Confusing Test Results

[Newuser637]

Hello! Been very stressed the past weeks and curious to know what you think of my situation. I’m a hypochondriac so this has been difficult.
For reference: I’ve gotten cold sores my whole life. Not often but like once a year maybe? Pretty sure its hsv1. I’m just gonna get straight to it.
6/12: met this guy. We hooked up with a condom. There was very brief moment we didnt use one. I performed oral on him til he finished.
6/13: i performed oral on him again until he finished
6/14: he told me he had ghsv2 and contracted it august of last year and hasnt had a breakout since

The days that followed Ive had the worst sobbing fits and panic attacks of my life. No sleep or eating or taking care of myself really.

6/18: felt a cold sore on my lip coming on. Put abreva on it and it never raised or anything. This did however lead to more panic attacks and sobbing fits.
A couple days later felt 3 more cold sores start to tingle on my lips. Put abreva on them and they were gone swiftly as well. More panic attacks and lack of sleep etc.
I shiuld note that I got a sunburn on my lips the day before I met him and was also about to start my period. I read that sunburns, hormonal changes and severe stress can trigger an outbreak so it couldve been my hsv1??

6/21: noticed cobblestone looking lumps in very back of throat. Not painful but freaked me out. Had a sore throat for a few days but really felt it only after crying. Doctor told me it was due to allergies i guess. I also figured post nasal drip due to crying so much. And theyre going away now.

Got IGG tested 6/22 and results for hsv1 and 2 came back negative. I know its really early to test but this is confusing as I’m sure Ive always had hsv1 so I’m not sure how accurate this is. Have had no genital symptoms. Curious to know what you think. Super stressed.

[Terri Warren]

I doubt that you have HSV 2 orally but you could, conceivably. I think the risk is still quite low.
I would suggest that you repeat the IgG test in about 7 weeks and see what you see.
If you develop any sores, have them swab tested.
I am assuming the oral sex was not over condoms?

Terri

[Newuser637]

We did not use a condom for oral no.
He asked me to go down on him knowing he had hsv2 and wasn’t telling me. I feel sick about it really.
Is it odd that my igg test came back negative for hsv1? I’ve gotten cold sores as long as I can remember. Unless I’ve been confusing cold sores for something else but I doubt it.

[Terri Warren]

The IgG test for HSV 1 misses 30% of infections so I’m not surprised about that.
If he knew he had HSV 2 and didn’t tell you and you acquired it, you have a legal case against him if you wish to pursue it. Your negative IgG for HSV 2 and subsequent positive swab says this is a new infection and would be essential for a legal case to move forward.

Terri

[Newuser637]

Oh wow. I just really hope I didn’t get it so I don’t have to consider that as an option. Also, one last round of questions:

1. Is cobblestone throat a common herpes symptom? Even for throat herpes? Doctor told me it was just allergies probably.

2. If I did get oral hsv2 would it only show up as cold sores usually or would there be more going on actually inside my mouth? (In the cheek, on the tongue, gums, etc.) Not sure what would be common with oral hsv2 or if it manifests any differently.

The cold sores I got really freaked me out as I normally don’t get that many. But I haven’t had anything since and I’m starting to believe it could have been due to the sunburn I had gotten a week prior to getting them.

3. Is it possible to give myself another cold sore from say using the same toothbrush i used when I had gotten one? Or using the same chapstick?

Sorry if these are dumb questions. Just trying to gather as much info as possible while I’m in the waiting period to get tested again.

[Newuser637]

In addition to the ones above:

4. Are abdominal cramps a herpes symptom? I am about to start my period but still just wanted to know.

5. Do you think its odd I got 1 cold sore and then 3 more showed up in a matter of days even though i rarely get cold sores? Or is a sunburn likely to cause an outbreak? They went away almost as soon as i put abreva on them. (This was about a week after I initially got lip sunburned and my skin was dry and flaking off a lot throughout the week. This was also 4-5 days after last oral sex contact) and like I said, I was also severely stressed and about to start my period.

6. How likely is it to have oral hsv1 and oral hsv2? Have you seen that before? Does hsv1 provide ANY minor protection from hsv2?

7. Last question! How accurate is an igg at 4 weeks? Should i just wait til week 6 or save up for a western blot at week 12? The thought of getting a false positive deeply stresses me out. Im so beyond stressed and I can’t focus on day to day tasks. The mental strain this has taken on me is so severe and while I’m not worried about hurting myself I’ve experienced suicidal ideation for the first time in years.

Thank you so much for your time. And please don’t forget the questions above this one! Thanks again.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Newuser637.

[Terri Warren]

1. Is cobblestone throat a common herpes symptom? Even for throat herpes? Doctor told me it was just allergies probably.
I don’t even know what that is, sorry

2. If I did get oral hsv2 would it only show up as cold sores usually or would there be more going on actually inside my mouth? (In the cheek, on the tongue, gums, etc.) Not sure what would be common with oral hsv2 or if it manifests any differently.
It would likely show up as cold sores

The cold sores I got really freaked me out as I normally don’t get that many. But I haven’t had anything since and I’m starting to believe it could have been due to the sunburn I had gotten a week prior to getting them.

3. Is it possible to give myself another cold sore from say using the same toothbrush i used when I had gotten one? Or using the same chapstick?
NO, your immune system determines frequently of recurrences, not toothbrushes.

In addition to the ones above:

4. Are abdominal cramps a herpes symptom? I am about to start my period but still just wanted to know.
No

5. Do you think its odd I got 1 cold sore and then 3 more showed up in a matter of days even though i rarely get cold sores? Or is a sunburn likely to cause an outbreak? They went away almost as soon as i put abreva on them. (This was about a week after I initially got lip sunburned and my skin was dry and flaking off a lot throughout the week. This was also 4-5 days after last oral sex contact) and like I said, I was also severely stressed and about to start my period.
without a swab test, it’s not possible to know what might be going on here, sorry

6. How likely is it to have oral hsv1 and oral hsv2? Have you seen that before? Does hsv1 provide ANY minor protection from hsv2?
We think the local immune response involved with your HSV 1 likely gives you some protection against HSV 2

7. Last question! How accurate is an igg at 4 weeks? Should i just wait til week 6 or save up for a western blot at week 12? The thought of getting a false positive deeply stresses me out. Im so beyond stressed and I can’t focus on day to day tasks. The mental strain this has taken on me is so severe and while I’m not worried about hurting myself I’ve experienced suicidal ideation for the first time in years.

We don’t have data at 4 weeks = at 3 weeks, the IgG picks up 50% of those who will eventually test positive.
I still think that HSV 2 oral infection is really unlikely here. You can keep testing as often as you think it will be helpful.

Terri

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