Thank you again for your patience, Dr. Hook. This is the last that I will post on this matter.
No change in my aqssessment. When people have their first notiiced episode of HSV long after exposure it is typically because they failed to attribute their initial episode to HSV. In your case with your high anxiety as demonstrated over many posts, this is most unlikely to be the case, just as it is most unlikely that your first episode of herpes was an unusual manifestation of the infection. You really need to get some help in working through this. EWH
Dr. Hook,
I apologize for bringing up this topic again, but I read in another one of your posts that if lesions don't appear within 10 days, then the likelihood of a herpes infection is low. Wouldn't it still be possible to have acquired the disease, but have no symptoms?
Also today, the tiny bump that I mentioned in my first post has scabbed over and fallen off. It never burst open and it never leaked fluids, but it was a bit tender when it was there. Does this occurrence change your assessment at all?
Thanks again for your help
Thank again for your advice, Dr. Hook.
No, this is not. Please try not to worry. EWH
Thank you very much Dr. Hook, though I have just one more question that I forgot to mention in my first post. About two days after the second encounter, I noticed a slight tingling or tickling in the tip of my penis (in the urethra, actually). This lasted about a day. Is this something that could be of concern?
Thank you again.
From your question, I can see that you have already seen some of our prior posts on this site. Thus you KNOW that we have repeatedly said there is NO use in IgM testing for HSV. I do not interpret them in any way, positive, negative or in determinant. Spending your money on IgM tests is really a waste of your time and money.
Your symptoms really are not suggestive of HSV. Typically if you were going to develop HSV we would expect the onset of lesions within 10 days of your exposure, this was not your experience. Further, when the symptoms of HSV occur, they do not occur serially but in rapid (over a day or two, max) sequence.
Finally, the bump you describe does not suggest HSV either. As to what it might be, that is more difficult to say and I would suggest that if you think it might be abnormal, I would suggest you get checked at your local STD Clinic or by your own doctor. My guess it is something that has been there for a long time but was not noticed until you became concerned.
Bottom line, nothing here to suggest HSV. I would not suggest further testing. If you do, you are more likely to have a false positive result than to discover that you got HSV from either of the encounters you describe. Take care. EWH