Being 100% Sure

[allusernameshavebeentaken]

I have been in a monogamous relationship for about three years. My girlfriend has had herpes since she was fourteen. About a year ago (March), I had an outbreak of about five or six red and white blisters on the shaft of my penis. Not clusters, and not terribly painful, though a bit uncomfortable. There were no other symptoms. Eventually they went away, and did not return. I have been out of the country since last September. My girlfriend came to visit me in February, and after she left I noticed a single red bump on the shaft of my penis. It is pretty much like last time. She was having problems as well, and was diagnosed with vaginitis upon returning to the States. She has not had a herpes outbreak since well before I knew her, but often gets yeast and urinary tract infections. At the time of the outbreak, if that is what it was, I was a bit far from civilization, and testing was not possible. It had cleared up by the time I returned. I had pretty much resigned myself to having herpes.    

I recently had two type HSV-2 blood-test done at a reputable, Western-style clinic here (Nepal), which caters to ex-pats (recommended by the U.S. embassy), and the sample analysed at a lab in India. One test was to detect whether I have herpes and the other to determine how long. Both results came back negative. I am uncertain as to the precise test performed, and am waiting on an email from the clinic to let me know. I had hoped this would bring me peace of mind, but a visit to the doctor here has left me as uncertain as ever.

At any rate, most of this is beside the point. My actual question is not really whether anyone thinks this might be herpes, but rather is it possible to determine with relative certainty through a blood-test whether or not I have genital herpes? If I have outbreaks, they seem quite rare, and I would rather know for certain than wait around for another outbreak (yes, I am a dummy for not getting tested the first time, but...psychological stuff and all). I have read that the Western Blot test is accurate to around 99%, and others similarly accurate.  

Is it not possible to tell whether or not one has genital herpes (with a reasonable degree of certainty)? I just want some closure one way or another.


Thanks for your time.

[allusernameshavebeentaken]

Thank you for your response. I am having further testing done.

[gracefromHHP]

does your gf know if she has hsv1 or hsv2 genitally? if she's never pursued additional testing to know for sure, it's well worth her doing so.  

could this be herpes? it could be but it's hard to tell without being seen when you have symptoms. your description of the testing you had done makes me wonder just what testing you did have done. also if your gf has hsv1 genitally, it appears you didn't test for that?

unfortunately , not quick and easy answers at this point for you.  

grace