how common is this to have back to back outbreaks?  since my doc put me back on Valtrex, I'm doing okay... he said this should do the trick for now and seems to believe that since we both have type 1, the outbreaks will be far less frequent and severe moving forward... is it possible that we just never really got past the first outbreak and things are still healing?  how long should we wait after an outbreak to have sex?

[gracefromHHP]

Even though you both have the same type - I'd wait to resume sexual activity until you both feel completely normal again ( get out the board games to give you something to do!!!! ).  If you are both still havin tingly feelings you don't want to further irritate things by rubbing on the area or anything .

It's hard to tell if this is still the first ob or the 1st recurrence.  If another round of valtrex for both of you doesn't do the trick then it's back to the doctor again unfortunately. sometimes it just sucks to be female :(

grace

[stewart09]

so then if it's not another OB, it's possible that it's a yeast infection or BV?  seriously, what a pain in the rump this is... hopefully it gets better as time goes on!

[gracefromHHP]

It will get better - just until you both get thru this first month or two it can be tricky.

Keep us posted :)

grace

[stewart09]

well sure enough, I'm having another OB.  Nothing awful, just one obvious sore and a lot of tingling/burning/itching in the area, plus some soreness in my legs... the doctor had put me on another 10 day round of Valtrex last Sunday and the outbreak probably started the middle of this week... I've read that Valtrex can actually stop the outbreak from happening if it's caught early enough - if this is true, will it take my body some time to get used to the medication and/or how the herpes reacts to it?  I'm thinking about going on this daily for a few months (partly to hopefully reduce the OBs and partly to put my mind at ease!) I've basically had one looooooong outbreak (first signs of it started 12/28) - is this normal?  can I expect to have this back to back outbreaks forever?

[gracefromHHP]

Well I'm still leaning towards - this is more than just hsv1 genitally going on in you two.  for both of you to be having such a booger of a time with it all just doesn't make much sense.  

The first ob lasting 3 weeks isn't unusual though you've had enough valtrex by now it shouldn't be an issue.  Have you been back to your doctor for an exam or just your partner?

grace

[stewart09]

I haven't been back and he's not in the office again until Wednesday but I think I may try to get in to see him late next week... honestly, I'm not even sure how to tell the difference between herpes and yeast infections anymore!  What I'm going through right now is definitely an OB - but I'm thinking I might also have a yeast infection... if it turns out that I do have a yeast infection on top of the OB, does one trigger the other?  What else do you think this could be?

[stewart09]

I have an appt with my GYN for this week - it's not getting better for any extended period of time and I'm still on 1000 mg of Valtrex a day.  It starts to clear up and within a day, I start feeling like another outbreak is on the way.  I shaved and that started one up too!  How long can I expect this to last and if I'm already on this much Valtrex with no real success, is there any point in going on it for suppressive reasons?  If so, how long does it usually take to kick in and help keep these OBs at bay.  I'm really starting to get depressed about this and am thinking about asking my doctor for an anti-depressant as well.  This sucks :(

[gracefromHHP]

Wait and see what your gyn says. I'm betting it's way more than just a herpes infection - either bv or yeast or something like that.  don't shave again until it's completely healed. In fact err on the side of caution and toss the razor you used to shave your pubic hair with.  

grace

[stewart09]

the razor was tossed!  is it common for an OB to also trigger a yeast infection or BV?  my head is just spinning and I want to get on with my life!  oiy vay :(

[stewart09]

the razor was tossed!  is it common for an OB to also trigger a yeast infection or BV?  my head is just spinning and I want to get on with my life!  oiy vay :(

[gracefromHHP]

Yup.  

[stewart09]

last time I was checked by my GYN for BV, he told me there was no way I could have it - not enough discharge or odor - this time around, I definitely have discharge.  So as to not waste my time yet again, is there an actual culture I should insist he do tomorrow when I'm there for BV?

[gracefromHHP]

They should be  doing a wet mount of your vaginal secretions and examining them under the microscope. they should also check your vaginal ph and do a "whiff" test.  If they don't have anything in their office to do any of that - they should be sending out a culture to the lab.

Most women do not have obvious odor or discharge with bv.  It's a darn shame doctor's brush us off so easily :(  

grace

[stewart09]

if the trip to the gyn does not yield me some answers, should I look into seeing an infectious disease doc?  I just can't believe that I'm still dealing with this almost a month later - I've been on 1000mg a day of Valtrex since I initially saw the gyn - if this was indeed herpes, wouldn't the Valtrex have gotten it under control by now?  if not, is there any point in going on it for suppressive purposes? I'm sorry for the constant posting - I'm just really starting to freak out here and think worst case scenarios - I can't imagine living the rest of my life like this - please tell me it gets better!

[gracefromHHP]

To be honest - most infectious disease docs don't know all that much more about herpes than other doc's. Many of them even "poo poo" it all because it's just not something you should be "wasting their time with".  If you aren't getting answers from your current gyn then I"d seek out the advice of another.  As I said before - based on both you and your gf's symptoms this whole time - think it's more than just herpes going on.

grace

[stewart09]

well I finally had my trip to see the GYN - he said that there is no visible evidence of herpes left, but did do a culture for BV and yeast infection.  Since I did have two back to back OBs, he offered to put me on suppressive Valtrex for a few months, mostly to put my mind at ease.  He gave me an antibotic (antibiotic) cream for the BV and fluconazle for the yeast infection.  

hopefully this will end this nonsense once and for all... but a super big thank you for all your help and support... it's great knowing that this community is out there to help all of us!