Can someone carry herpes for years and test negative and break out years later

[Meme40]

So, here is my story in a nut shell. I am going crazy trying to figure out how I got this awful disease. I dated a guy years ago that was unfaithful to me who contracted herpes during our relationship which we were not using protection. I found the valtrex bottle in his room. I was with him for 3 years having unprotected sex. ( I know, stupid me! ) I was tested for herpes and every other STD out there after finding out, everything came back negative. We broke up finally in 07. I then started to date my now babies father in 08, we got pregnant quickly and now have an almost 2 year old. I broke up with him this past August(2010). I then started to date someone knew, a week before Christmas I had a herpes outbreak. I went to the obgyn and was freaking out, he did a culture test and blood test revealing that I had herpes. Now the new guy I was dating has been tested twice since this has happened and he is negative. I was tested for herpes again while with my babies father last January(2010) that also came back negative. I am started to wonder if my ex from 07 gave this to me and I just never had an outbreak and all the blood tests I had gotten it just never showed up?
Please can someone shed some light on this situation for me and tell me if what I am think is true? I have read many things online that says they can't really test you for it until you have had a break out because the antibodies aren't present yet but some people can be a carrier for years contracting years ago. Is all this true?

[gracefromHHP]

I can' t really help you much further until you've gotten those results. we look at them to see if you were properly tested as well as to see if you need additional confirmatory testing done or not.

[Meme40]

I have already bothered my doctor enough, lol. And I just found out that I was only tested one time for it. It was in January 2010 and then after getting the break out. The ex from 07. The last time I was with him was in 07 ( October ). I wasn't tested again for it like I said till January of 2010. The new guy I didn't sleep with him till December of 2010. The only guy I have done anything with before that was babies father from january 2008 till November of 2010.

[gracefromHHP]

if you can call and get your igg test results to post here - I can better help you with that part. you just need to post the actual numeric results - e.g. hsv1 igg 6.7 and hsv2 igg 3.0 or whatever they are.

also ask your current partner to get their test results too so we can see if they were properly tested or not.  

how long prior to being tested for herpes in jan 2010 had you last had sex with your partner who is known to be hsv2+?  do you know if you had igg blood testing at that time or just a culture done?

grace

[Still_Worried_]

Ok, like Mistakeguy stated, try to find out if your culture was typed as HSV I or HSV II.  This is very important.  Also, post the numerical values of your blood test.

Although possible, I doubt you contracted it in 2007 & it did not show in blood tests until now.  It would help to know if your ex in 2007 contracted HSV I or HSV II.

I would definitely have your baby's father & your new partner tested again.   It's even possible your new partner could have contracted it before you & isn't showing in blood tests yet.  It may be difficult to sort this out.  

[Meme40]

I got a blood test as well which came positive for both. So, I guess my babies father should be tested as well and if he's clean than I can assume I got it from the ex back in 07??? Correct?

[Mistakeguy789]

HSV is the cause of cold sores.  

The culture won't come back positive for both.  What did the culture come back as and what other testing was done to diagnois you.  

[Meme40]

I have both, but my babies father has gotten cold sores and swears that it isn't herpes. Are all cold sores herpes or can you get a cold sore with out actually having HSV? Thank you so much for your help. Are you a doctor? I am so confused.

[Mistakeguy789]

A positive culture test is very rarely wrong.  Sorry for the bad news  :(.

At this point you know you have it.  Did they type your cutulre?  

Typically you aren't tested unless you ask for it but some doctors do and some don't.  Dpeneds on the doctor.  Though seeing how you know your previous partner had it then a good chance it did come from him.  Your testing was either not an igg test or was an igm test.  Many possibilities at this point but it doesn't chance the bottom line here.

You have HSV.  Now we need to know what type and we can better advise you.  

[Meme40]

I havent slept with anyone else though, herpes doesn't fall out of the sky. I am so confused.

[Meme40]

The culture came back positive. The thing with the guy though who had it after I was tested I continued to sleep with him like an idiot. So the only real test that I think I had was the one I requested in January of 2010. Cause I know they will not test you for herpes unless you request it, right?

[Mistakeguy789]

Herpes testing isn't a part of routine STD panel tests for the most part.  You want to look at your old testing to show if it says hsv-1 igg hsv-2 igg.  If you were tested with a herpes type specific test and negative then now are testing positive chances are this is a new infection.  

HSV testing can miss 1 out of every 10 tests.  The risk of it happening twice to the same person is really low.  So if you were tested properly then I would say this is an initial infection.  You should have tested 3 months after your last sexual contact with your ex to know if you had HSV and if so from which partner.

There is a few people that don't test positive with anitbody testing.  


How were you diagnoised?  Did the culture come back positive or negative?  Was the lab work positive?  If so can you please post the values of your lab work.  Should look like hsv-1 igg 1.85 hsv-2 igg 3.21.  

Everyone who has a HSV will have an inital outbreak even if they don't know it.  The outbreak could be mild or it could very well be you think something else is the cause.