Paranoid about HSV

Extemely scared that I have HSV. Please help!!

In June 2008 I started a relationship with a man that I worked with, Being the idiot that I am I gave in to temptation and had unprotected sex with him, this was the firs time that I had sex with anyone in 2 years. About 2 days later I delveloped a hard bump to the left on my vagina about where  my thigh and groin meet, right along the line where my panites would run. I assumed it was a shaving bump because I shave almost everyday. The day after I spotted the bump I noticed when I got out of the shower that it appeared that I had cut the top of it off when shaving again. At this point it became painful to the touch. About a week later I had sex with him again. After the sendond time, may 2-3 days after I started to get a burning sensation when I urinated. This latested approximately 4-5 days then went away. At this point I still had the bump that lasted about another week or two after the burning. The cleared up but left a scare. the entire episode lasted about 3 weeks.  
   In Jan of 2009 after having oral sex, in the same general area I got what looked like a patch of raw skin. Never any bumbs just a small penny sized area of painful raw skin. I atrributed this to the fact that by boyfriend at the time did not shave for a few days and just irritated my skin. I also had a smaller spot of raw skin on the right side in the same exact area. This lasted for about a month then finally cleared up also leaving a scar.
   Now about 4 days ago I started getting what felt like another rash in the area on my left side. there is a small red, irritated patch of skin in the same general area that the other 2 were. I have started to freak out a little about this and am constantlly messing with it to see if it has bumps. Never any blisters with any of them. I see a dr in a week but could not wait that long!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum. there are two thoughts that come to mind as I read your post.   I wil share both with you.  

First, let's discuss the various symptoms that you've experienced over that past two years.  In each case you have a very good alternate explanation for the lesion/sore area that you describe and in each case the lesions you describe do not really sound typical of herpes.  In several instances the lesions appeared very soon after having a sexual exposure, this is not typical of HSV which typically occurs 4-10 days after an exposure.  In addition, in each case, the lesions you describe really do not sound much like HSV either.  Finally, with regard to the lymph node swelling that you experienced, that is not a reason for concern.  Lymph node swelling is a non-specific reaction to any number of different irritations and should not lead you to immediately be concerned about HSV.

The second perspective I have on this is what if you do do have HSV.  It is not the end of the world and is certainly not something to spend a lot of energy worry about.  .  The disease is common with HSV-1 being present in over 60% of adults and HSV-2 (the virus which causes most genital herpes) being present in about 1 in 5 Americans. Having herpes, while a concern is very manageable.  This is not to say that you shouldn't be concerned about taking steps to avoid HSV but more to try to influence the way that you do this.  The proper steps to avoid HSV and, for that matter, all other STDs are several.  these include-1.  Ask you partner if they have any STDs, including herpes and cold sores.  If they do, you need to be extra cautious about condom use, etc. and 2.  Use barrier contraceptives, i.e. condoms which are highly effective at preventing transmission of all STDs. While neither of these assures that you might not get HSV or some other STD, they certainly are helpful.

Finally a comment about testing.  If you choose to have a type specific blood test to find out if you have had HSV, please remember that for starters, tests are often positive.  By that I mean that over 50% of adults have HSV from cold sores and similar problems that they may not even be aware of.  Similarly, about 20% of adults have HSV-2 but are unaware of it.  Thus if you get tested (and I would not recommend it in your case – low yield and confusing), realize as well that the results will not tell you where your infection is on your body, how long you have had it, or who gave it to you.

I hope my comments help.  EWH

[renee6]

I also wanted to add to this that with each time this has happened I have had a swollen and tener lymph node in my groin, this has made the freaking out now worse because of what I have read online about that being associated with herpes. So sorry for the lengthy post!

[renee6]

Thank you so much Dr Hook for taking the time to respond. After reading what you have posted I thought back and realized that all the symptoms that I thought I had were not really any cause for alarm. I got fixated on the fear of it and didnt really look at what my body was actually doing and saw what I feared instead. I am going to try my best to keep that out of my mind!. Thank you again, u may not realize the help you give people here in easing their minds but it is very much appreciated.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Glad to help.  Take care.  EWH