Disgusted w/self

[me]

Was dating and intimate w/a friend in May 2013, which was my last sexual encounter w/him. Returned to the states and started talking to and dating a guy in February 2014; and had our first, protected sexual encounter in March. From that point on, we would have intercourse maybe once a month, but unprotected. Had a routine pap and STI check-up in May 2014. STI check-up was negative for everything, the HSV 2 IGG reading was <.90. The pap came back positive for HPV and a bacterial infection. Devastating to now be a statistic w/my first STD. He said he was clean and I believed him, and we assumed it was contracted from my prior partner back in 2013.
Paranoid now, I had another vaginal check-up in October prior to removing my IUD because I had a foul smell and discharge. Came back w/a vaginal infection, but no STDs. December 2014, I had my permanent sterilization surgery as well as my IUD removed. My doctor said nothing about seeing bumps, irregularities, or anything out of place. I also went back for a follow-up two weeks later, and was told I had no STDs and everything was normal. I resumed intercourse, rough this time, w/my significant other on 27 December, followed by a morning-after pill since my Essure devices are not fully effective yet. That following week, my vaginal area start itching really bad and I was examining it to see what the problem was. I noticed the lips were swollen and I surely thought I saw bumps, blisters, and every other irregularity. I researched and believed it to be the HSV 2 disease. I prayed that that was impossible. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but the itching was unbareable. It finally subsided after about a week or a little more. I finally went to my PCM on 23 January to see if I officially contracted herpes. Yuck. My reading came back at 0.94, equivocal. So now I believe I have HSV-2, correct?? My follow-up is in March. He gave me pills to take in the meantime, Vacyclovir, I believe.

I told my significant other, but he denies having it and was tested. Am I a “special” case where it was dormant, undetected by multiple tests until now? And will it continue to rise as the month goes by??
I am so hurt by this mess I’ve created and just need to know if I am yet another statistic.

[Terri Warren]

Did anyone rule out yeast as a reason for the itching? Did you really see bumps and blisters? What is your HSV 1 status? Have you been tested for that? Are you the receiver of oral sex from your partner? Has he been tested for HSV 1?

Terri

[me]

My PCM said he thought itwas a vaginal/yeast infection when he glanced at it and that it did not look like herpes. However, with the symptoms I read online, I’m pretty sure I saw bumps and blisters. I combed through the area with my fingers and a mirror to try to figure out what the problem was. I was told by my PCM that I came back negative for HSV-1; but when I look at my results, it doesn’t specifically have a value listed for HSV-1 nor does it even list HSV-1. It just says “HSV 2 IGG Type Specific AB.” I was the receiver of oral sex on that day, and my significant other just states that he has tested negative for all STDs recently. I thought I noticed a cold sore on him earlier on in our friendship, but took nothing of it.
Does this mean that my values will keep increasing? And could the multiple previous tests have missed a positive diagnosis, thereby making me think I’m clean when I’m not?
Sigh….

[Terri Warren]

Well, if your provider thought it looked like yeast, then I would bet some money on that diagnosis. Though herpes can itch if someone has a big primary, the sores are not something that you would have to dig through hair to find, believe me. And herpes is not the main symptom, it is one of the symptoms for some people

The problem is that often herpes is not included in an STD screen and sometimes when it is, only hSV 2 is included, not HSV 1. And the screening test for HSV 1 is not very good – it misses 1-2 out of 10 infections.

I would suggest that you find out your HSV 1 status and if it was even done at all. Also try to find out if your partner has HSV 1 or not.

It’s very hard to know what to make of an equivocal test. You aren’t positive, that is clear. But if you did contract new HSV 2 the numbers will likely climb, yes. There is no substitute for waiting, but if you take much antiviral therapy, it can impact your antibody testing in the direction of a false negative.

I personally think your symptoms sound very much like yeast like your doctor advised you. Swelling of the labia, terrible itching. Those sounds so classic.

So if your partner tests negative for HSV 2 and your test in October was negative for HSV 2 and you’ve had no other partners, then HSV 2 is very unlikely as a diagnosis.

The next time you test, you may be completely negative! You’ll have to wait and see. A big new HSV 1 genital infection might trigger a little “dripping over” of HSV 2 antibody on the test, but you don’t know about the HSV 1 so it’s hard to know what to make of this. However, I wouldn’t panic if I were you.

Terri

[Author]

Posts