What do I have VHS-1 or VHS-2 ?

[jen4321]

Two days before my primary genital OB a man performed oral sex on me. He also penetrated the tip of his pennis into my vagina briefly and stopped. He had no signs of any sores oral or genital. I was completly drunk. Two days later I started genital OB and my IGM test and cultur test was positive. My doctor said I need to wait six weeks before I can find out if it is VHS-1 or VHS-2. Do you think in this senario I contracted VHS-1 or VHS-2?

[gracefromHHP]

your provider isn't very knowledgeable about herpes from the sounds of things :(

you can transmit hsv1 genitally to a partner but overall the risks are low. avoiding sex when you have obvious genital symptoms and using condoms really keep the odds in favor of not transmitting it.

So what do you do for one night stand type situations?  well talk to your partner about std's and testing. find out if they are getting testing done and talk to them about your own testing and genital hsv1.  you are still at risk of contracting hsv2 so you want to know their status to help protect yourself.  It would be naive to think that someone you barely know is being 100% truthful with you but it's a risk you take so I always just made sure I was utilizing barrier protection ( and crossed my fingers sometimes...he he he ).  Also remember that condoms work best if they go on when the clothes come off. Just waiting for actual penetration to use them allows for a lot of skin on skin contact.

keep asking questions!

[jen4321]

It has been 8 months since my primary genital OB. I have not had any other OB since then. I have confirmed that it is HSV1 with a blood test. I do not have HSV2.
My OBGYN doc recommends taking acyclovir 4 times a day for 7 days before having sex. She is indifferent to type 1 and type 2 and treats them the same way. It is very depressing because I doubt very much that she makes the same recommendation to half of her patients who probably have HSV1.  I don't know if she is ignorant or just covering her ***?
I have lost every desire to have sex. I am not in a relationship but would like to have casual sex a few times a year. What precautions should I take? And how can I overcome this mental ordeal?

[gracefromHHP]

you won't always get obvious lesions, especially if you start the acyclovir in a timely manner.

grace

[jen4321]

But it never materlized to a lesion that could be cultured.
So can a recurrence be just tingling discomfort without lesions? or do people get lesions with every recurrence?

[gracefromHHP]

it's unfortunate that you treated this instead of going to be seen for a lesion culture and typing. you would've gotten much faster results as to your status potentially instead of having to still wait for the blood test.

recurrences will be milder and heal faster. at this point no way to know what was going on since you weren't seen.

grace

[jen4321]

FYI I had my first primary genital hsv1 two months ago.

This last Friday I started having discomfort and tingling and noticed 2 pimples one on each side of my vagania on the outside and redness inside the labia where the first OB occured two months ago. I took Acyclovair. The tingling  and discomfort continued Saturday and I kept on taking Acyclovair. Sunday the tingling went away and the two pimples and redness almost gone.
Since I am new at this I can't tell, was that an OB that lasted 2 days but didn't materlized to blisters? or was it something else?
Thanks.

[gracefromHHP]

I recommend condoms for the beginning of a relationship. hpv is very common, we don't test for it and it's protecting yourself if you are using them for  a new partner.  talk to future partners about their std testing in general.  ask them to get tested and to make sure hsv is included in their testing. once you know their status, you can make educated decisions about what precautions to take together.

grace

[jen4321]

I dont have a partner. But when I have sex I want to make sure that I won't transmit.
Should I always use condoms then? or even without condoms the odds are that I won't transmit to a partner?
Thank so much for responding so quickly.

[gracefromHHP]

we don't really recommend suppressive therapy for hsv1 genitally. it doesn't reoccur very often and hardly sheds.  odds are you won't transmit it to a partner.

what is your partner's hsv1 status?

[jen4321]

Do not know other person status.
Are condoms suffient ? or should I take suppresive therapy 5 days before as an extra measure? What is the recommended dose for acyclovair for suppression?
Thank you

[gracefromHHP]

no, taking antivirals prior to sex isn't effective in protecting a partner. takes 5 days of suppressive therapy before it reduces shedding of hsv2. we don't have info as to if they even are effective significantly for reducing hsv1 shedding.

what is your partners hsv1 status?

grace

[jen4321]

In order not to transmit HSV-1 genital what do you recomend beside not having sex during outbreaks?
1. Do you recomend condoms?
2. Since daily suppresive therapy is not recommended for HSV-1, can it just be used  to reduce transmission of genital HSV-1 during sexual activity? can I take Acyclovair before I have sex ? and how many days before I have I have sex should I start taking it? and what is the dose?
Thanks

[jen4321]

It has been a night mare the last 4 weeks dealing with my provider. They have made one mistake after the other and I had to pay the price for it emotionaly and monetary.
I am going to a different OBGY now and I am much happier with her.
I will definitly follow what you said and retest  again.

[gracefromHHP]

at this point you still can't rely on your test results at all. should you get a return of symptoms before the next 2 months is up, be seen promptly for a lesion culture and typing.  your provider erred greatly and is costing you a lot of time and money by not typing your culture when it was done :(

grace

[jen4321]

Actually I just read my test results Igg HSV-2 is less than 0.91 so it is a Negative.
The doc misread it.

I wonder how many people out there get the wrong results from thier doc?

When I did my first Igg test 4 weeks ago, 3 nurses from my doc office  gave me three different results.

I STRONGLY recommend that people should get a copy of their test results and know for sure what they have.
Thank you for all your help

[jen4321]

I just got my Igg test back. Keep in mind that I was infected 4 weeks ago and I was negative for both types 4 weeks ago.
Igg HSV-1  2.85   positive
Igg HSV-2  0.91  equivocal

since HSV-2 is equivocal, is there a chance that I got infected with both types at the same time? or should I  assume that the HSV-2 is negative since I am already testing positive for HSV-1?
I will do the test again in 6 weeks but in the mean time I wanted to know your thoughts for my peace of mind.
Thank you.

[gracefromHHP]

click on forum archives on the std experts forum and then click on the herpes section.

typically you can't tell at all where symptoms were after it heals if it's on the genital mucosa ( not the thighs or buttocks ).

[jen4321]

Thanks.
1. Is there anyway  I can read all  Dr. hunter Handsfield questions and answers about herpes only without having to go through all the other STD questions?

2. Do the blisters go away completely and the skin go back as before OB or you will always have a trace to where the blisters were?
    It has been one month and I still can tell where the blisters were?

[gracefromHHP]

no he doesn't do phone consults. he hasn't written any books.

Terri Warren our herpes expert recently wrote "the good news about the bad news". Available through amazon for under $15.

grace

[jen4321]

Is there anyway  I can read all  Dr. hunter Handsfield questions and answers about herpes only without having to go through all the other STD questions?
Has he written any books about herpes? Does he do phone consultation? or in person consultation?
Thanks

[gracefromHHP]

1  herpes lesions won't last just 1 night this early into things

2  give it some time, if it stays that way for another week, return to your provider for more testing to see what else is going on

3 hsv1 can be present in the saliva but it sheds through the skin and it's the heat and friction of oral sex that transmits it.

grace

[jen4321]

1. 3 days after my initial primary blisters disappered, I noticed  a couple of small blisters appeared again at night and they were gone by the second morning. What was that?
Could it be another OB 3 days after I had just finished one? and it only lasted one night? ? Is this going to keep on happening?

2.The area between my labia is it redish and glossy. It does not look normal.  Does it stay that way or it will compeletly go back to normal? this might be a stupid question but I have not had this before and dont know what to expect.

3. If there is no cold soars on the mouth could the virus have been transmitted through saliva?

[gracefromHHP]

do yourself a favor and wait and get tested at 3 months. if you get a return of genital symptoms before then, be seen within 48 hours of their appearance for a lesion culture and insist on typing to be done.

why work yourself up so many times only to know that you still need to repeat your blood testing again later?  just not worth it.

grace

[jen4321]

Ok. I am going to do the IGG type testing at 4 weeks and 6 weeks. If it comes negative, I understand that is false negative and I have to do it again. But if it came positive for a spesific type, should I assume that it is accurate?