"low risk" encounter, but now symptoms!

[bigbrowneyes1985]

I had sexual contact with a guy that I believe may have genital herpes.  We never actually had genital to genital contact or oral sex, but we did mutual masturbation.  First, he fingered me while I was naked, and I rubbed his penis through his basketball shorts.  Then I fingered myself, and he pulled down his pants and started masturbating himself.  At one point, he switched hands and quickly ran his hand over my vulva.

At one point, I had my jeans up and zipped (no underwear) and he was naked, and his penis rubbed up on my jeans a bit.

I have been told that this is all very low risk, but then I developed symptoms.  My vulva was red and irritated, and I kept getting weird sharp pains, but I thought it might be from the irritation from masturbation.  Four days after the encounter, I developed two tender lymph nodesin my inguinal region (the same one on each side of my body).  Since they are not directly under the inguinal ligament, but a little bit below that and between the front and inside of my thigh, I assume that they may be the inferior superficial lymph nodes.  The vulva tenderness has subsided somewhat today, and the one lymph node is no longer tender, but the other one is just as bad as ever.

I have absolutely no lesions or abnormal looking things on my vulva, but my symptoms still have me very concerned.  

1. Is it possible that I got herpes (or any STD, but I'm mostly concerned with herpes) from this type of encounter?
2. Do my symptoms suggest possible herpes?  I don't know what else could cause the lymph node swelling.  I have never noticed anything like this before.

I was tested for HSV-2 before this encounter and was negative, if that is significant.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

There really is no reason to be thinking of herpes from what you have told me.  Lesions are typically present with first episode HSV, particularly i fthere is pain or discomfort involved.  EWH

[bigbrowneyes1985]

Thank you so much for your response.  Could this be herpes with no lesions present, or are lesions always present?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The encounter you describe is close to no risk for STD, including herpes.  HSV is not spread by hand to genital contact, even when the hand has been in contact with one's partner's genital secretions.  Masturbation which is safe sex.  No risk to you for acquisition of HIV or any other STD.  Please realize that in the course of masturbation miniscule amounts of genital secretions are inadvertently shared between partners, nonetheless there are no HIV transmissions which have occurred in this way.

On the other hand, it sounds as though there was a lot of "friction" involved with this encounter, both generated by hand to genital contact and though rubbing each other through your clothes.  Such activity can often be irritating and as a result of this irritation it would not be unusual for local lymph nodes to become inflamed.  Further, if this was an initial episode of HSV, the symptoms would likely last longer than just a few days.  

Finally, with respect to your partner.  It sounds as though you do not know if he has HSV or not and, even if he does, I would point out that the majority of exposure to partners with herpes do not lead to infection.

In answer to your specific questions:

1.  Risk if close to, if not,  zero.  Normally, I would not even recommend testing for an exposure of the sort you describe.
2.  No, this really doesn't suggest HSV.  On the other hand, between your persistent lymph node swelling and your concern, it may be appropriate for you to go on and seek an evaluation and testing.  This will both allow a trained clinician to take a look at you to make an assessment and allow testing.  I predict the evaluation will be negative - the peace of mind that it will give you however is of great value.

Hope this helps.  EWH

[bigbrowneyes1985]

I forgot to add that it is now only six days after the encounter.