positive or negative that is the question

I go to the doctor about every 7 months or so and have test done for STD'S chlamydia,gonorrhea,syphilis,Herpes,Heptitis and HIV.  I always use condoms, very careful as much as possible, single guy and im heterosexual...The only symptoms I have ever had is a slight tingle sensation on my scrotum and a little itching but it goes away just as fast as I noticed it with no medication it usally happens when I don't shower for a day and I have had that for years.. sometimes very, very few I might have a little sharp pain in the shaft of my penis but again it goes away and might only happen for 2 seconds if that... a Few years back I was concern about some small bumps on my penis head and shaft, the doctor said it was pearly penile papules, I did not believe him so I went to a dermatologist and he said it was not herpes but perly penile paules, about 3 weeks ago with no symptoms or problems I went ahead and did my test like normal, came back a week and I was shocked to find out that I was positive for Herpes HSV 2, it was the IGG test,  I told the doctor I had no symptoms, never felt anything, he suggested to do another test , SO  I DID test number two to test for herpes the doctor said he did another  IGG, I did the test and now it came back NEGATIVE, im confused as hell, the doctor called the lab and they suggested to do another test, any word or advice on this...am i negative or positive for Herpes?waiting now for the 3rd test which that lab offered for free... I don't understand this is confusing? any advice?is it possible to get a false negative or false positive also, how do you know which is the right one????

[stillHurting]

You might consider having the Western Blot test done.  Taking a different type of test helps to confirm a positive or negative IgG result.

But yes, false positive and false negatives can both happen.  I'd say, without symptoms and with all of your past negative results, it's most likely a false positive.  Do you have your IgG test number?  I number which is lower is more likely a false positive than a higher number.

[obscuremaiden]

It's my understanding that HerpeSelect test results actually come in ranges. 1.1 is positive. However, there are studies that suggest that anything less than 3 has a high potential to be a false positive. So you may have fallen in that range.

That all said yes, it's possible for false positives and false negatives. These tests are testing for the antibodies not the virus itself. So a negative result means there was not a significant amount of antibodies in your blood at the time the sample was taken. That's why culture tests are the more sure method of testing. However, the Western Blot is supposed to be the gold standard. If you're able to that would give you a final answer.

It's not unheard of for asymptomatic herpes. That is why 90% of people who have it don't know it. Ask your doctor for the actual numbers of your test results.

The other thing you need to look at is your risk factors. Pat on the back for such regular testing btw.  You say you use condoms everytime (another pat on the back) but do you have a lot of different partners? Do you frequently have sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Those are things to take into account. And herpes can be transmitted even with condom use.

Good luck, hopefully number 3 comes back negative too!

[obscuremaiden]

Sorry the brackets I used in the first part of my post were read as HTML code.

It's my understanding that HerpeSelect test results actually come in ranges. Less than .9 is negative. .9-1.1 is equivocal (means you should wait and retest) and greater than 1.1 is positive. However, there are studies that suggest that anything less than 3 has a high potential to be a false positive. So you may have fallen in that range.

[gracefromHHP]

If you can get a copy of your blood test results and post them here I can better help you with this.  Yes indeed there is a false positive range and it very well might be the issue with you since one test was + and the other was negative.

If your doctor uses quest labs and he wants you to retest - you want the herpes inhibition assay test # 17170.  It helps to sort out the false positives.