Aa
hsv2 non typical- need some direction
I had my HSV2 primary otbk (genital) with Meningitis or Encephalitis (no tests) '05- high fever, light sensitive, confusion, stiff neck, flu like symptoms. After genital otbks with blisters on forehead. Yr later g otbks turned to g neuralgia & rash on skin. Rash looked like the number 9- anywhere from 2"-10" in length & presented on both ankles & under eye (orbital). This has happened at least 30+ Xs. GP said viral rash. Recent period of pain in discs from lubar to cervical spine with pins and needles in my legs + incontinence. I do have an injury to my lumbar spine so GP thought I had spondylothesis. That disc pain has subsided for now. Now with g neuralgia I have fever/pain in my spine/stabbing pain & blister at that location, including arms & trigerminal nerve. neg for HSV1. A wk ago, severe pain in the nerve in my leg. Next day I woke up with flu/stiff neck, and a few hrs later had blisters on my neck, face, scalp & chest. I also have cloudy urine and am starting to feel a bladder infection. A few days on 1mg valtrex (acyclovir didn't seem to be working so I switched), lysine, and herbal immune system support and my face & scalp are covered in small blisters. Also, I have cognitive issues from time to time. Plus I'm very irritable, and anxious. I did have cognitive changes the day before my p outbreak- it was noteable.
My questions are:
1) Does this sound like anything other than HSV2?
2) If I did get HSV2 in my brain during my primary outbreak is there any way to tell now, 3 yrs later.
3) With the virus on the move could I be reactivating or making matters in my brain worse?
4) What kind of doc to I need to see. A infectious disease doc?
5) If I'm on a high dose of antivirals will the virus be detectable when blisters are tested.
Thanks
harris333
My questions are:
1) Does this sound like anything other than HSV2?
2) If I did get HSV2 in my brain during my primary outbreak is there any way to tell now, 3 yrs later.
3) With the virus on the move could I be reactivating or making matters in my brain worse?
4) What kind of doc to I need to see. A infectious disease doc?
5) If I'm on a high dose of antivirals will the virus be detectable when blisters are tested.
Thanks
harris333
I understand about the testing. I thought maybe i self inoculated or something. It's just getting an app when the blisters active on my skin. Last few times I went to the derm the blisters were on the dry side & they didn't think the test would be conclusive. I have to start working with some offices that will work with me. I'm getting lost in the system. Thanks for taking the time. You've helped me a lot! I'll start with the ID doctor.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
If "positive for HSV-2" was a culture or PCR test from a lesion, it is solid evidence of HSV-2 as the cause of that lesion. If a positive blood test for HSV-2, it means you had an HSV-2 infection at one time or another, but doesn't necessarily explain any particular symptom. However, 3 years ago, many labs still were using older, non-type specific blood tests that did not reliably distinguish HSV-1 from HSV-2. If the nature of the test isn't certain, repeat testing might be something that an ID specialist would recommend.
I doubt the facial skin lesions were due to HSV-2, unless they were cultured and found positive for the virus.
It's fine to follow up with your orthopedist, if you have confidence he is on top of these issues, as well as seeing an ID specialist. In general, however, most orthopedists are less likely to be on top of these issues as a neurologist would.
I doubt the facial skin lesions were due to HSV-2, unless they were cultured and found positive for the virus.
It's fine to follow up with your orthopedist, if you have confidence he is on top of these issues, as well as seeing an ID specialist. In general, however, most orthopedists are less likely to be on top of these issues as a neurologist would.
Thanks for your comments.
I did test positive for HSV2 & being sick during my initial outbreak was not handled well & I fell through the cracks on a Friday afternoon. By Friday midnight I was toast. Your correct, I think my current symptoms warrant an Infectious Disease Dr.. Initially, I would get blisters on my face with my genital outbreaks. My genital outbreaks subsided for a while and I would feel only the nerve pain/tingling sensation in my genital area but would get the blisters on my face. This happened countless times. My new orthopedic surgeon suspected demylenation and I need to go for the MRIs. I really need somene to run tests & be in charge. My existing back problems threw people off. I had stabbing pain in my trigerminal nerve/neck pain/soar throat/fever and a few hours later a blister on the side of my tongue. The same GP I mention above didn't do a culture (so frustrating). She tested me for HSV1. I just feel that I have new outbreaks in new locations since I started having a lot of pain in my spine. I'll follow up with an infectious disease dr. & ortho pod or neurologist. This has just been very frusting from day one.....and we all know stress doesn't help.....ohm. Thanks for your advice.
I did test positive for HSV2 & being sick during my initial outbreak was not handled well & I fell through the cracks on a Friday afternoon. By Friday midnight I was toast. Your correct, I think my current symptoms warrant an Infectious Disease Dr.. Initially, I would get blisters on my face with my genital outbreaks. My genital outbreaks subsided for a while and I would feel only the nerve pain/tingling sensation in my genital area but would get the blisters on my face. This happened countless times. My new orthopedic surgeon suspected demylenation and I need to go for the MRIs. I really need somene to run tests & be in charge. My existing back problems threw people off. I had stabbing pain in my trigerminal nerve/neck pain/soar throat/fever and a few hours later a blister on the side of my tongue. The same GP I mention above didn't do a culture (so frustrating). She tested me for HSV1. I just feel that I have new outbreaks in new locations since I started having a lot of pain in my spine. I'll follow up with an infectious disease dr. & ortho pod or neurologist. This has just been very frusting from day one.....and we all know stress doesn't help.....ohm. Thanks for your advice.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Given the complex situation, surely you have seen health care providers about these issues, probably more than one. Direct personal care is far more useful in medically complex and atypical cases than the opinion of a distant online expert. If you have not been under the care of a neurologist and/or infectious diseases specialist, you definitely need to do that. Ideally both specialties probably should be involved and coordinate their evaluations and recommendations. And you should trust their diagnoses and follow their recommendations.
Now to the specific questions:
1) Your description of the initial illness isn't clear to me. Did you have genital lesions that a provider thought were herpes? If so, then HSV-2 meningitis -- which is rare but can accompany initial genital infection -- sounds like a good bet. On the other hand, if there were no evidence of typical genital herpes, there is no reason to attribute the meningitis symptoms to HSV. A large number of other conditions cause identical illnesses. It is a shame that diagnostic tests were not done; that was a serious error in somebody's medical judgment.
However, nothing else that you describe sounds like anything related at all to HSV-2. Whether or not that initial problem was genital and/or a central nervous system HSV-2 infection, it seems very clear that something else (perhaps more than one condition) explain just about everything else. HSV-2 cannot caues the scalp blisters you describe; even if there were atypical locasions for HSV-2 outbreaks, each such outbreak would be very localized (e.g., a patch no bigger than a quarter) and would clear up within 2 weeks before another outbreak occurred; and such outbreaks would occur no more often than every 4-6 weeks. Most of your other symptoms also don't hint at herpes. And lack of response to acyclovir is strong evidence against HSV as the cause. (By the way, lysine is quackery. Even if you had HSV, it wouldn't make any difference.)
2) There is no test for past HSV-2 infection of the central nervous system. However, if you were to have recurrence of the same symptoms -- fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity of the eyes to light -- a spinal tap could be done during the illness. If that illness were due to HSV-2, the virus would show up in spinal fluid by PCR testing. And that, in turn, would make it pretty certain that the same thing explained the initial illness.
3) There is no such thing as HSV-2 "being on the move". It does not travel through the body to infect distant sites in a way that could explain your symptoms. It just never happens. This is one of the main reasons I am convinced that HSV-2 is not your main problem at this point, whether or not it ever was a problem.
4) Probably best to start with an ID specialist, then follow his or her advice about whether a neurology consultation also would be useful.
5) You should not be on any antiviral drugs at all unless/until the diagnosis of HSV-2 is more certain than it is now.
Bottom line: You may or may not have had an initial HSV-2 infection that included viral meningitis. Regardless of whether or not you did, HSV-2 is not the cause of any of the ongoing medical problems you describe. See a proper specialist then follow his or her advice.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Now to the specific questions:
1) Your description of the initial illness isn't clear to me. Did you have genital lesions that a provider thought were herpes? If so, then HSV-2 meningitis -- which is rare but can accompany initial genital infection -- sounds like a good bet. On the other hand, if there were no evidence of typical genital herpes, there is no reason to attribute the meningitis symptoms to HSV. A large number of other conditions cause identical illnesses. It is a shame that diagnostic tests were not done; that was a serious error in somebody's medical judgment.
However, nothing else that you describe sounds like anything related at all to HSV-2. Whether or not that initial problem was genital and/or a central nervous system HSV-2 infection, it seems very clear that something else (perhaps more than one condition) explain just about everything else. HSV-2 cannot caues the scalp blisters you describe; even if there were atypical locasions for HSV-2 outbreaks, each such outbreak would be very localized (e.g., a patch no bigger than a quarter) and would clear up within 2 weeks before another outbreak occurred; and such outbreaks would occur no more often than every 4-6 weeks. Most of your other symptoms also don't hint at herpes. And lack of response to acyclovir is strong evidence against HSV as the cause. (By the way, lysine is quackery. Even if you had HSV, it wouldn't make any difference.)
2) There is no test for past HSV-2 infection of the central nervous system. However, if you were to have recurrence of the same symptoms -- fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity of the eyes to light -- a spinal tap could be done during the illness. If that illness were due to HSV-2, the virus would show up in spinal fluid by PCR testing. And that, in turn, would make it pretty certain that the same thing explained the initial illness.
3) There is no such thing as HSV-2 "being on the move". It does not travel through the body to infect distant sites in a way that could explain your symptoms. It just never happens. This is one of the main reasons I am convinced that HSV-2 is not your main problem at this point, whether or not it ever was a problem.
4) Probably best to start with an ID specialist, then follow his or her advice about whether a neurology consultation also would be useful.
5) You should not be on any antiviral drugs at all unless/until the diagnosis of HSV-2 is more certain than it is now.
Bottom line: You may or may not have had an initial HSV-2 infection that included viral meningitis. Regardless of whether or not you did, HSV-2 is not the cause of any of the ongoing medical problems you describe. See a proper specialist then follow his or her advice.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
