Aa
genital herpes?
Had unprotected oral sex 31 days ago.
On Day 2 (night), noticed a pink rash, like a mild sunburn (no pain) on left side of glans.
Next day it was gone but there followed intense tingling at tip of glans (inside urethra? hard to tell) and a desire to urinate. My urine stream was very weak (probably because bladder was empty and "need" to urinate was caused by irritation).
I saw a doctor who noticed nothing unusual. She also inspected my anus, since I complained of some itching. I was dismissed, but did give blood for standard STD panel, which came back neg.
The symptoms were diminishing, and the dr thought it would go away.
But several days later, the tingling returned. I returned to see a dr. on Day 19 after exposure. The new dr. thought I was a candidate for HSV2. He sampled my blood for an antibody test which came back neg. I already have HSV1, which affects my mouth. I take acyclovir daily to suppress cold sores, which are unsightly and a nuisance, occurring every 2-3 months.
The doctor told me to return if the pink rash I described ever returned and he could swab it.
The tingling/burning/irritation has continued on-and-off.
On Day 2 (night), noticed a pink rash, like a mild sunburn (no pain) on left side of glans.
Next day it was gone but there followed intense tingling at tip of glans (inside urethra? hard to tell) and a desire to urinate. My urine stream was very weak (probably because bladder was empty and "need" to urinate was caused by irritation).
I saw a doctor who noticed nothing unusual. She also inspected my anus, since I complained of some itching. I was dismissed, but did give blood for standard STD panel, which came back neg.
The symptoms were diminishing, and the dr thought it would go away.
But several days later, the tingling returned. I returned to see a dr. on Day 19 after exposure. The new dr. thought I was a candidate for HSV2. He sampled my blood for an antibody test which came back neg. I already have HSV1, which affects my mouth. I take acyclovir daily to suppress cold sores, which are unsightly and a nuisance, occurring every 2-3 months.
The doctor told me to return if the pink rash I described ever returned and he could swab it.
The tingling/burning/irritation has continued on-and-off.
when you know you are going to be in the sun or are going to be eating spicy foods, increase your dose to 800mg 3x/day for 2 days - should ward off a cold sore for you so you have less recurrences :)
it's not about clearing the acyclovir from your body, it's about being off of the medication so your body can fully form an igg response to be detected on the blood tests. not worth it since you weren't at risk for hsv2.
many non-std related bacteria and viruses can cause infections so not unusual to show up after a sexual encounter. make sense?
it's not about clearing the acyclovir from your body, it's about being off of the medication so your body can fully form an igg response to be detected on the blood tests. not worth it since you weren't at risk for hsv2.
many non-std related bacteria and viruses can cause infections so not unusual to show up after a sexual encounter. make sense?
on the suppressive therapy i do still get minor cold sore outbreaks.
they are almost like acne pimples (I also have acne), but always occur on the edge of the lip and last longer than a pimple. they also almost always have a distinct pro-dromic tingle, and seem to be triggered by either a lot of sunlight or extremely spicy food. the acyclovir helps suppress them (I also take 1g of lysine a day), but as i said, every 2-3 months i might get some type of symptom.
i would like to dismiss the herpes fear now, but these tingling/burning symptoms keep bothering me.
it would take from now until February to clear the acyclovir from my system for an accurate test?
they did not examine my prostate. i have read up on symptoms of prostatitis, and they also sound similar to mine (many things do frankly, such as the fungus that i thought i solved), but it is fishy to me that these symptoms only appeared after the sexual encounter. many other posts i've read of men suffering these types of symptoms also seem to occur after unprotected oral sex.
they are almost like acne pimples (I also have acne), but always occur on the edge of the lip and last longer than a pimple. they also almost always have a distinct pro-dromic tingle, and seem to be triggered by either a lot of sunlight or extremely spicy food. the acyclovir helps suppress them (I also take 1g of lysine a day), but as i said, every 2-3 months i might get some type of symptom.
i would like to dismiss the herpes fear now, but these tingling/burning symptoms keep bothering me.
it would take from now until February to clear the acyclovir from my system for an accurate test?
they did not examine my prostate. i have read up on symptoms of prostatitis, and they also sound similar to mine (many things do frankly, such as the fungus that i thought i solved), but it is fishy to me that these symptoms only appeared after the sexual encounter. many other posts i've read of men suffering these types of symptoms also seem to occur after unprotected oral sex.
ok glad we got that cleared up now and you are taking it twice a day. are you still getting cold sores every few months on suppressive therapy?
you have hsv1 orally so you are incredibly unlikely to contract it genitally.
you'd need to stop the acyclovir now.
really, don't obsess over the non-existant hsv2 risk from oral sex. it's not worth it.
did they manually examine your prostate at all?
you have hsv1 orally so you are incredibly unlikely to contract it genitally.
you'd need to stop the acyclovir now.
really, don't obsess over the non-existant hsv2 risk from oral sex. it's not worth it.
did they manually examine your prostate at all?
to clarify:
I take acyclovir twice daily.
There is the possibility that I may have contracted HSV1 in my genital area though, correct? (by way of it passing from an asymptomatic HSV1+ mouth via oral sex).
I know this may sound remote, but is not impossible? It would be impossible to test for since I already know I have HSV1, unless I developed a lesion that could be swabbed.
As for HSV2, I may test for it again at 12-16 weeks to have a definitive answer. At that time, I understand I need to have acyclovir clear from my system.
How long in advance of that test would you recommend discontinuing use of it?
Thank you again.
I take acyclovir twice daily.
There is the possibility that I may have contracted HSV1 in my genital area though, correct? (by way of it passing from an asymptomatic HSV1+ mouth via oral sex).
I know this may sound remote, but is not impossible? It would be impossible to test for since I already know I have HSV1, unless I developed a lesion that could be swabbed.
As for HSV2, I may test for it again at 12-16 weeks to have a definitive answer. At that time, I understand I need to have acyclovir clear from my system.
How long in advance of that test would you recommend discontinuing use of it?
Thank you again.
you have to take acyclovir twice a day to be effective. It can't just be taken once a day.
yes, being on acyclovir will mess up testing for newly acquired hsv2 infections.
you don't need testing for hsv2 again - you weren't at risk for it from oral sex!!
yes, being on acyclovir will mess up testing for newly acquired hsv2 infections.
you don't need testing for hsv2 again - you weren't at risk for it from oral sex!!
correct. the acyclovir is for cold sore prevention. it is not effective for herpes suppression ? i am unclear on this. you mean acyclovir does not suppress genital herpes? i am wondering whether being on acyclovir could be making it harder for me to determine whether i've contracted genital herpes (either by suppressing symptoms, or affecting tests). It sounds like it DOES affect blood testing...?
I guess I have to endure the symptoms until enough time passes for a conclusive test. (12-16 weeks?) Or until some other symptom manifests itself (God forbid). But ... should I discontinue the acyclovir if it will affect the results? The doctors who tested me knew that I was on acyclovir but did not mention it affecting the test.
Thank you Grace.
I guess I have to endure the symptoms until enough time passes for a conclusive test. (12-16 weeks?) Or until some other symptom manifests itself (God forbid). But ... should I discontinue the acyclovir if it will affect the results? The doctors who tested me knew that I was on acyclovir but did not mention it affecting the test.
Thank you Grace.
you only take acyclovir daily for cold sore prevention? it isn't effective as a once daily treatment for herpes.
being on acyclovir suppressively will mess up testing for hsv2. that said, this encounter was only oral sex so you really were never at risk for hsv2.
blood testing for std's a few days post encounter was inaccurate. most of the std's you were at risk for can't be tested for via blood as well as you tested too early.
no real reason to think this is herpes going on at all genitally.
grace
being on acyclovir suppressively will mess up testing for hsv2. that said, this encounter was only oral sex so you really were never at risk for hsv2.
blood testing for std's a few days post encounter was inaccurate. most of the std's you were at risk for can't be tested for via blood as well as you tested too early.
no real reason to think this is herpes going on at all genitally.
grace
On Day 24 I went to an STD clinic for a 2nd opinion. Fortunately on that day, I had visible symptoms. The pink rash from day2 had returned, now on the tip and right side of my glans. The doctor immediately diagnosed it as fungus. I insisted that he swab it, but the lab has been slow and I have not received results yet.
However, I treated it at home with miconazole nitrate 2% and the rash went away in about 2 days. The doctor also gave me a 5-days course of doxycycline for the tingling/burning. After about 3 days of that, I felt much better.
However, now it is day 32 and I again had intense tingling/burning in the tip of my glans/urethra. It subsided after a few hours and is now sort of dully there, along with a kind of dull ache in my scrotum or bladder (can't tell).
This does not behave like my Oral HSV1.
My blood came back neg for HSV2, but I know that may not be 100% accurate.
What are the odds you think this may be genital herpes, either 1 or 2?
Thanks so much!
However, I treated it at home with miconazole nitrate 2% and the rash went away in about 2 days. The doctor also gave me a 5-days course of doxycycline for the tingling/burning. After about 3 days of that, I felt much better.
However, now it is day 32 and I again had intense tingling/burning in the tip of my glans/urethra. It subsided after a few hours and is now sort of dully there, along with a kind of dull ache in my scrotum or bladder (can't tell).
This does not behave like my Oral HSV1.
My blood came back neg for HSV2, but I know that may not be 100% accurate.
What are the odds you think this may be genital herpes, either 1 or 2?
Thanks so much!
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
