Possibility of HSV-2?

24, male, had protected sex in mid july (15th). Noticed small growths that urologist diagnosed as warts. I have read quite a bit of your writings and have come to terms with this...however,  

@ 7 weeks past this encounter, i noticed 7-8 dark red spots/patches at opening of urethra on the glans (glands). no noticeable itching or tingling. did not appear like any previous hsv1 outbreak (i have hsv 1 on mouth) - Blisters did not appear - no fluid like bubbles i'm used to experiencing on my lips. Some spots were patches, others were singular dots. they were quite dark, almost blood red in some spots.

As you know, this would be a non-primary infection since hsv1 already present. I am obviously very concerned, but thoroughly confused by the timing of this encounter. The spots scabbed off and cleared within 3 days with no traces left - can Herpes clear completely from the skin within only 3 days? Can the first outbreak occur 7 weeks later? My hsv1 episodes take 7-8 days to completely disappear.

The further complication results as the outbreak occurred while wearing a bathing suit... it had never chafed me before, but when I wore it again i noticed that if it is rubbed against my penis it can be quite irritative... I just hope I'm not trying to find excuses for what this really is.

I plan to get blood work done @ 3 months - My mind is wandering daily, and the psychological toll is difficult as I know you've seen with others.

So the main question is - what is the likelihood that this is a case of genital herpes (albeit irregular)?

Thanks for your help and input, here and in your other posts... you really help sort out the facts from the myths.

Sincerely - Kapetanaki

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  You have obviously researched the topic and worked to place your symptoms in the context of what you have learned about genital herpes, Thus I suspect it will not surprise you that your description raises no meaningful concern in me that your symptoms are due to HSV.  An initial episode of HSV-2 would not be expected to occur 7 weeks following exposure, would not clear in 3 days and would not appear as the lesions you have described.  While I cannot tell you what the lesions might have been (chaffing is a reasonable possibility, even though you had not experienced it before), I really doubt that this is HSV.  I predict your blood test at 3 months will be negative unless you have not had a test before.  If you have not tested before, your adds of discovering you have HSV-2 are about 1 in 5, just like the rest of the population.  Should the test be positive, that still would not mean that the lesions you described were due to herpes.  Finally, since there is so little to suggest that this was an initial episode of HSV, I see no reason to wait 3 months to get your blood test unless there is something I’ve missed here.  

Hope all this makes sense.  EWH