Waiting for Test Results

[frustrated2012]

I've been having unprotected sex with a man who had been cleared for STD's right before I started seeing him. We've been seeing each other for five months and I've been taking Diane 35 for birth control (and to help with my complexion). Because I take my pills non-stop without having a period, it was weird when two weeks ago I started bleeding lightly. It was every day. Never during the night. Still, I wore sanitary pads every day at work and had sex twice during this time. When it progressed for a week, I took a break from my pill before starting a new pack and then got my period. Two days before it ended, I noticed that my skin was getting irritated around my labia. Because I hadn't been used to wearing pads in quite some months, I figured it was because I had been wearing them now for almost 2.5 weeks. The night before my period ended, I noticed I had some bumps on my labia that didn't hurt when I touched them, but they were uncomfortable.
Within a few days it became unbearable to move, use the washroom, etc. My entire groin was swollen and hurt. Bumps started appearing all around my labia and towards my buttocks. It was so excruciating to urinate that when I finally went to the hospital, the doctor informed me that I had a 'whopper' of a bladder infection. Wasn't surprising since I had a UTI a few months ago. Perhaps the antibiotics I took at the time did not fully clear up the infection.
I urged him to do a swab test of my bumps. They did not release any fluid that I could see, and I checked them every day. I did have some discharge, which smelled quite like the previous time that I had a urinary tract infection. So I was hoping that I had a bladder infection and a yeast infection.
The doctor told me it looked like genital herpes. I had not been feeling more tired than usual, nor did I have any flu-like symptoms in the past few weeks. He gave me nothing for the pain, just a prescription for antibiotics to clear up my bladder infection and he started me on a form of Valtrex to help with my 'genital herpes'.
He sent off the test and I'm due to expect the results soon. However, my partner is now worried, as am I, because he's been cleared of all STD's and he's the only person I've been with without a condom for over a year. I pay close attention and I know he's had no physical outbreaks so I do not believe he has the virus.
Is it possible that my luck just ended up with me having a couple of infections at one time that appeared to be genital herpes?? I'm actually praying that I have a yeast infection. This is my second dose of antiobiotics in just a few months. Could it have been skin irritation mixed with a bladder infection? Could it be a yeast infection from my last dose of medication and a bladder infection? If someone could please ease my mind with any possible other solutions, I would greatly appreciate it!!

[frustrated2012]

Thanks Grace!
He's been pretty great about the whole. I think we're both going to get bloodwork to see what the results say.
He's accepted that it's been more than likely transferred to me orally from himself. Everything is back to normal with us. We just know we have to be quite cautious and aware of what is happening with our bodies.
You've helped so much! I cannot thank you enough :)

[gracefromHHP]

it may or may not show him positive for hsv1 actually. even the best blood tests still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections. Unfortunately odds are that neither of you were ever tested for herpes before this to know who has what. Hard to prevent transmission of something that your own medical provider likely never talked about or tested you for :(  

no, you wouldn't get your own hsv1 oral infection back from performing oral on your partner and then him performing oral sex on you.

could he have had hsv1 genitally and not known it and transmitted it to you? He could but odds are higher that he has it orally and transmitted it to you through oral sex.

[frustrated2012]

Thanks Grace.
I feel pretty much back to normal already. I still have another day or so of my Valtrex left, so I'll finish my prescription and hopefully the doc tells me next week that I'm alright.
I've let my partner know what I know and he's pretty upset that he's the one who had this and didn't know it and then gave it to me.
I'm worried that we don't fully understand it though. He's going to get blood work done, so that should show him being positive for Type 1, right?
Is it at all possible that I was the one with oral Type 1, from when I was a kid, and then after giving it to him through oral sex, that he could have given it to me genitally? It sounds complicated, but I want to rule out as many options as I can. Is this scenario even possible?
Or is it possible that he's had Type 1 genitally and had given it to me this way? Is there any way to really tell if he has been having no symptoms that he can remember?

[gracefromHHP]

hsv1 genitally tends not to reoccur as often. odds are your partner also has it orally and recently transmitted it to you since your ob sounds fairly severe which is typically only with the first ob.

if you aren't feeling almost back to normal in a week, definitely return for testing for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too.  

[frustrated2012]

Thanks Bob! I never thought I'd feel relief today, but you guys have certainly given that to me!!

[bobrope45]

Glad you had an answer. So your partner probably transmitted to you through oral sex. An active cold sore is not required to pass on genital herpes and assymptomatic transmission is very, very common. And many people only catch genital HSV1 while never developing oral symptoms, go figure.

We are assuming that you caught it from your current partner because it seems like you never had symptoms before and because of the multiple sores, which usually indicates a initial infection. Still, it's a good idea for you two to get tested, see where you stand.

Take care and good luck =)

[frustrated2012]

She did return my call just now. She said I can have a copy of the results when I go in for my June 3rd appt. to discuss everything with my doctor. She also told me that it was actually Type 1 that showed up as positive. So I guess that is somewhat of a relief right?
I don't understand how that happened though as my partner and I discussed it last night and neither of us has had a cold sore before. He does have a small cut on his lip that's been an issue all winter because of how unbelievably dry it is here. But we have shared chap stick as well and I haven't had a mouth ulcer or any splitting of my lips.

Bob, you have no idea how much better that makes me feel to know what you said. If it is less likely with Type 1 to pass it on, in case my partner does not have the virus, then that makes me feel a million times better.

I would like to have him still contact his clinic to see what he may have been tested for in December. Perhaps he did pay to have conclusive testing done but didn't know what for. At least then we'll know.

Thanks guys!!! You've been a tremendous help!

[gracefromHHP]

the stats are about the same in canada as the US.  

if you are in canada, your partner and you definitely were never tested for herpes before. you have to pay out of pocket for it if you can even get your provider to order the right testing for you :(  there is a journal post by ottmar here on the forum if you search for it on herpes testing in canada for more help.

[bobrope45]

You can contract HSV1 and HSV2 genitally; nowaways, genital HSV1 is very common due to oral sex practices.

Well, maybe Grace will be able to give you some "canadian numbers", but I suspect that it's probably close to those related to the USA. =)

It's important to know which virus was detected, since the recurrence and shedding pattern is different (HSV2 shed and reoccurs more frequently and many people start suppressive therapy to avoid outbreaks and transmission; HSV1, on the other hand, reoccurs infrequently and sheds much less, so suppressive therapy is usually not recommended).

Typing is also important so that you and your partner can decide what to do to avoid transmission, in case he doesn't have it.

[frustrated2012]

When she returns my call, I'll ask her which type, but I thought HSV2 was the only one you could contract genitally? Am I wrong?
And though the 1 out of 4 makes me feel better, I'm Canadian. haha. Are the statistics as comforting?

[bobrope45]

Was your culture typed for HSV1 or HSV2? If not, ask them to type it while it's still possible. Ask for a copy of your results.

A positive culture with typical symptoms pretty much nails it. But you shouldn't worry about how this affects your relationship at all, not only because it's a very common condition (1 out of 4 americans have it) that ends up being harmless but also because there's a good chance you caught it from your current partner.

As grace said, you both should seek out a type specific blood test and see where you both stand.

[frustrated2012]

I had been calling them for days, but my doctor took a long weekend with the holiday yesterday.
Today I spoke with the receptionist and she told me that the culture test did come back positive. And I hear that it's rare for that to be a false reading. I asked her if I should go for blood work and she said she would consult with my doctor and call me back.
Is it possible that the culture test would show up positive but it is something else? I'm not very hopeful at this point, but I'm concerned of losing my relationship over this. I had never been tested for Herpes so I don't know how long I've had it. And now I'll have to tell him he should check with the clinic that did his STD test to see if they even checked for it, and now he'll need blood work as well.
Not a very happy day around here I don't think.
Thanks for all your help !!

[gracefromHHP]

give them a call and ask if your culture results are back yet. also ask if they also tested for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too. if they didn't, I recommend going back to be seen and getting properly tested for them both.

next time you have breakthrough bleeding on your bc pill, stop it for 4 days and then continue back again on your regular dosing. diane35 has different hormones and can be an issue for some women. if you continue to have a lot of break though bleeding, ,consider switching to a different pill if needed.

odds are that you've never had type specific herpes igg blood testing done on yourself. Why not both you and your partner seek out type specific herpes igg blood testing while it's on your minds so that you know who has what regardless of the results of your culture results?

[gracefromHHP]

please keep all your questions in your own post. thank you.

grace

[frustrated2012]

They did a urine analysis but only told me about my bladder infection.
He only swabbed me for the Herpes test, so I don't think he was considering any other option.

[AlwaysCurious88]

So i pretty much had the same symptoms as thisperson and got the same response, my question is if the test does come back negative what are the other possibilties of what could have caused this symptom, because like frustrated2012 thedoctor i went to was not very helpful at all

[gracefromHHP]

did they also test you for vaginitis when you were seen?

did they do urine testing?

the valacyclovir is valtrex. it works fine for healing herps.  

grace

[frustrated2012]

It certainly didn't heal right away. I was still swollen and quite tender. Most of the pain was probably my bladder infection. But within a few days, the bumps did start to fade. Right now there is no sign that they were even there. I still am a little itchy, and a bit of discharge, but like you say, antibiotics can certainly leave behind a yeast infection.
I can't remember which antibiotic it was, as I've finished my prescription, but my antiviral is a form of Valtrex, valacyclovir. I didn't know until today that it was a form of Valtrex. So I don't know how quickly this helps to heal the symptoms.
My doctor was not very helpful. I told him I was concerned about having herpes and he said it looked like it and then left. Knowing it was a possibility and that I was in pain, on top of having a painful bladder infection, he didn't even offer me anything to relieve the pain. So I'm worried that I'm taking his word for something when so many websites say there are fungal infections and other things that can always be mistaken for herpes. I was after all the one who had to convince him to do a culture test.
I should have asked for a blood test as well at the time, and now it's been almost two weeks since I first noticed a few bumps. I guess only time will tell.
Thanks for the support! :)

[Mistakeguy789]

Herpes testing is only conclusive after 12 weeks from the last sexual encounter (in his case the ex).  So that is a topic that should be discussed later and ensuring the STD status is the best thing you can do if you ask me.  

If this is a recent infection some people can tell if you have a culture done and bloodwork done at the same time.  If the culture comes back positive and your lab work comes back negative then you retest 12 weeks after the encounter and you test positive we would say it is a recent infection.  But this is not perfect.  Half of new infections will test positive by 2 weeks and even our best testing can miss 1 out of 10 HSV infections.  So there is no perfect way to say that the virus infection is recent or not.

The best window time on the culture is 48 hours.  Some can come back positive at your timeframe but there is a high false negative rate on the culture test after 48hrs.  

The typical symptoms are what you explain.  Herpes won't heal in 2 days though that is for sure.  Not sure what medicine you were taking but again even with antivirials the outbreak won't clear up that fast.  While most typical bumps do have fluid some people won't have it that way.  This could have been anything and that is why it's hard to identify herpes without culture/pcr.  Keep us updated and keep asking us questions.

[frustrated2012]

I did advise him that not all general STD exams check for Herpes. I know that him and his ex did get tested the same time and they are supposedly virus-free. But I think before I approach the topic that maybe his test results were not conclusive enough, I'll see what my own culture test says.
I knew that the bleeding was a separate thing altogether. I've actually been putting off a check to make sure I'm cervical cancer free, as my mother had it when she was not much older than myself. But I had hoped that the bumps I had was simply irritation from constant cleaning from that, and then my immediate period.
Regardless as to what my culture test says, I think I will ask for a blood test to check that as well, and I believe my partner will do the same.
Am I right in reading that my culture test should show up positive and my blood work possibly negative if I've caught the virus recently?? I've heard about false negative's because it's early on.
My culture test wasn't taken until about day 4 or 5 after first getting bumps on my labia. The only thing I'm having trouble understanding is that all the research I've done says these bumps should be filled with fluid, and that when they are going away they burst and turn into painful ulcers before healing with new skin. This didn't happen to me at all. The bumps were painful, as was my entire groin, but they went away a few days after taking medication. Is this supposed to happen with herpes if it's being treated? Or is it a sign that it may not be that particular virus??
Thanks for your response!

[Mistakeguy789]

First off sadly unless you or he saw his testing where he had a type specific igg blood test chances are he wasn't tested for herpes.  Most people aren't routinely checked for herpes.  Don't ask why we really don't know why but it is the case.

Your partner should look over his test results and see if he sees something like HSV-1 igg 0.23 HSV-2 igg 0.44 or something like that (the numbers will be different).  If he hasn't it is time to get him checked using a type specific igg test.  But even our best testing still misses 1 out of 10 hsv infections.

Your symptoms do sound questionable and can be herpes related.  The challenge here is a few thing can also be going on like a yeast infection.  As I am sure you know the bleeding isn't something normal with herpes and even though you nice ladies take birth control you still can have a period.  The antibotic also doesn't care about the bacteria much so it can and does kill the good bacteria in our bodies and your ladies do get the yeast infections sometimes after taking antibotics to kill off a UTI.  

A culture for HSV doesn't need liquid as the virus lives on top of the skin.  The best results would be if you had the swab done no later than 48 hours after the bumps started to appear.

Not much more other than waiting for your partner's lab work and your own.