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hsv-2 igg test result question
My situation....I had unprotected sex with a new partner on October 3rd. The next day he told me he had herpes, but hadn't had an outbreak in a long time. At that point I believed what he did, that you could only pass it on during an outbreak. After researching it online, I sadly found out different. I called off the sex until I could get a blood test, since I also found out it was possible to have herpes with no symptoms. Figured I might already have it, then it wouldn't be a big deal that he has it.
Well two weeks later I discovered a mild rash on my lower butt cheeks, just behind the vaginal area. The patches were small and never became open sores....the tiny blisters dried up without bursting, and then the skin shed off a few days later to new pink skin....so I guess it was pretty mild compared to the stories I've read online! I saw the doctor 2 days after I noticed the rash and he visually diagnosed it as herpes. I had to force a blood test since his opinion was "You have it, why waste money on a blood test?" So I called the lab and got the code for the type specific test, which he knew nothing about, but my doctor ended up ordering the non-specific test anyway. The result on that one came back 30.5, which was pointless since I already knew I'd had cold sores in the past. So I went back for another test, type 2 specific igg, on October 27. That was 3 weeks and 3 days after my "encounter" with the known herpes carrier. The result on that test was 1.81.
What I'm trying to figure out is if I just caught this, or if I could have had hsv-2 previously and never had symptoms. Before this partner, I hadn't had sex in nearly a year and a half. If the infection is older than that, wouldn't the number be higher? On the other side, is it possible to have a 1.81 reading just over 3 weeks from infection? I've read that you usually need to wait longer for the antibodies to show up on the test. I'm mainly concerned that I might have had it for years and unknowingly spread it to somebody else. Any help or opinions would be appreciated!
Well two weeks later I discovered a mild rash on my lower butt cheeks, just behind the vaginal area. The patches were small and never became open sores....the tiny blisters dried up without bursting, and then the skin shed off a few days later to new pink skin....so I guess it was pretty mild compared to the stories I've read online! I saw the doctor 2 days after I noticed the rash and he visually diagnosed it as herpes. I had to force a blood test since his opinion was "You have it, why waste money on a blood test?" So I called the lab and got the code for the type specific test, which he knew nothing about, but my doctor ended up ordering the non-specific test anyway. The result on that one came back 30.5, which was pointless since I already knew I'd had cold sores in the past. So I went back for another test, type 2 specific igg, on October 27. That was 3 weeks and 3 days after my "encounter" with the known herpes carrier. The result on that test was 1.81.
What I'm trying to figure out is if I just caught this, or if I could have had hsv-2 previously and never had symptoms. Before this partner, I hadn't had sex in nearly a year and a half. If the infection is older than that, wouldn't the number be higher? On the other side, is it possible to have a 1.81 reading just over 3 weeks from infection? I've read that you usually need to wait longer for the antibodies to show up on the test. I'm mainly concerned that I might have had it for years and unknowingly spread it to somebody else. Any help or opinions would be appreciated!
Oops, just read back through the posts and found the Quest test number. I thought you could only order the WB directly from Washington University? I'll have to call Any Lab Test Now and give them that test number. If it's alot less than the $400 I see people mentioning online, I would consider it. Otherwise I'll just assume my test results are correct and live my life accordingly!
See my reply above for more info. Is 3.68 really considered low? I thought the cutoff was at 3 or 3.5? And are you the one who told me the WB can be ordered through Quest?
My first outbreak was on both sides, a little larger area on one side than the other, lower butt cheeks right behind the genital area. It was a pretty mild rash from what I've compared online, tiny blisters without alot of fluid inside. There was a patch on each butt cheek, right opposite each other. The largest patch was on the left and was maybe a little bigger than a silver dollar. Within 2 days by the time I got to the dr. he said it already appeared to be going away. The skin did peel off but in a thin layer over the entire area, like a sunburn, and never had any open or weeping sores/blisters. I can't remember exactly how long that took, but I think the skin peeled maybe a week later. The rash was itchy and I was kind of sore in the surrounding area, but was never extremely painful sitting or anything like that. I don't remember having any flu symptoms, but I was drinking too much due to stressing out over it, so I did feel run down overall...
The dr. did give me acyclovir which I took as prescribed until all signs were gone. There was one time a couple months later that I thought it was coming back just on one side, so I started acyclovir again and it was gone within a day or two. That could have been razor burn, who knows if it was a real outbreak, as I was being extra paranoid and noticing every little thing. I don't take the acyclovir daily and I haven't had any other outbreaks since. I'm afraid of doing daily with acyclovir because I read it can cause hair loss, and my hair is fine and thin enough as it is.
I do take Lysine 1500mg daily, along with zinc and some other choice vitamins. I was taking 1000mg Lysine before this happened, so maybe that also kept the initial outbreak under control. (Not sure if I mentioned this already, but I had read that Lysine helps control "embarrassing" skin conditions, and I thought they were talking about acne. So that's why I was taking it, only to find out they were probably talking about herpes all along, LOL)
Thanks for replying!
The dr. did give me acyclovir which I took as prescribed until all signs were gone. There was one time a couple months later that I thought it was coming back just on one side, so I started acyclovir again and it was gone within a day or two. That could have been razor burn, who knows if it was a real outbreak, as I was being extra paranoid and noticing every little thing. I don't take the acyclovir daily and I haven't had any other outbreaks since. I'm afraid of doing daily with acyclovir because I read it can cause hair loss, and my hair is fine and thin enough as it is.
I do take Lysine 1500mg daily, along with zinc and some other choice vitamins. I was taking 1000mg Lysine before this happened, so maybe that also kept the initial outbreak under control. (Not sure if I mentioned this already, but I had read that Lysine helps control "embarrassing" skin conditions, and I thought they were talking about acne. So that's why I was taking it, only to find out they were probably talking about herpes all along, LOL)
Thanks for replying!
Unfortunately your hsv2 igg is still a low positive so that means you'll need to get a WB to confirm your status after all :(
have you had any further symptoms since the initial ones back in november?
grace
have you had any further symptoms since the initial ones back in november?
grace
Just to add: it's not that all initial infections will have multiple sores/bilateral. But having such features helps to distinguish initial obs from recurrences.
I guess everyone around here will tell you that it is very hard to pinpoint precisely when one was infected. We usually count on symptoms (initial infections usually consist of multiple sores, not a single lesion, and usually occur on both sides of the body, while recurrences usually are limited to one side of the body) and also on seroconversion - testing negative and then testing positive a few weeks later.
In your case, you had a positive test 3 weeks after exposure, which does not rule out a recent infection - as Grace said above, many people show positive within 3-4 weeks. Then you got a higher titer 10 mos. later, which doesn't mean much in terms of infection timeline (titers float a low) but it confirms that you indeed have HSV2.
You didn't say much about your symptoms during that first outbreak. Do you remember if you had multiple sores, bilateral? Flu symptoms, swollen groin pain? Also, your symptoms were most probably mild because you already had HSV1.
Did you experience recurrences after the initial episode? Are you taking anti virals daily?
Last, but not least - if you are worried about having transmitted it without knowing it, relax, really. You can't kick yourself for not being better educated about herpes. In fact, the medical community is not providing the right info, so it's really hard for the average joe to actually care about getting tested for herpes and knowing everything about it. So don`t feel bad about it, really. What matters is that you're seeking info now and doing the right thing.
In your case, you had a positive test 3 weeks after exposure, which does not rule out a recent infection - as Grace said above, many people show positive within 3-4 weeks. Then you got a higher titer 10 mos. later, which doesn't mean much in terms of infection timeline (titers float a low) but it confirms that you indeed have HSV2.
You didn't say much about your symptoms during that first outbreak. Do you remember if you had multiple sores, bilateral? Flu symptoms, swollen groin pain? Also, your symptoms were most probably mild because you already had HSV1.
Did you experience recurrences after the initial episode? Are you taking anti virals daily?
Last, but not least - if you are worried about having transmitted it without knowing it, relax, really. You can't kick yourself for not being better educated about herpes. In fact, the medical community is not providing the right info, so it's really hard for the average joe to actually care about getting tested for herpes and knowing everything about it. So don`t feel bad about it, really. What matters is that you're seeking info now and doing the right thing.
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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.
