Follow Up – Vape Pen

[cdmn1661]

Had to create a new account here so following up from another post.

17 weeks ago, one puff off of someone’s vape pen (you responded highly unlikely) but my anxiety went crazy. Lots of weird health issues but I’ve got an arthritic condition and take a biologic so weird things happen routinely with a slightly lowered immune system.

16 weeks past possible exposure and a just had a negative IGG test. Doctor told me to let it go but I know it’s not his area of expertise. Anxiety has dropped but still can’t quite feel like I’m past this.

Question is should I trust the 16 week IGG test? Was there really no reason to worry from the start? Has anyone ever been documented to get HSV from an object like a vape pen, cigarette or utensil?

Am I putting an impossible scenario together in my mind? Like, got HSV in a way no one ever else has and then I’m also not showing up on a test past the necessary window?

[Terri Warren]

I still Think the risk of acquisition through a Vape pen is incredibly low. But as you probably know, the IgG test misses 30% of HSV one so trying to rely upon this test is really not possible entirely. You could be HSV one positive on the western blot, should you decide to do that, but it isn’t from the Vape pen.

Terri

[cdmn1661]

Thanks Terri, good to know that at least this moment of stupidity wasn’t the cause of something.

A couple more questions since I have them and I continue to be perplexed by testing standards.

1 – Does the IGG test do a better job of catching older infections with higher numbers? Or is it 92% for HSV2 and 70% for HSV1 regardless of newer or older infections? Do we see any reasons for it missing the 8% and 30% respectively or it just misses them?

2 – One symptom I had was what look like a vertical cut in my lip from really dry lips, the cut was right in line with the chapping of the lips and more towards the inside of the lip versus the outside. No blisters, oozing, crusting, or scabbing. Pretty much completely healed in about 48 hours. Would a herpes lesion look like that or heal that quickly?

[Terri Warren]

1 – Does the IGG test do a better job of catching older infections with higher numbers? Or is it 92% for HSV2 and 70% for HSV1 regardless of newer or older infections? Do we see any reasons for it missing the 8% and 30% respectively or it just misses them?
The test Mrs. infections because the test is imperfect. I don’t believe it has anything to do with old versus new infections.

2 – One symptom I had was what look like a vertical cut in my lip from really dry lips, the cut was right in line with the chapping of the lips and more towards the inside of the lip versus the outside. No blisters, oozing, crusting, or scabbing. Pretty much completely healed in about 48 hours. Would a herpes lesion look like that or heal that quickly?

This sounds nothing like an oral herpes outbreak to me.
Terri

[cdmn1661]

Hey Terri, one thing I forgot to mention on the video call (great to meet you by the way!) was that for the past week or so I’ve been having what feels like prostatitis or a UTI or something with pain in the testicles, some redness and stinging near the urethra. I have been taking minocycline to see if I still have some infection from the tooth extraction and antibiotics always make me feel ill although not like this. Can’t believe I forgot to mention it in our call but time went quick! Still don’t see any sort of sores or lesions, just some redness at the tip. Does that change anything we talked about?

[Terri Warren]

It really doesn’t change anything no. Herpes does not cause pain in the testicles or a little redness. The symptoms are normally quite different than this.
Terri

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