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Avatar universal

How long after exposure

I recently fingered a girl who had previously been diagnosed with Genital Herpes.
I was careful not to get too crazy with it but never the less a few of my fingers were exposed to her vaginal fluids and whatnot.

I had already been planning to get a full panel of STD testing done but with this recent exposure I'm wondering how much longer after it should I wait to ensure that any infection(s) that resulted from that date can be detected if at all present?

I'm thinking a solid 2 weeks but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your input.
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207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
Remember that we get a LOT of panicked posts from people, and panic isn't necessary.  It does get trying when you are trying to inform someone that there is no cause for worry when people are insisting that there is.

No one likes to be told they are wrong, but you came here for advice, and maybe people were abrupt, but if you feel you already knew the answers, why did you post?

Aj
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Avatar universal
Thanks to all.
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Avatar universal
Hi auntiejessi, Thank you for your reply it was verrrry informative.

To any and everyone else, I'm not trying to be hateful, I'm sorry I just get defensive easily when someone points out that I'm wrong about something when I feel that I'm not.
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207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi there -

Just wanted to add some things about STD risks.

Fingering is not a risk, with the exception of herpetic whitlow, and that is only a risk if you have a cut of some sort on your finger, and probably only likely if it came into contact with an outbreak.  Herpetic whitlow is considered rare.  I think that's the reason some might have assumed you were panicking - the risk is just so low that if you don't get symptoms, you have nothing to worry about.

I know that you aren't testing based on this encounter alone, but you should know there isn't an "std panel", like there is a cholesterol panel or liver function panel.    Even if you went to your doctor and said "I want to be tested for every STD", that will still vary from doctor to doctor.

Make sure you are at least being tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, NGU/NSU (men), trich (hard to find in testing in men, but easy for women), syphilis, herpes and HIV.    If you've never been vaccinated for hepatitis B, you should talk to your doc about that.

Here are some timelines for testing for these -

Gonorrhea, chlamyda, NGU/NSU, trich - 1 week post exposure

Syphilis - can take up to 1 month-6 weeks - many will test positive before then

Herpes - can take up to 4 months - many will test positive before then

HIV - can take up to 3 months - many will test positive before then

Hepatitis B - up to 3 months  (If you are not an injection drug user, you don't need to worry about hepatitis C - its only transmitted by blood-to-blood contact).

I hope this helps sort some things out.

I agree that people who have unprotected sex should be tested regularly, if for no other reason to know that you are negative now, and should you test positive later, there won't be the big question of how long did you have it, and how many partners do you need to notify.

AJ



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Avatar universal
Why are you acting so hateful? Grace tried to answer your question with the information YOU PROVIDED here.

Also, please know that in order for you to get herpes whitlow, you have to have a way for it to get into your finger. I mean that you would have to have a cut in your finger for it to even be a risk. Futhermore, your partner would have to have herpes to begin with and then she would have to be in an infectious stage.

Sometimes people get pretty freaked out by the event (sexual encounter) which then can bleed into their psyche which, sometimes, turns into a non-productive anxiety. When we see posts from people who have a concern about what appears to be a negligible risk, it is our duty as fellow human beings to point that out.

Logan
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Avatar universal
Oh, for pete's sake, get a grip.
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Avatar universal
Thank you melissa_montellano. I appreciate the information.

As for grace...

I am not panicking.
And I never said she was a walking biohazzard. However, you cannot deny the risk.

Since you felt the need to attempt to come at me sideways in your initial paragraph this I'll say this:

If you had read my original message clearly you'd see that I had already intended, way before I even touched her, to have an STD panel done. My original reasoning for getting tested has nothing to do with this other person. In fact I never said why I even wanted to get tested. However, to cover that "extremely low risk" exposure (just in case since I'm doing it anyway) my question simply asked how much longer I might I need to wait. So before you go making accusatory rhetorical questions regarding my thought process or reasoning re-read the statement and think "Is what I'm typing really helping this person?".

I thank you for the information you eventually provided but you also shot up your credibility in your first paragraph. You may be right, you may not be. I'll just take melissa_montellano's information and search the forum for the other posts as you suggested. Meanwhile you have no idea what the real situation is or was, all you know is what I told you which really wasn't much, so next time I encourage you think and answer carefully because that entire first paragraph was rude unnecessary condescending nonsense and I hope you don't come at other people on here like that. If you do then it's time to turn off your computer.
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101028 tn?1419603004
You are panicking if you feel the need to get tested for std's just after fingering a girl.  So she told you she has herpes so now you think she's a walking biohazzard???  Do you realize that the vast majority of folks who have any sort of std have no idea they have it so they aren't going to tell you? Do you panic this way everytime you have any sort of intimate contact with someone and run out and get tested?

If you do decide that this is something you need to get tested for - I encourage you to go get a baseline herpes blood test now unless you've had one since the last time you were intimate with someone.  Otherwise you need to wait at least a week for bacterial std's and then 3 months for herpes and hiv.  It's a hell of a lot of testing for an incredibly low risk encounter.  Search here on medhelp for HHH/EWH's past replies on the risk from fingering for more opinions.

grace
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Avatar universal
Hi,

Herpetic whitlow or herpes affecting the fingers usually takes about 2-20 days before the manifestations. Usually in the initial stage, you may experience fever and body weakness as well as pain and tingling or burning sensation of the fingers. In the next 7 to 10 days, the vesicles will appear- lesions with clear fluid inside. The lesions usually heal and become crusted in 10-14 days. Once the lesions are completely healed, you are still infectious for about 5-7 days. Afterwhich, the herpes virus may lie inactive in your nerves unless properly treated. There is a 20-50% chance of the lesions coming back (recurrence). However, during recurrences, the symptoms may be  shorter and less severe. It is good of you to think about getting  tested. I hope you go ahead with the plan,  seek medical consult, and take the proper medications.
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Avatar universal
That is not an easy way to get infected. I wouldn't worry about it.
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