Aa
Touched anothers' herpes blisters with fingers, maybe
Dr. Rockoff, thanks for your help. I hope I'm just over-reacting, but I am very worried about herpes and hope you can give me advice. On 9/17 I went to a strip club and asked one of the dancers for a private "lap" dance. I was fully clothed, the dancer was fully nude. During the dance my hands (fingertips of each) touched the small of her back, and the skin felt bumpy. It felt like a region of bumps, maybe an inch in diameter, although it was dark and I didn't look carefully or ask her about it. I pulled my hands away. She didn't wince in pain or anything or even say a word about it, but I began worrying -- what if those bumps were herpes blisters? The fingertips were the only part of me that touched that part of her. About fifteen or twenty minutes later, when I got home, I washed my hands with soap and water and got out of my clothes. I fell asleep on the couch but when I awoke several hours later I took a shower. I had a herpes test several years ago and at that time was negative for both types.
Can you please answer these questions:
(1) REALITY CHECK. Is it possible to have herpes 1 or 2 blisters in the small of the back?
(2) RISK. Is it possible to get herpes by touching someone's blisters with your bare fingers? (I've heard of herpes whitlow but wasn't sure if that could be a primary infection.) My fingers don't strike me as particularly cut up -- in fact I play guitar so one hand at least has callouses -- but the nails are trimmed -- perhaps there are microcuts, I wouldn't know.
(3) PRECAUTION/CONTAGION. For how long should I avoid sharing towels, touching eyes or lips (mine or those of others), etc.? Are my fingertips the only part of my body that I should consider "at risk/potentially disease transmitting" -- e.g., if I have an itch in my eye, can I rub it with my bare knuckle, or should I use a tissue or handkerchief as a barrier? By handling my penis during urination, am I potentially transmitting the virus to myself there? Can I do something to prevent doing that? Sorry to be crude, but if I wipe myself after defecation and my finger breaks through the tissue, could I give myself genital herpes there? Are my computer keyboard or mouse able to transmit the virus? Finally and most importantly, I worry about my 5-year old child and wife (who is two months' pregnant, due date is early April): Can I hold their hands? Should I be the only one that handles my dirty laundry?
(4) DIAGNOSIS. If I see a red dot or something on a knuckle or another part of my body, should I worry about it? How many days or weeks without physical symptoms would suggest to you that I am "in the clear"? But -- because I'm too much of a worrier to avoid testing altogether -- in the absence of any blisters or other symptoms, when should I get a HerpeSelect test? Should I wait six months (to 3/17/09)? Or after six weeks (10/29/08)? Is there some other time that it will be important for me to be tested by/after? If my wife's pregnancy remains viable, I'd like to help with delivery, but not if I were putting anyone at risk.
NOTE: A student health services nurse told me (1) it's possible (she didn't speculate about what else it might have been); (2) without open wounds on your fingers it's unlikely, though possible, presuming those were herpes blisters; (3) if you've washed your hands with antibacterial soap, you should be non-contagious, but you may want to play it safe for three weeks (i.e., to 10/8/08): diligent hand-washing; taking care of towels, hand-holding, eye-rubbing, touching genital area, etc.; (4) an STD test could be done at two weeks (she seemed to suggest this would be definitive).
Can you please answer these questions:
(1) REALITY CHECK. Is it possible to have herpes 1 or 2 blisters in the small of the back?
(2) RISK. Is it possible to get herpes by touching someone's blisters with your bare fingers? (I've heard of herpes whitlow but wasn't sure if that could be a primary infection.) My fingers don't strike me as particularly cut up -- in fact I play guitar so one hand at least has callouses -- but the nails are trimmed -- perhaps there are microcuts, I wouldn't know.
(3) PRECAUTION/CONTAGION. For how long should I avoid sharing towels, touching eyes or lips (mine or those of others), etc.? Are my fingertips the only part of my body that I should consider "at risk/potentially disease transmitting" -- e.g., if I have an itch in my eye, can I rub it with my bare knuckle, or should I use a tissue or handkerchief as a barrier? By handling my penis during urination, am I potentially transmitting the virus to myself there? Can I do something to prevent doing that? Sorry to be crude, but if I wipe myself after defecation and my finger breaks through the tissue, could I give myself genital herpes there? Are my computer keyboard or mouse able to transmit the virus? Finally and most importantly, I worry about my 5-year old child and wife (who is two months' pregnant, due date is early April): Can I hold their hands? Should I be the only one that handles my dirty laundry?
(4) DIAGNOSIS. If I see a red dot or something on a knuckle or another part of my body, should I worry about it? How many days or weeks without physical symptoms would suggest to you that I am "in the clear"? But -- because I'm too much of a worrier to avoid testing altogether -- in the absence of any blisters or other symptoms, when should I get a HerpeSelect test? Should I wait six months (to 3/17/09)? Or after six weeks (10/29/08)? Is there some other time that it will be important for me to be tested by/after? If my wife's pregnancy remains viable, I'd like to help with delivery, but not if I were putting anyone at risk.
NOTE: A student health services nurse told me (1) it's possible (she didn't speculate about what else it might have been); (2) without open wounds on your fingers it's unlikely, though possible, presuming those were herpes blisters; (3) if you've washed your hands with antibacterial soap, you should be non-contagious, but you may want to play it safe for three weeks (i.e., to 10/8/08): diligent hand-washing; taking care of towels, hand-holding, eye-rubbing, touching genital area, etc.; (4) an STD test could be done at two weeks (she seemed to suggest this would be definitive).
Thanks for your answers here and on the other forum. Panic and guilt are a big part of what's going on. I wish I'd asked her what those bumps were. But no matter what she would have said I would likely have thought the worst.
Herpes would not be on back and the blisters are very small and in clusters. If she had herpes it would be in the groin area or around her mouth. The butt hole is possible but not likely.
Washing your hands is worthless. If you come in contact with it, under the right conditions, you will get it.
You don't have it, so don't panic.
Washing your hands is worthless. If you come in contact with it, under the right conditions, you will get it.
You don't have it, so don't panic.
Sorry, I posted this to the general group. If anyone has any advice, though, I welcome it.
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