confused by the doctor's saying

[virtual_patient]

Hi, about 10 days ago i got like 2 ulcers (first they looked more like pimples) around the labia majora. On day 4 i went to see the doc, he gave me erythromycin and a cream. But the pimples appeared more and more... then on day 8 suddenly it stopped and some of the pimples changed into ulcers, so i went back to see the doc again, he gave me acyclovir (i knew that this med is for herpes treatment) then the doc said i possibly got a HSV2. He offered me to take a blood test, on the same day. 3 days later, i got the result, it's negative (both igG and igM tests). But then again, i remember once the doc said that although the result is negative, it's still maybe there is a HSV virus in my blood, coz they spread slowly on the blood circulation/blood vessel. So is it true what the doc said about the virus? and is it possible if the both tests results are negative, then if i took another blood test (maybe 2 or 3 months after the last blood test) the result will be changed into positive?

P.S : my partner took the same test and the result is negative too. If i really infected by HSV2 on my blood, how come i got this diseases?

Thank you

[gracefromHHP]

It stays hsv1 regardless of where it is.  it doesn't change type based on location.

grace

[virtual_patient]

Hi Grace, yea it makes sense, coz i believe me and my partner have no intimate with other person. If i really got HSV2, so it will be a big question mark, where do i get it from. Oh ya, 1 quick question, if HSV1 infected the genital, will it be called as HSV1 or HSV2? Thank you :)

[gracefromHHP]

no, if neither of you are testing positive for herpes on the igg and neither of you have had other partners within the last couple of months, it won't take a few months for the virus to show up on the blood tests.  If you don't have it in the relationship to be transmitted, it won't take several months to show up. if either of you had came into the relationship with hsv2, it would've been reflected on the blood tests you had done. make sense?

if your symptoms reoccur ever, go and be seen and make sure they do a herpes lesion culture if they suspect herpes and not blood tests. that's the only way to pick up on hsv1 genitally accurately if it happens to be the cause of your symptoms.

grace

[virtual_patient]

Grace, thank you for your quick response to my thread. I'm now all good, no more itchiness or blisters... Maybe its bcoz i took Acyclovir ??  Yea both of us are negative, but as what johnt614 said above, the virus will be come up on blood test result after 3 - 4 months for reliable result. So how is your recommendation?
Plus, could you let me know how to prevent to get another HSV2 attack (if i really infected) ? coz as i know, HSV2 will stay on blood forever >.< it makes me paranoid... And if another HSV2 attack comes up, how long will the ulcers/blisters/pimples last?
Thanks :)

[gracefromHHP]

odds are that this was caused by whatever cream you were using or you developed a yeast infection from the antibiotic you were on.   If you still have the rash, go and be seen and get looked at again and more testing done.

If your partner is testing negative on igg for herpes and so are you, no reason to repeat your blood test unless either one of you has had other partners recently. at this point you should be pursuing non-herpes related causes for your symptoms.

grace

[virtual_patient]

@johnt614 : Hi, so i should retake the test at 3rd months ay?

@gracefromHHP : yap, me and my partner took the blood test on the same day, and we're all negative. They don't offer me any other blood test. My partner also did the same check up but the doc said that his genital is also clean, no ulcer/pimples like that.

[gracefromHHP]

So your partner had a type specific herpes igg blood test and it was negative?

You had one too and it was negative.

Odds are then that this is something other than herpes.  Did they do any other testing on you?

grace

[johnt614]

if i am wrong please someone correct me...  i think for blood tests they are only fully reliable at 4 months, but at 3 months they are 99% reliable and at 3-6 weeks about 50% reliable, anything within 3 weeks would not show up.

[virtual_patient]

Sorry i cant find how to edit my previous post, i just want to add some information that  on day 10 all the ulcers and pimples were gone. Is it a real herpes? coz I've read all the symptoms and some scary articles on the internet and found that it maybe a herpes =[
I've been so depressing in the past a week thinking about this diseases. But ya, life must go on...

Thx