Herpes and Bells Palsy

[jl35]

Hello and good morning. I’m a single male and found out on Friday that I tested positive for HSV 1 antibodies and negative for HSV 2. I wast told that my index was greater than 5 on the IGG specific type test. Before I ask my first question I’d like to provide some background. I believe I had a core sore once this year but honestly its not really an event that I remember clearly but i believe I had one. In my entire life, now 35, I have never had reoccurring cold sores or sores in my genital area. Have i had cold sores yes but nothing that happened frequently. Between the ages of 13-15 i remember a month or 2 where one side of my face was paralyzed. It went away and never thought anything of it. On September 2nd of this year i performed oral sex on a woman. Days go by and everything is fine and when i woke up on the morning of september 7th i noticed that the left side of my face was gradually not working. On the 12th of september i saw a doctor and was prescribed prednisone and acyclovir or antiviral. Through research i discovered that there are links between bells palsy and herpes so that’s when i decided to get a test for herpes 1 and 2. I have been sexually active(September) with another woman prior to my positive antibody test and no protection was not used. I have let the women know of my positive test. My question, finally, are my chances of transmission high? No cold sores orally or in my genital area during the month of september.

[Terri Warren]

If you have ever, even once in your life, had a cold sore, you will be positive for HSV 1. And if you have had oral HSV 1 outbreaks (which you have) you do not need to be concerned about having this genitally. If you are the giver of oral sex to someone, then there is a small risk of transmitting HSV 1 from your mouth to their genitals.

The link between Bells Palsy and herpes has been described in the past, yes, but I think more currently, that link is somewhat more suspect. However, treating with prednisone and acyclovir is certainly not going to do any harm and my indeed help.

Terri

Terri

[jl35]

Terry thanks so much for your quick response. My two follow up questions are as follows. One, how do i proceed with relationships going forward or how do I lessen the chance of transmission? I know obviously to let future partners know that I have hsv 1. As i’ve mentioned I’ve had cold sores in the past but nothing extremely frequent. Second, should I get another test?

[Terri Warren]

I don’t think you need another test, not for HSV 1 but unless you know the status of the woman with whom you had unprotected sex in September, there is always a possibility of HSV 2.
Since more than 57% of Americans have HSV 1, it is certainly likely that you will have sex with someone who has HSV 1 anyway, whether they know it or not. The jury is really out on whether to disclose your HSV 1 status, but I lean towards disclosing and suggesting that they get tested if they have not been already.

Terri

[jl35]

Thank you Terry!

[jl35]

Oh and about hsv 2 I was told that the igg test that i took was positive for hsv and negative for hsv 2.

[Terri Warren]

If the IgG is negative for HSV 2, that is a good thing.

Terri

[jl35]

Hello Terry I hope all is well today. Again, thanks for all your input. Just wanted to let you know that I received a copy of my igg test and my HSV 2 index value is 0.68. I’m going to wait about a month and take it again just for confirmation purposes.

[jl35]

Should I be taking a daily antiviral or in some moderation for supression? Again, on Friday the 25th I discovered that I tested positive for HSV 1 antibodies with an index of greater than 5 and HSV 2 index of 0.68.

[Terri Warren]

If your partner is negative for HSV 1, then suppression might not be a bad idea.
However, you have tested too soon to after your September encounters to know for certain that you don’t have HSV 2. And though you are negative certainly, your index value is a little higher than I might like. I think it would be great if you tested again when 12-16 weeks have passed since your September encounter.

Terri

[jl35]

Thanks and will do.

[Terri Warren]

You’re welcome

Terri

[jl35]

Hello Terri. I hope all is well. So last time you mentioned to wait the 3-4 month mark to retest but i was anxious and so I did have my blood drawn on November 2nd. I got my results back yesterday for another HSV 1 and 2 iGG test. This test was done by Lab Corp. My previous test done on September 22 (Quest Labs), information above, resulted in an index value of above 5 for HSV 1 and 0.68 for HSV 2. My most recent test, done on November 2nd, resulted with an HSV 1 index value of 14 and HSV 2 value of 1.15. As you can see the index value for HSV 2 has gone up but it lies within the false positive realm. So at this point should i just continue living my life with the fact that I have both HSV 1 and 2 or should I retake the test again towards the end of December? By the end of december it will be 3 months since my last sexual encounter. I look forward to your response.

[Terri Warren]

Oh, you definitely will need a western blot if your positive stays in the range. You should NOT live your life thinking you have herpes until you have confirmatory testing done. That is a very low positive. I would say get a western blot at 16 weeks from exposure and then you’ll have the best idea of your true status.

Terri

[jl35]

Good morning Terry. I’m sorry that your office is no longer operating. Just want to say thanks for all that you’ve said and done for so many through the years. I’m not too sure if you can see our previous conversations so here’s some background. In september 2015 I had an hsv 1 index value of 5 and hsv2 value of 0.68 via a Quest IGG blood test. Then in November 2015 I had an hsv1 value of over 14 and 1.15 for hsv2 through Labcorp IGG blood test. You mentioned to take a western blot at 16 weeks. It’s a little past 16 weeks and I haven’t taken the western blot. I haven’t had any hsv1 or hsv2 outbreaks since i found out my status back in september 2015. I live in Washington, DC. How can i get a western blot test and how much is it?

[Terri Warren]

You can get the western blot done through a study at our clinic – it’s pretty easy actually. However, I am leaving the country on Monday and won’t be doing any western blot scheduling and consenting until I return in late May. But we can do it then via video conferencing which I am setting up to continue to serve the needs of people interested in the study as well as people who are calling from Oregon who want to talk about herpes. It is $250 in Washington DC. Can you wait?

Terri

[jl35]

Yes I can wait.

[Terri Warren]

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

Terri

[Author]

Posts