herpetic whitlow

[confused4567]

I am wondering if the blister that I recently had on my middle finger, right above the middle knuckle, was herpes whitlow? Two weeks ago I engaged in mutual masturbation and protected sex with a girl I don't know all that well. My concern is that this event could have given me some form of herpes. Two weeks after potential exposure, the skin above the middle joint on my middle finger being quite itchy. I itched it fairly vigorously and the next day I noticed that I had developed a cigar shaped water blister about an 1/8 of an inch wide and a half an inch long, parallel with my other fingers, where the itch had been. The blister was clear and not all that 'puffy', and the area around it was not really swollen or overly enflamed. It appeared to be one main water blister with possibly a few smaller blisters on the top and bottom of it, but it was hard to tell though if it was one main blister or multiple blisters combined into one. Regardless, the next evening, without thinking about it, my finger itched and I accidentally took the skin right off of my blister. The resulting skin, looked like the tender red skin you would expect to see after losing the top layer skin. I haven't experienced any nasty ulceration like what you see in pictures but the skin where the blister was is still red, just slightly cracked, and slightly sore from what I perceive to be dry cracked skin. So from the itching that led to the blister till now 4 days have elapsed. For the most part the area is dry and enough time has elapsed that I don't think it would do me any good to try to have it cultured. My questions are this, (and I realize this is very difficult to determine over the internet) 1) do my symptoms sound like herpetic whitlow, 2) I haven't had any genital bumps or blisters show up, but assuming this was herpes whitlow on my finger caused by HSV2 should I assume I got it genitally as well. Finally, if I were to have a blood test performed at three months and it came back positive for HSV 2 would there be any way to distinguish if I had it genitally or just on my finger? Thanks so much!

[confused4567]

Touché. I am overanalyzing this. I just know that one is most likely to get symptoms within the first few weeks so I have been scrutinizing the area. Is it safe to say that if I were to develop symptoms they would be something that I would be clearly aware of as opposed to having to hunt and search for them?
Thanks!

[gracefromHHP]

think you bought  a ticket on the crazy train at this point don't you?

[confused4567]

Hi grace, first off I want to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, your responses have helped my stress levels immensely. I do, however, have a couple more areas of concern that I would like to ask you about. First, for the last 2-3 days I have been experiencing an itching/slight discomfort feeling on the left side of my penis, primarily where the shaft meets the scrotum. I have examined this area closely numerous times but have yet to see any blisters or open sores or anything of the sort. Also, I noticed a little rash of patches of red skin on my left thigh by the crease but there aren't any blisters or open sores with it either. (I do have dry skin and develop eczema at times). Do either of these things suggest herpes to you? I know that I have OCD when it comes to my fears of acquiring an STD and part of that is my constantly checking for symptoms. Some of Dr. Hansfields posts suggest that if a person does develop symptoms for an initial herpes outbreak that they tend to follow the "classical" progression of symptoms. He also suggests that people are not so much assymptomatic as they are misinformed about or unconcerned about the symptoms they develop. If this is indeed true and if I dont develop any blisters that develop into ulcers can I assume that I did not catch anything? Can I assume this to the point that I can enter into a relationship without worrying about potentially spreading anything? Thanks so much for your time!

[gracefromHHP]

sure is :)

[confused4567]

Hi Grace, this morning when I woke up another little bump had become clearly visible so I went to the Dr. this afternoon. He said the two little bumps were just irritated sebaceous glands and that they were nothing to worry about. I asked if it could possibly be herpes and he seemed quite confident that he thought not. So after receiving this diagnosis and assuming that these two bumps don't develop into sores or ulcers, is it reasonable for me to just let this go at this point then?

[gracefromHHP]

glad you are finally getting answers :)

if you suspect herpes, within 48 hours of the appearance of symptoms is the best time to be seen. doesn't sound like it's herpes at this point but should it get worse, by all means be seen.

best to cover your bases with chlamydia and gonorrhea testing a  week post encounter since the condom broke. those are the 2 most likely std's and pretty easy to test for - just pee in a cup .

[confused4567]

Hi Grace, I was seen by a doctor like you recommended for both of the issues that I asked you about and was informed by the doctor that I have dyshydrotic eczema, skin irritation, and skin tags. Naturally I was very pleased to learn that!

This halloween weekend, on Saturday evening to be exact, I engaged in a foolish drunken sexual interaction with a girl that I only slightly know. Before we had sex she told me that she didn't have herpes but I also know that a lot of people don't know that they have it. The sex started off being protected but the condom broke some time during intercourse. We also engaged in unprotected oral sex. Monday morning I noticed what appeared to be a zit on my lip. I applied pressure to the area and a whitehead looking substance came out. Since the whitehead came out I assumed that it was only a pimple. However, this morning I noticed a very small red bump near the tip of my penis. It is around a millimeter in diameter and its possible that there are one or two more in the area but they are so small that I can't tell if they are actually there or not. Also, I should mention that I am experiencing no pain or itching in the area. I am going to go to the doctor for this but I am curious as to when the best time to do so is? It doesn't look like there is anything  to culture at this point, so I am planning on waiting to see if this bursts before I am seen. Is this strategy advisable? Also, and I know its hard to say, but does a symptom like I described strongly suggest herpes? Thanks for your time, I really appreciate it.

[gracefromHHP]

these could be skin tags, warts or something else going on. best thing to do is to be seen for a proper exam for better answers.

[confused4567]

Hi grace, I have a new question for you. I recently discovered, ( on friday) two or 3 fleshy  pertrubrances on my pelvis, a little above the shaft of my penis. They are quite small, and are almost flush with the surrounding skin. I didnt call them blisters because they dont really look like blisters to me. The skin immediately surrounding them appears to be just slightly red. Also, i haven't noticed any change in them since I first noticed them friday afternoon. They were so small that when I first saw one of them, I had to shave the area in order to see if they were really there. After shaving, I could see two, maybe three of these barely raised white patches of skin.  I happen to be closely searching the area that day due to the weird blister I asked you about earlier that I thought might be whitlow. The reason why I mention that is that I don't know if these just developed or if they had been there for a while. I already have on a different area of my pelvis what a doctor diagnosed as a skin tag but these dont really resemble it all that much. So after saying all that, my questions are these, 1, does this sound like herpes to you at all, 2, as nothing has burst is there any point in seeing a doctor now? Thank you!

[gracefromHHP]

most people who have whitlow, say it hurts like a s.o.b.

since the blister is popped, nothing you can do at this point. should it reoccur, be seen promptly for it.

grace