Do I have it?

[scaredinWY]

Hi Terri,

About 14 weeks ago I received oral sex for about two seconds from a partner I later found out tested positive for HSV1, but negative for everything else.

Since that time, I’ve had some strange sensations on one side of my of my pubic area just above and to the side of the base of my penis. Sometimes I would describe it as pinching, other times as mild pain, but not terrible. No lesions, no sores, etc. I also have had some pain tingling in my legs, thighs and feet, but I also suffer from sciatica, so it’s hard to tell if they are related, although I have noticed these symptoms overlapping at times.

These sensations have come and gone at least 6-8 times over the last 14 weeks…lasting 2-4 days.

I tested negative for both HSV1 & 2 with an IgG test at both 8 weeks and 12 weeks post-exposure.

I’ve never had a scabbed cold sore on my lips or nose. The closest I came was a crack about six weeks ago, but it appeared after I spent a worried afternoon in front of the mirror looking around in my mouth to see if I could find any blisters, so I’m pretty sure I just cracked my lip from yanking it around all over the place. It was healed and gone within 24 hours. I actually have a small canker sore now on the inside of my top lip.

My questions are:

1. Does this sound like genital HSV? Being that my partner only tested for HSV1, that’s what I’m afraid of. But I’ve also read that you say genital HSV1 usually only recurs once every two years or so.

2. How long should I wait to get tested again? I’ve read 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and am confused.

thank you!

[Terri Warren]

No, this sounds nothing like HSV.
I’m a little confused – you are worried about your mouth – were you the giver of oral sex to this person or just received oral sex? If you did not receive oral sex, your mouth is at zero risk of infection. The virus stays in the area that was initially infect4ed, it does not move up through the body and out through your mouth. The genital area is where you might be concerned about.

The genital symptoms that you describe do NOT sound like herpes to me, no. And two second of oral sex is clearly not a significant risk for HSV 1 infection.

If you feel it necessary to test again, I would do it 16 weeks after the encounter. but honestly, if you were my patient, I would not recommend retesting.

Terri

[scaredinWY]

Thank you so much for the response.

As you can see, I’ve just been so paranoid about this, so any little thing has got me incredibly scared.

Just to clarify. I was the receiver of the oral sex. Again, it only lasted a second or two before I had my partner stop. The skin was moist for lubricant we had been using (masturbation only) beforehand. I’ve read how contagious HSV can be, so I was concerned that even that small amount of saliva could have transmitted the virus. I didn’t know until reading through this site last week that it can’t travel from the genitals to the mouth, that’s why I was looking in my mouth too.

So you don’t think that is a possibility?

And that frequency of aches sounds like it’s happening way to frequent to be HSV1, correct?

The only thing I could think of is three tiny red bumps that I’ve had on my buttocks. But I believe they had been there for a while, and were most likely something else, because I seem to recall them being there for weeks and weeks. Ingrown hairs maybe? I hadn’t really given them any thought until I read your comments about HSV living in the “boxer shorts zone.” They didn’t bother me until I started picking at them.

I also have had some soreness from what appears to be chaffing between my testicle and anus area. But again there are no blisters, just longer, red irritated lines.

I know it sounds like I’m grasping at straws here, and I know I sound paranoid, but I’m just trying to give you all the information I possibly can in order to see if you think I have anything to worry about.

Thank you again for this service.

[Terri Warren]

No, it’s fine! You are just getting me all the facts.
Herpes is not all that easy to transmit. And saliva vs. direct contact is not a good carrier of virus without the tissue around it. I do not believe that a few seconds of oral sex present any significant risk at all.
Many men get some redness and irritation around the area of the scrotum and anus, and some antifungal powder sometimes helps with these irritations for some people.

Terri

[scaredinWY]

Thanks again, Terri.

So given the low risk of saliva transmission, I would assume that receiving oral sex with a condom would be a very low risk as well, as long as tissue doesn’t touch skin? Or would this be different?

Also, I noticed a small painful bump in the chaffing area between my testicles and anus this past weekend, but it does not appear puss-filled or scabbed. I am assuming this is from the chaffing itself.

But just to be sure:

Are HSV blisters always yellowish/white and puss-filled?

How long do the yellowish/white, puss-filled blisters last before they scab?

Do they always scab over?

How long do the scabs usually last?

Thank you again for your input.

[Terri Warren]

Receiving oral sex with a condom is indeed very low risk.
Herpes lesions are not usually pus filled, no, they are most often clear. Sometimes the fluid inside will become milky colored.
The time to scabbing depends upon where on the body they area. For example, lesions on the labia rarely scab, they just fill in. Lesions on the penis most often do scab and I would say, after the first infection, that they take around a week to scab. The scabs might last anywhere from a day or two to four or five, it varies.

This was your final post on this subscription. If you have more questions, please feel free to renew.

Terri

[scaredinWY]

Hi Terri,

I just wanted to follow up on the previously mentioned bump that I noticed in the chaffed area of my perineum.

I had been watching this area closely for at least a week before I first mentioned it to you. I had been looking at it with a mirror, and besides the chaffing and some tinea crusis that I’ve had for a while, I didn’t see anything. But one spot that sits in a skin fold was consistently sore. It wasn’t until a day or two before I mentioned it to you here on the 29th that I actually noticed there was a small bump there. Well, it still hasn’t gone away.

It’s hard to see without using a mirror, but it really hasn’t changed in appearance at all. It’s just a small, raised bump or blister. It’s not really red, and it hasn’t broken open or scabbed over. It does hurts a little if you touch it. There are no other bumps or blisters around it. I had read that fungus can cause folliculitis so I’m wondering if the tinea crusis might be a cause here? I also was using baby powder when the chaffing was bad, but I doubt I’d have a reaction to that.

So, I guess I’m still scared I could have HSV, especially now that I’m seeing a bump/blister and that it’s been there for a while.

I’ve read that the initial HSV outbreak can last 2-3 weeks. Does this mean that one single blister could last that long before scabbing over, specifically in the perineum area?

I know you stated that the risk of contracting HSV as I described in my first post is unlikely, but I imagine it still could happen?

I’m currently at about 15.5 weeks post exposure. Should I wait another few days to get to the full 16 weeks to get tested again, or does it not really matter? Again, I was negative at 8 and 12 weeks.

I’m sorry for all the paranoid questions. I’m just scared to death.

Thank you.

[scaredinWY]

I’m just making sure this post didn’t get overlooked (I hope this doesn’t count as an interaction). I started seeing other possible symptoms yesterday (lesions?) and am terribly frightened.

[Terri Warren]

Thanks for the heads up, I did miss this.
If you are concerned about this bump, then I would recommend that you see a professional and have it swab tested for herpes if they think that is appropriate.
Still, the chances of getting HSV 1 through receiving oral sex for a few seconds is incredibly low!

Terri

[scaredinWY]

Thanks Terri. When HSV shows up on the buttocks, is there any rule regarding how spread out it usually is? I’ve noticed 5-6 that are slightly painful, but are not grouped together. The closest two are about 2 inches apart, and some are 5-6 inches apart.

Also, would it be common for an initial outbreak to occur in the perineum/buttocks region? I know it can show up anywhere I just wasn’t sure if the initial outbreak is more localized to the original exposed area.

[Terri Warren]

It usually appears in tight clusters of blisters. The base is generally red and the blister are grouped on top of that. Your lesions sound too far apart.

It would be extremely uncommon for the first outbreak to present on the perineum or buttocks. Most primary outbreaks are location on the genitals themselves.

Terri

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