Worried about a friend who can't accept her negative results

[Worriedaboutsomeone]

Hi all,

Firstly a little background - Myself and my partner have had about five partners each and for the most part practice protected sex only about 95% of the time. Anyway, when we started our relationship we got tested and all was fine (However in a standard STD screen, no herpes test was done). Anyway, Neither of us have ever had ANY symptoms or outbreaks in 5 years... She went on the Depo-Provera shot for birth control and after almost a year on it stopped. She experienced bad bleeding, and severe dryness of the genital area.

Anyway, she went to the doctors to see what the go was. She couldn't help but go to several and get differing opinions and some suggested that her symptoms seemed like herpes, however others said that it was just the Depo side effects. She was given Vitamin E creams and all is fine in that regard now...

She went on to get tested for STDs - All clear. Had two swabs taken on two different occasions for herpes, both negative. Had a blood test, which was negative (IGG and IGM). She went to a sexual health doctor, who did another blood test at her request which came back as HSV-2 Detected. The week after, another doctor did another blood test and she got 'Not detected'. A fortnight later, she gets another test and HSV-2 was 'Not detected'.

She has talked to the Sexual health doctor who pretty much drops into our town once a month and he has basically fobbed off all the other tests as rubbish, stating his is the only one that could be right. She has HSV-1 (Cold sores) and when she wanted to discuss her negative results which she brought copies of he basically ignored her and said more or less deal with it. Other doctors told her that having HSV-1 it is possible that it can cross over and give a low reading for HSV-2 and as such be a false positive. The sexual health doctor hasn't even been able to provide a copy of the levels for the detected sample and won't do it even though she asked for it.

Looking at all the test results, including the detected one, all were for IGG and IGM. HSV-1 detected, and all except the one had HSV-2 not detected. She has convinced herself now of the worst, and despite the last two blood tests she had returning a negative result she is just devastated and convinced that the sexual health doctor must have done something different. We have gone through it with a family member who is a nurse and on all the copies of all the tests it's just IGG and IGM tests ordered. Not a Western Blot or anything like that.

I am really unhappy at the minute and I just want to be able to put her mind at ease. She is suffering a bit from anxiety and depression and this really isn't helping at all. I really think she needs to accept the multiple results from her GP which are negative, and stop dwelling on the other doctor. He basically tried to infer that because his tests got sent away they are better. As far as I am aware, all testing must meet a national standard, and if it didn't it wouldn't be used!

Sorry for the long winded rant, but looking for some advice really - Can someone please give us some reassurance that three negative blood tests and two negative swabs outweigh one positive test which happened three blood tests ago?? We have her booked in for some counselling and help on Monday, but she is just not coping and I really want to help her at the minute...

Thanks,

[gracefromHHP]

nope, not better labs out there when it comes to herpes blood testing.  Machines run the tests nowadays, not people and most use the same test.

perhaps have her contact the westover heights clinic and pay for a phone consult with Terri Warren?  She'll need copies of all her test results in front of her for it in order to get the most benefit from it.   Maybe that will finally convince her but definitely she's going to need to follow up on the professional therapy side of it all too to work on her other issues.  

[Worriedaboutsomeone]

Hi Grace and thanks for taking the time to reply. I agree with you 100% - With the existing issues this is just something negative she is focusing on and it is making her so much worse that it kills me to watch. I just can't reason with her, and she is getting checked out every time she has an itch, or a mosquito bite just about. The only answers she gets from associated services like nurses are 'He's a really good sexual health doctor' and 'The lab he uses is better'. I fail to see how out of several different labs and numerous tests coming back, only the positive can be true and the one lab in the country can be relied upon for accurate results! I honestly believe that all the negative results, especially the last two negatives should put her mind at ease, as I don't get how it can be detected one week and not detected in the two following?

Sorry, but this is really hurting me and I just wish I could settle her mind and have her understand that she is in the clear. I really think she could be tested 100 more times and be negative each one, and she'd still believe the positive... '...but he's the sexual health doctor and his lab is supposed to be better... they can't say how though and it's the same test but its supposed to be better so I believe it'. The local providers who gave the positive dismiss any chance of a false positive, despite all the information available... Like I said they wouldn't even look at her tests. It's so hard, I just wish I could make it all better but I can't???? Any advice would be appreciated?

[gracefromHHP]

professional help is a good idea to help her deal with the anxiety and depression issues she has. This is just something she can really focus on with both of those issues and just adds to her distress :(

There are false positive issues and it's not likely at all that she really has hsv2 with all her negative tests. It's far more likely she had a false positive with the one test and it's unfortunate that her provider is being bullheaded and isn't as up to date on herpes testing issues as he should be :(  

have you been tested to know that you are negative too?  

grace