Igm tested positive twice for hsv2 is this my final answer?

[Sadsadgirl45]

Hi Grace,

Two weeks ago I had blood tests done 4 days after recent exposure (unprotected sex) it came back positive for Igg for hsv1 which I wasn't surprised about in high school and as a kid I would sometimes get cold sores and had chicken pox. However the dr. Told me for igg hsv2 I was negative, but for igm which was hsv2 specific I was "weak" positive. I have never felt so sick in my entire life. She told me it was pretty definite I had contracted hsv2, she told me I could come in again in a week to retest. So I went again one week later and yesterday she tells me my results were exactly the same as before igm weak positive. She said I definitely had hsv2 but if I wanted to continue testing she could look into it. Also I want to mention I have been freaking out about everything I had a couple of red dots on my butt that looks like follicles and would normally think nothing of and I had them cultured they came back negative. I have been examining myself everyday looking for anything. The dr put me on valtrex after my first test came back and I had some back pain when I started taking it at my tailbone. Also started taking a lot of vitamins. The other weird feeling I have is this tingling feeling like I have to pee. I thought I might have had a bladder infection because I get them often but the test came back negative for both. I have been going to the bathroom like 10 times a day feeling like I have to pee but then hardly anything. I had this once before and thought it was a bladder infection but it wasn't and then I got my period and felt better. I also need to mention I haven't had my period for almost 2 months. I took a pregnancy test blood test and I'm not pregnant. I also took the morning after pill after my unprotected sex. This has completely consumed me I am so utterly depressed I can't eat I can't sleep. They told me it is recent also and I keep going back in my mind and thinking of being itchy in the past or seeing a bump near my but or area. I told my dr. I wanted to do more testing over time but I just can't stop thinking about how she sounded on the phone like it was judgement day and this was my final verdict. I have never felt so much stress and anxiety in my entire life. And I can't stand this feeling like I need to pee all the time. Please help. I feel so lost and alone.

[medstudent2011]

I know your comment was awhile ago. If I were you, I'd get a second opinion. Having a "weak" negative, doesn't make you a "weak" positive. if you are below 1.0 on your results, you are neg.. The other symptoms  you think  you  might have are all psychosomatic and anxiety. If you are  really worried, I'd go to a  specialist and get a second opinion. I really don't think you have HSV2, and 80% of the population has HSV1, it's no big deal.

[gracefromHHP]

some people do take longer when they have hsv1 but the vast majority of them do test accurately at the 4 month mark. honestly, I'd put your worries to bed :)

[Sadsadgirl45]

Hi Grace,

I know you really shouldn't be hearing from me again and I should be totally worry free. And I am for the most part... I recently changed insurance so I decided to get a 4 month test before I switched over, everything was negative. But I was just wondering is it true that people who already have HSV1 take longer to convert, like up to 6 months. For the most part I feel like I'm fine but there is still that stupid little Doctors voice in the back of my head about the igm. Just curious what percent would take longer than 4 months. Thanks as always and I promise no more messages after this!!!

[gracefromHHP]

glad your provider is updating her info to better serve her patients and to protect herself from malpractice suits!!!

[Sadsadgirl45]

So I called my original provider who was the one who did the igm test. I just wanted to tell her I was negative, and that she should update her testing or at the very least be sure not to tell the next person that igm test is 100% like she told me. So when I called her she had completely changed her story. She apologized to me saying that she didn't mean to tell me that the igm test was definite. She also told me she was considering stopping it because she had given it to many people that came out positive on it and out of all of them only one person was truly positive. I hope that no one else has to go through this again! Thanks for everything Grace!

[gracefromHHP]

most providers never get updated on herpes :(  Since it's not a real health risk for adults, just an annoyance, they don't bother to take the time to update their knowledge.  

yes, time to move forward!! congrats on testing negative!!!

[Sadsadgirl45]

Hi Grace,

So I just got my results back. I tested Monday night, it will be 12 weeks EXACTLY on Thursday so I was shy about 2 days. My results were NEGATIVE for HSV2. Does this mean I am in the clear, can I move on with my life? Or should I worry at all about the possibility of delayed antibodies- (maybe from the short time I took valtrex)? I would really like to say I know I don't have this now, I definitely don't feel like I have it. It was just very hard to put what the Dr. said about the igm test behind, especially because I was arguing with a diff. doc on Monday who was also telling me how the igm is 100% accurate. Where are these professionals getting their information?? Anyway please let me know what you think! Thank you so much for dealing with me through this, you really, really helped me.

[Sadsadgirl45]

Thanks Grace

[gracefromHHP]

don't allow this to be an obsession. just not worth it. keep busy until it's time to test - ask your friends to help you keep your mind off things :)

[Sadsadgirl45]

So I have been so stressed as the days get closer and closer to 12 weeks. I reached out in a last ditch effort to the guy that I was exposed to in the first place, to see if he would finally tell me if he got tested and what his results were. Well he told me he absolutely does not have anything and never did. I kept asking and asking if he had gotten test because he would not give me a direct answer. And finally this is what he says " I have been tested multiple times throughout my life and they have all been negative"  I asked if he had tested recently and was sure there was no way he could have given me anything and he said " Not a chance I did." He also went on to say he takes this all very seriously, which I find hard to believe since it still sounds like he never got tested. And do most people not even have symptoms? I am literally counting the days until next week so this can be over. What percentage of people know by 12 weeks from Igg, it's not likely I would be one of the ones it takes 4-6 months right?

[Sadsadgirl45]

You should really start your own thread.

[Sadsadgirl45]

I am testing with IGG, which has been negative every time. The last time I tested was 8 weeks, the reason I have been having all this in the first place was because my obgyn did an igm which came back "weak positive" twice within 4 days. As far as I know and have read, the IGG is a very accurate test. I think western blot is for people who have symptoms or have had an IGG positive test. So I will not likely use a western blot. Next week is 12 weeks since exposure so I will test then.

[doubidoo]

Ok I'm dealing with the same low positive test right now, not sure whether it's igg and igm. But here are my recs:
--> stop trying to use igm or igg tests! the most conclusive test by far is the western blot test. Only one lab does it but it's remarkably accurate. The problem with both igm and igg is that low positives have been proven to be quite inaccurate particularly in populations with low incidence (read, if you are someone going in and being routinely tested rather than someone going in because of symptoms)
--> stop freaking out, look up Herpes 2 symptoms and see that many people live with it quite healthily even if you do have it. Realize that an awful lot of your symptoms including nerve pain and feeling you need to pee or whatever are all psychosomatic symptoms!!! You are literally driving yourself sick because you are looking for things wrong with you. Whatever you have, you have, and as long as you are not sexually active you cannot do harm to others, so try to relax first and foremost

[gracefromHHP]

yes, test then and move forward.

[Sadsadgirl45]

Yes I have been thinking about doing this as well, but I know so much of the anxiety is also not knowing. How accurate will the tests be at 11 or 12 weeks? Do you think I could stop testing at that point? Thank you Grace

[gracefromHHP]

have you considered talking to a professional about this anxiety?  Sometimes having a stranger guide you through this and suggest ways to deal with anxiety better is helpful to move forward as well as gives you skills to use in the future in stressful situations.

[Sadsadgirl45]

So next week will be 12 weeks. I have been trying to keep busy and stay off the computer and keep my mind off of this, but mentally I am feeling more and more burdened everyday with this. I have become a complete hypochondriac which used to be the furthest thing from my personality. I keep  thinking about what happened over and over in mind, and I tried to ask the guy from the beginning when he was last tested and when he last had unprotected sex. He told me "Don't worry I never had an std and I never will." I kept trying to ask him when he was tested and if he could have had been with someone right before me who infected him and he refused to tell me and just said things like "well if I have anything to worry about it is from you."  The sad thing is before this ******* I was in a great relationship and hadn't been with anyone else for 7 years. And I hope to be with that person again someday. But this whole thing has caused me so much damage emotionally and the fact that this guy could with-hold information like that, I mean if someone outright asks you that how could you not tell them?  I keep trying to keep calm until next week but this IGM test has forced me to be completely paranoid and turned my life upside down. Hopefully if any positive comes out of this it will be that I never want to have sex or anything with someone I don't know and love. I just hope I can move on from this, and that after 12 weeks I can have closure, and not  keep retesting.

[gracefromHHP]

gllad you are finally getting answers :)

[Sadsadgirl45]

Btw, I went again to the doctor to get the bumps on my bottom checked she told me it was folliculitus and could be bacterial folliculitus since I don't get them this often and for so long. She put me on medicine and a cream.

[Sadsadgirl45]

Wow really? But that is only like 60%, I thought half of people are positive after 2-4 weeks, so shouldn't be a higher number at 8 weeks? I will have to test again at 10 weeks because my health ins. is changing and I don't know if I will be covered at 12. How accurate would 10 weeks be?

[gracefromHHP]

a little less than 2/3's of folks will seroconvert by then.

if you need something to keep your mind off of things, come to my house and paint :)  I've been planning on doing it for 2 years now and just can't make myself do it...lol  I cook so you'll eat well :)  

[Sadsadgirl45]

Hi Grace,

Just wanted to update, I got tested again just a few days shy of 8 weeks, the test is still negative. I saw my Dr. and he told me all of my symptoms are psychosomatic from all my stress and anxiety over this. He said I most likely would have converted by now but if I want 100% peace of mind I can come back in a few weeks at the 11 or 12 week mark. I was wondering though what is the percentage of people that convert by 8 weeks? The doctor told me like 95% of people convert by then, but I had trouble finding this info online. Thank you again for all of your advice. This has surely been a mental ordeal for me and opened my eyes a lot.

[bnyce24m]

Sounds A LOT LIKE YOU HAVE A KIDNEY STONE !!!!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY

[gracefromHHP]

9 days of valtrex isn't an issue.