Some symptoms but no outbreaks.

[Anthony_537]

Good  day,

I would really like some assistance with an anomaly I am experiencing.

I test for HSV Type 2 in July and my results cam back negative , the first time the IGm came back borderline and the test was redone which came back negative.

Last week Monday i wasn't feeling well , i have been getting flu like symptoms which include

1) Fever only on evenings (very mild not much of a temperature), loss of appetite, feeling tired but not extremely, no motivation to to exercise etc. In the mornings i will feel fine but evenings I get the fever / flu symptoms.

2) I also had a slight non persistent itch in my groin area , it would itch but subside in a few secs.

3) My hands would be dry and a bit itchy , under my feet would be dry , itchy and reddish.

4) My mouth would feel dry and my lips would be dry also , I get a dehydrated feeling.

On Friday on that week I noticed a small cut on my lower lip resembling a tear. After searching google I started to get anxiety and also panic, this lead me to rush to get a HSV 1 &2 blood test done. That same evening the result were emailed to me and all my results said positive with readings as follows.

Herpes 1 IGG 1.15
Herpes 1 IGM 1.25
Herpes 2 IGG 1.14
Herpes 2 IGM 1.26

After getting these results I went into a serious depression, couldn't sleep , eat and even had dark thoughts. I was confused as to how my results showed negative just weeks ago and now it's positive.

The last interaction sexually was in June 15th. It involved no penetration she sat on my lap with my pants on , we kissed not so for long , I fingered her and she jerked me off ( Is it possible after fingering her and then touching my penis I contracted it?)

I did the test in July 16 , was it too soon that is why I got a negative result? I am very worried and concerned. ever since i have been getting this flu like symptoms and loss of appetite  etc I have been searching my entire body for signs of outbreaks , lesions , bumps, fluid filled sores but this is day 9 and I haven't seen any and trust me I have been checking  with a flash light and magnifying glass . My lymph nodes haven't been inflamed or hurting either.

Is it possible I am one of those that don't have Symptoms ?
Is it possible I have it and just not having any outbreaks?
Can my results be false positive due to the flu ?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated , shed some light on this as I can't manage.

Thanks in advance.

[auntiejessi]

First, your mental health is most important. If you haven't addressed that, do so now. Whether or not you have herpes, this is urgent if you've been having "dark thoughts".

Herpes doesn't go through clothes. Her sitting on you with your pants is no risk.

Also, hands don't transmit STDs, including herpes. It's just not an efficient way of transmitting anything. I'll include some links at the end that explain why.

Ignore your IgM tests. The IgM test is unreliable and shouldn't be done on adults.

I totally agree with Anxious456. Most experts feel that anything under a 3.5 on an HSV2 IgG could be a false positive. It takes up to 4 months to show positive on a test, so if you did have a risk, your tests for this encounter would have been too soon.

From the encounter you describe, you had no reason to test, unless you've had exposures in the past. If you have, you may want to get a Western Blot test done.

Your symptoms are really vague, and could be from depression. You could have bitten your lip, causing the tear.

A note - if you get herpes from someone, you will only get oral outbreaks or genital outbreaks. Herpes is not a "full body" infection. You don't need a flashlight and magnifying glass.

Please, talk to your doctor about your mental health. That needs to be addressed NOW. Herpes can wait. Even if you have it, it's a minor little blip - I've had it for over 15 years, and it's totally not worth the reaction you've had. Your mental health has far more of an impact on you than herpes ever will.

[auntiejessi]

I'm sorry - I forgot to include the links:

Here are some posts from our experts (when we had them) that may help -

https://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Nervous-about-mutual-masturbation/show/2183476

https://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Mutual-Masturbation-STD/show/1968429

https://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/mutual-masturbation-sti/show/1858544

https://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Understanding-the-risks-of-mutual-fingering/show/1516796

https://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV---Prevention/Vaginal-fluid-on-hand-touched-inside-of-condom-and-head-of-penis/show/1119533 - read this thread thoroughly. There is an excellent explanation about why certain activities are not risks, and why others are.

[Anthony_537]

Hi AuntieJessi,

Thank you for reaching out and replying I sincerely appreciate it . I have just been very anxious , all my results from ever since I have been testing  has been negative up till July , only when i did this test it came back with those results.

Is it okay if i ask, what (in your humble opinion) are the chances me not having it or having it based on the results?

Also I know its only been one month since that encounter with the mutual masturbation. Even though my encounters are not frequent and I have been testing since in Feb because my company had a health drive and I tested in March on my own , all the results were negative.

My last actual sex with penetration was in April 23rd where I started of with few strokes unprotected(fooling around) before putting on a condom as it ogt serious. I got tested in July 16th around there and all the results came back negative( the IGG was neg and IGM was borderline so they retested and it was neg). I have had no symptoms or anything of the sort till now I just had the flu feeling and the itch I described in my original post.

What are you thoughts?

[auntiejessi]

You didn't comment on addressing your mental health. You NEED to do it.

I'll answer some questions, but I'm going to need you to address that. It's great that you are taking care of yourself physically, but your mental health is just as important.

It really sounds like you don't have herpes. Your tests are very, very low positive, and as Anxious456 and I both said, those are likely to be false positives.

Your symptoms are really vague - flu like symptoms and some itching. That can be so many things. Herpes wouldn't cause your hands and feet to itch, or give you a dry mouth. I wonder if you've been eating a food you're allergic to, and allergies can develop at any age.

You might also be dehydrated, have some kind of virus - I mean, some of these symptoms correlate with diabetes. Herpes is way down the list.

Address your mental health. That comes first.

[Anthony_537]

Hi Auntie,

I acknowledge that my mental state has been less than ideal and I am looking into getting help soon. Thank you so much for all your help , you all are really awesome!

[Anthony_537]

AuntieJessi/Anxious 456

Can i Ask one question again if possible? sorry to take up your time.

What are the chances of contracting herpes from kissing (french kissing) someone that is HSV1  positive but there are no visible blisters, sores ,cut on their mouths or signs of an outbreak?

And if you had no signs or symptoms within 3 months time is there a possibility you are safe?

[auntiejessi]

Thank you for acknowledging that. Please get some counseling soon.

We don't have studies on hsv1 transmission like we do hsv2 transmission.

We know that herpes is active on the skin without symptoms sometimes. This is called asymptomatic viral shedding.

Shedding rates: (and you can find all this in the herpes handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/)

HSV 2 genital 15-30% of days evaluated

HSV 1 genital 3-5% of days evaluated
  
HSV 1 oral 25% of days evaluated

HSV 2 oral 1% of days evaluated

So there is a 25% chance that someone with oral hsv1 was shedding the day you were kissing her.

What we don't know is how much virus it takes to transmit and how much virus is present when shedding, as this varies from person to person, situation to situation. Someone shedding may be shedding less today than tomorrow, for example.

Since half the adult population has oral hsv1, chances are really good that you've already kissed or been kissed by someone who has it, including adults in your life when you were a child.

Without any visible sores, there's probably a low chance that you'd get it from kissing someone. It's hard to quantify that into odds, which I know make a lot of people feel better.

It's easy for me to say as someone who doesn't have anxiety, but if it were me, I wouldn't worry at all if I didn't get symptoms after 3 months.

[Anthony_537]

Hi AuntieJessi,

Hi AuntieJessi,

I re-did the test on Monday which was 2 weeks from the  other test I mentioned in my earlier question that gave me the low results. I tested positive for HSV1 (Still no symptoms as yet) but negative for HSV2. But hear is another situation for me.

Roughly about 23 days ago before I was diagnosed I made out with a friend of mine and she then performed oral sex on me. I did the test on Monday which would have made it 23 days after the encounter and got the positive result for HSV1 and Negative for HSV2.

Is there a chance from that encounter I may get genital herpes?

Is there are chance 23 days was too early to test ?

On a better note I have been working on my anxiety and depression. Its a rough road but I am taking it a day at a time.

[auntiejessi]

No, you already have hsv1. You can't get it again.

Receiving oral sex puts you at risk for genital herpes type 1. (The number indicates the strain of the virus, not the location.)

What was the number on your hsv1 test?

Since you tested positive on the previous hsv1 test, it's quite likely that you have an oral hsv1 infection, like half of the adult population does. 90% will never get symptoms, so there's no need to sit around and wait for symptoms to appear.

It's important to note that if you perform oral sex on someone, you can transmit hsv1 to their genitals if they don't already have hsv1.

Are you working with a counselor? Are you on meds for anxiety and depression? Doing either or both of these is very important.

[Anthony_537]

Hi Aunt Jessie,,

So I wouldn't get genital herpes from the encounter I had right ?

I am also worried I may have infected that person unintentionally . And it was actually after that encounter I did that test where I got the
Herpes 1 IGG 1.15, Herpes 1 IGM 1.25 , Herpes 2 IGG 1.14, Herpes 2 IGM 1.26 .

Then 2 weeks after which was on Monday I redid the test and got the high HSV1 and Negative HSV2 results only today .


I haven't collected the results in person as yet but my doctor told me the IGG HSV1 was 40 and IGG HSV2 were negative.

Is it safe to say I am not at risk of getting genital herpes from that encounter and the Negative results are good?

I haven't seen a counselor as yet but I have just been doing things I enjoy and keeping more to myself. I am not taking any medication.  

[Anthony_537]

In addition is testing 23 days after a good window to get accurate results?

[auntiejessi]

I'm confused now as to which encounter you're asking about, but either way, you aren't at risk for genital herpes.

You already had hsv1, most likely, so you can't get it from oral sex if you already have it. You have antibodies which protect you from getting it again.

You can't get it from the encounter where you had your pants on. Herpes doesn't go through clothing.

23 days is NOT a good window to get accurate results. It takes up to 4 months to get results, which is why I'm thinking you had hsv1 prior. 23 days would be very early to test positive, and you had a prior hsv1 positive, though it was very low.

Which one do you think you unintentionally infected?

June 15th - clothing and kissing? If you had hsv1 then, you could have transmitted hsv1 via kissing if she doesn't already have it.

Late Aug - making out with a friend who performed oral sex on you? Same answer. The only risk here is kissing.

You've had no genital symptoms that indicate that you have hsv1 genitally, so you can assume that this is a pre-existing hsv1 infection that you've probably had since childhood.

You haven't had any oral symptoms, but 90% of those who have it orally never get oral symptoms. Since you were kissing them without any symptoms, the chances that they'd get anything are lower.

Get counseling or talk to your doctor about meds, or really, both. You were thinking about suicide 20 days ago. You need to talk to someone about that.

[Anxious456]

Research low positive igg results for hsv2. There is a solid chance based on your description and the low index value this could be deemed a “false positive” by further testing. Try to relax and without any explicit herpes-like symptoms don’t spiral into anxious depression. It will do more harm than good.  Look into getting a Western Blot.

[Anthony_537]

Thank you very much Anxious456 for reaching out and replying.

[Anthony_537]

Anxious and i sincerrly meant that I appreciate you reaching out , the mental torment  , confusion hasn't been nice to me. I am grateful to have someone to talk to.