Aa
Is this herpes?
2 weeks ago I was in the shower and noticed that the area near my vulva (kind of where my leg meets my vulva) was puffy, and there seemed to be a small head on it. I squeezed it gently at first, and there was no pain, and then I squeezed REALLY hard, and it kind of popped, and I kept squeezing, and I think it bled a little. (I have had a "pimple" in this area before, many years ago, which I had popped in the shower, and nothing came of it.)
The next morning, the puffiness was gone, but there was now a bump/blister, with a red spot on it, which looked like trapped blood. I poked at it some, but for the most part left it alone. A few days later, it looked like it had begun to peel a little, but there was still a definite bump, underneath the skin. I had it checked out by a nurse practitioner, and although she initially looked concerned when I talked about the puffiness, once she saw it, she declared that it was 100% not herpes, because herpes does not manifest that way. (although she did not see what it looked like before I squeezed it)
A few days after that visit, the bump seemed mostly unchanged, and I squeezed it again. It popped, but I can't recall the color of the discharge. It took about a day or two to heal, which concerned me, so I made another appointment to see the NP again. By the time I saw her though, the bump had developed a thin red layer of skin/scab over it, and not much could be seen.
A day or so after that, the thin layer of skin/scab came off, and there is still a bump. It is a much smaller bump, and it is red, with what looks like a small head of white on top. It feels halfway between being "on" the skin, and "in" the skin. I took some pictures of it, but am not sure if I can post it here.
I am getting checked out by another NP tomorrow morning (it is impossible to get an actual doctor to see you on such short notice), but I am not confident that I will get an accurate diagnosis - everyone seems so quick to dismiss it as an ingrown hair or sebaceous cyst? I feel like all the squeezing I did caused the skin to thicken, so the herpes blister isn't as "shallow" as it normally would be.
Please help!
The next morning, the puffiness was gone, but there was now a bump/blister, with a red spot on it, which looked like trapped blood. I poked at it some, but for the most part left it alone. A few days later, it looked like it had begun to peel a little, but there was still a definite bump, underneath the skin. I had it checked out by a nurse practitioner, and although she initially looked concerned when I talked about the puffiness, once she saw it, she declared that it was 100% not herpes, because herpes does not manifest that way. (although she did not see what it looked like before I squeezed it)
A few days after that visit, the bump seemed mostly unchanged, and I squeezed it again. It popped, but I can't recall the color of the discharge. It took about a day or two to heal, which concerned me, so I made another appointment to see the NP again. By the time I saw her though, the bump had developed a thin red layer of skin/scab over it, and not much could be seen.
A day or so after that, the thin layer of skin/scab came off, and there is still a bump. It is a much smaller bump, and it is red, with what looks like a small head of white on top. It feels halfway between being "on" the skin, and "in" the skin. I took some pictures of it, but am not sure if I can post it here.
I am getting checked out by another NP tomorrow morning (it is impossible to get an actual doctor to see you on such short notice), but I am not confident that I will get an accurate diagnosis - everyone seems so quick to dismiss it as an ingrown hair or sebaceous cyst? I feel like all the squeezing I did caused the skin to thicken, so the herpes blister isn't as "shallow" as it normally would be.
Please help!
Oh, I also forgot to mention that I also had some unusual vaginal discharge yesterday as well...I passed a very dark (almost black looking) amount of mucus while wiping from using the bathroom. Although I also recently got off of the pill after being on it for 10+ years, and my last period was irregular...
not sure if this is related, but that evening after getting the bump cultured at the doctor's office, I got a migraine headache that lasted for about 3 hours. The day after, had a really low level headache all day. Probably not related, but just wanted to mention it...
Ah ok...
So I went to the NP this morning, and she didn't think it was Herpes, mostly because it wasn't painful. She said she could prick the head though, and gather the fluid inside for a viral test, as well as a bacterial test, in case it is MRSA.
I didn't even really feel the prick of the needle or the squeezing, but I think she may have used some rubbing alcohol on it afterwards, because it started to sting. She said to apply antibacterial ointment like Neosporin on it, which I did.
So now I'm waiting for the test results, which are supposed to take a week...I will update here with the results. Hoping that everything is ok...
So I went to the NP this morning, and she didn't think it was Herpes, mostly because it wasn't painful. She said she could prick the head though, and gather the fluid inside for a viral test, as well as a bacterial test, in case it is MRSA.
I didn't even really feel the prick of the needle or the squeezing, but I think she may have used some rubbing alcohol on it afterwards, because it started to sting. She said to apply antibacterial ointment like Neosporin on it, which I did.
So now I'm waiting for the test results, which are supposed to take a week...I will update here with the results. Hoping that everything is ok...
no way to tell if this would be a newly acquired infection or not based on symptoms.
grace
grace
Hi Grace,
Thanks so much for your help! I'm wondering if it is herpes, does this sound like it's my first outbreak, or were the "pimples" I've had in that same area also outbreaks that I didn't realize? If this is a recurrence, it's a lot worse than anything I've ever experienced before...
Thanks so much for your help! I'm wondering if it is herpes, does this sound like it's my first outbreak, or were the "pimples" I've had in that same area also outbreaks that I didn't realize? If this is a recurrence, it's a lot worse than anything I've ever experienced before...
You can have MRSA infections in the genital area and at this point, your provider should be thinking along those lines. It could be herpes going on but it's more likely something else. picking at this, is one of the worst things you can do!
grace
grace
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
