"tingling" from initial herpes outbreak

[looking4answers3]

All,

I am 22 days removed from a pretty risky exposure (unprotected sex with a random girl). About ten days ago, I began to feeling tingling sensations in my left groin.  The tingling has become more pronounced in the last several days and now runs down both of my legs and into my feet occasionally.  I also feel it throughout my pelvic region as well.  The tingling is deep inside (not topical at all) and I would almost confuse it for a cell phone vibrating in my pocket if I did not know any better.
Other than the fairly constant tingling, I experience and sporadic headaches and am fighting a cold right now.  But that's about it.  No blisters or rashes or itching.
Do I have anything to be worried about?  Does this tingling sound like what anyone else with genital herpes experiences?
If this tingling is all in my head and not due to herpes, am I in the clear (it's past the 2-20 window for symptoms).  I plan to get a blood test done at 8 weeks regardless.

Thanks for you advice.

[jeffhaley]

That doesn't sound like herpes. A genital herpes prodrome can sometimes produce pain in the leg and foot, but only on one side of the body. It generally doesn't cause tingling in both legs and feet the way you are describing. In addition to that, if your symptoms were due to a genital herpes prodrome, you would almost certainly have had an outbreak on your penis by now. I'm not an expert, but I have had genital herpes for 4 years and what you describe doesn't sound like it.

[gracefromHHP]

Just tingling in your leg  and not any obvious lesions isn't likely to be due to herpes - even if you did manage to be that unlucky to contract hsv2 from a one time encounter ( the risk is pretty darn low ).   You should follow up with your doctor to see if you have a back injury or nerve entrapment issue going on.

grace

[jeffhaley]

You say that the risk of contracting genital herpes from a one-time exposure is low, is that assuming that there is no outbreak present? I would think that if there is an active outbreak going on, then risk of transmission would be pretty high. Also, 40 million people in the US have genital herpes, so I would think that the infection can not be that hard to transmit.

[barn babe]

The majority of people with herpes don't even know they have it. Their symptoms are so mild they think it's an "ingrown hair" or jock itch or something. That's why it's being spread around. They are experiencing herpetic symptoms, they don't know it, and they are having sex, putting their partners at risk.  Just knowing you have herpes goes a long way towards protecting your partner, because then you can be on the lookout for symptoms and would hopefully refrain from having sex during those symptoms.

[gracefromHHP]

Yes - that is correct - if there is no ob present. Even if an ob was present and you didn't notice it - depending on how many days into the ob - she wasn't that contagious anymore anyways.


grace

[shelove]

so you've had heres for  years.  I do not think that's my problem, but I have tingling on my right inside thigh and on the back of my calf and some lower back pain that has been kiling me.