IgM vs IgG- The BIG question

[wbs10]

Here's the deal:
  I had one new sexual partner last year, I went in for a routine gyno visit and she said that I am positive for low-risk HPV (or gw which I hate myself for already). She started me on Aldara which is terrible but somewhat bearable. I take frequent breaks between applications because I can get so sensitive from it. The last time I used it (about 3 weeks ago now) I had (what I thought) to be a terrible reaction to Aldara: I had a low grade fever, nausea, dizziness, and many open ulcers that formed "down there". I cried and dreaded every time I had to urinate because it hurt so badly. I called the doctor's office, nurse told me to not use Aldara and wait it out (DUH).
I went in last week while the last ulcer was healing and discussed this with the doctor as it was my normal 12-14 week follow after prescribing aldara. I had just started my period that morning (irregular bc I stopped birth control and wasn't expecting it for another week) so I didn't expect to be examined and just wanted to talk to her. I told her everything and she said that it sounded like it needed to be looked at.

She examined me, took a culture of the healing ulcer and blood tests and said that I most likely have herpes. I cried my eyes out in her office because I was so confused. Results showed both negative IgG for HSV 1-2 and positive IgM.  Culture was negative. Nurse that I talked to said results were ultimately negative. The doctor called two days after I talked to the nurse and she stated, and I quote, "You were infected in last 2-3 months". I will be completely honest and say that I have not had sex or any other form of sexual contact besides kissing for 5, going on 6 months now, and I am in a monogamous long term relationship, bc of the HPV diagnosis. I don't understand how this could have happened...the timing doesn't seem right...and I am completely devastated.

Does anyone have an opinion, can anyone suggest what I should do next?

[gracefromHHP]

herpes igm testing has a high false positive rate and current cdc guidelines are that it not be used on adults to diagnose herpes. it's actually considered malpractice at this point to tell someone that they have genital herpes and contracted it recently based on a + igm result. Encourage your provider to read the 2010 cdc herpes guidelines and update their herpes testing knowledge to better serve their patients.

Aldara is renown for causing ulcerations in the skin. You have to be incredibly careful when applying it and only put a little on the actual wart and no where else. It's unfortunate that proper education evidently wasn't done on you - you should've been warned of this as well as told if you are getting too irritated, to stop the use and return to have the wart surgically removed.  It's also frequently recommended that you apply a barrier cream ( desitin, zinc oxide, a&d etc ) in between days you are using aldara to protect the skin too.

so what do you do now? well your igg's are completely negative as well was your culture and it's been more than enough time since you last had sex so it's not likely you really do have genital herpes.  

Hope that info helps :)

grace

[female2785]

hi, I am sorry to ask you, but i also the same thing, i have low and high risks of HPV.  I have 6, 16, and 82.  I would like to ask if you could describe what kind of ulcers you are having, is it painful? does it have any blisters? because before I had my warts down there, i had some perineum cuts that disappears after 2 days and again comes then go.  It was all in my perineum area(between vagina and anus) , how bout yours? where are they located? i haven't get tested for herpes and I am hoping mine isn't herpes as well.