Negative Herpes Test, but???

Hi.  I posted a while back and since then I have went and had a herpes test done.  It came back negative.  Now I am wondering what I could have had at that time.  I had shaved my bikini line and I cut myself.  It didn't really bother me because it wasn't a big cut.  The next day after I shaved I had sex and the cut was burning when I was having sex.  Then the following day, I noticed a rash starting.  The rash spread all over my vagina.  Then I noticed a red spot like a bump around the cut.  A few more came up, but they were really small.  Then I got two on the lips of my vagina.  I know herpes most of the time is a cluster of blisters.  These were single spots here and there.  I waited a couple of days until it got to where it was burning when I went to the bathroom.  After taking some medicine for what I thought was herpes, it got better.  I haven't experienced anything like that again.  No more bumps or sores or whatever they were or anything.  I haven't given anything to my boyfriend.  Between that time and the time I got the results of my test back, I thought I had herpes.  I would obsess any little tingle or itch or anything that I felt down there.  I know when you think you have something, you look for symptoms.  The doctor I saw said it could have been a bacterial infection that just happened to get well on its own even though I was taking Valtrex because my nurse friend thought it was herpes.  I was wondering if there is anything else it could have been?  Got any ideas?  Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Hello again.  Probably a bacterial infection, such as staph or strep--which often are triggered in areas of minor trauma and then spread from there.  Yeast is a possibility but unlikely.  In any case, if it has gone away, I wouldn't worry further about it.  It doesn't sound like any other STD other than herpes, and certainly not typical for that disease.  So the only other issue is the timing of your herpes blood test--which I suspect I commented about last time, but don't remember.  Most of the time the HerpeSelect test is positive within 4-6 weeks, but it can take up to 3 months.  So if you are pretty certain the Valtrex was what made the difference and your blood test was on the early side, to be safe you might want to get tested again.  Otherwise, just let it go; you're fine now.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[leeza415]

I too have had a negative HSV-2 test and I'm still having systoms of boil like blisters in my anal (butt cheeks)area. No other outbreaks anywhere on my body however they are very painful. I did partake in unprotected sex about 5 months ago. I have not had any sex since. I have had both the HSV-2 and a culture of the blisters, both test came back negative. Go figure!