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herpes and poison oak
10 days ago i had unprotected sex with a new boyfriend. both of us had been tested for std's but not herpes as there was no reason to think that was necessary. he came down with a bad case of poison oak before we had sex the first time but was being treated with it by a doctor (was being given steriods) so it had been diagnosed - he is a mountain biker and is outside a lot and apparently was in contact with it there. i know he said it was on his back and rear end and groin, etc. two days after we had sex i came down with a rash on my left labia that was swollen. i went to a clinic and the doctor told me it was either syphillis or herpes. he gave me a bloodtest and told me that i tested positive for herpes. i am panicked to tell this new guy. i'm confused as to if he didn't know that he had this - if he did know and hoped i wouldn't get it or if i had it and i just never had a break out and the sex brought it out? i'm so confused by the stuff i have read on the internet and the doctor i went to at this clinic was terrible, unkind told me i didn't know this guy of course he wouldn't tell me if he knew b/c then i wouldn't sleep with him if i did and then charged me $500. i'm remembering the poison oak thing and wondering if it could have any relevance. we are still seeing each other, i won't have sex with him - i'm slowing things down until i figure out what to do - how to handle. i'm taking acyclovir - the doctor told me to take 3x per day for 7 days. any insight would be so helpful. do i definitely have this? is his diagnosis accurate? does my guy have this too?
could you have been infected and never knew it? yes. can you transmit it to a partner? yes.
will do.
but could you address my question in regards to that if no symptoms can be present on someone is it possible that i have been the one carrying this virus around and never knew it and i may or may not have passed this on to my partner but got symptoms for the first time after having sex? if that is a possibility wouldn't he be having symptoms as well now? i am very unclear as to what his role in this may be - as he seems to have no symptoms of any kind...again, i can't thank you enough for continuing to answer my questions.
but could you address my question in regards to that if no symptoms can be present on someone is it possible that i have been the one carrying this virus around and never knew it and i may or may not have passed this on to my partner but got symptoms for the first time after having sex? if that is a possibility wouldn't he be having symptoms as well now? i am very unclear as to what his role in this may be - as he seems to have no symptoms of any kind...again, i can't thank you enough for continuing to answer my questions.
there are rapid hsv2 tests that do return with results in that time frame.
At this point, I recommend you talk to your partner and both of you seek out type specific herpes igg blood tests to see who has what and go from there.
grace
At this point, I recommend you talk to your partner and both of you seek out type specific herpes igg blood tests to see who has what and go from there.
grace
thank you very much for your response. it is odd that the doctor (who was at a clinic in the most dangerous area that live - he did have accreditation and was able to give me a prescription but it was not my regular doctor and he was never a doctor i would ever reccomend based on the type of facility which was very rundown and his bedside manner was horrible) just told me that i tested "positive" and he got the test results back within 15 minutes. i have no idea what that means either as when i was online it said that it normally takes 48 hours to get test results back. clearly i should look into this more closely - but i'm wondering if that also affects the accuracy of the test? would a lab need more time to diagnose? just a thought. one thing that is concerning me, is that if no symptoms can be present on someone is it possible that i have been the one carrying this virus around and never knew it and could possibly have passed this on to my partner? and if that is a possibility wouldn't he be having symptoms now? i'm not sure why i would have all of the sudden gotten symptoms two days after we had sex though...again, i can't thank you enough for continuing to answer my questions.
Just to add: the poison oak you mentioned, that affected his back and groin...that's a slight chance this is actually herpes going on, if he hasn't been properly diagnosed by a doctor. has he showed the rash to a dermatologist?
CDC guidelines require that all visual diagnosis of herpes should be confirmed with a swab test or blood testing.
Again, it would be ideal for you to get a copy of your results or call the clinic and ask them to tell your results. Often there's a number associated to the result, not just "positive" or "negative". Then we can better talk about your results.
Low positives (results under 3.5) can be, in fact, false-positive results. it's a problem associated with the blood test for HSV2 IgG and we usually recommend another type of test (the Western Blot) to confirm such results. But we can talk about that once you find out about your own results - first you need to know your own results.
Blood tests for herpes usually require 3-4 months to be fully accurate. That's because the body takes some time to build enough antibodies to be picked up by the test. The blood test will always be positive once you are infected - it doesn't require active sores. But as I said, it will only give reliable results after 3-4 months. So maybe you were tested way too only concerning your last sexual exposure.
Yes, people can transmit herpes even when there are no symptoms going on. That's probably how most transmissions take place. People shed the virus even when they are not having an outbreak.
Have you talked to your partner about him getting tested too?
Again, get your blood test results so we can better understand what's going on.
Again, it would be ideal for you to get a copy of your results or call the clinic and ask them to tell your results. Often there's a number associated to the result, not just "positive" or "negative". Then we can better talk about your results.
Low positives (results under 3.5) can be, in fact, false-positive results. it's a problem associated with the blood test for HSV2 IgG and we usually recommend another type of test (the Western Blot) to confirm such results. But we can talk about that once you find out about your own results - first you need to know your own results.
Blood tests for herpes usually require 3-4 months to be fully accurate. That's because the body takes some time to build enough antibodies to be picked up by the test. The blood test will always be positive once you are infected - it doesn't require active sores. But as I said, it will only give reliable results after 3-4 months. So maybe you were tested way too only concerning your last sexual exposure.
Yes, people can transmit herpes even when there are no symptoms going on. That's probably how most transmissions take place. People shed the virus even when they are not having an outbreak.
Have you talked to your partner about him getting tested too?
Again, get your blood test results so we can better understand what's going on.
the test that the doctor gave me was 1gg i believe. is the only affirmative diagnosis when the additional blood/swab testing is done?
is it possible that my partner gave this to me even if he has no symptoms? that is why this is so confusing and the poison oak thing came to mind. i have been on the acyclovir for less than 24 hours and while the sores are still visible i don't feel any soreness anymore which makes me think that this is herpes. can you explain false positives to me in more detail? also, can blood tests be taken at any time and always determine if you are carrying the virus or only when the sores are present on your body?
is it possible that my partner gave this to me even if he has no symptoms? that is why this is so confusing and the poison oak thing came to mind. i have been on the acyclovir for less than 24 hours and while the sores are still visible i don't feel any soreness anymore which makes me think that this is herpes. can you explain false positives to me in more detail? also, can blood tests be taken at any time and always determine if you are carrying the virus or only when the sores are present on your body?
your swollen labia should have been swabbed by this doctor and tested for herpes. when you're having symptoms, it's the right way to diagnose herpes.
can you get a copy of your blood test results (for exemple: HSV2 IgG 0.5, HSV1 IgM 3.4, etc.) and post them here? Then we can take a look. There are issues with false-positives.
Hard to say what's going on. If he was a trained doctor in STDs, the visual diagnosis might be right but additional testing (blood, swab) is also required.
You should definately talk to your partner, ask him to get tested. This could be poison oak, as it spreads. But you gotta learn what is really going on. Maybe your partner can get tested and learn about his status. You want HSV1 and HSV2 IgG, not Igm.
can you get a copy of your blood test results (for exemple: HSV2 IgG 0.5, HSV1 IgM 3.4, etc.) and post them here? Then we can take a look. There are issues with false-positives.
Hard to say what's going on. If he was a trained doctor in STDs, the visual diagnosis might be right but additional testing (blood, swab) is also required.
You should definately talk to your partner, ask him to get tested. This could be poison oak, as it spreads. But you gotta learn what is really going on. Maybe your partner can get tested and learn about his status. You want HSV1 and HSV2 IgG, not Igm.
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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.
