Aa
herpes exposure?
i have posted two threads before regarding my possible exposure to herpes and both respnoses indicated a relatively low risk, however, i am still concerned because i have undoubtedly shown some possible symptoms. i had protected intercourse and then was given unprotected oral sex in the first week in december, a week after i felt a bit sick, a week after that i began experiencing a quite pronounced general itching in my genital area with redness in some areas. by general area i mean not in a specific spot, all over my testicles. Then a week later, 3 to 4 weeks after having sex the area in between my testicles and shaft, the crease if you will (not protected by the condom), was sore to the touch for two or three days and it was also quite red. Also i experienced some back pain like it was bruised. i never saw any bumps or lesions or anything that would depict typical herpes. it has been roughly 6 weeks and besides some redness i dont really have any more symptoms.
responses to my earlier questions stated that herpes wouldnt take that long to develop and that it may have been fungal. i guess what i am afraid of is i experienced signs of atypical herpes. Also i understand that 3 months is the time it takes to develop enough antibodies for a blood test to detect, however would a test at 6 or 7 weeks be at all conclusive? the waiting game is causing much uneeded stress in my life. thank you so much
responses to my earlier questions stated that herpes wouldnt take that long to develop and that it may have been fungal. i guess what i am afraid of is i experienced signs of atypical herpes. Also i understand that 3 months is the time it takes to develop enough antibodies for a blood test to detect, however would a test at 6 or 7 weeks be at all conclusive? the waiting game is causing much uneeded stress in my life. thank you so much
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You can do another ELISA, but that CLEARLY is not the recommended way to deal with a positive western blot. My guess is that this is a false positive, but if I were you, I would worry about the accuracy for a while. What matters is that the answer you get is comfortable for you.
Terri
Terri
yeah i can ask for one. the doctor still suggests redoing an ELISA, so ill do both. no i have had sex with a lot of girls, but only two within the the last year and a half, my ex girlfriend who i know doesnt have it because we got tested together and i havent had sex with her for 6 monthes, and thisother girl who i had go and get tested last week. which she came up negative too. other than that there is no way i have been exposed, unless sharing a cigarette with a bunch of people out at bars could do it, which i know is not the case. well ill let you know what happens, if i can muster up the courage to actually go through with this. thanks for your help
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Are you saying that the only girl you have ever in your life had sex with tested negative for HIV? False positives happen on the western blot, for sure. I actually had one, its pretty darn scary! But no positive should be left unconfirmed by a second test, preferrably a western blot. Can you ask for one?
Terri
Terri
no he didnt perform a western blot. he said for me to come back in a few days and retest. the only grl that i have had sex with tested negative, and ive never used any drugs, so i am at a lost. i live iin spain and everythign is done half fast here. im worried that he may have contaminated the results. there arent any other possibilities to where i could have got hiv. this is also why i asked about the chances of a false positive. he says they happen frequently and the cold i had could be responsible for it. is there some truth to that?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I certainly hope that your doctor performed a western blot as a confirmatory test. Did he/she? I can imagine that you are very scared, anyone would be!
Terri
Terri
hi doctor- i got my results back and i tested neg for herpes but i tested positive for hiv. i cant belive this is happening. the doctor said that he thinks it is a false positive because the index number was really low(9.45). im not sure what the number meant, and also because like what i described to you he said was very low risk. i went with the girl today for her to get tested, so ill know if she has it by saturday. also the doctor said that a long list of things could cause a false positive including a cold which i was beginning to come down with when i took the test. is that legitimate? im so incredibly scared i dont know what to do....
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No, I seriously don't think this is an HIV rash. That usually occurs right after new infection, you are way too far out from sex for that to be the case.
Let me know how the testing goes, OK?
Terri
Let me know how the testing goes, OK?
Terri
hi doctor- ive been waiting for my test results to come back, so i still dont have any answers. i do have another question though. two days ago i found a rash on my back that looks somewhat like broken blood vessels (i just started working out recently).... its on one shoulder blade and is spotted, now im terribly worried that i contracted hiv. i understand there is a different forum for hiv questions but your opinion is still very appreciated. it has been 9 weeks since i had sex. at first i thought it could be from working out but this has never happened before while working out. could this be a hiv rash? i have also have had diahrea for a week or so. is it likely for a hiv rash to pop up 9 weeks after exposure? i live in spain and information here is hard to find, and the info on the internet is very contradicting. thank you so much for ur time
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Fungal infections can go away on their own, for sure. Atypical herpes is more common than typical herpes. Did you test again?
Terri
Terri
thanks for answering so quickly! i havent tried any antifungal treatments. i still have a little bit of itching but for the most part all of the symptoms are gone. which im not sure is a good sign or bad sign. if it were fungal, i would still be having symptoms right? or can it clear up on its own without antifungal treatments? is atypical herpes more common than typical? i would think not just by the denotation of the words, however the information on the internet suggests that the vast majority of people infected dont know it because they didnt show typical symptoms. thanks for your help i live in spain so it is not easy to seek medical advice
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Yes, of course you can test now! If it is negative, that's a very good sign 6 weeks out. About 70% of people who are going to becoming positive on this test will do so by six weeks, so if you are negative now, that should provide some good reassurance for you. Also, again, your symptoms don't sound herpetic to me. Have you tried any antifungal treatments at all?
Terri
Terri
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
