test results false positve ? no symptoms but scared

[locals1983]

PLEASE HELP !

I know that many people are prob feeling or have felt the anxiety and nervousness that I am feeling this instant. I recently came back from living over seas for 3 years. I decided to get the run down of STD tests , including Herpes Simplex 1 and 2 test.

These are my results ...Herpes simplex Virus Type 1 IGG AB : 0.22 IV
                                   Herpes Simplex virus Type 2 IGG AB: 2.04  IV

What do these numbers mean ?  My doctor says that I have been exposed to Herpes Simplex Type 2 . I have never had any symptoms which he described to me, as well as I am a very healthy person inside and out.  Is it possible to have a FALSE POSITIVE ?  SHould I take another test ? Is this number relatively high for the TYPE 2 ?

PLEASE HELP !

Sincerely

The worrier ;)

[Mistakeguy789]

Sure I went through the same thing.  You know this if you reviewed my thread.  I know what it is like.  Hence why I say follow some advice I had to at some point figure out that grace and others that were present knew what they were doing.  So  I tell people to see its time to look elsewhere.  You are such case that I need to be a little firm with and tell you LOOK you have other things going on.  Let's make sure of such anxitey and do something good.

Lucky numbers: 10, 12, 1, 3

The rest are secret.  

[locals1983]

THank you grace for your patience and quick replies to everything .... really appreciate it...

sorry to sound annoying ....

Ill wait get the WB and then let you guys know whats up.... thank you so much for helping since the start.. This site is amazing. ! ;)

[locals1983]

ok ok ok , i know ... anxiety has kinda put me over the edge with this whole thing.... i apologize if I bothered you guys, but didnt you go through the same feelings that I am experiencing right now ?

thanks for the kick in the *** , and I will wait, get the WB , and then post back again in a month or two...

thanks for all your help..

Any lucky numbers ? haha :)

Again,,

thank you

[Mistakeguy789]

Bud you are going in the wrong direction with this.  


I think we have helped you beyond a reasonable doubt.  We can continue to look for answers in redness but really at this point you need to find a provider who is knowledgeable on HSV to help you any further.  The fact remains that you will not really know if it is a herpes blister or not.  Even the top HSV experts will misdiganois HSV.

Redness of the skin could be fungual it could be bacterial.  It could be ANY number of things.  You haven't got a clue and nor would we.  We can't see it and even if we could we won't diagnois you.  

At this point your anxiety is fueling your over looking in this area.  That is not helping you any.  You need to wait just like everyone has told you for the best time for a Western Blot and then do that. You have been answered by this forums 2 best posters both grace and petal.  You have been told what to do and given the best possible suggestions.  Right now you need to unplug and start looking into other things that will prove more useful to you such as a way to get the winning lottery numbers.  Follow the advice you have been given.  

[gracefromHHP]

you can try powdering everything before you go out to exercise or do yard work. It will help absorb sweat and reduce friction.

eucerin cream or aquaphor ointment are both good for the genital area when you get the occassional dryness issue.  

as for what to look for, my advice is if it doesn't hurt or itch, don't look.  herpes presents differently on everyone but typically it's an area that hurts and is red or an itch that is pretty constant for a few days.  

[locals1983]

thanks for getting back to me grace .

what would a herpes blister look like ? I mean lately for about two weeks, I have had redness in the lower gential area, i mean scrotom area. I have shaved down there long time ago, but would a blister not look like where the hair follicals come out? Are the blisters realitively easy to notice. ? I run alot and have been working outside all summer, so of course it gets itchy down there with heat and sweat and all. But would it be really noticeable if I had a blister or something other , that represented an ob? Anyone have any recommendations for kinda dry genital skin... maybe the occasional ichyness come from scrubbing or using to much soap. ?  Since i had my first test " exposure to HSV2 ", I am checking things out a little too much down there.  Since I had the low postive and will retest in a couple of months, I cant stop thinking about an ob or blisters or whatever... thanks for the advice if you can help !

[gracefromHHP]

the changes in your test results are meaningless to be honest. You still have absolutely no accurate answers. you need to wait at this point and repeat your testing at the appropriate time. If at that point you still have low positives like this then enough time has passed to pursue confirmatory testing like a herpes WB.  

the information most of us give out here is well documented and backed with good research.  Anyone who posts inaccurate information is corrected so that folks aren't being led astray. The information we give is the same that Terri Warren, Dr Hook and HHH are also giving - 3 folks heavily involved in std's and herpes in their professional lifetime and up to date on the latest info as well as good friends with the rest of the folks doing most of the herpes research out there.  Your provider is not up to date on herpes testing and needs to expand their knowledge base about it.

grace

[locals1983]

my doctor just called me with the lab results of my second test. My IGG went from a 2.04 to a 2.26. he said that it shows the same results as "exposed" or positive. He said there really isnt any other testing that should be done, since both IGG's showed the same result. Can you shed any light on this situation ? He said that my IGM was negative so he states that this has been in my system for a while.  He said that even though I have never had any symptoms , I must inform all future partners about this , since I can still transmit the virus. He doesnt know this site, as well as didnt really recommend me to test again. Whats your call or any one else recom. anything ? thanks so much !

[locals1983]

my doctor just called me with the lab results of my second test. My IGG went from a 2.04 to a 2.26. he said that it shows the same results as "exposed" or positive. He said there really isnt any other testing that should be done, since both IGG's showed the same result. Can you shed any light on this situation ? He said that my IGM was negative so he states that this has been in my system for a while.  He said that even though I have never had any symptoms , I must inform all future partners about this , since I can still transmit the virus. He doesnt know this site, as well as didnt really recommend me to test again. Whats your call or any one else recom. anything ? thanks so much !

[locals1983]

Dear Grace, my doctor just called me with the lab results of my second test. My IGG went from a 2.04 to a 2.26. he said that it shows the same results as "exposed" or positive. He said there really isnt any other testing that should be done, since both IGG's showed the same result. Can you shed any light on this situation ? He said that my IGM was negative so he states that this has been in my system for a while.  He said that even though I have never had any symptoms , I must inform all future partners about this , since I can still transmit the virus. He doesnt know this site, as well as didnt really recommend me to test again. Whats your call or any one else recom. anything ? thanks so much !

[gracefromHHP]

if this was a newly acquired herpes infection, getting a different result on the repeat test 2 weeks later still isn't really accurate answers.  

A true positive will remain positive though it can vary. you are still in the grey area and really can't get the most accurate answers yet for a few more months.  

grace

[locals1983]

Grace,

my doctor was the one who ordered me to get the test. Since he said there may be a possibilty of a false positive . Thats why i just went and got it done. If the numbers dont really change, then yes of course I would go get the test again. If it was a false positive though, dont the numbers change , would they pretty much stay the same. /?

p.s.

SHould i just shut up and wait ? I dont wanna be an annoying poster or whatnot.. ;)

[gracefromHHP]

you were told to wait and test 3 months after the last time you had sex. you said you had sex in the last month.  Yes, retesting 2 weeks later wasn't the best course of action to get the most accurate results.

grace

[locals1983]

Grace , thanks for getting back to me.  I ll repost with the results. If it was a false positive though wouldnt the number change. ? Was it stupid to take the test again after two weeks ? This site is amazing. So much to learn from this... thank you

[gracefromHHP]

we can play the "what if" game until the cows come home but since you repeated your blood test, at this point just wait until you get your results, post them here and I can help you figure out what to do next. Since your testing was done far too early since the last time you had sex though, your answers are pretty limited to be honest.

grace

[locals1983]

I just got my second blood test IGG for HSV2 abotu an hour ago. If the number changes, i mean goes higher or lower than 2.04 does would that mean that I am still "exposed" ? Would it change since my last test which was 3 weeks ago ? THanks

[locals1983]

THank you so much for all your help,

[ralans]

I know this won't help much and I was as worried about this virus at least as much if not more than you are.  With the other things going on in my life, this seemed like the end of my world.  Needless to say, my world hasn't ended.

I was in a long term relationship with a woman who didn't know she was postive... should she have, yep, but she has an irrational fear of doctors that kept her from testing herself and finding out she had it before she gave it to me.  

BTW, it seems like they do not always test for Herpes when you get a battery of STD tests,  she was tested right after she got divorced for STDs and when I saw the test results from 4 years ago and the test for herpes was not on the list.  Even now, when she went to get tested at the local clinic they did not do a herpes test when they gave her the battery of STD tests...  she had to go back and ask for the herpes test.

Although you normally can not tell when you get the virus,  I think I am pretty sure I know when I got it.  I can be pretty sure I picked up the virus sometime around the end of February since I had my first outbreak about a week or so later.  

My logic for this is that I did a blood test the weekend of the first outbreak and my numbers were something like .40 or so. Very low and considered negative. The doctor, obviously not very well educated or maybe just not caring,  told me I did not have herpes and to go on with my life.  

Given that I had visited this site, I knew a bit more than it appears that he did.  I waited 3 months and re tested and was > than 5.0 for HSV 2.

If you look at my experance,  I had an outbreak and was "technically" negative and 3 months later I was not.  Maybe I didn't have to wait that long but I was really hoping for a miracle.  Use the 16 weeks number from the last sexual contact and test again.

If it comes back positive... really, your life won't end... with 20% or more of the population having this, the odds of someone you meet having it an not knowing is surprisingly high...

I went to therapy over this and some other issues.  My therapists Mother and Sister are both positive and I met a woman off a positive dating site and  also her mother and best friend are positive.  This may be one of the most comon viruses that no one will ever talk about.

Search this site, Dr HHH has some good posts and after reading a couple of his responses, well, he made me feel a bunch better.

[petal130]

If you post on the STD expert's forum, you'll hear from Dr. Hook or Dr. Handsfield that 40% of low positive tests come back as truly negative when tested with the Western Blot or Biokit. Feel free to post there if you want to hear it from a doctor. In the meantime, you clearly need to chill out about it. No one here can possibly tell you if you have herpes, only testing can do that.

[locals1983]

If something was in my system, does the number really make a difference. ?  I mean recent or not. If I was "exposed a long time ago" would that still give the same number ? Am i beating a dead horse right now ? I have been back in the US for one month now, and have had sex since then. Of course with different partners, since my relationship ended when I left overseas. Would something show up that quick ? Honestly from my story ,, do I have this or not ? just from hearing my situation. ? Please dont be annoyed by my anxiety. I know I should just chill and take the test. BUt recently this is all I think about...... WHHHHHHHHY ? !!!!!

[Mistakeguy789]

I do not answer messages in private.  I do this for various reasons but the major one is people come to the forums to learn.  The other is that I provide my help here where others that may be more knowledgeable on the subject can correct me.  Petal and Grace both have quite a bit of knowledge and truly I work I feel best with them looking over to correct me.

To answer your question from my PM.  Petal said what I thought being that she has more experience with helping forum users out and has some real life knowledge I can safely say I will not differ from her.  Nor would I disagree with her, grace, AJ, and a handful of few others.  She suggested it and I back that suggestion 110%.  

If it was I and I was the one facing this I would want to know and take the measures to find out if something was truly accurate or not.  But without knowing when your last sexual encounter was I couldn't help you much.  If it was recent your body could be building the antibodies and in which case yes I would say that you may have a correct positive if the last sexual encounter was more then 16 weeks ago then I would say sure could be a false positive and thus following the advice of petal would be just the steps to take.  

The end all response here is that guessing can be put to bed extremely easy with the right testing at this point.  Should you believe it not worth it then you will not know correctly.  I didn't get a glass ball to look into and find out answers.  

[Mistakeguy789]

For the benefit of others in looking at these forums to answer the question:

You should retest for a western blot or biokit at least 16 weeks after your last possible sexual encounter.  If this time has passed you can speak to your doctor to have a western blot performed or a biokit if one is available in your area. If you do the western blot most national labs will know to send it to the University of Washington.  

[Healthadvisory]

I already answered you in private. please read my post to ease your mind.

[locals1983]

I just have been overseas teaching for 3 years, and as in the past I have had STD and HIV tests once, but since i have not had a physical in a long time, i just decided to get the test done for the sake of knowing. That was my only reason. THanks for the reply. How soon should i get the other test ? ASAP ? thanks !