Constant prodrome/nerve and back pain/immune disorder??

[blondie]

I was diagnosed with HSV2 9 years ago thru a blood test while pregnant with my daughter. I have suffered cold sores since I can remember, but was HSV1 negative so we retested thinking there was a mix up in the lab. There wasn’t. So doctor assumed I just had HSV2 orally. I gave birth vaginally to daughter and then later my son. Come to find out, I believe I have it genitally as well. I have a rash that comes and goes very quickly on my inner thigh, along with constant nerve pain along both legs and sometimes across my breast. I have at times found one fluid filled bump here or there on my waist, vagina, boob, even inner thigh but usually, I just have a rash that comes and goes within the hour along with some pretty bad back pain and pressure in my abdomen. I have been referred to a disease specialist who only told me that wasn’t how herpes behaved. I have been on acyclovir off and on for this and it only seems to help when I am getting a break out orally. I am on 30 mg of Cymbalta for my anxiety, so maybe my anxiety is triggering these constant outbreaks/prodrome? Could I have an underlying autoimmune disorder? No doctors seem to know nor care, but I can’t keep living like this and need some answers. Also, I am worried I could have infected my kids through vaginal birth. My daughter did have a yeast infection around 16 months (before I realized I had it genitally) that looked like a ton of red dots all where her diaper covered. Also, my son was hospitalized with viral meningitis at 5 weeks. They treated him with an acyclovir drip and tested him for exposure to herpes. (Again, at the time, I just believed I had it orally). Could he have HSV2 and not have shown any symptoms in 8 years? Could my daughter have it? My symptoms below started after getting the Mirena. I had constant PID and issues. Could my Mirena have caused a dormant virus to become active? Is it odd that I have it in two locations??

[Terri Warren]

I would be interested in how you were diagnosed with HSV-2. There can be false positives on the IgG antibody test and I’m wondering if that could be the case for you. The other thing to consider here is that the IgG antibody test for HSV one misses 30% of infections. Your oral outbreaks sound more consistent with HSV one.

I would not be concerned at all that your children are infected with HSV-2. They would have been ill at birth and someone would have recognized their infection because children Born and then infected with herpes do not have an immune system capable of making the infection asymptomatic.

I would strongly suggest that you repeat the IgG antibody test and see what you get this time. If the index value falls below 3.5, you need a confirmatory test such as the herpes Western blot.

Terri

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