Could it be herpes, if not, what?

[bluebird05]

Years ago (5 or 6) had protected (condom) sex with a "one night stand", vaginal only.  The condom was on properly and did not break.  She appeared healthy but I noticed some scars on her lower legs (shins).  A week or two later I broke out with these red sores only on my shins, no where else.  They didn't ooze pus or anything and didn't appear to be open sores.  They were spread out, not clustered, and were similar to mosquito bites, but red/light red in color.  They didn't hurt but began to itch.  The itch got worse...I mean severe.  I scratched at them for a month, mostly at night, so intense that I even used a screwdriver!  They finally healed over and left scars just like the girl had.  I know herpes is more common with pain and in the mouth/genital area, but could it present itself with itching only and appear on the shins?  Other things started happening:  itchy after shower and at night, severe itching of the scalp, itchy rash on eyelids, itch inside ears, rash on face, rash between toes and fingers, tiny itchy bumps all over body, red itchy (shiny) bumps on chest that don't go away but flare up and itch every few weeks.  It did itch one time for a couple/few weeks under my ball sack, no sores, just raw looking skin that itched.  No discharge from my penis or burning when peeing.  Doctor said it was eczema.  After using creams for all these years I now have to disagree with the doctor.  Three months into my new, current relationship, my girlfriend breaks out with sores on her shins and then goes thru exactly the same problems I did. Only had protected vaginal sex???

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your symptom don't sound at all like herpes.  You might or might not have a genital HSV-2 infection (25% of the population does, regardless of not having symptoms)--but the skin lesions and the other itching and rashes you describe definitely were not due to HSV-1 or HSV-2.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[Adelo]

if the "itch" on your shins lasted more than a month, they are without a doubt not herpes.

[bluebird05]

It healed up in about a month and for years there has been scars that will not go away, this is why I never go out in public with shorts.  Are you saying that if it stopped itching and healed up within a month, it likely is herpes?  Once again, from the beginning I've never experienced ANY pain, only itching.  And all the reading I've done on herpes talks about pain, pain, pain...with possible itching.  As I asked in my post, can herpes present itself for the first time with zero pain, and just a severe itch, worse than poison oak/ivy???

[bob101]

sounds to me like you have scabies..
Scabies can manifest themselves all over your body. Moreover, the fact that you are having the worse itching at night and after a hot shower, tends to lend to the fact that scabies is indeed what you have. Additionally, scabies tend to like damp areas and folds in the skin, including the webbing between your fingers, ect..
If I was in your shoes, I would as my doctor to check for that.. maybe the good doctor has a better explanation..

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

No, herpes cannot cause those symptoms.  Scabies may be possible, but it would be extremely unusual to have persisting symptoms for years.  The obvious need is for you to see a health care provider, perhaps a dermatologist.  You will get no clear answers from a verbal description on any website, so stop trying. That's what real live health care providers are for.

HHH, MD

[bluebird05]

My Doc. looked at my scalp and my body and did not see any scabie bugs or eggs.  She already referred me to a Derm. who agreed with her that it was eczema.  I disagree because eczema is not contagious and my girlfriend came down with it.  When I told the Derm. that my girlfriend caught it from me...it went in one ear and out the other.  If I were perfectly healthy before the "one night stand" and my girlfriend was also before she met me, it has to be a STD or contagious skin disease.  I only wish I knew what it is.  Thanks anyway for your time.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

No, you are wrong.  The fact that your rash came on after a "one night stand" does not by any means indicate you have an STD.  If a dermatolgist said you have eczema, that is what you have; it's onset after the sexual encounter you describe is a coincidence.  Period.

HHH, MD

[bluebird05]

I guess you also are ignoring the fact that my girlfriend came down with the same thing.  Once again, it can't be eczema because eczema is not a contagious disease.  In addition, the initial onset of eczema does not look like red sores the size of dimes which are spread out 10 to 15 per leg, isolated to the shins, and itch severely for one month and then heal up to never bother you again except for one or two that pop up every year or so but are a lot less itchy compared to the initial outbreak.  Also, the Derm. had to look at a result (scars) of a past infection and give his opinion without having an "active" infection to look at.  If you saw a 22 year old girl with red sores all over her shins and otherwise perfectly healthy, I don't think you would agree that it was eczema.  Thanks again for your time.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I'm not ignoring anything.  You confuse coincidence in time with causality, and occurrence of similar conditions in sexual partners as a shared infection.  You further seem to assume that if sex partners share a similar medial problem, it was sexually transmitted.  Spouses both get colds around the same time; it doesn't mean the cold virus was transmitted during sex.

I don't claim to know what you have; only that the symptoms and signs you describe are not those of any known STD and that a dermatologist agreed.

HHH, MD

[itchy itch]

I wanted to tell you that I agree with you about it being herpes. I broke out with red tiny clusters of bumps on the back of my thighs and they were itching. They lasted for 3 weeks and no scars were left. I did get them the following day after having protected sex with some. I went to my doctor and they said that it was not herpes and it appeared as a rash or insect bites and that I need to change my detergent. My doctor also took a culture of them and the culture of the bumps came back neg. I was eventually diagnosed with herpes by a blood test several months later when I had severe itching of the vagina area only.  I am having a break out now ( itching only) and I have a rash on my left eyelid and bumps on my back and chest that flare up. I agree with you are the additional symptoms associated with the herpes virus.

[itchy itch]

I was diagnosed with genital  herpes in April 2006 and the way I was diagnosed was because I had severe itching only in my vaginal area that was so severe it felt as if I had thousands of fleas and a poison ivy manifestations in my vagina. My GYN doctor after being able to conclude that is was not a yeast infection or another std decided to  test me for herpes and it came back positive HSV 2.   It has not been over a year and I am having another severe itching episode that has lasted for over 2 weeks. I have never been on medication for my herpes especially since I do not have ulcers, however my itching is so bad I scratch my vaginal area until it bleeds. I need help... please suggest to me what I can do for this ITCHING.