Herpes guidance and possibility of transmission

[eaglesboy1982]

At the start of December I met a girl at a bar who works as a stripper and I am sure is high risk and pulls tricks for money at her club. Needless to say, I went back to her place and performed digital stimulation on her for like 30 seconds and then she gave me a condom protected oral sex for 10-30 seconds before I panicked and called it off.We were careful putting the condom on and taking it off, I do not believe her mouth went beyond the limits of the condom.

Immediately after removing the condom, I felt a weird tingle on my penis tip and thought the condom must have been flavored or something. The next day the head of my penis felt irritated off and on (I did scrub it vigorously the night before in the shower cleaning it) but then it bothered me for the next week. Not necessarily painful, just irritated and it would feel like that off and on throughout those days. IF I thought about it I noticed it.

Then it just went away and felt fine for a week. Then it would come back for a few days. Never saw any blisters or sores. Maybe some redness near the urethra, no discharge, no painful urination. Went like this off and on throughout January. Then everything I think i read I feel, irruption inside the base of the penis (like the urethra along the shaft), tingle in testicles, tingle around tip, around penis head.

Also, this whole time I Am inspecting it daily, bending it vertically to get a bird’s eye view of the tip, turning it 180 degrees to see the backside, spreading the urethra to see inside, putting lotrimin and hydrocortisone on it. Let me also mention, I suffer from health anxiety so this could all play a part.

Prior to this experience, I had only had one partner and she was a good girl and I am sure clean (I know you can never be sure, but more sure than a stripper).

To be continued in another post… questions to follow

[eaglesboy1982]

So I buy those CVS at home STD tests which test for HSV2 by pricking your finger and depositing droplets on a card. They use Elisa IGG.

two weeks out- negative
one month out- negative
6 weeks out- abnormal positive for HSV2
7 weeks out- abnormal positive for HSV2

When they called I asked what my index values were, they didn’t know. Test just says yes or no. I Asked if they run supplemental testing for low positives, no. Could it be a false positive, absolutely no way they say.

So now I Am spiraling and convinced I have it. I set up an appt with my PCP. She looks at it and said she sees no discharge, no blisters/sores, and if I caught something, it would have been obvious for a first time outbreak. However I have seen mixed guidance on that that sometimes its symptomless.

She did a urethra swab which came back negative for HSV1 and HSV2. IGG from labcorp said negative for HSV2 but HSV1 had a value of 1.23.

I vaguely remember cold sores as a kid but do not specifically recall any significant breakouts on my mouth. Certainly none in the past 20 years. Never seen anything genitally.

Questions are:
1) based on the description of the event and symptoms, would you even have requested I take a herpes blood test in the first place?
2) What confidence do you have in the CVS mail in test (finger prick)?
3) Could the HSV1 of 1.23 be a false positive?
4) Do my symptoms sound like herpes first OB? Should I have seen sores?
5) Now I have no idea if I do have HSV1 is it oral or genital.
6) Do I need to be concerned passing anything to my kids or girlfriend?
7) Should I go on antivirals?
8) what should my next step be?

There was never any discharge, no blisters, no swollen lymph nodes, no fever, no chills. I did have a cough for a few weeks and the tingling/pinching sensations on the penis head, tingling in testicles. would come and go throughout the day and then disappear for a week, then come back for a few days. Very bizzare.

[Terri Warren]

I am very sad to hear that there are now tests available for herpes antibody at CVS. One more possibility for false positives. Sigh

1) based on the description of the event and symptoms, would you even have requested I take a herpes blood test in the first place?
Never

2) What confidence do you have in the CVS mail in test (finger prick)?
None

3) Could the HSV1 of 1.23 be a false positive?
Yes

4) Do my symptoms sound like herpes first OB? Should I have seen sores?
They definitely do not

5) Now I have no idea if I do have HSV1 is it oral or genital.
If your HSV 1 is positive and recall a history of cold sores, that’s why you are positive

6) Do I need to be concerned passing anything to my kids or girlfriend?
If you have oral HSV 1, you could pass this to other by kissing them or giving them oral sex but we don’t know you are positive – I recommend the western blot for accuracy.

7) Should I go on antivirals?
Find out first if you are really infected – if you pursue further testing and take these meds, they could impact the testing.

8) what should my next step be?
GEt a western blot

Terri

[eaglesboy1982]

Thanks for the response Terri. I believe I have one post left, left me know if I am incorrect on that.

1) how much confidence do we have with a negative HSV2 reading at just shy of 9 weeks from exposure?
2) with an hsv1 score of 1.23, that would have to be a false positive or recent infection right? An old infection should have registered much higher I thought?
3) my PCP felt that if this was a new infection, I would have known. But I’ve read 80% of people that have either herpes type don’t know. So with a first outbreak should it have been obvious? I hear sometimes it presents its self as paper cuts.
4) all my sensations have been in the glans, which should have been protected by the condom. I suppose the condom could have failed but I thought I read you state before generally it’s the shaft that breaks out not the glans, is that correct?
5) aren’t tingles and pinching sensations classic herpes symptoms?
6) would you have expected a breakout of sores from a first time infection?
7) would herpes present itself off and on for two months where some weeks there’s nothing?
8) is it possible to have had cold sores as a kid and then never see it again for decades?
9) my doctor also thought the urethra NAAT would detect if there was a recent infection going on during all these phantom sensations. Do you agree or does that only work when there is an active sore?
10) I see you are on travel, when will you be available for video conferencing if I want to do the western blot through you?
11) what would be the likelihood I did contract something from this event?

I’m not positive if I’ve had cold sores in the past. I vaguely remember using blistex as a kid for some lip issue so my brain is trying to piece together the possibility.

Also with the cvs kit, you prick your finger and deposit blood on a card which is then mailed to a lab for testing. It doesn’t not give you an instant reading. Not sure if that changes your opinion on the test.

[Terri Warren]

1) how much confidence do we have with a negative HSV2 reading at just shy of 9 weeks from exposure?
Probably quite a bit – well over 80%

2) with an hsv1 score of 1.23, that would have to be a false positive or recent infection right? An old infection should have registered much higher I thought?
That is generally true, you are correct.

3) my PCP felt that if this was a new infection, I would have known. But I’ve read 80% of people that have either herpes type don’t know. So with a first outbreak should it have been obvious? I hear sometimes it presents its self as paper cuts.
It is true that at least 80% of those infected with HSV 2 would say they don’t have herpes symptoms, and 70% of those who test positive for HSV 1, same.

4) all my sensations have been in the glans, which should have been protected by the condom. I suppose the condom could have failed but I thought I read you state before generally it’s the shaft that breaks out not the glans, is that correct?
Correct, condoms reduce transmission from females to males by 65%

5) aren’t tingles and pinching sensations classic herpes symptoms?
depends upon who you ask. May tingles as prodrome, for some people.

6) would you have expected a breakout of sores from a first time infection?
I would but not everyone has sores with a first infection as we have discussed.

7) would herpes present itself off and on for two months where some weeks there’s nothing?
It could

8) is it possible to have had cold sores as a kid and then never see it again for decades?
Yes

9) my doctor also thought the urethra NAAT would detect if there was a recent infection going on during all these phantom sensations. Do you agree or does that only work when there is an active sore?
I really don’t agree. for those reading this, NAAT is the same as PCR swabs.

10) I see you are on travel, when will you be available for video conferencing if I want to do the western blot through you?
In February, and there are appointments available for scheduling now.

11) what would be the likelihood I did contract something from this event?
just about zero

I’m not positive if I’ve had cold sores in the past. I vaguely remember using blistex as a kid for some lip issue so my brain is trying to piece together the possibility.

Also with the cvs kit, you prick your finger and deposit blood on a card which is then mailed to a lab for testing. It doesn’t not give you an instant reading. Not sure if that changes your opinion on the test
Yup, i know all about that test – lots of false positives – just didn’t know CVS carried it

Terri

[eaglesboy1982]

Terri, I bought another round of questions.

To be clear I plan on setting up the western blot next week to iron all this out. I was tested for all the traditional stds like chlamidya, gonnerhia, trich, hiv, etc all negative.

They did not test for the odd balls like mgen or ureaplasma. Not sure if I should have requested those or not. Pretty sure im overthinking it.

Ever since I saw my doctor and she said everything looks ok the sensations seemed to have subsided, probably all mental.

Questions are:
1) should I request a test for mgen or ureaplasma?
2) there have been 2 or 3 occasions where after I masturbated, the tip of my penis seemed to look blotchy and red with rash like spots. Looked irritated. The spots were not raised, not liquid filled, and not blisters. Just skin color differences. Didn’t itch or hurt. For all I know this happens more frequently and I’ve never noticed. They lasted maybe a few hours and by morning it looks completely normal. Have you ever heard of that, is that friction from the act, would herpes or any other std come about right after masturbating and then disappear by the next day?

[Terri Warren]

1) should I request a test for mgen or ureaplasma?
I don’t believe that you do. Certainly not for ureaplasma

2) there have been 2 or 3 occasions where after I masturbated, the tip of my penis seemed to look blotchy and red with rash like spots. Looked irritated. The spots were not raised, not liquid filled, and not blisters. Just skin color differences. Didn’t itch or hurt. For all I know this happens more frequently and I’ve never noticed. They lasted maybe a few hours and by morning it looks completely normal. Have you ever heard of that, is that friction from the act, would herpes or any other std come about right after masturbating and then disappear by the next day?
It would not behave in that way.
I think it is likely time to let this worry about HSV go. Do you?

Terri

[eaglesboy1982]

Terri,

When you say you don’t believe that I do, you are saying you don’t think I have or should get tested for mgen or ureaplasma?

Can those stds be spread through oral? I’ve seen mixed results online.

Lastly, I agree and want to put the hsv fear to bed but I do have health anxiety and seems like high stakes.

Given the two cvs tests that said positive hsv2 with no number and then the igg that said negative hsv2 but hsv1 at 1.23, do you advise against the western blot? I’ve had no true breakout that I can tell.

[Terri Warren]

Currently there is no recommendation to be tested for ureaplasma as an STI. Men particularly who have continuing genital symptoms can be tested for M Gen to rule out this infection

I don’t think we have perfect answers about whether this can be transmitted via oral sex at this point.

If you want to know with greater certainty if you have HSV 1 and/or 2, the western blot will tell you.

Terri

[eaglesboy1982]

Thanks Terri, I will look into setting up the western blot with you. How long after exposure does one need to wait to take the test?

[Terri Warren]

12 weeks
Terri

[Author]

Posts