Herpes Initial Outbreak

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

Hello, I'm a 22 year old man.  11 days ago I engaged in unprotected oral sex and protected vaginal penetrative sex with someone whom I recently met.  Although I asked her if she had any STIs at the time (she said no) she later told me that she has had quite a few sexual partners and I'm under the impression that not all of these encounters involved protection.  I am prone to anxiety and over the course of the last week have looked up pretty much all freely available information about STIs, and herpes in particular.  For several days I thought I was having prodromal symptoms of a herpes outbreak; however, more reading indicated that prodromal symptoms are usually localized in a particular spot and do not precede a primary outbreak.  Last night I saw a tiny red spot on the shaft of my penis on my foreskin (what's left of it? I've been circumcised and am unsure of the medical name for that part of the body). The spot is painless and appears to be a tiny cut about the size of a hair.  It is easy for me to "see" or "feel" in my penis symptoms that I think are part of an initial herpes outbreak because the potential symptoms seem to be varied and the information about the amount of time before I would experience those symptoms or early signs of them seem to be mixed (2-12 for incubation, but does that imply an outbreak after 12? can you not have a primary outbreak?). I would gain a lot of calm if a medical expert could tell me the stages through which initial hsv 2 blisters form during a primary outbreak (a sensation and then redness? Can I see the outbreak before I feel it?), and whether testing in this situation, given my timeframe, is appropriate.

[Morgancaptain]

OK first stop self checking it'll turn into a habit trust me...and get tested and believe what the doctor tells you...I'm going through the same problem however it's been half a year since the unprotected sex and I've been tested 5 times because I let the intrusive thoughts get the best of me please do your self a favor and don't let this turn into an obsession...it is the worst feeling in the world living in constant fear of having herpes expecially when others have reansured me I dont... please just see a therapist and stop the intrusive thoughts early

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

I ended up getting a swab test but there isn't any ulcerative lesion so the odds of such a test coming back positive are really low.  Medically speaking I know that I am not having a 'traditional' outbreak of herpes, but most people don't have outbreaks that involve ulcerative lesions, the majority of people experience much milder symptoms.  I haven't gotten a  blood test done yet because at only 4 weeks since I last had sex the odds of it coming back positive are low even if I am hsv2 positive.  I've noticed a progression of symptoms where the red patch has grown, appears to be constituted of small usually barely visible, painless ulcers.  

This morning though I developed what I think is a cold sore on my lower lip, it is also painless but resembles a cold sore visibly.  If my hypothesis is correct, and I am experiencing a mild-primary outbreak, it seems that I may have auto-innoculated myself.  Hopefully because I seem to experience symptoms painlessly this won't be a problem.  I wish there was a way that I could get tested sooner.

[WorriedFella123]

What was the outcome here?? Sounds similar to my own case.

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

I got a swab and a blood test but I haven't received any results.  I have been experiencing some mild pain near the end of my urethra where the red patch is when urinating and the red patch on the tip of my penis looks like it forms the border of small sores.  The area is still generally painless.  I think there is also a larger red patch around the center of my glans.  So far aside from the irritation while peeing I can't feel any symptoms.  This morning I noticed that part of the red patch was peeling very slightly. The coloration has changed back to the normal color of my glans however the skin is still slightly raised and the patch of skin has reduced sensation when touched.   I've been avoiding coming on this site because, at least for me, the emotional/anxiety component of a diagnosis seems much more severe than the physiological symptoms.

[Chrissy_11]

Have your results come back yet??

[ParanoidGuy1010]

Get a swab done on the sore in question. Blood tests will be of little use to you until the 12 week mark post exposure.

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

There appear to now be small white dots where the bumps used to be, the area is still painless but seems a little sensitive when touched.  the entire area is roughly the size of a pencil eraser.  It has now been approximately 24 hrs since the symptom first emerged. This seems very consistent with description of an outbreak minus the pain.  I have a doctors appointment tomorrow but I'm still having an incredible amount of anxiety and am not looking forward to the week long wait before the test results come out.

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

Thanks for the advice, I'm trying not to worry about it.  I think that I have been experiencing psychosomatic symptoms based on general anxiety about potentially having herpes; however, this latest symptom does seem like some descriptions I've read.  If the red area and bumps remain but don't turn into lesions could that potentially be an outbreak? Are lesions necessarily painful? The visual symptoms of the latest bumps came out this morning so it has only been about 16hrs.

[gracefromHHP]

The best thing you can do is stop looking at your penis!!  You are obsessively looking at it, causing irritation, and thinking everything you see must be herpes!!

Odds are you would've had a full blown lesion by now if symptoms started over 24 hours ago. This sounds like irritation more than anything.

[hopefullyunwarrantedworry]

As an update I now see a very small painless red patch next to my urethra that looks like it might have 3 tiny red bumps- I know these symptoms aren't traditional symptoms, but it would really put my mind at ease if someone could let me know how large an area the outbreak typically occurs in and whether visual symptoms can occur without any sensory symptoms as well.

[Life360_Dave]

Hi. herpes sores in the genital area are most often painful esp a first time outbreak. Only testing would confirm if you have herpes but what your describing does not appear as a herpes outbreak at all.