HSV-1 Questions

[jmarti0380]

Hi I am (over 40) male who recently had an outside sexual encounter. I’ve been married over 16 years. The sexual acts (unprotected oral sex/protect sex). I did not notice any cold sores around or on the woman mouth or private area. She sent me screenshot of negative test. Approximately 8 days later, I schedule STI panel test that included HSV1/2. The test result came back negative for everything except HSV1 IGG 33.0. My doctor thinks I had this longer than 2 months. During this time, I had zero sexual contact with my wife. We only kissed on the lips 3 times out 2 weeks. The third week she goes and take a STI test and she is also positive for HSV1 33.0. Her latest test was negative in mid March. I have never asked for herpes test. The dates range from April 26 – May 8.

1) Is it safe to say that there is no way that the event in April resulted in the positive HSV results?
2) If my wife had a negative test in mid-March. Why would the number be so high?
3) Does the IGG number mean anything?
4) Should I be worried about HIV retest?

I haven’t noticed any cold sore around my mouth but since being diagnosed my lips has been extra chap and sometimes I feel tingling. Sometimes I get canker sores, but the tend to go away within a few days. On the other hand, mywife had a light rash on her top lip. They were small pumps, they did not crust, which lasted two weeks. Possible mild outbreak?

The reason I took the test If felt weird genital (penis/testicles) symptoms, such as:
• Burning
• Itching
• Vibration

This has been persistent for several weeks. If I am working out or actively engage with something I don’t feel it, but If I am sitting do nothing or sleeping that’s when I notice it. I suffer from anxiety and probably had several anxiety attacks after diagnosis. After looking up herpes online it definitely increased my anxiety. The fear of HSV-1 being passed to my genital area increased it. I also suffer from mild eczema, so every rash that I see frightens me. I normally

[jmarti0380]

If I am asymptomatic are there a reason to avoid food with high arginine?

Does sun really trigger an outbreak? How much sun?

Can I drink coffee twice/three time a week with an issues?

[Terri Warren]

1) Is it safe to say that there is no way that the event in April resulted in the positive HSV results?
You would not have an IgG result of 33 after 8 days of infection. This was a longer standing infection and you could have had this since childhood, which is common. This has nothing to do with the sexual encounter that you had.

2) If my wife had a negative test in mid-March. Why would the number be so high?
Your wife had an IgG test in March for HSV 1 and it was negative? Why was she tested in march for HSV? The IgG test for HSV 1 misses 30% of infections so the test could definitely have missed her infection the first time. It is very very odd that you both have the exact same number on the test results – very odd.

3) Does the IGG number mean anything?
No, except that the infection is not new. It only means that you have a well established HSV 2 infection, as do about 55% of men in your age group

4) Should I be worried about HIV retest?
I don’t see anything about HIV here but your encounter does not represent a risk for HIV

If I am asymptomatic are there a reason to avoid food with high arginine?
None!

Does sun really trigger an outbreak? How much sun?
it varies, but you’ve had this a long time – have you worried about sun in the past triggering a cold sore?

Can I drink coffee twice/three time a week with an issues?
Drink as much as you wish – coffee is not an issue with HSV 1 or HSV 2.

Terri

[jmarti0380]

In the pass five years my wife would get full std test during pap. She said it has always came back negative.

Do you think it was missed each year by the anti body blood test?

I also thought it was strange that her off index number was similar to mine.

Does that mean my wife also had this as a child?

If I had this since I was young. I never had a cold sore outbreak as young child.
Is there risk of transmitting this to any other body part?

Thank you so much. I assumed that this encounter was the cause of my diagnosis.
Thank you for easing my mind.

[jmarti0380]

One more question. Should we not refrain from doing oral?

Since we both have hsv-1 are there any additional risk? Should we continue with life as normal or be cautious?

[Terri Warren]

In the pass five years my wife would get full std test during pap. She said it has always came back negative.

Do you think it was missed each year by the anti body blood test?
It’s difficult to say. The other thing is that you could have recently infected her, unrelated to your other contact, right?

I also thought it was strange that her off index number was similar to mine.
Are you absolutely certain that there was no mix up between the two tests?

Does that mean my wife also had this as a child?
Not necessarily

If I had this since I was young. I never had a cold sore outbreak as young child.
Is there risk of transmitting this to any other body part?
No

Thank you so much. I assumed that this encounter was the cause of my diagnosis.
Thank you for easing my mind.
You’re welcome

One more question. Should we not refrain from doing oral?
I don’t see why that would be a good idea, as long as you are absolutely certain that there is no mix up in those test results

Since we both have hsv-1 are there any additional risk? Should we continue with life as normal or be cautious?
You should continue life as normal.

terri

[jmarti0380]

Hi Terri,

I’ve ordered another round of questions. On March 16 my wife hsv-1 igG labs came back negative. After I told her that my result came back positive in May. She ordered Sti test which those result came back positive for HSV-1(33%). She really think that my previous encounter is the only explanation of her positive results. Does the IgG represent the antibodies that your body develop. We’ve been together for 20 years and neither of us had cold sores in the past. This was my first full panel sti check that included HSV. I know I have not had any cold sores in the past. My dad and sister recently told me that they both get cold sores, but I didn’t grow up in the same household as a child. As I stated in the previous post that my igG was also %33. Does the index number have any meaning?
How do I explain this?
If I was always positive, then why didn’t her results come back positive sooner.

Is it possible that I contracted this last year? I took a hit from joint. It had saliva on it once I placed on my lips.

Could this be possible?

I am so confused.

[jmarti0380]

We also reviewed her prior test and they were also negative.

[Terri Warren]

I really don’t know what to say here. You could have had this for a long time and recently infected her or it could be new for you both. There is simply no way to know.
‘But if your other partners tested negative for HSV 1 (even though the test is imperfect), it seems very unlikely to me that this infection in your wife is from this other partner since you and your wife didn’t have the kind of contact necessary for her to get it before she test. Is it a big problem with your wife that she thinks this came from the other partner? It might be helpful for your wife if the other partner tested negative by western blot.

I have to say that the likelihood of both of you having the exact same index value of 33 (it is not a percent) is like one in a million. So weird.

Terri

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by Terri Warren.
• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by Terri Warren.

[jmarti0380]

For the record I am not in contact with the person. I didn’t know her. As I stated before prior to my wife taking the test we only kissed 3 times after the encounter with outside person. When we did kiss it wasn’t very passionate. Can you transmit hsv1 from normal kissing without French kissing?

The other partner sent me snippet of test results that are questionable. I really don’t know her status.

Have you heard of anyone test results being positive after 8 days after the encounter and having high igG number?

I’ve been trying to rule out that this exposure isn’t genitally. I am not sure if I had an outbreak yet. I’ve read that sometimes outbreak can be so minor that you may not notice it.

My anxiety have been extremely high and because of it every itch and tingle sends me on high alert.

I am trying to move on from this.

If I also contracted this genitally would the initial outbreak be located somewhere on my penis or would it be anywhere within genital region?

After diagnosis I started to take l-lysine and monolaurin. Should I continue to take these supplements or do think at this point I may be asymptomatic?

If I am shedding at the time and somehow lick my lips and touch my eye can spread hsv to my eye? For the record I do t plan on doing this!

I want to understand all of the associated risk.

[jmarti0380]

Thanks

[Terri Warren]

If this was a single encounter, and you tested 8 days later and had a 33, you didn’t get HSV 1 from this encounter.
And if you didn’t have meaningful contact with your wife between the contact with the other person and her test result was a 33, she didn’t get it from the other person either with very casual kissing when no cold sore was present.
Your initial outbreak would have been on the penis, if you had gotten it from her. I don’t believe that you did.

Terri

[Author]

Posts