Is this Herpes? Please Help!

[John290]

I apologise for the length of this question in advance but I want to outline all details.  I have had several symptoms of herpes that are each very different but worrying to myself.

Firstly a few details.  I have had coldsores all my life, at least 20 years I would say.  After my last sexual encounter I have waited 4 months and had full blood and urine tests for everything which show me negative for everything except HSV1 which I expected due to cold sores.  Before this encounter my last sexual encounter was 12 months prior.

So 4 months ago I received unprotected oral sex from a girl whom I met one night.  Probably a week later I noticed a strange sensation at the tip of my penis which lasted a week (A kind of nervy tingling, no redness or anything, just this feeling for a week or so).  This sensation got me worrying so It started me checking myself several times a day. Nothing ever came up, no redness, no marks, no nothing). Probably 3 weeks later I got a cold sore which then got me worrying I could have spread it to my genitals due to all the constant checking.  Probably a week later I shaved my pubic region, that night there was nothing out of the ordinary.  When I woke in the morning I had one big white shaped growth, its hard to explain but it wasnt a blister, looked more like a little cauliflower hard growth.  At the time it didnt really freak me out but then the very next day it was gone and there was one open sore where it had been (No pain, itchyness, was present, I wouldnt have known this was there if I didnt look).  I went to the doc the very next day who swabbed for herpes (as he said it looked like it could have been it) which came back negative for both.  Afterwards the Doctor said it may have been a little staph infection from me shaving and not herpes (The sore healed in about 5 days....no crusting was present). I finally stopped worrying when a week later I had an intense itching relatively similar to where the little sore was which itched strongly for a week.  A little bit of redness was present but no sores, blisters or the likes appeared.

4-5 months has passed and then I noticed the tingle feeling at the tip of my penis again (exact same spot), once again nothing appeared at all. No redness, blisters or sores, just the feeling.  This lasted 5-6 days.  

Then when I finally had let it all ago I got a burning sensation in my genital area for about an hour one morning, then a little area of itching in my pubic region appeared again.  Probably the size of a coin that lasted 2 days.  It didnt feel like a normal itch as it was very noticable.  After 2 days this had gone. Once again no sore or blisters present.

So I am completely confused with the range of symptoms ive been getting and needed some clarification?  I have seen on many of the posts the doctors say once you have been infected orally with hsv1 it is impossible to reinfect genitally with hsv1?  Is this true?  Because thats not the advice I have gotten from several doctors.  This is really affecting me mentally at present as no one can tell me whether I have genital hsv1 or not as blood tests dont distinguish the site its at....and apparently swab tests often give back false negatives.

So my questions are the following?

1. Firstly, Am i being paranoid?

2. Do any of the above symptoms sounds like herpes to you? Do they sound like re-occuring symptoms?  If not, then why am I getting them?

3. Can hsv1 be spread to your genitals if you have had oral hsv1 for 20 years already?  Either from self inoculation or oral sex?

4. Regarding the sore I mentioned above....With normal herpes, could a blister appear and turn into a sore in the space of 36 hours (From clear skin to sore?).  The thing I noticed appeared over night, then the sore appeared the very next day. Seems too fast to me?


5. The reason I am worried is that I have read from many sources that many people dont show the classic symptoms, however there outbreak may just be burning, itching etc...no sores present.  Should I be worried about the itching I have been feeling?

I apologise for the long winded question but I felt there were alot of details you needed know.

Many thanks in advance.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I'm not going to comment on what happens to other people and the things they describe.  It is way too complicated.  I feel I've answered your initial question as well as I can.

This thread is closed.

Terri

[John290]

Hi Terri,

Are you able to explain your comment above in a little more detail. What other factors do you beleive need evaluation? It does worry me when people come forward and say they have successfully transferred the virus to other locations with a long standing previous oral infection.

Thanks.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Gusthebear, what you are describing is very unusual, and there are many things that should be evaluated before one comes to that conclusion.  

Terri

[Gusthebear]

I have had cold sores hsv1 for 15 years... I show symptoms 2-3 times a year and (regardless of good hygiene)  I have successfully transferred the virus to my genital area.. So saying that one cannot infect another person genitally if the the receiving partner has oral hsv-1 is false I believe... ...seeing how I have auto-inoculated myself from one area to another. However if you are judging the presence of the virus through blood test only this may be a blind spot.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

No,no herpes for as short a time as you describe.

Terri

[John290]

Hi Terri,

I understand this thread is probably now considered closed so I am happy to pay again for you to answer this question.

Last week I got another symptom of a flushing/burning sensation that moved around my genital area (ie from scrotum to pubic area, and then back to the scrotum again). This lasted about an hour then I got about 2 days of localised itching in a spot in my pubic region. Nothing appeared but a bit of redness. I guess I wanted to know where to go from here because these symptoms don't seem normal to me?

What can be the cause of a flushing sensation in your genital area? Not herpes?

Thanks again

[mikep33]

a follow up to this string of questions please -- if a girl with oral herpes french kisses and also performs oral sex on a man, isn't it true that it is likely the man will get oral herpes, but unlikely he will get genital herpes?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I don't know about over reactive, but I think the chances that you acquired HSV 1 genitally is incredibly small.

Terri

[John290]

Hi Terri,

Firstly thanks for the very prompt response. Its much appreciated.

I have had cold sores since the age of 9. I am now 29 years of age. So Definately not sexually active at that age.

I guess if I didn't have any of these recurring symptoms I would have forgotten about it by now. Do you think I am being over reactive? What should I do if these symptoms continue to arise?

Thanks again for your assistance.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

It is correct that it is virtually impossible to acquire HSV 1 genitally after having a well established oral infection.  So the person who has had cold sores since childhood would be extremely unlikely to acquire HSV 1 genitally through receiving oral sex.  In 30 years of practice, I have seen one person be positive genitally for HSV 1 who stated he had had cold sores since a child.  However, his reported history of cold sores may not have been accurate, difficult to say.  Anyway, if it does happen, I've not seen it except this once in 30 years and we diagnose herpes many times per week.  

I'm not clear what the bump in your genital was about, but I would say it is likely more than a coincidence that this happened the day after shaving the pubic hair.

I appreciate all the details, but none of it really changes my mind about the chance of acquiring HSV 1 genitally after having it orally for many years.  

How old were you when you got your first cold sore?  Were you sexually active?

Terri