Herpes?

[goosearm]

about two weeks ago i developed a rash of little red bumps around my pubic area accompanied by jock itch.  i used cream for this here and there but did not get that much time to do this as i was on a long hiking trip.  what i think was jock itch spread down the shaft of my penis.  when i got back home i went to my dr. he examined me and and told me that these were all symptoms of jock itch except for a little white bump on the under side of my shaft.  that he said was most likely herpes.  he took a swab test as well as a blood test, prescribed a lotrizone cream as well as Valtrex.  

I went back to my Dr recently to get the results and the swab came back negative and the the blood came back negative except for herpes 1 or (cold sores).
since then the jock itch portion has cleared up but there are now very small painful red sores on my penis. one where  the white bump was and one in a new location. Could both tests have been wrong? what else could this be? it is causing me a ton of anxiety. please advise.

Thank you

[goosearm]

please help with advice. thanks

[petal130]

You are negative for herpes, your doc told you it was a fungal infection. As to the new symptoms, they could still be fungal - it can take over a month for that type of infection to clear.

Still, the only way to know is to follow-up with your doctor. Surely no one on a web forum can diagnose at this point.

[goosearm]

thanks for responding!

what are the odds of both the blood and swab being both faulse negative?
when should i get tested again?

thank you

[goosearm]

thanks for responding!  it has been one week and the 1 red sore still exists, it is less red but still has gives off a burning sensation. i have abdomianl pains and thigh pains as well.
I went to a dermatologist and she said that it didn't look like  herpes but it could be as sometimes it looks different.

1. how long should i wait to be retested?

2. what are the odds of the blood and swab test both showing a faulse negative?

thankyou

[gracefromHHP]

How long before you had the blood test done had you last had sex?

Do you have a regular partner?

Did the dermatologist also feel that it all looked like a fungal infection or did they feel it was probably something else going on?

grace

[goosearm]

tests were done one month after the last time i had sex

multiple partners

dermatologist was not sure, thought it might be some sort of skin infection but not sure. she said that she had seen a lot of different cases of herpes and that this did not look like any of them. on the other hand she said that he burning sensation at the red area was a symptom of herpes.

[gracefromHHP]

At this point I recommend just waiting and repeating your herpes igg blood test 4 months after the last time you had sex.  

Meanwhile if you symptoms reoccur, return to provider that day or the next for further evaluation.

grace

[goosearm]

Grace,

thank you for your responsiveness!!!
i am being a bit obsessive. it has now been 7 weeks and i am awaiting the results again.  what else could cause these white bumps and red painful spots if not herpes? yeast?

[gracefromHHP]

Yes yeast/fungal/jock itch can cause some really nasty rashes down yonder.  

Things gone away now?

Did you get another blood test just 7 weeks after the encounter instead of waiting until 16 weeks as I recommended?  

grace

[6feetfromthedge]

Swabs or cultures don't always show viral matter. The blood test you had was antibody specific for HSV-1 and HSV-2. It is quite likely that you have HSV-1 of the genitals. 30% of genital herpes are caused by HSV-1 virus. At some point, someone with a cold sore performed oral sex and transferred the virus that usually causes only cold sores to one that causes genital symptoms. More than half of twenty somethings have had exposure to the oral HSV-1 virus and are immune (in most cases) to developing HSV-1 genital disease. However, you had probably never been exposed to the HSV-1 virus prior to having it transferred to you as a genital disease. Some 60% of people infected with genital herpes have no symptoms, so it is possible one of your sexual partners gave it to you without knowing they have it. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men are infected with genital herpes, but like I said, 6 out of 10 don't know it. Usually, HSV-1 of the genitals is less dramatic than HSV-2, recurs less often (sometimes never), and potential partners who have HSV-1 + antibody from oral exposure may very well be immune to genital transmission. The good news being that 1 out of 2 potential partners may be immune to your disease. This is not the case with HSV-2 which is almost always a genital disease and so those infected transmit the disease to their partners easily if don't use protection and take antivirals. The other good news is that people with genital herpes undergo a phenomenon called "viral shedding". During these 5 days out of 100 they are capable of transmitting disease to partner even if no blisters or sores. It has been shown that only 1/4 of people with HSV-1 of the genitals may undergo this phenomenon. Therefore, the likelihood of transmitting the disease is only about 1.25 days out of 100. This is also without the benefit of antivirals and condoms, and excluding partners who are already infected with oral HSV-1 (which reduces risk of transmission even more). Hope this is helpful

[gracefromHHP]

Actually no reason whatsoever to assume it's hsv1 genitally based on the testing done so far and the description of symptoms.  I completely disagree with that advice.

grace

[goosearm]

yes, i went again to the dr. which was  earlier than you recommended, but will go aback again in 2 months to double check

redness area is gone and pain is gone at this point as well.

[goosearm]

thanks for responding!!  

sorry if this is re posting.. it looks like i wasn't properly signed in the first time.

7 week marker: results all came back neg except for HSV-1 which i have had on my mouth on and off for years.  my. DR told me that I "fine and need to relax" as i keep on making appointments with him.  He told me that i currently have a lot of  anxiety and prescribed xanax.

all sores and rash has cleared up but i have a new symptoms of:
testicular pain
coughing
a bit of nausea

i also in the meantime went to a Urologist and was tested and looked at. i was negative blood, and the visual examination was "very unlikely to be genital herpes:"  

still these new symptoms are worry some.

any advice would be  GREAT!!!

thankss

[gracefromHHP]

My advice is to stop worrying about your nether regions so much and stop attributing everything to herpes :)

grace