 STDs Related Forums
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Welcome to the STD Forum! This forum does not cover AIDS/HIV issues. This forum is for questions and support regarding STD issues such as: Chlamydia, Crabs (pubic lice scabies), Gonorrhea, Hepatitis (viral), Herpes, HPV, Molluscum Contagiosum, PID, Rectal Infections, Syphilis, Trichomonas, Warts, Yeast Infection
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum. 
Hunter Handsfield M.D. Senior Research Leader, Battelle Seattle Research Center University of Washington
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| tutu1 8/4/2007 | . | I was newly diagnosed(08/03)with Herpes after seeing small blisters in my upper buttocks/crack area. Dr. said we should wait 3 mos. before doing blood. My story is: I had protected sex (June 25) with my friend over 2 days. The 2nd day, after removing the condom, he touched/thumped me with his naked penis in the area where I am seeing the blisters. It took about a week or so for the "initial" outbreak which at that time, I went Dr. and was treated for a UTI & BV. During that time, that is when I first got the blister that started small, itched badly for a couple of days and went away. The next month, I noticed the blisters again in the same areas before. This time I had about 2 of them, that are now crusting away. My Dr. said it looked liked herpes and gave me Famvir, episodically. My questions are: 1. Do you think it is herpes based on the info.(I know a blood test will confirm)Could it be warts? 2. Can you get it if the "infected" person doesn't touch ur true genitals (he touched the outside of my butt, in the crack)Is the virus possibly in my cervix? During sex, his penis didn't go all the way inside where there the condom didn't protect. 3. Is eposodic treatment of Famvir sufficient to not spread the virus when no symptoms are present? 4. My new bf wants to finger and lay on top with no clothes on. Is it safe to say the virus is just at the buttocks area where the blisters are? I know this is alot.I appreciate your professional help. |
| Forum-M.D.-HHH 8/5/2007 | tutu1 | I'll try to help. Your description of symptoms is consistent with herpes, but atypical. Most initial genital herpes occurs immediately on the genitals. The use of the condom during vaginal sex could have protected you, but brief penile 'touching/thumping' doesn't seem a likely transmission route. On the other hand, the story of a somewhat more severe oubreak followed a month later by a similar but milder one indeed suggests an initial infection. So although you might indeed be experiencing your first genital-area HSV infection, it it possible that in fact you have been infected for a long time and only now recognizing your first recurrent outbreaks. However, even the best herpes experts commonly are wrong about the diagnosis. So I suggest you wait for the results of lab tests before you definitely conclude you have genital herpes. A slilghtly frustrating aspect of your story is that you don't say whether your doc has done a viral culture or PCR from your butt area lesions. That should be routine in all cases, unless the lesions already were healing when you were examined. If that hasn't been done yet, you should speak to your provider about seeing you immediately (within 1-2 days) if you have another outbreak, and be tested for HSV; and, if positive, make sure the lab types the virus as HSV-1 or HSV-2. That's the gold standard diagnosis; the blood test is a back-up, not the preferred diagnostic method. But if culture/PCR isn't done, follow through with your plan for a blood test 3-4 months from the first symptoms. On to your specific questions: 1) Definitely your symptoms are not those of warts. Not certain about herpes. 2) Viral shedding or symptomatic recurrent outbreaks can occur pretty much in the entire 'boxer shorts' area (genital, anal, buttocks, upper thighs) regardless of the exact location of the initial infection. There might be a reduced risk of cervical carriage in your situation, but to my knowledge there are no data to know for sure. 3) The only antiviral drug proved to prevent transmission is valacyclovir (Valtrex). The other drugs (acyclovir, famciclovir/Famvir) likely are effective as well, but recent research showed famciclovir is slightly less effective than the others in suppressing the infection. I used to say that all 3 drugs are more or less equivalent, but now I lean toward acyclovir or valacyclovir for suppressive therapy. Val has the advantage over both other drugs of once daily dosing. 4) Your bf isn't going to catch HSV by fingering you, regardless of the detailed location of viral shedding. Best wishes-- HHH, MD | [Thread closed to new comments] |
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