Pretty sure this is herpes, what do you think??

[porky78]

Hi,

Mmmm i'm on the waiting game but this is having a serious affect on my day to day life. Cant concentrate on what i'm supposed to be doing and what i'm supposed to be doing is pretty damn important and responsible.
Anyway, March 13th i find an open sore on the head of my penis (top of it). I'd been out the night before and was still a little drunk. It was the size of a pea and i cant remember completely if there was little blisters, but if there was it was only 1/4 of the sore that was blistered, rest was open. After that sinking feeling occured and i turned green with fear i got straight in the shower to sober up. On close sober inspection it was an open sore (perhaps blisters burst in the shower), one which in my 30 or so years i have not had before. i put some sudocream on it which by the way stains your bell end but heals up superfast! Now i had masturbated the day before and i remember at one point catching my clothes in between my penis head and foreskin whilst doing it in a fashion that would maybe of scuffed the head. I wouldnt say enough to cause an open lesion but cant be sure.
Now i'm dubious about herpes.
My last new partner (unprotected) was at the begining of Feb meaning 5.5 weeks since exposure which doesnt agree with the normal 2-21 days, but this isnt wrote in stone is it. 5 days later lesion has healed chemcals are built up and i have another "tommy tank" avoiding holding the area on top so held more of the side of penis this time-sorry about the detail but its necessary. This is during the day. That evening i get a little sensation down stairs and hey presto lesion number 2 is there- open with a big red area around it, on the side. Now i crap myself. i go to the clinic in the morning and they do a culture test on the lesion/abrasion. The big red area had subsided in the morning but the lesion is still present. Its not massive but it is a lesion. Doc had trouble spotting it at first, i kept it clean and dry, but once she found it she said "yes, i see what you mean now" Another nurse afterwards who read docs notes said the way she worded it, she thought it was herpes. I contact my last partner and asked her when she last had contact before me. She says 6 months. I tell her to get tested and she does. Blood test IGM and IGG negative. She is eastern block and test was done over there. I get my bloods done on 21st march - negative at 6.5 weeks after last exposure to new partner. My culture comes back negative also but i hear that unless virus is handled properly there is a big chance it wont survive the transport to lab. Prior to sex at beginning of Feb i was in a year long relationship immediately before which was faithfull.
I've got to wait till beginning of May for 3 month mark for another blood test. The sores are so like typical herpes im almost positive it is. Theres no other explanation for open sores like that. Yes i had masturbated before each one appeared but ive never had it before. The only possible thing i can hold onto is that the 7 days prior to first lesion i had stated Champix and had my hep b, tetanus, diptheria and another vaccine, i cant remember which, in the same week. Im on propecia as well. Maybe a fixed drug eruption??
Please any thoughts would be welcome, this is doing my head in waiting and inspecting my penis all the time. I keep getting marks appearing red or dark red round ones some raised some cratered and thinking there going to turn into open sores then after a day they've gone.

My assumption is

1, The girl in feb is lieing about how long since her last contact before me and had recently caught herpes off someone else and passed it to me. I have pressed her about it and she got very upset saying you can ask me as many times as you like but my answer will remain the same. She's got no real reason to lie to me but maybe doesnt want to come across as a player?
2, My year long partner had it and only past it on to me at the very end of our relationship, as luck would have it be.
3, March 11th/12th my female friend (ex from many years ago) slept in the same bed as me 36-48 hours before i had first lesion. We kissed, i never touched her genitals. I cant remember if she touched mine skin to skin or through my boxers. There was definelty no genital to genital contact and no oral anyway but she may have touched my penis with her hand.
Maybe she has it, touched herself then touched my dick, its possible i suppose.

Thanks in advance for your comments

[porky78]

By the way my HSV 2 result was 0.62 at 6 weeks

I found a good link to explain about what and how the test reading comes about. I know there is much conversation about the figures and what they actually mean. I posted it on another popular forum as well to help others.  

http://www.focusdx.com/focus/packageInsert/EL0920G.pdf

Thanks

[porky78]

Thanks Grace, your input is constructive and comforting. I will wait and see what happens in may and get back to the post for a conclusion.

[gracefromHHP]

many things can cause these sorts of symptoms. A negative lesion culture done as soon as you had one done and negative testing on the blood testing further increases the odds that you really don't have herpes going on.  Even though the testing was done early, about 1/2 of folks who contracted herpes will have tested + by then plus the accuracy of the lesion cultures goes up when done that early into things.   It also seems like the doctor had to work to see what you were concerned about when you went for your exam.

My guess is you really don't have herpes to be honest. Continue to follow up on symptoms as you get them.  Don't put anything on your genital area other than soap and water when you wash up either.  the sensitive genital skin often reacts to ointments.  follow up with blood testing later on for peace of mind.

grace

[porky78]

Hi Mistake guy,

Thank you for the reply! I have asked for peoples thoughts on my situtation and given the circumstances. The proof for me that i may have herpes is from the 2 open lesions/sores i have experienced for the first time in my life with no real explanation. I have offered some shots in the dark for people with experience to weigh up for me. im not talking about bumps-
I never had 2 open round lesions before, I have done what i can and got tested as much as i can to date; but as we all know it can take 12 weeks and even longer for a positive blood test. Culture tests are very accurate if they give a positive but are prone to false negatives due to the fragility of the virus and the need for enough of it to be present at the time of sampling. Both of which i have had done

Petal 130, the girl in February was someone i met on holiday and was not my girlfriend. It was a onetime encounter soon after leaving my long term girlfriend, she (the girl on holiday) could have caught the virus recently before me and given to me then got tested 5.5 weeks after having sex with me and still show a negative blood test. I was not inferring that she was lieing about her herpes status at all. What i said was that she could have caught it just before going with me (i.e. lieing about the time frame of her last partner, as she told me it was 6 months prior) and unwittingly passed it onto me then got tested and still be negative. And yes a tommy tank is a reference to masturbating i.e. cockney rhyming slang for: wanking.
I appreciate the replies though and hopefully it is from masturbating, but i very much doubt it. As i said i'm in my 30's and it surely would have occured before now.

[petal130]

I agree with mistakeguy. Also, a visual diagnosis is wrong about a 1/3 of the time. Only proper testing can tell you if it's herpes. Be seen when you have a lesion for a swab/culture (although sounds like it's from masturbating - use lube). I have no idea what tommy tank is btw if that's referring to masturbating.

If your GFs testing was negative and she had no other partners, then obviously she doesn't have herpes to even transmit to you.

Herpes IgG blood testing is accurate 3-4 months post encounter.

Most people don't lie about their herpes status, they typically don't even know they have it!

Also, you won't get herpes from sharing a bed with someone. There's a reason genital herpes is called an STD - you have to have sex to transmit the virus.

[Mistakeguy789]

Well it appears you don't have any questions.  You have assumed you have herpes without any proof.

While it is not written in stone someone that is looking for herpes will see the symptoms within 2-20 days. You won't see herpes the next day.  The virus doesn't transfer from hand to genital contact and yes there are other things like fungal infections that can cause bumps.  Be seen by your provider for a proper work up if you have repeat of symptoms.