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Was it a wrong diagnosis?
I was diagnosed with Genital Herpes about 4 years ago after going to my OBGYN because the area between my behind was severly chapped. It was very raw and red. The doctor told me she saw a small sore that looked like Herpes but she wasn't sure because of where it was located and gave me some cream to use and said if it didn't clear up in a couple of days to come back. I used the cream and it didn't get better and I had gotten a bump in my pubic area also by now (the only one I have ever had). She did the test and called a few days later saying it was positive. Since then I have only had a couple of outbreaks a year and usually it just involves the area between my behind becoming very raw (no bumps or blisters). I have began wondering if it really is herpes or could it be something else mistaken for herpes?
It has come to my attention that often the HerpesSelect test when at low levels of position 1.10-3.50 IGG can often times be determined to be a wrong diagnosis for HSV-2 when compared to Herpes Western Blot test. This is especially true when you have a positive for HSV-1. Link: http://books.google.com/books?id=PoRB5qQXW70C&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=herpeselect+false+positive&source=bl&ots=W5k3m9Kf4S&sig=31IkgrvfGX2IdQEiEp4jZTmvA7s&hl=en&ei=EEduSpWOEJuUtgf4lvyIDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3 Link 2: http://journals.lww.com/stdjournal/Fulltext/2005/12000/Herpes_Simplex_Virus_Type_2__HSV_2__Western_Blot.11.aspx
The Western Blot is an entirely different type of testing and requires you to contact the Washington Dept directly and request both a test kit and information to supply to your doctor. Link: http://www.racoon.com/herpes/WB_test.htm
However, a low level of IGG may be caused by recent exposure. In the event that you have not had a recent exposure (less than 4 months) and have no had any visible signs it is recommended that you have a Western Blot test.
The Western Blot is an entirely different type of testing and requires you to contact the Washington Dept directly and request both a test kit and information to supply to your doctor. Link: http://www.racoon.com/herpes/WB_test.htm
However, a low level of IGG may be caused by recent exposure. In the event that you have not had a recent exposure (less than 4 months) and have no had any visible signs it is recommended that you have a Western Blot test.
Get a HerpeSelect blood test for HSV II, which is type specific. Search the forums that are answered by the docs, or just search ImG vs. IGG, and you'll get your answer on which is most reliable. Also HerpeSelect is FDA approved. If 4 years ago was your last "exposure" to herpes, than a blood test will definitely give you your answer. Herpes doesn't always present itself in a cookie cutter way, but I would look more into that. Go to a dermatologist, also. I'm not saying you don't have herpes, but whatever that rash is that you're getting, might not be a symptom or herpes outbreak.
wHAT IF YOU GET A GENITAL SORE....THAT DOESN'T HURT OR ITCH....GOES AWAY IN 2-3 DAYS WITH OUT ANTIBIOTICS....AND NEVER HAD ANY OTHER SYMPTOM OF HERPES BUT WAS STILL DIAGNOSE WITH IT
Just because you tested + for herpes in the past - doesn't mean that everything that goes on down yonder is due to herpes. I think at this point you need to follow up on this with a further work up to try to figure out just what all is going on.
First of all type does matter - you'll find not only myself saying that but also all health professionals who deal with herpes regularly also say it. Call the clinic you had your lesion culture at and see if they typed it for hsv1 or hsv2. If they didn't, then you'll need to follow up with a type specific herpes igg blood test to see just what type(s) of hsv you have in your body. This is important for many reasons - the most important reason being deciding what precautions to take with your partners. If you are going to be infected with something you should at least know what type you have and how to best reduce the chances of transmitting it to a partner.
When you have your "butt" symptoms again - go be seen and get a pcr swab for herpes of that area and also get tested for yeast and bacterial infections - including a strep b test of the red area. All are common causes of redness and issues down yonder. If that all comes back as negative and no herpes is detected either - then start keeping a diary of your symptoms including number of bowel movements around the time of your symptoms, the type of toilet paper you use, how close it is to your period, what you are eating foodwise etc. You might be able to pinpoint a pattern in either something going in on one end that is bothering the other , a soap you are using ( or tp brand ) or something that is coming in contact with your anal area that could be irritating it.
I know these aren't quick and easy answers but it's the only way to get to the bottom of this all. There are a zillion other things besides herpes that can cause symptoms in our genital area - you can't just assume it's herpes.
grace
First of all type does matter - you'll find not only myself saying that but also all health professionals who deal with herpes regularly also say it. Call the clinic you had your lesion culture at and see if they typed it for hsv1 or hsv2. If they didn't, then you'll need to follow up with a type specific herpes igg blood test to see just what type(s) of hsv you have in your body. This is important for many reasons - the most important reason being deciding what precautions to take with your partners. If you are going to be infected with something you should at least know what type you have and how to best reduce the chances of transmitting it to a partner.
When you have your "butt" symptoms again - go be seen and get a pcr swab for herpes of that area and also get tested for yeast and bacterial infections - including a strep b test of the red area. All are common causes of redness and issues down yonder. If that all comes back as negative and no herpes is detected either - then start keeping a diary of your symptoms including number of bowel movements around the time of your symptoms, the type of toilet paper you use, how close it is to your period, what you are eating foodwise etc. You might be able to pinpoint a pattern in either something going in on one end that is bothering the other , a soap you are using ( or tp brand ) or something that is coming in contact with your anal area that could be irritating it.
I know these aren't quick and easy answers but it's the only way to get to the bottom of this all. There are a zillion other things besides herpes that can cause symptoms in our genital area - you can't just assume it's herpes.
grace
If your health provider said your test was positive, then you have herpes. So do most people. You could always do another type specific blood test, - but seeing as your culture was positive, - there's not really much point. You would be hard pushed to get specific testing in most countries. People dole out shedding statistics and hypothesize on the so-called differences between HSV1 and HSV2, - but are these that important ? Would knowing which type you have make all the difference when it comes to telling a potential future partner that you have herpes ( .. always remember that most of the population are infected anyway ).
I can understand that you may be in denial, and haven't been able to accept the truth. I advise you to take that step, and be thankful that your outbreaks are infrequent.
It's really no big deal, - I read recently that the HSV2 infection rate in Mexico is 86%. If this is so, how can US ( 22% ) statistics be accurate ? Don't worry about it too much. Your reaction is a natural one when faced with all the hysteria caused by unwarranted stigma and hype-induced online information which is largely sponosered by mulitnational pharmaceutical companies whose main aim is to sell more drugs. There are plenty of press articles which have already dealt with these conflict of interest issues. Unfortunately, such information is hard to come by online.
There are several earlier threads on this board written by myself, barn babe and t1234 if you're interested in looking up stuff.
I can understand that you may be in denial, and haven't been able to accept the truth. I advise you to take that step, and be thankful that your outbreaks are infrequent.
It's really no big deal, - I read recently that the HSV2 infection rate in Mexico is 86%. If this is so, how can US ( 22% ) statistics be accurate ? Don't worry about it too much. Your reaction is a natural one when faced with all the hysteria caused by unwarranted stigma and hype-induced online information which is largely sponosered by mulitnational pharmaceutical companies whose main aim is to sell more drugs. There are plenty of press articles which have already dealt with these conflict of interest issues. Unfortunately, such information is hard to come by online.
There are several earlier threads on this board written by myself, barn babe and t1234 if you're interested in looking up stuff.
I agree that there is controversy surrounding IgG test. I understood georgiagrl's test to have been a swab, and therefore her results would have been accurate ( human error is, of course, still a possibility, but an unlikely one, especially as symptoms, - albeit untypical ones as is often the case with HSV, were present ).
Concerning type and shedding : on sites like these, professional health providers and the people they work with will always push for type testing. It's important to remember that trials concerning shedding were financed by pharma whose main interest is to sell more drugs. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, coming mainly from the States where pharmas have the right to publisize their products on tv ( unlike in Europe ) and where such obvious political conflict of interest has the effect of increasing irrational fear and stigma.
I think you're right, jp, to bring to light to discrepancies with regards to IgG tests. Relating back to an earlier thread, t1234 cited some great articles, - one by Dr Burkhart of Ohio University who has a hypothesis that herpes ( at least HSV1 ) is universal and that a negative test does not rule out the presence of herpes. Indeed, the virus is found in pretty much every organ of the body and may have a crucial role to play in the destruction of certain types of cancerous cells. It's a shame these positive aspects are ignored by the vast majority of US-based medical websites, which choose instead to bang out shedding and HSV-type dogma.
Concerning type and shedding : on sites like these, professional health providers and the people they work with will always push for type testing. It's important to remember that trials concerning shedding were financed by pharma whose main interest is to sell more drugs. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, coming mainly from the States where pharmas have the right to publisize their products on tv ( unlike in Europe ) and where such obvious political conflict of interest has the effect of increasing irrational fear and stigma.
I think you're right, jp, to bring to light to discrepancies with regards to IgG tests. Relating back to an earlier thread, t1234 cited some great articles, - one by Dr Burkhart of Ohio University who has a hypothesis that herpes ( at least HSV1 ) is universal and that a negative test does not rule out the presence of herpes. Indeed, the virus is found in pretty much every organ of the body and may have a crucial role to play in the destruction of certain types of cancerous cells. It's a shame these positive aspects are ignored by the vast majority of US-based medical websites, which choose instead to bang out shedding and HSV-type dogma.
My feeling is a little different than ali-jay. I don't think we should blindly assume that what our provider says is always correct. I am learning after 30+ years that you have to advocate for yourself. After all, you can read some of these posts and quickly find out there are providers out there with no or very limited knowledge of HSV. I'm not saying that everyone under the sun should go back and be retested, but there are factors that could warrant a retest. Like the guy who recently posted and his scores are COMPLETELY different. Or those of us that have a low positive for 2 and are positive for 1. Not to mention, the labs are run by humans and they could've made a mistake. I would say if a person had typical herpes sores, knew they were exposed and then they pop positive, they probably are positive. But, if there seems to be other things going on down there, atypical symptoms, etc. its worth looking into all the possibilities.
I don't know. I hear the culture is best and then I hear the Herpes type specific blood test is best. I have had neg cultures and a recent pos blood test. When I get more irritation down below, I will go and have another culture done. I hear the Western Blot or Herpes Select Type Specific tests are the most accurate. I don't know about the igm or igg, etc. My Nurse Practitioner just says pos or neg. She says it is one or the other. Never actually say the report itself. Hope this helps you. Here for you, EB
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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.
