Please help. I am so confused. PLEASE

[Scspoon123]

Please help. I just received my test results back and the IGG Blood test came back under .09 so as I was told by my doctor. Negative. However, he said that the IGM Blood test results came back at 1.17 or as he said positive for either HSV1 or HSV2 since it was a combined test. He is waiting on the results of the next text he requested to distinguish between whether it is HSV1 or HSV2. I was wondering what this means? Am I for sure a carrier of Herpes Simplex? Why would the IGG come back negative and the IGM come back positive? I am extremely upset and soooo confused. Please someone provide me with some insight. Please.

[Prettyt30]

Hi:

Will results from a herpes type 2 igg test look this  2.12 and reference range 0.00-1.10. Please help I don't understand

[gracefromHHP]

yes it's negative.  congrats!!

[Scspoon123]

Hi Grace-

Well it has been over 3 months since this all started and i went got tested again and my results came back as follows:

HSV1 IgG = 0.09

HSV2 IgG = 0.29

Is it safe to say that I am negative for both HSV1 and HSV2? Sometimes reading the results confuses me. Some clarification would be great. Thanks so much Grace!!

[gracefromHHP]

as long as it's been at least 3 months since the last time you had sex, yes you can consider your testing negative and move forward :)

[Scspoon123]

well i just spoke to my doctor yesterday,finally, and he informed me that my igg tests for both HSV1 and HSV2 came back NEGATIVE and that my IGM test both both HSV1 and HSV2 was also NEGATIVE.

So i am assuming that this is a wonderful thing and i am not infected with the HSV1 or HSV2 virus. Correct?

Thanks for all your help Grace!!!

[gracefromHHP]

yes indeed you can find wrong info online but not here!!!

your provider needs to read the 2010 cdc herpes guidelines to better educate himself as I said earlier. He's setting himself up for malpractice suits by diagnosing based on igm herpes results :(  

there are type specific herpes igm tests but they still have the same exact false positive issues which is why we don't recommend them at all.

[Scspoon123]

Also to add somethings. I called him back for more clarification and he said the test he was waiting on now was an IGM type specific test for HSV2. and he said that if it comes back at 1.17 or below that he can safely say that I havent been infected with the herpes virus.

Is there any truth to that?

Is there an IGM type specific test for HSV2?

Becuase he said the last test, the 1.17 one from a couple days ago, was a combined for HSV1 and HSV2 and now he was going to determine if the positive IGM reading was HSV2 or not.

Thanks Grace!!

[Scspoon123]

I just spoke my doctor and this is what he said:

“Your herpes simplex 2 IgG test results for a previous infection came back negative. (he didn’t give me a number just said HSV2 was negative) I will call you back in the next couple days and let you know the results of the next test that determines if you have a “current or recent infection/exposure””. (As I mentioned above he told me the same thing yesterday: that my IgG tests came back NEG but that my IgM test came back positive with a value of 1.17. So he said I had a recent infection/exposure. he then said he was going to have tests run to differentiate if the recent exposure was HSV1 or HSV2. And called me back today with the information I just posted)

I AM SO CONFUSED NOW. I don’t know if he meant he was waiting on the HSV1 results or if he means another IgM test? I am starting to think my Doctor might not know what he is talking about. Because based off all the personal research I have done (however I know the internet can be misleading) I didn’t know there was a way to test for a recent/current infection of the herpes virus. Am I wrong?

He has me so confused and worried right now. I think he believes that I have not had an infection in the past but that I have a recent/current infection. What should I do? I am tired of worrying about this. And having this stress/worry ruin my workday and put a damper on my days in general. Plus as far as I know I have never even been exposed to the herpes virus nor have I EVER had any symptoms. I feel like I know more than him…

Can you please provide me with some insight on this new information I received Grace? My gut tells me to trust you more than him…

[gracefromHHP]

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Confusiion-over-other-IgM-Herpes-posts/show/248394  is a terrific prior post by HHH on why the igm tests aren't reliable.

get the actual test results to post here when they call you - e.g. hsv1 igg 6.7 and hsv2 igg .28 or whatever they are.  it'll give you a good baseline for comparing future results to too.

[Scspoon123]

Thank you so much for your timely responses Grace it means alot and helps give me peace of mind. I am hoping that the IgM results is a false positive or is positive for another reason since i have read numerous places they are unreliable. So as of now i am not going to have any sexual contact for 90 or so days and get tested again. and hopefully the results will come pack negative for IgG.

is it ok, and will you be able to respond, say tomorrow, once my doctor calls to tell me if it is in fact HSV1 or HSV2? I am thinking that the test he ran though to determine if it is HSV1 or HSV2 will only show IgG? you think thats correct?

thanks again for your time and your help. it is greatly appreciated.

[gracefromHHP]

at this point you'll need to wait 3 months after the last time you had sex with anyone and repeat your testing then.   it should be igg testing only and should be type specific.

no reason to retest in a week either. encourage your provider to bone up on herpes testing info to best serve his patients as well as to protect himself from lawsuits!!!!

[Scspoon123]

I did have a regular partner for almost 3 years and then i was very irresponsible and within the last 6 months had a couple of occasions where alcohol was involved and i was not smart at all. I have NEVER had any symptons or reason to believe any of the girls i was with had any symptoms. they were all either friends that i had had for several years or good friends of a friend. but i know you cant trust anyone. I simply worry alot and wanted to go run through the tests to make sure i was in the clear and then i get the positive IGM result after i had the blood test done last week.

the results just confused me and i am just not sure what to do from here. the last sexual enctounters i had were 60 days and about 2 weeks ago. I know that is well within the 90 day window. i was just thrown off when he said the positive IGM ment a new exsposure and in 90 days if i took another IGG test it would most likely come back positive. And from what i understand isnt 1.17 rather low? he said he would like to restest in a week to see if the IGM number went up and if i did that almost guarentees i am positive. should i request something else or a different test. I hate the limbo i either want to know 100% that i am fine or 100% that i am infected. he couldnt give me a percentage. im extremely worried. and to top it off i dont know if it is HSV1 or HSV2...

[gracefromHHP]

some hospitals do all their own testing in house, others do some there and send out to other labs for other tests. you'll have to ask your provider for details on what testing is being done on you.

what led to you being tested in the first place? do you have a regular partner?

[Scspoon123]

Yes I am in the US. I'm not sure if he is using quest labs my doctors office is located in a hospital if that means anything.

I just dont know what to do. He said he would call back once he got the results on whether its HSV1 or HSV2. But in your opinion will those results come back with both IGG and IGM numbers? Or just one of the two? He couldn't really tell me. And I asked him since the IGM was even slightly positive, 1.17, what that meant and he said "that means you have had a recent exposure and some antibodies have formed in your blood." Then I asked about the IGG and he said "that was negative but since its a recent exposure and the IGM was positive that most likely after 90 days the IGG would also be positive" is that true? This doctor is driving me crazy. I guess there is nothing I can really do until he calls to tell me if it is HSV1 or 2? Could the test that differentiates come back negative like the IGG alway did?

[gracefromHHP]

the igm herpes tests have a very high false positive rate which is why current recommendations are to not even order the test on adults. It's actually malpractice to diagnose an adult as having herpes based only on + igm results :(  

doubt he ordered you a herpes WB based on what you've posted so far.  I don't think  your provider is using quest labs from the testing they've ordered.   are you in the US?

we are here for questions dear - keep asking them!!  

[Scspoon123]

Thank you for more clarification. my doctor is just very confusing.

Is there a chance since my IGM'S are positive that in another 90 days if I take another IGG test it will come back positive? Thats the way my doctor is making it sound. And I think he ordered a western blot to differentiate between hsv1 and hsv2.  Will that test show igg and igm results? I'm sorry for all the questions. But based of things I've read and from our brief discussion it is up in the air if I have herpes. But according to my doctor I do have it and now he is having a test run to see if it is HSV1 or HSV2. so I am so confused.

[gracefromHHP]

well of course that should've said yoru igg's are negative. I really do know english...lol.  shouldn't watch tv and text while typing I suppose....he he he

your provider is very under educated about herpes testing I think. encourage them to read the 2010 CDC herpes guidelines to better educate themselves about herpes testing ( they aren't even ordering the right igg testing either ).   even if you aren't in the US, ,the guidelines are still applicable throughout the world with the information they contain.

[Scspoon123]

Thank you grace. I asked my doctor about the IGM and its validity. He said since the IGM was positive it means its a new infection/exposure and the IGG test didn't pick it up.  And he Said in 90 or so days the IGG test would most likely come back positive. Is there any truth to that? And he went on to say that he was doing another test to see if if it was HSV1 or 2. Could it be a false positive? What should I do? Any specific questions I should ask him? Thank you!!!

[gracefromHHP]

it's most helpful when you just keep adding to your original post instead of making a new post each time. thank you for your future cooperation.

the igm herpes test is a very flawed test and should've never been drawn on you.  a + on it is meaningless.

your igg's as negative.