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Undiagnosed and wondering
I'm married. In October my wife and I were having intercourse and she was having discomfort and that evening a fever and flu like symptoms. Her doctor said she had a UTI and a Yeast infection. Three days later I had a burning sensation on my penis tip right at the open. It became inflamed and began to grow followed by flu like symptoms. It opened and oozed clear liquid. It caused another ulceration where it touched on my scrotum and another where it touched on my inner thigh. I went to a doctor and we went through a ton of testings. They were 99% sure it was a herpes infection. We tested for Chlamydia & Gonn (urine), Syphilis (blood), herpes viral culture & Herpes blood antigens. Everything came back negative. I was put on doxycycline and valtrex while I waited for the results. After 7 days everything was back to normal from an ulceration perspective. My penis became puffy just below the head near the foreskin (circumsized) and there was a hard vein on the top side of the penis just to the left of the center of the penis. I went back to the doctor and as a precaution he prescribed 14 more days of doxycycline. Something still doesn't feel right, months later. It occassionaly feels like something burning at the tip and the shaft can feel tender after intercourse. Any idea on what this s/iwas? My wife went through a course of anitbiotics as well. I went back to be retested for eveything and they reviewed the results of all my prior tests, did another physical examination and said there was no need to be retested.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The non-type specific test suggests you are infected with HSV, of one type or the other. It is possible you have HSV-1, given the equivocal result. The HSV-1 type specific results are inherently less reliable than HSV-2. (The result is definitely negative for HSV-2.)
So it is possible your symptoms were due to HSV-1 and that the HSV-1 blood test is in the process of becoming positive. Talk with your doctor about having another type-specific test for HSV-1 in a few weeks. If it becomes more strongly positive, it will confirm a new HSV-1 infection. If still equivocal or negative, it will indicate that something other than herpes was the cause of your symptoms.
So it is possible your symptoms were due to HSV-1 and that the HSV-1 blood test is in the process of becoming positive. Talk with your doctor about having another type-specific test for HSV-1 in a few weeks. If it becomes more strongly positive, it will confirm a new HSV-1 infection. If still equivocal or negative, it will indicate that something other than herpes was the cause of your symptoms.
Methodology: HSV I/II: chemiluminescence; HSV type-specific 1 and 2: enzyme immunoassay (EIA
was the test for the above results. the 4.5 value was chemiluminescence and the other two results were from specific typing eia test.
was the test for the above results. the 4.5 value was chemiluminescence and the other two results were from specific typing eia test.
Hi Dr. I went back and got tested this week. I've exhibited no symptoms, since the initial issue. The results confuse me:
HSV I/II IgG Rflx I-II Type Sp
HSV I/II IgG 4.5 H
Then they did the typing exercise:
HSV 1 IgG, Type Spec 0.96 H
HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec <0.91
Looking at the ranges .96 is in the "equivocal range" for HSV 1. So do I have HSV 1?
HSV I/II IgG Rflx I-II Type Sp
HSV I/II IgG 4.5 H
Then they did the typing exercise:
HSV 1 IgG, Type Spec 0.96 H
HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec <0.91
Looking at the ranges .96 is in the "equivocal range" for HSV 1. So do I have HSV 1?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
There are non-sexually acquired conditions that can cause genital ulceration, including certain viruses and skin conditions. With negative results both from the HSV culture and the blood test, most likely this will prove to be something other than herpes. However, I agree with repeating the HSV blood test in a few weeks. However, you should ignore the result of the IgM antibody test, which probably is what your doctor means by "present" antibodies. The IgG test ("past" antibodies) is the only reliable HSV blood test. Here is a thread that tells why; it's over 3 years old, but still valid: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/248394
Thanks. My first visit to the doc was pre-ulcerations, my appologies for leaving that out. They ran the urine test and at that time prescribed doxy. Three days later the ulceration appeared and at that time they prescribed valtrex.
I will need to call and get numbers. He said they ran two different types blood tests. One that looked for present anitbodies one that looked at "past". He said both were negative. I am going to go back and get retested to see if there are now antibodies present. Thanks.
I will need to call and get numbers. He said they ran two different types blood tests. One that looked for present anitbodies one that looked at "past". He said both were negative. I am going to go back and get retested to see if there are now antibodies present. Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help. However, this is a difficult and somewhat confusing situation, perhaps beyond the help of a distant online source, no matter how expert.
From your description, your initial problem sounds consistent with an initial infection with genital herpes. Herpes often shows up the first time in monogamous couples, when one of the partners has been infected for a long time (from some previous sex partner) and transmission to the other partner finally occurs. This can happen many years into a relationship, so that first appearance of herpes in monogamous couples doesn't necessarily mean that either partner has been unfaithful.
Whether this explains the situation in your case, I cannot say. Your wife's initial symptoms are not typical for herpes, but possible. However, if both your symptoms and hers were herpes, both sound like initial infections, not recurrent outbreaks. In that case, it would imply that one of you brought the infection into the relationship recently, i.e. had sex with someone else. Alternatively, maybe your wife has longstandiing herpes, had a UTI and yeast, and those infections triggered a herpes recurrence.
Having said all that, I'm also puzzled by the treatments your doctors prescribed. Herpes does not respond to any of the antibiotic treatments you mention -- so the docs must have believed something more than herpes was going on. As for your herpes tests, culture for the virus usually is positive in new HSV infections -- but not always. The blood tests are pretty much always positive in people who have been infected for more than 2-3 months, but negative before that.
In the event this is herpes, it could be either HSV-2, the usual cause of genital herpes; or HSV-1, which usually causes oral cold sores but can be transmitted to the genital area by oral sex. That's another way that herpes could explain this without implying outside sexual partnerships.
That's about all I can say, based on the information you have provided. If you and your wife both have had blood tests for HSV, please provide the results -- i.e., the numerical values for HSV-1 and HSV-2. With that information, I may be able to sort this out a bit more accurately.
Sorry I can't say more at this time. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
From your description, your initial problem sounds consistent with an initial infection with genital herpes. Herpes often shows up the first time in monogamous couples, when one of the partners has been infected for a long time (from some previous sex partner) and transmission to the other partner finally occurs. This can happen many years into a relationship, so that first appearance of herpes in monogamous couples doesn't necessarily mean that either partner has been unfaithful.
Whether this explains the situation in your case, I cannot say. Your wife's initial symptoms are not typical for herpes, but possible. However, if both your symptoms and hers were herpes, both sound like initial infections, not recurrent outbreaks. In that case, it would imply that one of you brought the infection into the relationship recently, i.e. had sex with someone else. Alternatively, maybe your wife has longstandiing herpes, had a UTI and yeast, and those infections triggered a herpes recurrence.
Having said all that, I'm also puzzled by the treatments your doctors prescribed. Herpes does not respond to any of the antibiotic treatments you mention -- so the docs must have believed something more than herpes was going on. As for your herpes tests, culture for the virus usually is positive in new HSV infections -- but not always. The blood tests are pretty much always positive in people who have been infected for more than 2-3 months, but negative before that.
In the event this is herpes, it could be either HSV-2, the usual cause of genital herpes; or HSV-1, which usually causes oral cold sores but can be transmitted to the genital area by oral sex. That's another way that herpes could explain this without implying outside sexual partnerships.
That's about all I can say, based on the information you have provided. If you and your wife both have had blood tests for HSV, please provide the results -- i.e., the numerical values for HSV-1 and HSV-2. With that information, I may be able to sort this out a bit more accurately.
Sorry I can't say more at this time. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
