Do i have it or not?

[sammy940]

Hi,  I have read your opinions about labcorp igm testing and for my sake i hope they are true.  Here is my question 7months ago I kissed someone a new man in my life for probably a couple hours.  1 week later i got what felt like paper cuts on my tongue, white sores in the back of my throat and roof of my mouth and a couple of spots on my tongue that looked like it had been burnt.  My doctor insisted it wasn't herpes but a virus but did the test anyway.  The igg was negative bur the igm was positive 1.52 i think the positive is 1.00 or higher. I wanted to know whether it was hsv1 or 2 so i went to a different lab 3 months later where everything was negative.  Since the encounter recently i have gotten a few ulcers on my tongue in the same spot its not blisters it just looks like it was burnt with red spots kinda sore and i had 1 very small blister under my tongue.. My dr. still says its not herpes it's just stress but she retested me and again the igg was still negative but the igm was positive.  I decided now to go to quest and get retested i a m waiting for those results.  What else can i do to find out if i have herpes or not ? Before this i never even had a cold sore. wouldnt the igg be positive by now ? Thanks for your help.

[gracefromHHP]

Most folks I know who have geographic tongue, get it in the same general area each time.

grace

[sammy940]

Hi Grace one more thing I just looked at pics of geographic tongue and it looks just like mine. My question is it says that geographic tongue migrates around the tongue. and that it generally doesnt occur in the same area twice... like i said mine generally sticks to the same side of my mouth.  Is this true?

[sammy940]

Hi also wanted to mention that i have been under extreme constant stress and was wondering if that is why this keeps reaccuring?

[sammy940]

Hi Grace, Back again sorry to bother you,  Here is the latest.  My symptoms have not stopped.  The symptoms go away for maybe a couple days and then it flares back up.. It starts out as an enflamed taste budand then it just attacks the whole side of my tongue and looks like a big crater and then small craters with enflamed buds in it which then have white around it .   this time i did have one red sore under my tongue with a little blister oddly shaped.  Needless to say I don't know what to do and it hurts.  I got more results from lab corp IGG was negative but the IGM was still positive at 1.52 Which is the same # from december Got tested by quest also the IGG was negative and the IGM w titer to reflex was also negative.  Is that the same as a regular igm test and can you tell me what this means.  No dr.s will help me and I would just like to move on with my life and not worry about giving it to someone. Or atleast find out what it is.  I have had a positive igm since December when i had thfirst supposed blisters viral infection in my throat. but still no IGG positive.  What else can I do?

[sammy940]

Your right i'm glad he was honest too.. Anyway Thank you for your help!

[gracefromHHP]

Yes even if you don't treat it, herpes runs its course within a few weeks for the initial infection and less than 2 weeks for recurrences.

Continue to follow up with the ENT doc. I'd rather a doc was honest and say they had no idea what was going on than for someone to guess.  He finds out you are still having this issue, more tests will be ordered I"m sure.

grace

[sammy940]

Thank you for your advice.. I did see an ENT. He was the one that said he was unsure.  He felt it may be herpes because it only occurs on one side of my tongue but didnt know,  The ob said it definetly was because my igm was positive she said that it wont go away because i havent taken the valtrex.  I thought even if you dont take the medicine it still will go eventually even under stress Anyway , I will continue to follow up with my providers.  i just wish one of them could answer me by now  Thanks

[gracefromHHP]

It would be highly unusual for oral herpes to keep reoccuring this often and on the tongue only area. It's time to most past the possibility of herpes being the the cause and start assuming it's something else.

Continue to follow up with your providers to try to get to the bottom of it.  I would think  an ENT doc would be your best bet at this point.

grace

[sammy940]

Hi, Grace
Sorry to bother you again but my issues have not stopped.  My symptoms have been going non stop since April.  Now its to the the point that the entire right side of my tongue just feels uncomfortable, the whole side is red, alittle painful, the tastebuds are inflamed and i just keep getting ulcers but no blisters.  Some day just one taste bud flares up on top of the reddness Other days its like what looks like apopped blister with white around it but I've never seen a actual fluid filled  blister. Usually it looks like a crater on my tongue  I've been to 5 dr.s 3 say its not Herpes 1 is unsure and 1 my ob said it is.  I got retested for the Igg since I did kiss that person in April right before this started but I'm awaiting the results. How many months does it take for the IGG to be positive? and is  it true that for some people with herpes the igg never turns positive? I am very stressed but I've never heard of an outbreak lasting 4 months.  Any advice would be helpful Thank You :)

[gracefromHHP]

oh geographic tongue can be very painful in folks who have it.  Everyone I know who has it gets a pretty sore tongue before it fully erupts when it's flaring up.

grace

[sammy940]

Thank you for your response  That is exactly what i said to my dr.s because i thought the same thing but they said geographic tongue is not painful or even irritating and if i had a reaction to something it wouldnt keep appearing on one side of my tongue and not the other. I guess thats why the one said it might be herpes cuz it keeps attacking the same side nerves.  Well anyway thank you for your advice I guess ill just have to deal with it.

[gracefromHHP]

This sounds more like geographic tongue than anything or a reaction to a product like I mentioned in my original response to you.  

grace

[sammy940]

Anyone have a comment?

[sammy940]

Hi Grace,  i went to a new infectious disease dr. who by the time i got there could only see that both sides of my tongue look different from one another but not any sores or anything said he feels by what im describing that its not herpes because even without treatment it wouldnt keep reaccuring constantly on the tongue which its doing.  it was almost gone and now its back again .  i don't know what to do. This time my glands feel a little sore on that side too. I also forgot to mention that in april a drunken friend of mine kissed me open mouthed so now im wondering if thats where i got it and not from what i originally posted.   Thinking about it this all started again like 1 1/2 weeks after that happened.. I dont know who else to see i keep getting different answers from dr.s I wonder if there is a herpes specialist. what do you think?  if I got it in april how long will it take the igg to come back positive? it was negative as of June 7 Thank you for your help

[sammy940]

Sorry i wrote back my response before reading your new one anyway i'm gonna go to the new dr. and see what he says thanks again I'll keep u posted

[sammy940]

Hi,  I am going to a new infectious disease dr. and see what he thinks.  I woke up this morning and there is 1 or 2 more its like patches of red spots like my salivary glands but all on the same side. i really just hate the not knowing i guess ill have to see what he thinks thank you for responding in this very stressful time i just dont understand why whatever this is is affecting my tongue .. i mean ive seen pics on the web but its seems more common on the lips

[gracefromHHP]

This very well might not be herpes so seek out a 2nd opinion is what we are saying.

grace

[sammy940]

Thank you for your response.. but im not sure what you mean by that can u explain Thanks

[slacker101]

And not every Doctor understands herpes!!

[gracefromHHP]

You need to see a provider who is going to do testing - not one that is guessing.  Herpes doesn't typically reoccur on the tongue area and not this often.  

grace

[sammy940]

H, Thank you for answering my question.  Here is the latest I went back to the dr. because the ulcers on my tongue keep coming back and only on one side in the same exact spot in the past month or so it will go away every few days and thats it it comes right back.  The dr. now feels it is probably some type of herpes and gave me valtrex even though my tests were negative .  He thinks i may have been exposed more recently without knowing it.  If this is the case if it is reaccuring herpes on my tongue is it more likely 1 or 2 and also how do i avoid giving it to my husband etc . I'm very concerned Thanks

[gracefromHHP]

You should no longer be having the igm drawn anyways. If indeed this was due to hsv1 - it's no longer a newly acquired infection. Your doctor is wasting your time and money with igm testing.

Many things can cause ulcerations in the mouth. The newer toothpastes are a big culprit - the whitening, tartar control, complete, prohealth, total etc ones all contain acids that some of us are very sensitive too. Even all the ingredients in mouthwashes can be a culprit too. Dry mouth can also be an issue.  There is even something called geographic tongue that you can google and see pictures of to see if that looks similar to what is going on.  

There is no reason to continue pursuing herpes blood testing at this point as slacker already pointed out.

grace

[slacker101]

Nothing you have said even in the slightest sounds like herpes!!!!! You're wasting your time and money with this...