Outbreak on back of thigh?

[Kklap]

Hello. I have been scouring the web for information and have found this site to be he most helpful, so I thought I'd post my question/scenario here. I am a 32 year old female and over the last 7 months have had unprotected sex with someone who I am not dating. It is strictly an intimate relationship. I never really was concerned about STI's (for whatever dumb reason) until recently. I started to panic about contracting herpes and for the last month and a half have been obsessed by the thought. I literally cannot go a full minute without worrying about this. My symptoms this far have been tingling and numbness in my feet, hands and arms (started 2/13/14) and would come and go. I also had an awful yeast infection at the time (after taking anti-biotics). The yeast infection would not go away, and I went back to the doctor who did a culture of the area (because there was also a red rash near my urethra which I naturally thought was herpes). She said it looked like mild irritation to her and swabbed the area. My results came back that I was again positive for yeast (I also was tested for every STD except I did not get the igg blood test), everything else was negative. Sigh of relief. This was on 3/6/14. Shortly thereafter, my herpes fear came flooding back as well as the tingling. I also got a very mild pinkish rash on my inner thighs, directly across from each other, around where my highs would rub together if I was waking or something. But I've never really gotten it (or noticed it) before. So this sent red flags up for me. I then started feeling a burning sensation in that area after the rash went away (like 2 days it took) and that had me freaking out about prodrome. So at this point, I have experienced the tingling, rash, yeast infections and burning sensations, but never visible sores on or around my genitals. Fast forward to last night and I felt a slight irritation in the crease of my back thigh where it meets my butt and felt a bump!!! I immediately grabbed my mirror (which I have kept handy because I've been checking the "area" multiple times a day) and sure enough there was a little pimple there, with a white head on it. It doesn't hurt, it's just there. I've always gotten acne in these places; however, I can't recall there ever being a white tip on them. On the opposite thigh, I also noticed little red dots, almost like scrapes. They aren't really raised or fluid filled. I am freaking out. I called the doctor and went and got the blood test done this morning, but am obviously waiting on those results. Does this sound like an outbreak to anyone? Thank you!

[Kklap]

So, I just received my results at 12 weeks post exposure and wanted to post them here for anyone who may come across this post in a similar situation. I remain negative for HSV2!! I should take this as conclusive, correct?? I am SO ready to move on and get my life back.

I am still have weird symptoms that come and go but I really want to take these results and believe them. Surely stress and anxiety have gotten the best of me.

Thank you all for the support and all the wise words you post here. I have read almost every post since I came here many weeks ago and all the information is invaluable.

Peace.

~K

[gracefromHHP]

you wouldn't have those symptoms be due to herpes and not have obvious lesions.  

not unusual to have altered sensations from using a vibrator!! It's a lot of rpm's sitting on your skin.  

follow up on your testing at the proper time so you can get the peace of mind to move forward :)

[Kklap]

I'm reposting in my original post so as not to clog the board again with a new thread ....

I'd love some feedback on an issue I'm currently experiencing. This might be graphic, so I apologize in advance .... About a week and a half ago I used my vibrator and only use it externally. Ever since then, in the area on my mons pubis, where part of the vibrator was primarily touching, is kinda itchy, tingly and slightly burns (as of today). I'm still waiting another two weeks to re test (12 weeks) but does this sound like an outbreak or herpes related? Can using a vibrator trigger and outbreak? No sores or lesions; however, I have a small pimple in the mons area where I shave (not near the concerning area). I guess it could be herpes, but it has a whitehead, is very small and painless.

Could this be stress symptoms or herpes related? Again, I'm going to retest in about 2 weeks ...

[Kklap]

Ooooops! Morning! Have I officially over stayed my welcome? Lol. Just curious if anyone was able to read my last post .... I won't bump again, just figured i'd check. Thanks!

[Kklap]

M

[Kklap]

Hi Grace (or Life 360 or Fleetwood or anyone who will listen),

While I still have not gotten any sores or lesions of any kind, I'm having what feels like bruising in my right butt cheek. This has been going for several days if not longer. Yesterday I noticed that my coccyx is slightly tender when I sit down. I have chronic lower back issues and pain and have for some time now. What are the odds, based on everything I've posted and my other symptoms, that this is herpes related or related to my back, from your experience? I just can't seem to shake these thoughts since it seems I'm always having some kind of symptom. These symptoms have been present (moving around different places) since early February.

Thanks! Sorry to be a crazy pain. Just looking for some feedback. Hopefully it's my mind running amuck, but it seems too coincidental.  

[gracefromHHP]

I think I love your doctor :)  I  love my wine!!!

[Kklap]

Thanks, Grace! You're a doll and I appreciate your feedback.

I broke down and called my doctor about the rash and pink dots and she was not impressed, lol. She prescribed me several glasses of wine and assured me that what I was describing did NOT sound like herpes. I think I'm going to take that advice for now .... I need to chill the eff out.

Thanks again everyone!

[gracefromHHP]

herpes won't appear bilaterally at this point. that rash wasn't herpes related.

the chewable probiotic will probably be fine for covering the gi tract if you want to continue to take that instead of culturelle.  easier to take a pill twice a day than to eat plain yogurt 3x/day for a month  - well unless you just really love yogurt...lol  

do you powder your nooks and crannies after you shave? that often helps to give the area some extra tlc.  Our genital skin is covered with hair for a reason - it's delicate skin that needs protected!! Of course no one needs to look like their grandma with 3 inches of hair sticking out the sides so it always needs some basic "landscaping"....lol

sometimes it just totally sucks being female :(  

[Kklap]

Grace, thank you so much for your response! While I DO feel somewhat better about my negative result, I realize there is still risk since it was only 6.5 weeks after my last exposure. I understand I am only 70% in the clear at this point, correct?

Also, I have somewhat ditched the mirror, lol but am still checking the area, unfortunately. Since I received my results I did get a bilateral rash on my bikini line. I had shaved a week prior and it reacted positively when I applied hydrocortisone (sp?) cream, meaning it totally faded and mostly went away. Would herpes have responded this way? Fast forward to today and I now have these little pink dots on either side of my inner thigh. They are not raised and are underneath the skin and are already fading. It's SO weird. It just feels like there is always "something" there. Sigh. Again, I am less stressed than I was several days ago but these additional "symptoms" still cause me concern. Thoughts on these? Does this sounds like normal irritation/razor burn issues? I'm just trying to cover some bases without having to call my doctors office for the 100th time .... they certainly think I'm crazy by this point. I kinda am, and would love to move on.

And thank you for the info on the probiotics. I will def be getting these. I've been taking a chewable probiotic that I got from Target since my last yeast diagnosis and have noticed that it has helped. Any additional help at this point is most welcome, so thanks again!

[gracefromHHP]

you are negative for hsv2.

your hsv1 is positive. whether you can recall obvious cold sores or not in the past, odds are it's an oral infection.   http://www.ashastd.org/std-sti-works/Herpes/oral-herpes.html  has terrific info on oral herpes for more reading.

do your symptoms sound like herpes? no they do not. sounds more like irritation and yeast issues. sometimes once you get them, it's hard to get rid of them.  you would probably benefit from dual probiotic therapy.  culturelle is a product that is good at colonizing the gi tract.  that will help you get "good" bacteria back in your bowels so your body can get back to fighting off overgrowth again. femdophilus by jarrow is a product that has been shown to encourage growth of "good" bacteria in the urogenital tract of females to help with overgrowth of yeast in your genital area. both of them for a month should be very helpful for you.  you can buy both of them on amazon. be sure to store the femdophilus in the fridge.

also be sure to do simple things like go bottomless at home so you get cool drying air to the area to help discourage yeast over growth. avoid simple sugars too - bread, donuts, candy, fruit juices and sodas. they feed the yeast!!  

also PUT DOWN THE MIRROR!!  really, toss it in the trash!!  you are adding to your anxiety by looking at your genital area several times a day!!!  keep yourself busy so you don't have time to obsess like you've been doing. follow up on full std testing at the proper times - gonorrhea and chlamydia after 1 week post encounter, syphilis after 6 weeks, herpes, hiv and hepatitis after 3 months. we don't have good commercially available tests to properly cover the hpv risk.

[Kklap]

Hi again. I received my results and I said I would post them here. My Igg results at 6+ weeks post last exposure are:

HSV1 - 4.79 (positive)
HSV2 - <0.91 (negative)

I asked her for a specific number and she just said it came back as being below the 0.91 number and was negative.

My doctor will officially review my results tomorrow as she is not in today. I will certainly follow up with an additional test later.

Thanks to all for what you do here.

[Skboi384]

"Fever and body aches are a symptom of a new infection." So what type of infection that would be? 2 years i had protected intercourse then few hours later developed painful bump ever since then im experiencing constant tingly and pain in my genital area. Please help thanks  

[Kklap]

You are absolutely right. It was a very stupid thing to do and if I could take it all back I would.

Thanks for all your responses, I appreciate it.

[TiminBoston]

It's not black and white and that's precislely why people keep coming to this site looking for help.  

As I see it, you have 2 things to do in order to stay sane:
1st.  Get those results so that, if negative, you have a baseline for when you go back to repeat testing after 16 weeks of no sex.

2nd.  Either cut this guy off or start using a condom.  Casual sex was probably pretty awesome in the 1960s; but these days it really can't be worth it considering everything you're exposing yourself to each time you get horny around a guy who you know isn't especially invested in your long-term health.

Just my two cents.  I guess if your'e HSV2 positive on this test, you can proceed as usual though.

[Life360_Dave]

Most first time outbreaks occur in the same spot give or take an inch. Yes to just dont fade away.

[Kklap]

And thank you sooooooo much for your responses.

[Kklap]

Okay, but is it possible to have had an initial outbreak and not noticed (like all those asymptomatic people the Internet talks about)? And now I'm having a recurrent outbreak?

Also, the bumps I noticed on my thigh are starting to fade already. Surely herpes doesn't do that, right?? Ahhhhhhh!!! I wish this was black and white! So stressed. :(

[Life360_Dave]

Not really possible unless the back of your thigh made rubbing contact with a herpes sore or shedding area. The first time outbreak would be at point of contact like the genital area.

[Kklap]

Since we've been sleeping together 7 months I suppose that is possible. Could I just have not had an initial outbreak in the genital area???

[Life360_Dave]

continued...also having and out break on the back of your thigh would be considered from an old infection as recent would be at point of contact like your genital area. So if this was herpes sore it would have been contracted more than 5 months or so ago.

[Kklap]

Hi, thanks for your reply! He has not been tested as far as I know and is most likely sleeping with other people. I have set myself up for such failure here but I get that it's too late. I have asked him directly if he may have stds or herpes and he says that he has never experienced anything that would suggest so, but I also know now how misleading this disease can be.

I don't think my doctor swabbed for HSV because she was adamant that the rash did not look at all like herpes and there were no open sores.

Since my last post though, I have noticed 4 little red bumps on my inner thigh. I feel doomed at this point. I don't know if stress is doing this to me or if these are actually something to be concerned about. I guess I'll just have to wait for my results. They don't hurt but who knows. Do herpes sores always hurt or no?

I've had a lot of little bumps come and go since I started stressing about this. I feel so anxious all the time.

I do know it takes like 16 weeks but wanted to get the test done. Since we've been sleeping together for 7 months I figure it wouldn't hurt and I could very well be past the 16 week mark at this point..

Thank you for the responses,getting "out there" is somewhat therapeutic. I'll keep you posted. My results should be ready on Monday or Tuesday.

[Life360_Dave]

Hi, do let us know the test results but does not appear as herpes at all. Herpes sores are not white heads and are not on both side at the same time. Also prodrome is a term used for the who already have outbreaks and is a sign of a new one coming. Prodrome dont come and go without a sore developing. Fever and body aches are a symptom of a new infection.

[TiminBoston]

What about the culture of the area for the yeast?  Did it include HSV?

Did you get the 'pimple' on the crease of your *** swabbed?  I think that wouldve done a good job in helping you determine whether or not you are dealing with HSV.  

Has the guy been tested?  Would you consider asking him?  Is he sleeping with anyone else?  If not then, if you're negative now and he's negative now, you have nothing to worry about (related to HSV).  You know that HSV can take up to 16 weeks to appear in your blood, right?  And that would be from the last possible exposure.

As for your symptoms, I'd say that without the traditional tell-tale cluster of blisters its hard to state that anything looks like herpes.  You don't have those and you've been seen by all the right professionals, none of whom have indicated that it could be herpes.  Which is far from definitive, but it's a good sign.

Waiting for test results sucks, but i think you've done everything else you can to get an answer at this point.  Short of having him test.

Good luck and keep us posted.