right kind of blood test?

[carguy6715]

Hello, Im going in to have blood drawn at the request of my dr. the test that he has specified is hsv titers. Will this cover igg mandated testing? I went in because in nov I had sex with a girl who i had been with about 8 yrs ago, we got together 4 times.Got 1 small pimple on the shaft of my penis,didnt itch,poped it and it went away. the last time together she was kinda dry so i just thought it was an abrasion. Fast forward to april,,got with another girl same kinda situation,,kinda dry rough sex. this time 3 small pimples showed up 3 or 4 days later.and again no itch poped them and they went away. In nov had flu like symptoms, no fever, but achy and leg pain. in april,, once again got similar symptoms,,night sweats,leg pain,butt felt sunburnt for a couple of days. When i went ot the dr, nothing was showing at exam. so this is why he ordered blood work. I am going to use this as a baseline. If the time in apr was a recurrence, why the flu like symptoms I thought they were only going to be with the innital outbreak? sorry for the long post. thank you for your time..

[carguy6715]

Thank you grace, I will follow up on this and keep you informed with what i find out. You have given me at least a little hope and for that I am very grateful.

[gracefromHHP]

go be seen and have this looked at. That's a really odd place for a herpes lesion to appear. Might be an ingrown hair or something going on there.

I wouldn't even bother taking any valtrex at this point. Suppressive therapy for hsv1 genitally is pretty much not a lot of bang for your buck since it doesn't shed very often for the most part. Until you've confirmed that it's even genital herpes, I don't recommend treating it because your best bet is a lesion culture of active symptoms.

No you don't need to have a head on it to test but at the 2 week mark, testing for herpes is a waste of time with a lesion culture, even pcr.

grace

[carguy6715]

sorry also wanted to  add that on my report it also says hsv 1&2 igm ab screen,,not detected and igm titer ,,not indicated. I didnt post this because of the igm being pretty nuch useless.

[carguy6715]

Thank you grace 4 ur quick response, I will follow up when the next new sore arrives.I currently have one at the crease of my leg,,however its been there about two weeks and i dont think that it would be suitable 4 testing due to it being over 48 hrs. Should I start the valtrex or should i wait until all testing has been completed? Also does the sore have to have a head on it to be tested,, From what i understand they have to get fluid out of it. Thanks again for what you do here,, I would be lost without the help this forum provides.

[gracefromHHP]

Just testing + for hsv1 on a blood test doesn't tell you that you have genital herpes based on the testing you've had so far.  Since most folks who contract hsv1 orally never get obvious cold sores to know it, you can't assume anything by a lack of cold sores as far as you can recall.  

So yes, you'll need a lesion culture and typing of any genital symptoms to confirm hsv1 genitally. Since these symptoms are only showing up after rough, dry sex, really can't assume that they are herpes related either.

grace

[carguy6715]

hello,well the results are in,, hsv 1 and 2 by igg,,hsv 1, 1.99<0.90 ,, hsv 2  0.08<0.90,,so im positive for hsv1. I was perscribed valtrex 1 gm daily, for suppression. I am not currently in a relationship however for the past year i have become close to someone and now she is moving to the same town that im in, not all because of me but i think that this could possibly go somewhere. Now I have to tell her that I have this and I really dont know how she will take it.I do have many questions as i wrap my head around this. I have watched the video at westover heights and plan on buying terri's book. I dont ever remember having cold sores,, but I think i was infected in nov,, since then I have had 3 outbreaks,,not major but I thought with hsv 1 generally you only get a outbreak once every couple of years.Do you think that i should have a sore swabed and pcr tested and typed or would that be a waste of time? My Dr is hard to get a appt with due to his large case load so I would have to go to the er.

[gracefromHHP]

A competent eye doctor will pick up on signs of occular herpes.  No reason to think you have a herpes eye infection.

grace

[carguy6715]

i have another question. for the past month i have had eye pain,, went to the eye doctor and he said that there was no infection. he put drops in my eyes and looked thru microscope. I didnt tell him of my concerns about herpes. He said that my muscous membrane was irritated. he gave me some drops which have helped some but not gotten rid of the pain which is in the back of my eyes.my question is do you have to be having a outbreak for occular herpes to show up,and  does it generally go away and then resurface just like regular herpes. If this is ocular herpes I think that i autoinnoculated myself. also do you specifically have to ask the eye dr to check for herpes or would that have been in the exam he gave me?  thanks

[gracefromHHP]

Sometimes they say herpes titers and you actually get the testing you need done. Other times you get the igm. Sometimes you only get the combined hsv igg test. You'll need to ask specifically what testing they ordered since just ordering herpes titers isn't really appropriate with the newer tests.

grace

[carguy6715]

sorry also wanted to add that the three pimples were spread out and not grouped together. two on one side of the shaft and one on the other, which if im reading correctly,, recurrances usually just affect one side or the other using the midline as a reference point.  thanks