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Exposure to Herpes Virus through Saliva?
I feel like I need to give a little background in order to properly explain my situation..
About two years ago I discovered that my (ex)boyfriend gets cold sores, although he had previously denied ever having one. Come to find out, he has had them since childhood. I was pretty upset that he would lie about his status, as I was not going to end things with him just because he had the virus. I was only asking so that we could take the proper precautions if he did in fact have the virus (I am HSV-1 & HSV-2 negative). Upon agreeing to take precautions, I decided to give him another chance.
Fast forward to a week and a half ago.. His son was sick and needed someone to watch him the next day so that he could stay home from school. I came over to my boyfriend's house late at night (I work late evenings) when he was already in bed, told him I was there, and went to bed as well.
The next day, while his son and I were still asleep, he came home early from work to check on us. He shut his room door and began messing with me. I really wasn't in the mood, but I felt a little guilty that we had not had sex in a while due to me being on crutches and on bed rest for a serious knee injury. He began licking his finger and using the saliva for lubrication, which I thought was a bit strange since he usually doesn't do that. However, I decided not to barrage him with questions, and I just went with it. During sex, he was not kissing me like usual and I asked him about it. He then gave me a peck, kind of with the side of his mouth. I was about to freak out and ask him, "You don't have a cold sore, right?" But he had promised me that he would never even come near me if he felt one coming on, so I decided that my question would just be completely OCD and annoying and didn't say anything. I thought that I could trust him after 4 1/2 years together. After he was finished, he turned on the light (the room was very dark) to dispose of the condom. It was then that I noticed he had a huge scabbing cold sore on his top lip. I immediately started bawling, left, and made a same-day appointment with my doctor.
The doctor tested me for HSV-1 & HSV-2 for a baseline, which both later came back negative. He put me on Acyclovir 800 mg twice a day in case I was infected, and told me that the risk was fairly high. I have been extremely distraught ever since, and I know that I will have to wait 3 months to get any definitive blood-test results.
In the last week and a half, I have not experienced any bumps or blisters, but I have been running a low fever (around 100) off and on, and have been feeling a bit lethargic (although I'm not sure if this is related to the extreme anxiety and depression that I have been experiencing due to this situation).
So my questions are:
Am I at a high risk for having caught the virus from the saliva of a person with an active cold sore used as lubrication (there was very little time delay between him licking his finger and touching my vagina)?
What about the risk of him kissing me with the side of his mouth (he said he didn't touch me with the part that had the actual cold sore)?
And do you think the fever and lethargy could be from the virus, the Acyclovir, or something unrelated (I had previously been around a few people with flu-like symptoms)?
Thank you in advance for your time and help!
About two years ago I discovered that my (ex)boyfriend gets cold sores, although he had previously denied ever having one. Come to find out, he has had them since childhood. I was pretty upset that he would lie about his status, as I was not going to end things with him just because he had the virus. I was only asking so that we could take the proper precautions if he did in fact have the virus (I am HSV-1 & HSV-2 negative). Upon agreeing to take precautions, I decided to give him another chance.
Fast forward to a week and a half ago.. His son was sick and needed someone to watch him the next day so that he could stay home from school. I came over to my boyfriend's house late at night (I work late evenings) when he was already in bed, told him I was there, and went to bed as well.
The next day, while his son and I were still asleep, he came home early from work to check on us. He shut his room door and began messing with me. I really wasn't in the mood, but I felt a little guilty that we had not had sex in a while due to me being on crutches and on bed rest for a serious knee injury. He began licking his finger and using the saliva for lubrication, which I thought was a bit strange since he usually doesn't do that. However, I decided not to barrage him with questions, and I just went with it. During sex, he was not kissing me like usual and I asked him about it. He then gave me a peck, kind of with the side of his mouth. I was about to freak out and ask him, "You don't have a cold sore, right?" But he had promised me that he would never even come near me if he felt one coming on, so I decided that my question would just be completely OCD and annoying and didn't say anything. I thought that I could trust him after 4 1/2 years together. After he was finished, he turned on the light (the room was very dark) to dispose of the condom. It was then that I noticed he had a huge scabbing cold sore on his top lip. I immediately started bawling, left, and made a same-day appointment with my doctor.
The doctor tested me for HSV-1 & HSV-2 for a baseline, which both later came back negative. He put me on Acyclovir 800 mg twice a day in case I was infected, and told me that the risk was fairly high. I have been extremely distraught ever since, and I know that I will have to wait 3 months to get any definitive blood-test results.
In the last week and a half, I have not experienced any bumps or blisters, but I have been running a low fever (around 100) off and on, and have been feeling a bit lethargic (although I'm not sure if this is related to the extreme anxiety and depression that I have been experiencing due to this situation).
So my questions are:
Am I at a high risk for having caught the virus from the saliva of a person with an active cold sore used as lubrication (there was very little time delay between him licking his finger and touching my vagina)?
What about the risk of him kissing me with the side of his mouth (he said he didn't touch me with the part that had the actual cold sore)?
And do you think the fever and lethargy could be from the virus, the Acyclovir, or something unrelated (I had previously been around a few people with flu-like symptoms)?
Thank you in advance for your time and help!
did they also test you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too when you were seen?
not likely you'd only have these symptoms and no obvious lesions either on the genital area or on the cervix.
not likely you'd only have these symptoms and no obvious lesions either on the genital area or on the cervix.
Over the last few days, I have developed some type of urethritis. I have a constant feeling of pain both in the urethra and further up in the pelvic area, as well as the constant feeling of needing to urinate. I went to the doctor today to see if it was a UTI, and the test came back negative. However, the doctor is sending the urine sample off to the lab to be cultured because she said that the test can sometimes miss things.
Although my urine had a normal appearance (no cloudiness, discoloration, or foul odor), the doctor said that my symptoms could be due to a UTI based on the fact that I had a lot of discomfort when she pressed on my pelvis where the bladder is. But she also said that the urethritis could be due to herpes, as this is also a common symptom.
I have read posts from people whose only symptom of herpes was urethritis, and this worries me very much. Is this a common occurrence for an initial outbreak? So far, I do not have any sores and have not experienced any other symptoms besides the urethritis.
I know that a 3-month blood test is the only way to truly know if I was exposed, but I have been going crazy looking out for symptoms in the meantime. I have read that outbreaks can be very elusive, so I'm just wondering if this is a possible symptom or something coincidental. I was hoping that this would be a UTI, but with the initial results coming back negative my overwhelming anxiety has skyrocketed. Does this seem like a case of herpetic urethritis? The doctor (GP) said she didn't know much about it, so any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for all of your help!
Although my urine had a normal appearance (no cloudiness, discoloration, or foul odor), the doctor said that my symptoms could be due to a UTI based on the fact that I had a lot of discomfort when she pressed on my pelvis where the bladder is. But she also said that the urethritis could be due to herpes, as this is also a common symptom.
I have read posts from people whose only symptom of herpes was urethritis, and this worries me very much. Is this a common occurrence for an initial outbreak? So far, I do not have any sores and have not experienced any other symptoms besides the urethritis.
I know that a 3-month blood test is the only way to truly know if I was exposed, but I have been going crazy looking out for symptoms in the meantime. I have read that outbreaks can be very elusive, so I'm just wondering if this is a possible symptom or something coincidental. I was hoping that this would be a UTI, but with the initial results coming back negative my overwhelming anxiety has skyrocketed. Does this seem like a case of herpetic urethritis? The doctor (GP) said she didn't know much about it, so any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much for all of your help!
correct - you are always more at risk to contract hsv1 orally than genitally.
being on antivirals could hide any signs if you were infected.
sorry to hear the relationship ended but I agree - it is disrespectful for him to have done this when he knows how concerned you are in general about contracting hsv1 from him.
being on antivirals could hide any signs if you were infected.
sorry to hear the relationship ended but I agree - it is disrespectful for him to have done this when he knows how concerned you are in general about contracting hsv1 from him.
So I guess my risk of catching the virus orally is higher than catching it vaginally then.. Is there any chance that I may have gotten lucky and not caught the virus, based on the fact that there is less risk of viral shedding during the scabbing stage? And do you think that if I did in fact catch it that I would show symptoms, or would the antivirals be suppressing them?
Oh and I am no longer with my ex-boyfriend. He was purposely deceptive, and anybody with that little regard for my health and mental well-being doesn't get another chance with me. I did talk to him about getting some antivirals and possibly getting on some suppressive therapy (he gets cold sores very often), but he was not interested. I also would hope that he would be more responsible and considerate of others in the future, but ultimately this is out of my hands as we have cut all contact with each other.
Thanks again for your help!
Oh and I am no longer with my ex-boyfriend. He was purposely deceptive, and anybody with that little regard for my health and mental well-being doesn't get another chance with me. I did talk to him about getting some antivirals and possibly getting on some suppressive therapy (he gets cold sores very often), but he was not interested. I also would hope that he would be more responsible and considerate of others in the future, but ultimately this is out of my hands as we have cut all contact with each other.
Thanks again for your help!
actually your risk wasn't very high at all. saliva isn't a good way to transmit the virus. there really wasn't any need to start antivirals. hard to tell if you are really sick at this point or experiencing side effects of the acyclovir.
kissing with the side of his mouth didn't make any difference as far as decreasing your risk of contracting hsv1 orally. The virus sheds from the entire oral area, not just the area of the actual cold sore. once it reaches the scabbing stage, there is less risk of viral shedding too.
does your partner keep antivirals on hand to start at the very first sign of a cold sore to help speed healing ?
grace
kissing with the side of his mouth didn't make any difference as far as decreasing your risk of contracting hsv1 orally. The virus sheds from the entire oral area, not just the area of the actual cold sore. once it reaches the scabbing stage, there is less risk of viral shedding too.
does your partner keep antivirals on hand to start at the very first sign of a cold sore to help speed healing ?
grace
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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.
