Freaked out about Herpes

[whateverplease24]

I am a female and had a breif unprotected encounted with a man who has been in an 11 year relationship.  This took place about 9 months ago.  The penetration lasted about 3 seconds before I told him to stop.  I don't know why, but since then, I've been totally freaking out about having HsV.  I just felt "discomfort" in the genital area and everything I type in to search on the internet points to it.  About 2 1/2 weeks after this, I felt sick, rundown/weak, etc.  By about 10 PM I had felt better.  The next day, I was at work and went to a walk in clinic to ask about herpes.  They did an internal exam and the doctor there told me my cervix was slightly inflammed....so he swabbed it and said "if it's herpes, I'll call you"...never heard from him...he did give a prescription for valtrex for 7 days..nothing really seemed to change.  My genital area is always itching, red, I'm constantly checking it daily..sometimes these symptons will go away for a few days and then come back.  

I just need to know - is it possible to contract this from such a short penetration?  This man had no sores, nothing on him at all.  I've asked him if he've ever been in contact or known anything like this and he swears that he does not have this...his partner has never had anything either and she goes for regular checkups.

I really don't know what anything looks like when I check myself...I've never had a "cold sore" on my lip that I can remember...

Can someone please offer help?  I'm soo worried/upset about this that it is ruining everything..Please help....Thank you.

[whateverplease24]

HI MF - you seem to offer a lot of good advice...just wondering what you think of my situation?  I keep reading about "risk of infection one time is very low"...is that true?  My encounter lasted about 3 seconds unprotected and then nothing was continued.  The man had no sores/lesions, etc on him....what do you think?  I'm soo upset about this.  I took the western blot blood test (I guess fairly new in Canada), not too many doctors seem to know about it??  I am just so confused over everything, it's driving me crazy!

I appreciate the doctors response on this as well as everyone else.  I have been tested for Chlamydia and Gonnorhea as well so I'm still 'stumped' about the slight inflammation of my cervix.

Thanks

[missyB]

nervice....ive been with my bf for over 3 yrs...and ive noticed that i have a spot ..discolor(brown i guess) on the inside oF my (v)..
at first i thought it was a birth mark bc i dont have one ..it doesnt hurt or bother me at all..and i keep checking to see if it gets bigger and im so nervice that somedays i think it is but most of the time its the same size...
second...i find that lately when i have sex...i have a strong smell...and its freeking me out...do u think i have some kind of a disease...:(..or am i just freeking outttT

[whateverplease24]

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my question.  I went last night and had a blood test for western blot and something else to test for it.  I'm still very scared about this.  The doctor at the clinic has made an appt. for me in March to discuss the results, she said they take about 3-4 weeks to come back.  I really hope everything is ok.  Why is it that this is the first time I've been offered this test?  I'm also a little worried that the doctors won't know how to read it too...this doctor got the info from Dr. Stephen Sacks..guess he's pretty good.

Thanks.

[HHH,MD]

Your symptoms don't sound particularly suggestive of herpes.  Although herpes can cause cervicitis ("inflamed cervix"), chlamydia and gonorrhea are more common causes; probably you were tested for them, but you might want to check to be sure.  Accurate blood tests are available to tell whether someone is infected with herpes.

HHH, MD

[oceans3]

sounds to me like you have a case of the "guilts" you are bringing this on yourself. (while the itching, burning you may not be) but you are noticing every tiny symptom that your body probably did anyway but you were just not aware of it because you were not stressed over it.
this seems to be consuming you if it happened so long ago. you are driving yourself crazy. i dont know, i may steer clear of the std forum because you sound like a perfect canidate to start coming down with the symptoms you are reading about. i certainly know how that is!!
you have been to the dr. and things look A-OK. that itching, burning could be an irritation from perhaps soap or a lotion the guy had on his penis or fingers, OR YOURSELF! new laundry detergent??? some soaps are just too strong for our delicate area and can cause the symptoms you are talking about!
if the dr. said, no yeast, dont treat it anyway. you will make it worse. just calm down, think about the products you are using. use a mild soap to wash.
you said this encounter was 9 months ago? have you been with him since? OR with anyone else since him?
when is your next gyno appt? i think the only was you are going to feel better is if you just call and go in to get checked. let them know how terribly worried you are. they'll get you in.

[nowherechild]

There is a herpes or std forum here and that would seem the best place to ask.

[bubbley]

I was freaked out about Herpes too for a long time (it still lingers in my head). I had the same symptoms as you, general irritation and burning all over in my vagina intermittently and on-going.  I saw three different NPractitioners and had all sorts of STD tests done. Finally, i had a Herpes blood test done after 9 weeks. It came back negative for both Herpes 1 & 2. I would say don't worry about it. From everything I have read here, the odds are against you having Herpes.

[whateverplease24]

I've never noticed any 'sores', just itching and burning around the entire vaginal area.  I've been to other doctors but none see anything abnormal...vagina is very red and seems swollen sometimes.  When the doctor who swabbed the cervix looked inside he did not see any lesions either.  I've never had painful urination or burning when going either.  Just discomfort around the vaginal area.  My one doctor did test for yeast because she said that's what it looked like, but it was negative for yeast. I've just been soo consumed with thinking that i have it that i can't get it out of my head.  I hate the fact that if you search something on the internet regarding symptons....the majority point to herpes...talk about freaking people out.  It seems that there's no way around it and everyone has it?????

[csue]

i have never experienced anything like this, but I would think since the doc never called you back, then you probably do not have herpes. If I was you, I would go to the gyn and get checked out. It could be a yeast infection or something else. i do have a question for you. Were you going to sleep with a friend's man? I was just wondering because that's what it sounds like. Take care.

[my time]

It sounds like a good sign that the doctor did not call you. However you should give them a call if you are still concerned. You seemed to be convinced it is Herpes, is there any particular reason why? I just ask because there are tons of other STD's out there. Herpes can be contracted even if your partner does not have any symptoms at the time of intercourse, many, many people have the disease and do not know. Sometimes people realize they have it after they are no longer with that partner and think they got it from their new partner.
Anyway, do you have any sores, burning, or painful urination?
If your partner had a sore and it touched you, then I would think it is possible to spread it, no matter how long the intercounter.
If your symptoms persist, you should consider revisiting the doctor or your local clinic, just to be on the safe side.  It could be something as simple as a yeast infection. Try to get a hold of yourself, so you can think clearly. I hope everything works out.