Good afternoon Terri!

[Concerned1982]

13 years ago I had sex with a boyfriend that did not tell me he was newly infected with hsv. (I later found out it was hsv1) We had sex at night and the next morning he started having symptoms and told me we could not have sex that day because of this.

I was very upset bc at the time I had hpv and was open and honest with him about the warts I had treated.

Of course after this I had a flurry of test done. But I don’t know if I was tested for hsv1 or hsv2. I would get a reoccurring vaginal cut or two. Upon visual diagnoses I was always told it did not look like herpes. Until my gyno at that time finally gave up and said maybe it was bc nothing else was making sense. The tests she ran all came back negative.

I let it go for a while bc everything kept coming back negative and the cuts stopped.

Four years ago the cuts returned, so off I went again to be tested and was nearly laughed out of the office bc they said it did not resemble herpes. Now that I knew he had hsv1 I had the blood tests redone. Twice. Both times negative. My concern is that I get these cuts in three areas, not usually at the same time and they heal almost as fast as they show up. Ex. Feel it Sunday night by Tuesday morning gone.

So here is my panic, is it possible I am one of the 10% that do not show up as hsv1 postitive? I’m in New York so obtaining the western blot appears impossible. I just want to put this all behind me without fear of infecting a new partner.

Thank you.

[Terri Warren]

We are certainly able to help you with the Western blot in New York.
The IgG test actually misses 30% of HSV one infections compared to the gold standard Western blot

Terri

[Concerned1982]

How do I go about getting it here? And what are the odds based off what happened that I contracted it.

Thank you!

[Terri Warren]

The cuts don’t sound herpetic, but I cannot be certain
To get the blot you need to set up an video conference appointment with me at the home page of this website.

Terri

[Concerned1982]

I have read through many of your posts and I have seen that the likelihood of genital to genital transmission is very low of hsv1.

I am a bit of an overreactor and was worried bc it was only his second outbreak. Do you agree that the likelihood would be low?

I appreciate your response. I guess my last question would be what do these herpe “Papercuts” generally look like? Do they have a telling appearance/presentation?

Thank you.

[Concerned1982]

When all this began I only would get the cut in the area in which I was treated for the warts. (Can’t remember how long the cut would last then but pretty sure not too long)

So I always wondered if that was just my skin reacting Bc of the treatments i had and it was just bad timing.

Once it started again 8 years later is where it would happen in these different places. Sometimes it would show up in the same spot weekly which I know is usually another indicator that it is not herpes.

[Concerned1982]

Also sorry I accidentally hit send. When we had sex he was new to hsv and probably didn’t recognize any prodomes, so if his lesions showed up hours after we had sex or atleast started to come on, does this change the likelihood ? Or can I just believe my negative swabs and blood tests and move on.

[Terri Warren]

I’m sorry but I can’t provide you with any certainty here. The best thing to do would be to have these cuts repeatedly swabbed, perhaps three times, using the best test called PCR. If you have three negative PCR swabs, then I think you can be reassured that these are not being caused by herpes.

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

Terri

[Concerned1982]

I understand. I know you have not physically seen me but as a specialist in this, what would be your opinion? My gyno wouldn’t even swab them bc he said with complete certainty it was not herpes. The dr at the clinic only swabbed them bc I asked him to but he said herpes is an infection and this didn’t look infectious. If I took the western blot what is it’s sensitivity and accuracy for hsv1 ?

[Concerned1982]

Also is it true that genital to genital transmission is low ?

[Terri Warren]

The sensitivity of the blot for HSV 1 is 96% compared to 70% for HSV 1 on the IgG test.
Yes, genital to genital transmission of HSV 1 is very low indeed. Not zero, but very low

Terri

[Concerned1982]

Terri would the fact that he had lesions merely hours later mean I would have had a higher risk? Even though it’s a low transmission. What do paper cut herpes present as?

Also, I’m going to sign up to get the western blot and make an appt with you. Is this something I can do at a local lab? I read for a while it was a problem doing in New York and people were having to go to other states to have their blood drawn.

I have high anxiety about this stuff and want it all behind me.

[Terri Warren]

Yes, the risk would be slightly higher if he develops lesions shortly after you had sex.
Okay we can definitely arrange for you to get your blood drawn in New York and you will need to ship it off yourself which is easy. I believe I have openings for an appointment for a videoconference next Tuesday.

Terri

[Concerned1982]

Ok so slightly .. so it’s still harder to transmit though right?

Oh the lab will not take care of that for me? So I will have to take the vile of blood and mail it? Will you explain in the video conference how that all works? Is it $314 including shipping or before?

Also can you explain the paper cut herpes thing I have read about.

[Terri Warren]

Some people with herpes experience lesions that look like paper cuts
Yes, there are shipping instructions in the kit from the University of Washington. The $314 includes the consult with me and the actual test cost. You will need to pay additional funds to have your blood drawn and spun and to have it shipped.

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

Terri.

[Concerned1982]

I called a lab new me this morning and they told me they would not release my blood to me. So I’m not sure how it will work in ny.

I am anxiety riddled right now and concerned that all these years my drs and blood tests and swabs have been wrong.

In your years of expertise, have you seen many patients that caught genital hsv1 this way? Also these paper cut herpes. Is the area around them inflamed? Or is it just a tiny red cut that occasionally will bleed? Or are they characteristically deep and dry/ ulcery looking ?

[Terri Warren]

I believe I mentioned to you that I know how to handle this in New York. And I do. Normally the area around a herpes lesion is somewhat red. I’m afraid I cannot help you beyond that.

Terri

[Concerned1982]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to me. I would like to think I’m obsessive enough to have caught this if it truly is hsv1. I called the lab to have an idea of how much it would cost since I’m a single mom and this test and consult is a lot to begin with.

So as it stands I have a 70% chance that my blood tests are correct? And I was swabbed with the 48 hours. So that may or may not be accurate correct? I haven’t had any new cuts in months after using a steroid cream except for one Long Beach day in a wet bathing suit.

I will speak with my dr and then make arrangements to consult with you via the app.

[Terri Warren]

I think if the cut had been HSV 1 and you had it swabbed within 48 hours, it would have picked it up

Terri

[Concerned1982]

I signed up for an eVisit. During this time do you tell me what lab to go to? Or is that for me to figure out. I just want to be prepared and put this behind me once and for all.

[Terri Warren]

You need to figure out the lab,but I definitely have some suggestions! If there is any anylabtestnow near you,that’s an easy one.

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

Terri

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Terri Warren.

[Shellshock40]

I’m sorry to intrude, these cuts sounds like recurrent fissures to me. The thought of having herpes is also driving me insane. This does not sound like herpes though, especially with multiple negative test.

[Terri Warren]

This thread is closed.

Terri

[Author]

Posts