Type 1 vs. Type 2

[Kashmir13]

I recently was diagnosed with genital herpes.  I don't know if it's type 1 or type 2 yet.  I will be getting a blood test in a couple more months to find out.  I had unprotected oral sex and protected vaginal sex on the same occassion.  Afterwards, I found out the girl gets a cold sore on her lip once or twice a year (but not during our encounter) and claims to never have had any genital herpes symptoms or outbreaks.  My question is do you think it is more likely that I got genital herpes from her oral type 1 herpes via the unprotected oral sex vs. from the protected vaginal sex (in which case she would have to have genital herpes herself and also be shedding at the time)?  My understanding is that it is a fairly low risk of contracting genital herpes if wearing a condom and there is no outbreak.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[Mistakeguy789]

What I am saying is be seen by a doctor to let them exam your symptoms and let them work on it.  A red scrotum could be from scratching it, heat, or a fungal/bacterial infection.  Not everything that goes on downstairs is or because of herpes :-)

[Kashmir13]

Thank you.  So I guess you are saying that this is not a common or known effect related to herpes?

[Mistakeguy789]

I wouldn't go that far.  Discuss it with a dermatologist.  Your best bet is go down that road with them given their speciality is the skin.  

[Kashmir13]

Not to get too graphic, but is there any evidence out there that would indicate that genital herpes can cause red scrotum syndrome (RSS)?  And if yes, is it permanent or treatable?  I seem to have a mild case (some coloration, a little warm and a only mildly irritated).  My research indicates that it could be from candida / yeast infection but that it is not typically transmitted via sex (not technically an STD).  Nothing out there lists this as a symptom or complication from herpes.  I'm still in the "everything that is going on with my body is related to herpes" stage and I'm driving myself crazy.  Thank you.

[Mistakeguy789]

lysine doesn't work well against herepes.  Its a myth that hasn't been proven outside of the test tube.  Now the vitamin C will help but not going to stop herpes.

You might want to read over www.westoverheights.com they have a great herpes handbook that is free to read.  Has some good info in there.

[Kashmir13]

Grace - thank you once again for your reply and advice.  I am certainly going to work very hard to not to let this get the best of me emotionally or otherwise.  I'm in that uneasy period of wondering how often and how severe my recurrent outbreaks will be.  I believe that I had a fairly mild primary outbreak (only a few blisters/sores with almost no pain, and a swollen lymph node.  Did not feel flu-like at all) and responded very quickly to Valtrex. Even with the seemingly large number of horror stories out there, with millions being infected it would seem that the vast majority of people are not overly impacted by this.

I've started to take 1,000 mg of L-lysine and vitamin C daily to help my immune system, so hopefully that will help.  If you have any other recommendations on vitamins or supplements that have proven helpful with this please let me know.  Thanks again.

[gracefromHHP]

you have to be very careful about what you read. usually the folks who describe long term issues from herpes, just haven't found out what is really causing their symptoms. it's not really anything commonly associated with genital herpes infections in general. long term nerve damage is never an issue from herpes simplex.  in one study we do have that gathered people who were having "issues" from their herpes, all of them had relief while on daily suppressive therapy.  

genital herpes affects the mind far more than it does the body for some folks.  

[Kashmir13]

Grace - On another note, I have been reading about all of the supposed debilitating and chronic pain that some people suffer from due to herpes, like permanent nerve damage, a chronic burning or chaffing feeling on the genitals, etc.  Based on your knowledge and experience, how much of this is based on medical / clinical evidence vs. people just working themselves into an emotional wreck and thinking that everything going on with their body is related to the herpes virus?  

Based on my rudimentary knowledge of how the virus works, it doesn't seem like it would / cause such physical problems.  Obviously, being newly diagnosed I am afraid that I will be one of the unlucky few who have these ongoing issues with herpes.  Any insight / opinion would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[Kashmir13]

Thanks again for your input.  I know we are no psychics here, but again based on my initial description of my encounter and your knowledge in this area, would you suspect this is from the unprotected oral or the protected vaginal sex?  It would seem to me the greater exposure here is the unprotected oral (since she admitted to having a cold sore on her lip a couple times per year) but i also kissed her and that makes me think I would have gotten it orally vs. genitally.  I don't know, just grapsing at straws at this point.

I'm very distraught and disappointed in myself about this.  I spent nearly 5 decades being a good person and in one night i feel like i transformed into a dispicable human being.  Not because of herpes, per se, but because I'm married and had no need / excuse to do this.  Just plain selfish and don't know how i going to live the rest of my life without crushing guilt.  Talk about rolling snake eyes on the first roll of the dice.

[gracefromHHP]

correct but if it's hsv2+, you'll have your answer at least as to type. if it's only hsv1+, you'll need to wait and repeat it again later on to try to see if you were just seroconverting for hsv2 or not.

[Kashmir13]

Thanks - I'll certainly consider that.  It's already been 6 weeks since my encounter so it may possibly be too late to discern if it's a new infection or not, correct?

[gracefromHHP]

odds are that you've never been tested for herpes prior to this. I'd call and get your blood test done this week and then depending on the results, repeat it in a few months if needed.   it's been shown that 1/2 of all presumed newly acquired herpes infections are really just the first obvious recurrence of a prior infection so it's always best to assume nothing as far as your own status.

[Kashmir13]

Thank you for your reply.  She claims that she just did a blood test (after I told her about my situation)and was negative but she is getting tested again in a couple of months because her infection could have been recent also.  

I did not have a blood test yet as I'm pretty sure this is a new infection.  I've never had anything like this before (and i'm 48 and married for many years).  My blood test is scheduled for 2 months from now to give time for antibodies to develop.  My culture was not recent enough to have the lab type it, I'm sure.  

So, based on my description of my encounter do you think it's more probable I got this from the unprotected oral sex vs. the protected vaginal sex?

[gracefromHHP]

any way you can get her to get a type specific herpes igg blood test done to see what her status is?

did you have a blood test yet to see if this is a newly acquired infection for you or not?

if your lesion culture was recent, ask your provider to call the lab to see if they still have it to type it for you. your provider needs to be following CDC herpes testing guidelines and ordering all herpes cultures typed automatically for their patients.

grace