I recently was diagnosed with lichen planus in the genital area- However: While trying to diagnose the situation, I have ended up in a big mess of a herpes testing confusion. The same dermatologist who diagnosed the lichen planus had also ordered a blood test for herpes, and recently told me I am positive for both types.
The test was Igg/Igm specific, however the results are these weird titer things:
HSV-1 IgG 1:128
HSv-1 IgM Negative
Method: IFI
HSV-2 IgG 1:256
HSV-2 IgM Negative
Method: IFI
After doing some research, all I found related to this kind of test was this post by Terri Warren saying that the test that uses titers is unreliable due to cross-reactivity problems.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Herpes/...s/show/1107924
So in addition to this allegedly unreliable positive test, I have a negative HSV2 IGG test from Planned Parenthood back in the States which I did about two months before this one.
I know that antibodies take time to develop, however, the negative test (the first one, done in the US) was done a little over three months from my last sexual contact at that time. The only person I have had any sexual contact between the two tests is the same person I had been with for over a year before the first one. He claims he has not been with anyone else, and I do believe him. He's never had any symptoms. We always (literally always) use a condom.
While I suppose it is possible, it seems highly unlikely that I got herpes from him during one of the few times we had safe sex during time between the two tests (currently it's a long distance thing), after not getting it from him during the 18 months we were having sex all the time.
Given the weird situation and the unreliable foreign test...what do I do?
Thanks for any tips, and sorry for the novel.