confused about HSV 1

[confusedhrp]

I had unprotected sex in July with my boyfriend who I had broken up for more than 2 months. And then in August with someone else. Both were unprotected and I got oral. I did not give oral to the other man. In August just before sex I had e-coli infection for which I took antibiotics and after sex I had symptoms that could have been UTI or yeast infection. I didn't get tested for UTI but took antibiotics for it and it seemed to clear up. Then I had full blown yeast infection which also cleared up after monostat. I patched up with my boyfriend a month after. I got tested in October for full STD panel, and it came back all negative. Boyfriend lives a little away, so we used to meet about once a month. We had sex in early December and late January. In Feb, about a week after our meeting, I developed UTI symptoms again. Burning, itching, pain during urination, discharge, and urge and frequency of urination. I had no lesions or cut of skin, not even ingrown hair  or acne. This time I got AZO home test stips. They came back negative for nitrates which indicates UTI, but it showed positive for leukocytes (wbc), indicating I had some infection. I tested every 3 or 4 days during which the color for WBC flared up, and then it came normal again. This may have lasted about 10 days. I am forgetting but I think I had taken a dose of antibiotics then too, that I had not used from a previous prescription. I continued to have occasional abnormal discharge, which went away on its own. I had sex one more time with my boyfriend in March. And then we broke up due to unrelated reasons. I also learned from his friend that he probably met other woman either before or after our December date. He denies that though. I waited 3 months to get tested again, as I continued to have urinary issues, and suspected maybe I have any of the bacterial STDs. This time I came positive for HSV 1 IGG AB. The count is 2.96. It is negative for HSV 2. I was also negative for everythng else including trichomoniasis. I notified my ex-boyfriend but he said he hasn't had any outbreak either. However he has had some yeast infection at times.

I am trying to understand more about HSV 1, and if I have oral or genital, since I have had no outbreaks (unless I start questioning each acne I have had recently). If it is oral or cold sore, I could have got it from anywhere, right? But then I am also reading that high WBC in urine may indicate genital herpes. Could I have had that in february without any externally visible lesions? If it is genital, it has to come from sex. If I had tested negative in October, it means I could have possibly gotten it July or later, but  most likely not before that. Should I get retested for HSV 1? I am reading that while false positive for HSV 2 may happen, usually HSV 1 IGG AB numbers are pretty accurate.

[feelingundone]

Testing for hsv1 is tricky. The igg bloodtests fir hsv1 just arent that good. They can miss up to 25% of infections.
What you experienced does not sound like a newly acquired hsv1 infection at all.
I would retest just to see what happens. If tou do indeed have hsv1 my best guess is you have a long standing oral infection and don't get cold sores.
One more thing. Hsv1 transmision through intercourse is incredibly rare. So rare that it's not a realistic possibility. Oral sex is how 99.9% of people get genital hsv1

[confusedhrp]

thanks... I had oral sex every time. Our relationship was for 5 years, but we didn't have as much sex as we live away. I first got tested in 2013 which was all negative except I was detected with hpv at the time. My boyfriend and I also had a lot of breakups. In between I had sex 2 times with the other guy and tested myself both the times. First time was in 2015, and it was negative for everything. That time I had waited 3 months as I was mostly worried abotu HIV. Second time was August 2016 and October 2016 test was all negative too. Maybe I should have retested in a month or two, but at the time I didn't know antibodies can take up to 3 months to show up. I really thought I was in clear until i began having issues in February with that UTI like symptoms and WBC count. Also recently, I have urinary issues occasionally (urge to pee). I forgot to mention in my first post but I have acne or itchy bumps in the back of my neck, but all hidden under the hairline. They come and go.

I think I will retest in a month or so. Or watch out for anything that looks like a potential outbreak.

[feelingundone]

That's a good plan. Your symptoms in the absence of lesions makes hsv extremely unlikely.