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Avatar universal

ease my anxiety...

background...

i'm a male, i had unprotected oral sex (contact was not very long... 3-4 minutes i would guess) with someone in July. this person isn't a random stranger, but i don't know her exact sexual history.

anyway, all of my STI testing (HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Hep, etc.) came back negative at 8 weeks (*sigh of relief*)

i've not had any bumps/sores/lesions in the 3.5 months since then that would really indicate a genital herpes infection (i have battled HSV1/cold sores all my life), and tested Positive for HSV1 and Negative for HSV2 on Herpeselect IgG at 12 weeks.

last week i did have some pain/aching in my penis, along with frequent and somewhat painful urination, but still no visible sores. i had a urinalysis done and they put me on antibiotics for a possible UTI (results should be back in the next day or so). i also wonder how much of this pain/discomfort may have been in my head, since it sort of lead up to me getting my test results back...

there was no skin on skin genital contact, but she did rub up against my penis with her panties a few times prior to performing oral. from what i've researched, being infected with HSV2 in this way is not very likely, am i correct?

lastly, since I already have HSV1 orally, my chances of getting HSV1 genitally are also greatly reduced from everything i've read?

i plan to do another Herpeselect at 16 weeks, but I would still like some peace of mind i guess...

22 Responses
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101028 tn?1419603004
I agree :)
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Avatar universal
urologist appt yesterday went well...

he didn't find anything out of the ordinary with my prostate, but said my symptoms that i described certainly seem like it could be prostatitis and prescribed me a few weeks of Flomax & Cipro.

at this point, it's 5.5 weeks since this pain/discomfort started, and while it's waxed and waned somewhat, there's only been a few days without any noticeable discomfort in my urethra or perineum...

to me it seems like if what I experienced with the initial aching & burning urination/uretha pain was herpes it shouldn't have persisted this long, does that seem like a reasonable assessment?
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101028 tn?1419603004
no, you need a prescription for acyclovir in the US.  your doctor can just call you in one. to get the $4 price it's acyclovir 200mg, take 5x/day , dispense 30.   you just take 4 at a time - worth it for that price!!!!

abreva only speeds healing of cold sores less than a day sooner than placebo. really not worth the price they charge for that teeny tube.
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Avatar universal
thanks for the acyclovir info!

you can get it without a prescription as well?

prior to this whole "episode", i wasn't very knowledgeable about hsv/cold sores. trust me, i hated buying it, but it did seem to work better than the stuff that was $8-10 ;)

here's hoping my urology appt next Mon goes well
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
both your hsv1 igg's were positive. the changes in results don't really mean much. you could test in another month and have a hsv1 igg of 4.3 or something even - they will fluctuate somewhat.

congrats on being negative for hsv2 so you can move forward :)

abreva doesn't really do much for cold sores actually. It barely got fda approval to say that it speeds the healing of them. Save your money and switch to oral acyclovir which even without insurance you can get for $4, take 800mg 3x/day for 2 days at the very first tingle of a cold sore about to start. Far cheaper and works better!
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Avatar universal
no big surprise here... 16 week test results same as the 12 week ;)


Test Description Result Range Units

HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec163153 <0.91 0.00-0.90 index
Negative 1.09

HSV 1 IgG, Type Spec164899 5.4 0.00-0.90 index
Negative 1.09

i've read numerous times that the numbers are fairly arbitrary, so does the fact that my HSV1 result at 12 weeks was 3.55 and now it's 5.4 have any real bearing/meaning?

because while i never had a positive HSV1 test done to confirm my lifelong cold sores, i know 100% without a question in my mind that i've had them for at least the last 20 years or longer (trust me, i've got the Abreva receipts to prove it ;).
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Avatar universal
Thats good to hear ;)

Thanks Grace!
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101028 tn?1419603004
herpes doesn't cause these sorts of symptoms.
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Avatar universal
still having some dull urethral pain that comes and goes... it doesn't usually hurt while i urinate but at times it does.

also, i feel nerve discomfort towards the head of my penis throughout the day, but worsening at night.

i'm doing my 16 week test tomorrow, but i'm pretty sure the results will come back the same as my 12 week, so i don't know if that's of any real help.

i've got a urologist appointment a week from Monday however.

i know some of this is anxiety, but the general dull/aching feeling in my penis is still hard to ignore at times :(
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I think I had a break through last night with regards to just how much these recent symptoms might be anxiety induced...

I was feeling more urethra pain than I had in a few days while trying to fall asleep, but then I had been listening to some soothing music to try and sleep. Since my mind wasn't hyperfocused on my genitals, I noticed the "pain" wasn't really present. When I thought about it and my focus turned back to "down there", I could honestly feel the tingling/pinched pain in my urethra like earlier...

crazy
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
I wouldn't even repeat the test at 16 weeks.  you didn't contract hsv2 from the encounter in question so don't even waste your money.

return to be seen again for further exam. make sure they manually inspect your prostate too while there.
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Avatar universal
still seem to be experiencing much more frequent urination though too... after nearly 2.5 weeks :(
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
UTI like symptoms and urethral pain cleared up after a couple days of Doxycycline...  still feel it a bit more than usual when i urinate, but hardly anything i'd consider "painful" at this point.

also, i'm pretty sure i've had this patch of wrinkly, brown skin on the underside of my penis for ages (likely from masturbating too much :/), when i inspect it a bit closely it appears to have a bit of a rough (callous?) like texture and what looks like cracks in the skin. it doesn't hurt to the touch whatsoever, nor is it an actual "cut" (i hear people talk about "paper cuts" and herpes, but mostly those are females no?), so I don't really feel like that is anything to worry about, but worth mentioning i suppose. i plan to have a dermatologist look at it eventually.

still have about another week and a half before i can take my 16 week test, but i'm feeling pretty confident the results will be the same as the 12 week one.
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
the few folks online who seem to have had it occur to them, they had just shaved their genital areas right before sex  when their partner had a newly acquired genital hsv1 infection and their partner didn't realize that that was what was going on until a day or two later.
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Avatar universal
thanks grace...

are there any factors that tend to cause that to happen?
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101028 tn?1419603004
you can get hsv1 genitally even after having a well established hsv1 oral infection but the risks of such are incredibly low. Not quite as low as the odds you'd be the big winner in the powerball tonight but close.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
"As to your HSV1, once you have herpes, it's for good. You don't become "re-infected".

you read conflicting reports as to if you can or can't get GHSV1 if you've already had OHSV1 for most of your life, so I guess I was just seeking reassurance.

thanks
Helpful - 0
897535 tn?1295206435
As bobrope said, the incident with the panties was not a risk for herpes or any STD. As to the oral sex, very low risk and in the absence of obvious symptoms, we don't even recommend testing.

As to your HSV1, once you have herpes, it's for good. You don't become "re-infected".

Sluggish and under the weather isn't a symptom of any STD. No other thoughts, move on from STDs being any issue here.
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Avatar universal
urinalysis results came back negative for a UTI...

any other thoughts?

i'm feeling fairly sluggish and under the weather today as well
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Avatar universal
also highly unlikely

if you experience symptoms, be seen by a doctor. otherwise, consider youself free from genital herpes. =)
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Avatar universal
i figured as much, but just seeking peace of mind ;)

thanks!

how about my risk of re-infection of HSV1 since i've had oral HSV1 since childhood? also unlikely?
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Avatar universal
there was no risk from such exposure for HSV2. rubbing against someone's panties won't give you genital herpes.


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