Is this my OB?

So it's been 30 days post-exposure and i've had the tingling/burning feeling on inner thighs and aching testes but no signs of blisters.  Been looking at thighs and rear but I just noticed my hips were kind of burning and I look and see small red dots on each side.  Right at the sides of leg.  The skin around them is normal and a couple of them are slightly raised but mostly blend into the skin(aside from the few that are more reddish).  I'm wondering if I should find a place tomorrow for a swab or wait to see if they turn into anything bigger.

[Verysaddude]

Why do you think its herpes?

[livelihoodlost]

I was with someone who ended up getting a blister 2 days later and an hsv2 positive culture done on it.  The area feels like it's burning just a little and now my inner thighs are getting the pins and needles tingling feeling again.

[Verysaddude]

Well, without anything else...it will be hard for the doctors to diagnose..and  witht he blood test..it will take longer than 30 days to show positive in most cases....however, when I contracted HSV2..I experienced burning/tingling in those same areas and have yet to have a blister...that was in March. I still experience the burning/tingling to this day.

[livelihoodlost]

So this makes day 39.  Over the past couple days I began to notice a few miniscule dots on my thighs far apart from each other.  Well just within the past few hours I feel an actual bump and I see something the size of a mosquito bite, now I've just felt another one a few inches away.  They are slightly red but mostly are skin tone and my thighs feel like a flame is underneath them.  I feel it down to my knee on my left leg and I see a tiny dark dot halfway to behind my knee.  Seems like herpes got me and I let it happen.  I said no and was very nervous and scared but she said it was safe.  Horrible. :(

[yesterdaylife]

Hey, do you have muscle ache? my first symtom when first OB was around my calf, the mucsle was ache..

[gracefromHHP]

This really doesn't sound like it's herpes going on. Sounds like you are spending a lot of time closely examining your genital area and taking notice to every little thing going on more than anything.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

my calf muscle feels like it's getting cold chills, but it doesn't ache.

Grace,

I love your helpful advice, you are so wonderful to give advice and support and I pray that you are right.  I'm just so worried because it seems I got caught in the partners shedding stage as she got a blister 3 days afterwards.  May have been some inside vagina because it stung so much.  I really hope this is not the case and I have returning prostatitis but what else would cause my thighs to feel so warm in various spots.  If anything I hope it's some sort of irritation because the same spot is where I constantly brush/mash my thigh into a table as i'm working with dough.  But in the last 3 years this hasn't really happened before.  I've abstained from sex for 5 1/2 years and I planned to continue out the rest of this year the same way and begin searching for a very long term relationship.  This girl advanced me so fast I was like a deer in headlights.

[livelihoodlost]

My thighs and glutes were burning up real bad a few hours ago, testicle pain was high as well but not so much now as I just had a short light sleep.  Inner thighs near scrotum feel hot and as mentioned above there is a chilly feeling on my left calf muscle.  The small bumps are gone and I still see nothing large.  I am wondering about the skintone bumps on my buttocks though and there are dark skin spots on my hips that seem like something was there and went down.  They are kind of in line with the buttock bumps.  Penis tip burns a little too.  

If it wasn't read before my major concern is because the sex burned my penis and 3 days after the encounter the girl discovered a blister on her labia.  I knew sex shouldn't burn or hurt but she said that since i'm not used to skin on skin, I am having a reaction.  

I think my chances of acquiring it are too high and I really don't know how to cope.

[erik9]

um doesnt sounds like herpes. go see a dermatologist and wait a couple months to get a blood test.  dont worry, its not herpes until it is diagnosed by a doctor.  I thought I had herpes for months and experienced symptoms like yours, turns out I dont have herpes....  see a doctor, it will clear things up

[livelihoodlost]

what ended up being the cause for that then?  

[livelihoodlost]

Hi grace, I just read a reply of yours that most people who have herpes aren't developing obvious sores.  Is this something that's recently becoming more common?  I really, very much so, feel like I have it as my risk seems so high.  What else could bring on all these symptom feelings?  I began experiencing them 2 days post encounter and aside from a handful of random days it's been going constant for about 4 weeks.

[livelihoodlost]

I keep forgetting to ask, does herpes produce an odor?  I read by women that it does but men?

After 2 weeks I noticed a foul bacterial odor from the anus and it's faintly there now.  I wash there often so that was very out of the ordinary.  Even now the skin around my scrotum has a strange scent.  If by some chance this ends up not being herpes, do you know if bacterial prostatitis causes this?

[gracefromHHP]

no it's not recently becoming more common, it's always been the case.

Your symptoms do not sound like herpes. follow up on them with your provider. really not much else we can do for you at this point to be honest unless you get some test results we can help you with.  

grace

[livelihoodlost]

same last question, just wondering what causes this odor

[gracefromHHP]

odor isn't herpes. usually it's fungal or bacterial in nature.

grace

[hopeful111]

Hi Grace - I don't mean to jump in the middle of this, just some clarification which I hope will help out all.

when you say that, yes, it's common for people with herpes to not develop obvious sores...are these usually the same people who are also basically not having any symptoms at all which would lead them to suspect anything is wrong at all?

in other words, if someone is having what they think are prodromal or just symptoms associated with herpes (tingling in genitals, legs, aches) but while having these, there are no obvious sores...is this a different scenario altogether? such that herpes is less likely to be the cause?

more so if these symptoms are ongoing and still no obv sores?

thanks much!

[gracefromHHP]

I think it's important to remember that not everything that goes on in the genital area is due to herpes. billions of other germs out there.

Most of the folks on the boards who are having vague symptoms don't come back as having hsv from the encounter that worries them. Just aches/pains/tingles and no obvious lesions most times ends up being non-herpes related.

grace

[erik9]

I had a yeast infection on my penis.  yes men can get them too......  and I got it from a sex partner.  I had pain, and a red rash that came and went,  finally i got the right diagnosis and treatment,  good luck,  just remember that not everything is herpes

[livelihoodlost]

So if she had an outbreak inside on her vulva or cervix, would she have felt anything at all during intercourse or does that go completely painless?  I sure felt my skin burning up and hurting and I hope it was curable bacteria and not due to the virus.

But if it hsv2 going on I would definitely have the virus now too right?  Just not really breaking out into the blisters you see pictures of.  

[livelihoodlost]

Does contraction seem very high risk?  She broke out 2-3 days later with a blister but I never found out if she had any inside even though it burned my skin.  May I have been infected through viral shedding?

[gracefromHHP]

there's no way to know if she was shedding when she had sex with you.  

grace

[livelihoodlost]

16 weeks will be up 3/11 but for now, is it possible or worth peace of mind to get a swab on these tiny bumps?  They are so miniscule I would guess that fluid won't be in there and I'd be wasting time.  I'm currently feeling "poking" sensations in about the same areas every so often and where I saw the first couple of tiny red dots previously.  One that has alerted me throughout the day looks flat as if it opened and stretched.  Or just shrunk and is flaking off from the edges.

I'm assuming from what I read that risk of infection was very high(she was on birth control) and am thinking I have less than a 30% chance of not having it.  You all help me feel I have an okay shot at being uninfected but it seems as though my body tells me it's already in.  It felt that way directly after the encounter too so that gets at me.

[gracefromHHP]

I think you are obsessing about your genital area at this point. If you are describing miniscule bumps, odds are they aren't herpes and probably are even something normal.

yes the birth control pill has been shown to increase shedding of the virus but not tons more.  It really isn't upping your odds of contracting it all that much.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

Thanks for the input and here's to hoping it's only bacterial.  

[livelihoodlost]

Would a prickly sensation be of concern?  That's been about the only thing going on right now other than paranoia.  I didn't post it last time but it is about the bumps on my rear.  That night I noticed what looked like powder in the seat of my unders.  It would be very hard for flour to get down there I thought and recalled a counselor asking about dry flaky skin.  Next night same thing, yesterday I didn't notice as unders weren't as dark as the previous days, but I did see that the bumps were suddenly gone.  Could they have dried up and flaked off, is that something of herpes?

Now while it could very well be normal, I look about my skin at least once a week and I hadn't seen bumps there before nor the dots on my thighs.  

So i'm wondering and taking a jump ahead, that this could have been a very mild OB and since they are suddenly gone, as well has been tingling/burning, my system has now developed antibodies. That sort of makes sense to me, antibodies come in, symptoms get fought off.  Testicle pain has greatly subdued and not even noticeable so if something bacterial was causing that also that's a bit of a good thing.

I'm just stuck in between possible happiness and paranoia that it's bacterial or herpes.  The former seems more likely since it's what partner has.  But sure, she could have had other bacterial things going on that may be causing this.  And I either didn't get HSV or I have it as well as  bacterias.  It would just make more sense that I'd have had something at the point of contact, shaft.  There was either a very small, painless bump in there because I felt a slight sensation in one spot when pressurized or it was unrelated to herpes.  

[gracefromHHP]

really not anything that you are experiencing that screams herpes. not too much I can do to help you at this point to be honest.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

Yes I know.  Opinions and knowledge help so thank you.  I just can't think of what would cause this sort of reaction since she has herpes.  It's always a thought in my head since these sensations get at me.  Can only wait for testing to be sure.

[livelihoodlost]

So again here are my concerns.  
The anal prickiness had been so annoying last weekend and felt weird so I went to toilet and wiped.  Blood came off, unless some other red substance was there, sure seemed like blood to me.  HIV my mind screamed, left voice mail with the partner about this concern to see if she'd finally contact me back after nearly a month.  She did, she has no other symptoms.  BUT before, she was very vague about her blister she had cultured saying, well it's not huge, it's a blister you know.  No I don't actually.  I figured it was a classic looking thing.  I pushed on her about it because she was being the same way, finally she said it was very tiny. Probably about the size of the tip of a pen.  I'm guessing that and hating myself more because I hate vagueness in people and it seems that's what she's all about.

This made me believe I do have herpes because of the very tiny specks and dots that appeared on my inner thighs and also the small bumps that appeared on my hips and rear end that began this thread.  But you know so much more about it than I do.

SURE, she said hers had a white top indicating the blister appearance and I can't help but think if I had a tiny one of these also on the crease of my thigh/pelvis.  
I feel a light stinging or at least irritation at the base of my spine, my anus still feels a little itchy as does my mid-back.  Felt prickly again in anus monday and reddish fluid came out.  This may be irritation making the skin raw, what else does it seem like?

This can all be unrelated but i've become a bit of a hypocondriac for the time being.  Is it possible to infect my inner ear, if I am infected?  Something in there burned when I washed it last week and hearing became reduced.  Of course all this happened the day after a manager mentioned he has an ear infection.  But it worries me some.  

[livelihoodlost]

forgot to add that I had groin pain over the weekend and in the same area I can feel small bumps but don't see anything, as if it's under the skin.  checking now it seems to feel boney but it's on muscle, on the left side it feels a little long and almost like a thing ring.  could be natural and have nothing to do with this.  just a wonder

[gracefromHHP]

Nothing we can do at this point. follow up on this with your provider as needed.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

Is a light tingly sensation at the base of my spine a sure indicator of herpes at this point?  It started over the weekend just after 9 weeks post exp.  

The bumpiness I felt last post is just groin/thigh bone, cartilage or muscle, whatever is there that stretches when legs are apart.  
As worried as I am I just have to save up and see if I do indeed test positive.  Can't afford to spend on that til I have proof of something to be treated.

[gracefromHHP]

as I previously said, not really anything else we can do to help you at this point. Herpes wouldn't cause a tingling at the spine for 9 weeks.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

The tingling just started friday or saturday and is still going on.  it was noticeable at first but as for most of the time since, it is a cool air sensation even though it is fully covered.

[gracefromHHP]

if you have symptoms, you need seen. nothing else we can do to help you at this point as I've already said.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

For what reason do a few sites say that people with herpes should not use antibacterial soap?  I've been using it ever since I found out the person has it.

[gracefromHHP]

i have no idea why a site would say not to use that kind of soap.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

After 18 weeks and 2 days.  
I expected separated results like hsv 1    #.#  and hsv2  #.#

HSV I/II IgG Rflx I-II Type Sp

HSV I/II IgG           0.2                index 0.0-0.8 01

Negative 1.0

[eatingmypsyche]

Dude, Thank you for the hope, and thank you for returning and posting your results when you didnt really have an incentive to do so.

I dont think you know how much this can mean to people waiting and having your pains.

[eatingmypsyche]

That is, if I read the results right :S They seem a bit unusual or maybe Im just confused.

[Mistakeguy789]

It appears they did a combined test.  I am sure grace will know for sure.

[livelihoodlost]

Yes the cut and paste doesn't seem to post right on here but goes fine through mail.  I'll attempt again.  Alot was cut off and jammed together so here's an edit.
HSV I/II IgG           0.2                index 0.0-0.8
Tests
HSV I/II IgG Rflx I-II Type Sp      Results -  Flags - Units  -  Ref. Interval - Lab
HSV I/II IgG                              0.2                     index     0.0-0.8          01

Negative 1.0

[livelihoodlost]

happened again at the end but it's the range you see all around the forum

Negative 1.0

[livelihoodlost]

okay annoying...  oh i just figured it out, the left-right arrow symbols are cutting out what's in between so i'll write it out.
Negative is less than 0.9
Equivocal 0.9 - 1.0
Positive is greater than 1.0

[gracefromHHP]

combined test and it's negative. the combined test isn't quite as sensitive as the type specific tests but really no reason for you to repeat it.  you've never really had symptoms that sounded like herpes so just put this all to rest now.

grace

[livelihoodlost]

So about 9 days ago I felt something off in the gen area and felt a decent sized bump.  Poked at it through clothing and it didn't seem to sting or itch and when looked at it was near pencil eraser size, assuming it was a whitehead I just squeezed it and thick fluid came out followed by a bit of blood.  There was another one higher up at the top of pubic region and after thinking, oh darn I shouldn't have done that I left the other alone.  Looking at it the next day it was not as large but close to, with a few smaller bumps around.  Throughout the week the skin turned kind of red and itched some.  I've been working a whole lot more in the past month than before and one of my work counters just happens to be the right height that I always rub or grind against it exactly on the affected spot.  I thought I saw a few more bumps but wasn't clear so I carefully shaved the spot, which wasn't good because afterwards I noticed I broke the large one open, no pain at all...if there should be any.
Wondering if it could be an outbreak now after nearly 8 months or if it's some sort of rash or irritation before I go off for a follow up hsv2 spec test.