› Forums › Herpes Questions › Confused
- This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 23 hours, 5 minutes ago by Terri Warren.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
January 23, 2023 at 11:00 am #80205Blueberry12Participant
Hi Terri,
I wonder if you could help;
About 5 years ago I had a protected encounter, a few days later I had itching and read online herpes sometimes causes this, que paranoia, I spent everyday checking myself. I noticed some spots on the bikini line area, I don’t remember them looking fluid filled. I picked and messed with them, so of course they scabbed over (I really picked the skin off, I was in a bit of a state). It healed quickly, I took fluconazole which stopped the itching.
No further problems occurred until about 4 years later when I developed some similar spots, attended a dermatologist and was diagnosed with folliculitus. I then had a weird scab on my buttock, again went to the derm, likely chafing. I decided I’d do an IGG – pos for type 1, neg for type 2. I get coldsores so was content with this.
Then, a year later, my partner develops classic herpes symptoms (I recognised them from the time I’d panic googled before). I automatically blamed myself despite it looking very different to anything I’ve had, repeated my IGG, still neg for type 2. Adviced him to get tested, which he neglected to do (Fast forward to now and I uncover he was cheating on me, so I’m unsure if his lesions were anything to do with me or not). At the time I didn’t know about the cheating, so I just watched and waited as we’d had sex (protected) the day prior to the lesions. 3 months later I get a weird patch on my buttock, I do a HSV PCR – negative.
I then get another spot back where I used to get them – I swab it for HSV PCR – pos for type 2. However, the lesion was very very atypical in presentation, no pain, no itch, no cluster. I swabbed myself (I’m a midwife) and to be honest I panicked, I may even of put it down on the bed at one point. The room he put me in had no sink or gloves, and I had to use my fingers to break this spot open.
I repeated my IGG 3 months later – neg for HSV 2 <0.5.
What would you suggest is going on?
-
January 23, 2023 at 3:25 pm #80207Blueberry12Participant
To clarify, I know it takes some people longer than 3 months for seroconversion/making antibodies, but we were long distance. So the exposure that potentially caused these symptoms (no sex occurred after) was back in July and I took this igg last week, I should’ve made antibodies by now right?
-
February 7, 2023 at 5:27 pm #80294Terri WarrenKeymaster
Very odd indeed.
Normally, I would say trust the PCR over the IgG test. The IgG test misses 8% of HSV 2 infections compared to the gold standard western blot. Did you take antiviral medicines? That can certainly delay seroconversion. I would highly recommend the western blot for you in this case to clarify your situation.
Terri
-
-
AuthorPosts
You must register to ask your own question or be logged in to reply to this question.