Are eczema sufferers more likely to experience a herpes outbreak after contracting herpes than others?

[EggsEma]

I recently had my first sexual experience (we also kissed) this past Sept. 11.  It was unprotected (the condom was defunct), but she assured me she was "clean."  Well, it turns out she had oral HSV1, but was not showing signs of an outbreak.  She claimed her last outbreak was in late August and cleared up in a couple of days.  So, the time to have been fully healed and not contagious was likely met before we had sex, if she is telling the truth.

This obviously didn't stop me from getting checked, of course.  I had my first IgG test on Oct. 22 (I believe); it came back negative.  I know this isn't a conclusive result and I will be going for my second one on Jan. 16.  Another bit of good news is that a friend of mine had contact with her around the same time (delightful human being she is, I know), and went to get tested to have his doctor give him an all-clear in late Nov.

Now that the skinny is out of the way, onto my question.  You see, I have eczema, and am to understand that this makes me more vulnerable to a herpes infection.  I, fortunately, have not shown any obvious symptoms (blisters).  However, I have a list of others that could perhaps be symptoms of HSV, and perhaps of other causes.

- Most notably, my lymph nodes near my groin (and neck, sometimes) swell.  They have done this before my encounter with her, because of my eczema.  Now, I'm not sure which I should attribute it to, though I do certainly have eczema on my legs presently.  Also, they began to swell a few days before my first test.  My doctor said that IgG's were likely to show up if they were swelling in response to the virus, and of course my test returned negative for HSV1&2 IgG's.

- There is a mild burning sensation that has been occurring on the right side of my penis shaft, off-and-on.  I first noticed it about two weeks after my contact with her, when my mind was totally focused on the possibility of having an STD.  It went away after I stopped worrying about it so much, but has recently come about again (at a time where I'm also thinking about it quite a bit).  This time, however, it was accompanied by another bout of swelling glands.

There are no other symptoms; it is not difficult or painful to urinate, there is no skin discoloration, there are no bumps, it is not sensitive to the touch, and there has been no discharge.  I've had a couple of slight, random pains in my buttocks and legs, but I think I can attribute those to the uncomfortable place I have to sit while at my parents' house for the holidays.

My main questions are:

1) Should I have experienced a full outbreak by now (Dec.31), considering that I am an eczema sufferer, if I am infected with HSV?

2) I know that I am more susceptible to infection by the virus, but am I also more sensitive to outbreaks?

3) Eczema-specific IgG's are produced for eczema; would this be likely to trigger an IgG response to HSV, too?

4) Would that mean they would've likely already shown up on my test?

My guess has been that I would have seen blisters, etc. by now if I was infected, but I just don't know for sure.  My doctor and everyone else seems to have an objectively positive (as in "good" not "infected") outlook on my situation, considering the facts I've described here.  Still, I've been SCOURING the internet to find out if outbreaks can end at just a slight burning sensation, and if eczema sufferers are more prone to outbreaks within a few months of infection.  I've been able to find plenty about being more sensitive to infection, but nothing on sensitivity to outbreaks once infected.

Sorry for being so long-winded.  Thanks to whoever has read this far, and double-thanks to all who answer! :D

[c_7]

yes :( I thought the saving grace in having HSV1 was that nobody could catch it from me unless I was having an outbreak, my doctor informed me that is a false hope and though RARE, it can still be passed on.

[EggsEma]

Thanks, man!  I really appreciate this.  Once I get those negative results, I'll be ecstatic!  As much as I hate that you had to go through this, it is nice to have someone to relate to.  Don't worry; I definitely won't be making the same mistake again.  Knowing what I know now, all of my future partners are getting tested.  I used to think that was extreme, but I know just how reasonable it is, now.  If a potential partner believes that it isn't reasonable, I don't need to be with them anyway.

The best news is that, one way or the other, it'll all be over near the end of this month.  I know I'll be okay. :)

Thanks for sharing this, and congratulations on your negative results!  I'll be sure to look forward to mine.  :)

[pimpjuice28]

It's funny to see someone with the same paranoia that brings me to this site a couple times a week.  Your lack of symptoms and blood tests alone should put you at ease.  I know it's hard to do with all the bull s#$% symptoms that are posted online but it has to be done.  I got my final results back today and don't have a single std.  All the time you have wasted looking on google and on here will end up being a waste of time.  YOU ARE OK.  Don't make the same mistake I did and waste hours every day looking up herpes facts and becoming depressed.  Move on with your life and don't make the same mistake again.  Best of luck to you man.

[EggsEma]

I'm really glad to hear you say that!  Yeah, all things considered, chances are I simply don't have either strand.  The one major thing that worried me, orally, was the swollen glands I mentioned.  I know they don't tend to swell unless some sort of infection is occurring, but that doesn't mean it was definitely herpes.  I suppose it could've been something bacterial or a patch of eczema I didn't notice.  If it was something like that, it certainly picked a convenient time to show up!

Either way, we'll know for sure, come the 20th!  Thanks for all of your help, Grace!

[gracefromHHP]

even the best test still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections and since yours was done pretty early, really nothing you can guess at. really doesn't sound like you contracted hsv1 with this encounter though.

[EggsEma]

Hmm.  I do remember having swollen glands in my neck with some slight irritation going on around my throat (I'm a bit fuzzy on that latter part).  However, this all happened about a week or so after my initial contact and a month before my first test.

Do you think IgG's would have been present in that test if those symptoms were caused by HSV1, considering the timing?  They certainly could've been caused by other things, such as stress, fatigue (caused by worrying about the situation, lol) and environmental factors.

Thanks again, Grace!  I hope I'm not asking too much of you!

[gracefromHHP]

most folks who contract oral herpes don't get obvious cold sores. Most people do get oral symptoms though with initial infection - the flu like symptoms we talk about, sore throat too many times. By the time we are ready for our rockers on the front porch, about 80% of us have hsv1 orally. Not many of us make it through life without it.

[EggsEma]

Thank you so much for the good news, Grace!  I want to say that I really appreciate the support you give this community.  Being a volunteer to worry-warts like me has to be tough. :p

What you have told me is certainly comforting, but I'll still get my second test, in the next couple of weeks, just to make sure.  Peace of mind is invaluable, and, besides, I'll have legitimate documentation of my cleanliness if everything's clear!  Also, they test for HIV in the same test, so I'll kill two birds with one stone.

I know I've been mostly mentioning concerns about my genitals, but it deserves mentioning that I'm concerned about myself orally, too (we did kiss, after all).  It's scary to think that most people who have HSV1 orally don't get cold sores, so I suppose I just won't know for sure until I get tested.  I wonder what the odds are that a 23-year-old male who was completely HSV1 negative before infection would not show symptoms almost four months after infection.

Still, things are looking good!  I have no reason to strongly doubt my chances of a negative result, and I'm looking forward to the end of this month.

Thanks again, Grace! :D

[gracefromHHP]

IF you have eczema on your genital area, it would make you more likely to contract genital herpes since you would have open lesions on the skin which makes transmission risks higher. just having eczema in general, doesn't make you more likely to contract genital herpes. make sense?

You don't need to do the 6 month hiv test. 3 months is long enough. same as honestly I wouldn't even repeat your herpes testing at this point. Why not? well because you watching your genital area as a hawk and if you were completely herpes negative prior to this encounter, you would've had very obvious and painful symptoms that you wouldn't have missed.

the risk of any std from a one time unprotected encounter is very low in general, especially for hiv and herpes. As long as you were negative for chlamydia and gonorrhea, time to put this behind you and move forward.

So how do you protect yourself best? Only  have protected sexual contact with others unless you've been in a ltr with them. Make sure a partner gets tested for std's, use condoms - for oral sex and genital/anal sex.  condoms actually work best if they go on when the clothes go off, not just waiting for actual penetration to apply them.

Don't allow this encounter to take up more of your time - it's not worth obsessing over !

grace

[EggsEma]

While it is possible to transmit the virus while there are no visible lesions, it's far less likely.  The most important thing to do is tell your partner, whether you're just kissing or performing oral, that you have HSV1 and let them decide what they would like to do from there.  And, yes, you can transmit the virus from mouth to genitals, but that is even less likely than from mouth-to-mouth, especially if you're not having a visible outbreak.

If you ARE having a visible outbreak, or feel the signs of one coming on, DO NOT kiss anyone ANYWHERE.  You are contagious, at that time.  In fact, it is good to allow ten days after the sores have cleared up before you kiss anyone again.  You are shedding the virus for about ten days even after the sores heal.

That's all I know, when it comes to having HSV1 and kissing.  I'm still waiting to get my final test to see if I even have it, so I've never had to deal with that sort of thing.  If you want better advice on that, this definitely isn't the thread.  Lol.

[asthma13]

I have these painful lesions near my nose and sometimes on my lip you can see pictures at wikipedia.com

[asthma13]

I could never kiss someone even when I don't have cold sores because I am a carrier of HSV1?  or does everyone have HSV1?

[asthma13]

so if you have HSV1 (cold sores) you could still transmit the virus when you don't have the cold sores by kissing or mouth to vaginal contact?

[EggsEma]

THANKS, petal!  This is really great news!  Is it possible to have it genitally and not show symptoms?

Also, I haven't observed any cold sores on my lips, thus far (it has been nearly four months).  How likely is it that I would have not had an oral outbreak yet still be infected?  I hear that most people with HSV1 don't receive any cold sores at all.  I suppose that's what my thread is mainly about: the likelihood that someone who is sensitive to the virus is infected, yet has shown no obvious symptoms.

Thanks again!

[petal130]

No idea about the eczema except that broken skin is an easier recipient of the virus.

Oral sex is a low risk for herpes transmission. In the absence of obvious symptoms (painful lesions) within 2-20 days, no need to even test. Your symptoms sound more anxiety related and paying too much attention to what you normally wouldn't notice otherwise.

[EggsEma]

Yeah, it can be transmitted from mouth to genitals.  That's exactly what I'm worried about, at the moment.  While she didn't appear to be having an outbreak, she could have still be shedding the virus.  Fortunately, the chance of infection of the genitals by HSV1 isn't as likely as infection of the mouth by HSV1.  I haven't developed any obvious symptoms in either area, yet, and am quite grateful for it.

And, yes, I did a full blood/urine STD test a few weeks after initial contact with her.  Everything turned up negative.  I know that you might be saying I may have developed some sort of infection (be it UTI or what have you) since then, and I'll take it under consideration to get another blood/urine test soon.  Thanks!

Oh, and my initial questions about eczema sufferers being more likely to experience outbreaks still stand.  Just throwing that out there.  Lol.

[asthma13]

OP you may need to get tested at a urologist's for a UTI also and have testing such as a urine sample/culture

[asthma13]

I was wondering if you have herpes simplex/lip sore infection can it be transmitted through kissing oral sex, mouth-genital contact?  I've read that it can be treated with acyclovir, famcyclovir

[EggsEma]

Just an update and bump to say that, while Keimyra's words were kind and helpful, I am still most certainly looking for opinions on the questions I've asked.

Also, there has been an off-and-on aching in the left side of my penis, for the past couple of days, and the slight off-and-on burning to the right is still present.  There is, thankfully, no discoloration or sensitivity to the touch, let alone blisters.  Still, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Happy new year, by the way!

[EggsEma]

Thanks, again, Keimyra. :)

Ha ha.  You are definitely right about producing false symptoms at the cause of worry; my doctor even said that the mind can do strange things if it's determined.

I've been doing what I can to make myself comfortable until I get these second results back, and believe I'll find it a bit easier, now.  I don't want to jump to, "There is nothing wrong", because if something does turn out to be wrong it will DEVASTATE me.  So, I believe that remaining positive about the situation, yet realistic, will do me just fine.  Lol.

Thanks again for your concern and encouragement!

[Keimyra]

Hey, ok I understand now. lol I understand how you feel about being anxious to know whether you are infected or not. Plz believe though that constant worry is not good for you and can cause your body to produce faulty symptoms.. While you wait to go back try to find something to preoccupy your mind with. I know it's hard but try. I honestly think that your chances are slim of havin contracted it. That's what we are gonna claim. Chant this: " There is nothing wrong, it is all in my head." If you say it enough you might believe it.

[EggsEma]

Thanks for the response!  Yeah, I understand that my chances of having it are very slim, but it has unfortunately done little to put me at ease.

You see, I got my test about a month-and-a-half after contact, and an IgG test needs to be taken at around 4 months to be truly conclusive.  So, I've been driven nuts about not knowing.  Ha ha.  I know it's all likely me hyper-analyzing what is normal for a penis, but there's still the chance that's not the case and I am actually infected.  On top of that, even if that's not a symptom, I could still be infected and show know symptoms.  My post was mainly about the chances that I'm somehow asymptomatic while being sensitive to the virus due to my eczema.

Also, I did make sure to get checked for everything else; I'm all clear, as far as that's concerned!  I'll get another HIV test in March, the six-month turnaround period, just to make sure, though.  And, of course, I'm going back to the clinic on Jan. 16 for my second HSV1&2 test.

Thanks again for your concern and encouragement.  I can use all I can get, right now.  Lol. :)

[Keimyra]

From what I understand, herpes can cause a slighgt tingling/burning sensation where the outbreak will be present. However, if you tested negative and your doctor seems to be sure that you are not infected then stop worrying. If you can't accept that, get a second test done. Oh, and since you had unprotected sex don't just stop at the herpes test, do the whole nine yards to be sure that there is absolutely nothing wrong.