HSV 2?

[dcgirl09]

I found a small lump in my labia - right near the entrance to my vagina - over a week ago. I went to an urgent care yesterday and the nurse practitioner said it looked like herpes 2. I get HSV1 on my lips - I know what a herpes blister looks like. I have had 2 partners in the last year but several before then. I always used condoms. My current boyfriend and I just stopped using condoms 3 weeks ago. If this is HSV2 (I'm still not sure), did I get it from him? The nurse prac sent me to Labcorp with an order that just said "HSV2". Will I automatically get their new test - Captia? I heard this isn't very accurate. If I got it from him, would it be positive already? Please help. I don't even care if I have it - I just don't want it to ruin our relationship.

[gracefromHHP]

There are low positive issues which is why both of you following up is the best thing. A negative biokit is a good sign. Your bf also needs further confirmatory testing done too.

glad you were able to see your regular gyn though and finally get some better answers about what is currently causing you symptoms genitally!  

grace

[dcgirl09]

Update: I went to my own doctor today. She said she has no idea how a medical professional could look at these bumps and think herpes. She said they are cysts - soak in warm baths to help them open but unless they bother me, it can cause more problems to lance them. Biokit negative. She said HSV1 can screw up HSV2 tests. She recommended no further testing and said if she was the patient, she'd move on with life. Sound reasonable?

[dcgirl09]

Thank you Grace! I see my own doctor (finally) next Wednesday. I will request the WB for both of us. What a mess... I guess it would be easier if we are both positive but we both have guilt issues - feel like we gave it to the other.

[gracefromHHP]

his hsv2 igg is a low positive too. you'll both need to wait a month and then get a herpes WB if you can get it. waiting the month is just in case it's a newly acquired infection for either of you.

grace

[dcgirl09]

My bf is positive for both HSV 1 and 2. He had a 4-something for HSV 1 and 1.8 for HSV 2. Did I give this to him? My number is higher. Or is it impossible to tell?

[gracefromHHP]

I'd return to your medical provider for a further work up.  2 weeks without changing isn't herpes .

even if you do have genital herpes, not everything that goes on is due to herpes.

grace

[dcgirl09]

Grace,
I'm now past 2 weeks with this stupid bump. No pain, itching, burning, nothing. No open sore. No crusting. Just a bump. And I've been on Valtrex for 8 days (3 a day for the first 6 until I learned that was too much)!

How long does a "normal" outbreak last? It doesn't affect me physically - just messes with my head. Thanks! :) Have a great weekend!

[dcgirl09]

My bump is still there. This is one full week on the Valtrex - apparently taking a lot more than I should have been! Very frustrating. I would have thought it would go away by now. At this point, I've looked at it so much that I can't even tell if it's smaller. Definitely not getting bigger. Very frustrating!

[gracefromHHP]

Usually you adjust to them within a week or two once you start suppressive therapy.  I know back when I took them suppressively, I used to get killer headaches. When I first switched from acyclovir to valtrex, I had horrible abdominal pain.  Due to other reasons, I just stay on acyclovir and have gotten quite used to taking it 2x/day over the years.

grace

[dcgirl09]

Not for 2 weeks. I'm hoping if I end up being on Valtrex for suppression/limit transmission, the decreased dosage and some time will help me adjust to the meds. They suck.

But frankly, I'm still hoping for a false positive and a yeast or bacterial thing. I've had both - been caught up in that awful cycle before in my life - so ... until then, treating it like it is positive.

[gracefromHHP]

it can give some tremendous headaches :(

When will you be back in town to see your regular gyn?

grace

[dcgirl09]

Well at least the change in Valtrex dosage will save me a few bucks! And a few headaches - HATE this drug.

I'm out of town again so, once again could end up at an urgent care-type place. Why are some urgent cares absolutely AWESOME and some SUCK so bad??

Thanks again! Will see what happens by Monday. Until then, no nookie for me... :( Gee happy Valentine's Day, eh?? :)

[gracefromHHP]

once we know who has what, we can decide if your bf needs any additional testing later on.

the valtrex dose should be 1gm 2x/day for 7-10 days ( always assume it's a newly acquired infection unless proven otherwise ). Your provider gave you the wrong dose. It's not harmful, just taking it 3x/day doesn't seem to heal genital lesions any faster than the 2x/day dose does.

these could be cysts or folliculitis even going on. If it's not all better monday, see your provider again or a dermatologist.  They should be testing the actual lesions for bacteria at this point in case you have that going on.

grace

[dcgirl09]

Also, you know all this stuff about "red bumps that turn in to fluid-filled blisters, then burst and become ulcers or lesions before healing"? This still looks to me like sebaceous cysts (which I've been diagnosed with and treated for with antibiotics in the past). Small, flesh-colored smooth bump. No fluid. No blister. It is getting smaller with no signs of becoming an ulcer or lesion - and it's in a moist spot, where I thought they're more likely to be ulcer-like?

[dcgirl09]

Another question! My bf is being tested later this week. If the last time we had unprotected sex was 3 weeks ago, will the test be accurate or will he need to be re-tested?

Also, how quickly does Valtrex work on an outbreak? The bump is getting smaller - 1000 mg three times a day for 4 days so far - but not very quickly. I've taken Valtrex for oral cold sores before with much faster results. Makes me wonder...

[dcgirl09]

Ok. Thanks again for your kind help! I might check in with another question later. I'm "questioned out", if you can believe that... :)

[gracefromHHP]

way too late for a lesion culture at this point.

wait for bf's blood test results and go from there.

grace

[dcgirl09]

I was at an urgent care and I think they had limited resources. I am seeing my own doctor today or tomorrow but I'm not sure the little bump will still be there. There doesn't appear to be fluid in it - it doesn't "pop" when squeezed, so I'm not sure if they could get a culture. In any case, maybe my doc will recommend a re-test in a few months? Or is that wishful thinking?

[gracefromHHP]

that is a low hsv2 result - it's unfortunate you didn't have a lesion culture of your symptoms done to confirm you status.

once your bf gets his test results back, you'll be better able to decide how to proceed from here.

grace

[dcgirl09]

Another question: If I have a genital outbreak but no signs of oral cold sore, I can still give him a blow job, right? Sounds like his lucky day!

[dcgirl09]

Yes, it's odd but true. Even my doc says she knows it better than my bf... :)

My test came back 3.12. Does that mean I've had this for awhile? We had unprotected sex only 2-3 weeks ago. Could I have that high a number so soon? Also, I have HSV1 - no doubt - cold sore outbreak on lips once or twice a year. Could that have helped me build antibodies quickly?

He is taking this pretty well. I know it is a shock for anyone to hear - me included! - but it will be ok. I'm not concerned about me so much - just want to keep him healthy if he is and avoid any "blame" games if he isn't.

Thank you again so much for your help. You are unbelievably kind and I appreciate it.

[gracefromHHP]

I'm laughing that your doc knows your vagina better than your bf does...lol.  so true sometimes isn't it?

If he's negative , you are on suppressive therapy and you use condoms, he's 99% likely each year not to contract hsv2 from you. How long have the two of you been together so far?

we don't measure viral load with hsv like we do hiv. no reason for any more blood tests.

do you recall your blood test results?

grace

[dcgirl09]

UPDATE: I received my test results today. I do in fact have HSV2. I told my boyfriend by phone. He was ok so far. He really doesn't know much about it. He knows there's a chance I got it from hm, but at this point, testing will only tell us we both have it, not who gave it to whom. So, if he's negative and I start antivirals, we use condoms, and don't have sex with an outbreak, what are the chances of keeping him negative?

Also, if I take antivirals, will repeated blood tests show lower viral loads? If so, does that mean lower risk of transmission? (I have a few friends with HIV and that's how it seems to work with them.)

Thank you for any thoughts. I keep trying to remind myself that I'm still the cool person I was before. Just a cool person with a bug. I'm hoping he can see past the bug - we had been talking about marriage just before this...

[dcgirl09]

Also, if I've never had noticeable symptoms before - and I'm paranoid about every little thing I find down there - my doc knows my vagina better than my boyfriend - how likely is it that I got it from him? We had unprotected sex a few times 3-10 days before this bump showed up. The last time I had unprotected sex before that was 3 years ago, and my sex life has been pretty slow the past 18 months (until the current boyfriend).