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I have a questions regarding Herpes outbreaks

I was diagnosed with having herpes last year, to be honestly I didn’t believe it. What I experienced was a small bump near my anus but I didn’t have a bunch of itching or multiple bumps. So I was a little confused.
This happened over a year ago and nothing since until now. What I am experiencing now is the same bump but it’s turn into a sore. It almost looks like an open wound about a inch big and it looks raw. I am concern because it hasn’t healed in over 2 weeks. It’s painful if touched. I am going to have it tested but my appointment isn’t until another week. Is this a normal outbreak?  Could it be something worse ? It’s almost bloody the edges around it are red and it looks like an opening in the skin. I am really worried here. To be honest I didn’t think about be diagnosed last year since I experienced no symptoms. FYI don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I have been straining a lot could this cause a breakout ?
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Avatar universal
I have a question regarding Herpes Scaring ? Is it normal for after having a singular blister, after healing it leaves a scar behind ? I have a scare after the blister healed. It’s a bit concerning.
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7 Comments
Herpes shouldn't scar. How long have you had the scar? You can have a red mark, like you might if you skinned your knee or cut your hand or something, for a time, but it should fade fairly quickly. Within a couple of weeks, of the outbreak healing, you shouldn't be able to tell that it was there.
I have had the scar for about a few weeks, at first I thought it was healing okay and I was going to be left with no scar but then I checked recently and I have a scar. I am just so confused about herpes at this point. It looked like a herpes blister, based on my blood test I was positive for Herpes 2 but based on the PCR culture swab it was negative for herpes 1 & 2. The blister was pretty noticeable if you looked at it. I tested for everything else to be sure and I haven’t had sex with anyone since last year July 2018
Maybe this wasn't a herpes outbreak, but something else. Did the doctor do any other testing on it?

It could have been an infected hair follicle, a staph infection, a hemorrhoid (though I hope your doc can tell the difference between that and herpes), or so many other things. I'm not sure where it is exactly other than near your anus.

Just because you have herpes doesn't mean everything you experience in the genital area will be herpes. Unfortunately, there's all kinds of other stuff that it could have been.  
Hi WorriedGirl106,
Have you had another blood test to see  it it is still positive?
Mavroni -

Once someone has herpes, they will always test positive for it, and will always have the infection. Is there a reason you are asking about this? Her blood test results were clearly positive.
auntiejessi,

I thought the same thing, but it seams
WorriedGirl106 is confused, her PCR test was negative, and was just curious if she found closure, that’s all. I apologize asking in a mean way, that wasn’t my intention
She got her blood test results back, which she posted on Jun 30.

She was confused about what her symptoms were, which might not have been herpes. We don't know what those symptoms were, as she hasn't come back to follow up - you're correct on that. :)

Avatar universal
I thought about my situation and what my doctor said and I feel better about it. This is just a minor skin condition that can be treated when needed. It’s no big deal. I believe I answered my own questions but thank you to all on the site.

The truth is that my doctor may seem a little out there but he is right. Almost everyone already has herpes. It doesn’t matter if it is one or two !! They have it. I don’t need to mention it or worry for anyone else. Most people have herpes and they don’t even know it because they think it is part of  routine testing and if they are negative for everything else they assume they are too for herpes.

People like to pre judge too much. I don’t care for judgement, and there is too much of that going on. It’s shouldn’t be the responsibility of individuals who bother to test and seek answers to be humiliated or rejected by fake negative people.

Look at me for example, I ask all my partners if they have been tested they all say yes and I am negative for everything. Well It’s not negative because some how I got herpes. So it is not my responsibility to advertise to any partner **** since clearly herpes is deemed so minor that doctors don’t routinely test for it. This is why it keeps on spreading and because everyone doesn’t test for it, there are positive people that get to continue to live negative lives with no judgement but judging others.

Assume everyone has herpes because they do, they just don’t know it yet!





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1 Comments
Most STD testing doesn't include herpes blood testing. It's more expensive, and doctors are ignorant. So it's probably not that your partners knew and didn't tell you, but that they didn't know. 90% of those with genital herpes type 2 don't know they have it.

However, only about 20% of the population has genital herpes type 2. Those with hsv1 don't have any protection against type 2, and they really are different.

So your questions, and I'm throwing my experiences in there, too.

1) What is my responsibility to future partners

In my opinion, this probably depends on the partner. If this is someone you want to be with long term, tell. Imagine being with someone for a year, or five. Your partner gets an outbreak, and you've transmitted it. Imagine how betrayed that person would be that you took the ability to make an informed health decision away from them. They may have chosen to be with you, but you'll never know.

If it's a casual hook up - that may be different for you. I don't do casual hook ups - I didn't before herpes. I'm one of those people that can't separate sex from emotion, so I skip the casual. More power to you if you can, and it works for you - no judgement here. A good friend who has herpes just says, "I have genital herpes type 2. The chances of you getting it from me from a one time protected encounter are very, very slim, and I take daily suppressives, and never have sex when I have any symptoms of anything." She's never been turned down.

Then there's the camp that thinks that if you're having casual sex, you are taking on the responsibility of protecting yourself from all STDs, as much as possible, and you are assuming there is a risk in everyone.

I got herpes from a long-term serious relationship with a partner I knew had herpes. He told me, I took the risk. We were together for about 5 years before I got it.

I've told a number of men that I have it. No one - NO ONE - has ever judged me harshly, or even turned me down. I've even used it trying to get men to leave me alone, like, "no dude, you don't want me, I have herpes." It doesn't work.

I am NOT a super model. I'm not thin, or especially attractive. I'm middle aged, and probably look it lol.


2) what if I accidentally pass this to someone could I have legal implications

If you know you have it and don't tell them, and transmit it - maybe. The laws differ from state to state, country to country.


3) how will this change for me medically, will I be treated differently ?

It hasn't changed anything for me. I don't tell all my medical providers. Like - I see no reason for my dentist to know that I have genital herpes, even though it's always on their intake forms. I asked a dentist about that once, and he could tell me no good reason why it was asked. He was stumped, and I enjoyed that. :)  (If someone has oral herpes, I can see why the dentist needs to know.)

Trust me when I say your medical providers have heard way, way worse than you having herpes. I've worked in health care, and in STD clinics. Whatever you say, they've heard worse.

I understand if you live in a small town, where the receptionist at your doctor's office is your cousin's husband's sister, and everyone knows everyone. However, they are bound by confidentiality laws, no matter where you live. They can't even mention that you came in to the office outside of the office, like "Hey, you forgot to sign the form the other day", when you are at a family cookout.

I can see you are angry. That's normal. Take some time to process this before making any firm decisions. Yes, there are people who don't tell. Yes, there are nasty, judgemental jerks out there. There is definitely a stigma.

You have a responsibility to yourself to be the best you that you can be, and to treat others like you'd want to be treated. My approach to telling is to consider what I'd want to be told, and how I'd want to be told. I'd want to make an informed health decision, so I let others make that decision for themselves.

If they choose no, that's okay. Yes, it may hurt, but I choose no for all kinds of reasons, too, that probably hurt them, too. That's what dating is all about. If they react like an ***, then you've learned something very telling about them, and you've dodged a bullet. You don't need anyone who responds like that to something as minor as herpes.

So TL;DR - its all up to you, but if you'd want to be told, I'd suggest telling.  



Avatar universal
Thank you, although I am sad that I am positive for this, I guess it could be worse.
I was mainly concern with spread this to anyone and how harmful it could be if I was pregnant.

On of the things that also was upsetting me is the fact that the GYN Doctor said that there is no need to inform partners if I was positive because everyone has herpes and where it was 1 or 2 it didn’t matter everyone gets it sooner or later. And if they say they are negative it’s because they properly haven’t tested for it.

This worries me because that means that if that person I got it from was told similar advise, they went on to pass it to me.

I do have questions,

1) What is my responsibility to future partners
2) what if I accidentally pass this to someone could I have legal implications
3) how will this change for me medically, will I be treated differently ?


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Avatar universal
I am very concern, just in case I tested for everything else and I am negative but I am worried since my boyfriend is negative HVS2 - Positive HVS1 only gets minor cold sore on lips one every 2 yrs.

I do not want to pass this on to him and I want to have kids in the future.

He tells me that he wants to just assume I am negative and move on but it’s mentally affecting me big time. If I have it maybe it’s mild for me but I don’t know what it could be like for anyone else. The GYN doctor advise me not to take any meds for Herpes and told me because my test is negative.

He also said that eventually everyone gets herpes if they don’t already have it and not to worry because it’s not a big deal.

So confused
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1 Comments
Okay, so the one thing your doctor's office does well is have an app. :)

So the range for positives is anything about a 1.10 is positive. Most experts feel that anything below a 3.5 needs to be confirmed, since that could be a false positive.

You are definitely positive for both.

Now, before you get upset, let me go over some things.

First - transmission rates.

You're female (I'm assuming from your name - if you aren't, let me know, and I'll give you different info), and your partner is male. The stats are based on that.

You both have hsv1. No need to worry about that at all. You can't give each other what you already have.


Ghsv2 transmission, female to male, over the course of a year, assuming sex 2-3 times a week:

Only avoiding sex during an outbreak - 4-5%

Adding condoms OR daily suppression - 2-3%

Adding condoms AND daily suppression - 1-2%

Daily suppression is taking Valtrex or acyclovir every day.


You CAN absolutely have a baby, and deliver it naturally, assuming you don't have an outbreak at the time of delivery. The dangers to baby come in when mom is infected during her 3rd trimester - you're already infected - or she had an outbreak during delivery. Many doctors will put moms on suppressives during the 3rd trimester to prevent this from happening. You can have an absolutely normal pregnancy and delivery.

You can read more about all of this in the herpes handbook. It's written by Terri Warren, who is one of the world's leading experts on herpes. It's free, too. :) https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/

Get a new doctor. Yours is incredibly ill-informed, or he's trying to protect your feelings, which doesn't at all help your health. If you are anywhere near having a baby, you want one who is way more educated about herpes. Take screenshots or print out your test results, and take those to the new doctor.

Don't make decisions for your partner, either. If he's okay with this, let him be okay with it. He's a big boy who can make his own decisions.

Hang in there. It's all going to be okay. We're here for whatever questions you have.



Avatar universal
I received the test results via their medical app ! As follows

Both test were conducted the same day but by different doctors, GYN Doctor told me I do not have herpes and disregard blood test, Primary Doctor told me that Blood test confirms I have herpes.

Test was conducted by Primary Doctor
Blood Test
Test type
Herpes Simplex 1/2 AB IGG
HVS2 Ab IgB Res - 20.30 Index
HVS1 Ab IgB Res- 35.20  index

Test was conducted by GYN Doctor
Swab Test
Test type
HVS1/2 Culture and Typing PCR
Specimen Source -SWAB
HVS1 DNA- Not Detected
HVS2 DNA-Not Detected
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Avatar universal
So I got my Blood herpes blood test back from my new primary doctor. It appear that I am positive for HVS1 & HVS2, Doctor told me that if you are positive for HVS1 that it’s very common for your herpes test Hv2 to get a positive read. That I shouldn’t worry because PCR swab is negative. I am so confused. He also said even if someone had herpes that it’s nothing to worry too much over since most people have herpes and it’s not a big deal. So confused
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1 Comments
Omg I'm confused, too. Your doctor is an idiot.

Can you get a copy of your results?

My guess - and it's just a guess at this point - is that he doesn't know how to read results, or he ordered the wrong test. Or both.

A type specific test will have separate results for each strain, and will look something like:

"IgG HSV1 7.9  
IgG HSV2 12.8". (The numbers will be different, of course.)

A test that isn't type specific reads like "IgG HSV1&2 7.9", and doctors frequently think this means that you have both, when in reality, it means you have type 1 OR type 2, OR possibly both, because the test doesn't look for specific antibodies.  

Also, the combo/non-specific test often just comes back with a "positive", with no numeric value. This is useless, because you can have a false positive on type 2 if you have type 1, but your result on the type 2 would have to be a low positive. Without a numeric value, we can't tell if it's a low positive or not.

So ask your doctor for a copy of the results. You are entitled to this. You may have to sign a release to get them (don't even get me started), but you should always get copies of your lab results for your records.

In the meantime, maybe they can read you the results of the phone and we can start with that.
Avatar universal
I was so excited to hear the good news that I forgot to call back and explore what else this could have been. Now it’s healing Just like that with no scaring ! So confused right but glad at the same time. Will post will blood results as soon as I received them. Keep you posted
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3 Comments
PCR swabs are super sensitive, so I'd be surprised if it's herpes and it didn't pick it up when the sore hadn't healed yet. I'm not saying it couldn't have missed - just that it would be unlikely.

Let us know about your blood test results. Good news so far! :)
Will keep everyone posted on blood results. I also messaged the doctor to see if he could tell me what this is or maybe prescribe something. I am still very confused since it did appear as a lesion/ sore and it had like yellowish not white stuff on top. Wondering if it’s a bacterial infection of some sort.  

Like to also ask a question if anyone can provide answers; how accurate are Regular culture swabs ?  Not PCR swabs

  I have heard that PCR swab are really accurate with detecting herpes virus but what about a regular culture swab. Just curious!  Do they get false positives.
No, regular swabs are likely to give false negatives. When they find it, it's accurate, but they rely so much on the timing, the collection of the sample, etc., that it's often missed.

I'm interested to what your sore was, too. Definitely let me know, please. :)
Avatar universal
When the doctor first viewed it he said it looked like a herpes lesion but he wasn’t 100% sure and wanted to wait for test results before prescribing anything.
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Avatar universal
I received my test results from my GYN Doctor, he said it’s negative for Herpes. They performed a PCR Swab and they didn’t find any herpes. I am still waiting for a blood test for herpes from my primary doctor but so far negative.
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Avatar universal
I am going to the doctor’s tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what are the typical symptoms of herpes ? How long does an outbreak last ? I like to know anyone had an experience like mine ? If I have this sore tested will the test be accurate since I have had the sore for over 2 weeks ? It appears the same since the first day I noticed it
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1 Comments
Most people get blisters with herpes - that's what I get. Some people also describe paper cut like sores. Is that what you have?

Most outbreaks heal within a week or so, give or take. Two weeks is a long time.

Since your sore hasn't changed in two weeks, the testing may be accurate. Ask them to do a PCR swab on it, which is more accurate than the standard culture test. Also ask for a type specific IgG herpes blood test. That won't tell you if this sore is herpes, but it will tell you if you have type 1, type 2, or both. If you have type 2, it's genital. If you have type 1, it could be either oral or genital, and not knowing how you were diagnosed the first time (visual or culture test), it's hard for me to say what the chances are of you having it.

You can have herpes and have sores from other things. Given that you had some symptoms that took you to the doctor, and he/she diagnosed you with herpes, there is at least a chance that you have it. How much of a chance, I can't say.

Good luck at the doctor!
207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
Give your doctor a call and let them know you have a possible herpes outbreak that needs diagnosing, and time is of the essence. Waiting another week isn't going to work. If they can't get you in, go to an Urgent Care or Planned Parenthood, or find an STD clinic near you.

It could be a herpes outbreak, or it could be something else. Two weeks is a long time for not healing, though, if it is herpes.

How were you diagnosed? Did you have any testing done or was it a visual diagnosis? Ask your doctor for a type specific PCR swab and/or a type specific IgG blood test. (The blood test is harder to get in some countries, so at least make sure it's a PCR swab. It's late into the process if it's herpes, so the PCR swab might not be totally accurate, which is why a blood test might help.)

Straining shouldn't cause an outbreak, but this could be a hemorrhoid from straining. Please call your doctor and try to get in sooner.

Let us know what happens.
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