Oral and genital hsv1?

[marmalade721]

Hi,

Thank you for taking my question.

I’ve just been diagnosed with genital hsv1. I know who transmitted it be virus to me (he knew he had oral hsv1) and when (probably about a week before the outbreak). My immune system was compromised, and he performed oral sex on me when he had some kind of sore on the inside of his mouth. He said he even remembered rubbing the sore on me during oral sex.

About a week after that exposure my outbreak began, and I’ve been on valacyclovir for the last two weeks since then. I tested positive for hsv1 and negative for hsv2. The blisters are gone, I think, but I’m afraid to stop taking the antiviral because I want to suppress an oral breakout, in case I also have oral hsv1. I’ve been waiting for an oral breakout to happen, and so far it has not.

Of course, it would be better if I knew for sure whether or not I have oral hsv1 in addition to genital hsv1. That way I would know what steps to take to avoid transmission to someone else.

My hypochondriacal observations include:
1. neuralgia felt over my whole face and both of my hands, which lasted a full day. This began 4 days after I started taking the antiviral. This neuralgia was similar to the neuralgia I felt in my legs before and after my outbreak began.

I haven’t had any physical contact with the guy who transmitted the virus to me since a week before my outbreak, so there has been no new exposure …aside from the possibility that I auto-inoculated. I have been very careful about hand washing since I was diagnosed, but there’s that possibility.

2. Brief tingling sensations on my upper lip.

3. A red patch under my chin that appeared one day when my skin was unusually dry and chapped. It didn’t develop into a blister, but it stayed for a few days. It was a little coarse to the touch.

4. Acne in the corner of my mouth that scared the s*** out of me. From what I’ve read about the difference between acne and herpes, I’m pretty sure it was acne.

5. Excessive discharge from the corners of my eyes–double the amount I usually have.

6. A sore uvula with a crooked red line running up and down it. It’s been like that for over a week. No coughing. I don’t have a cold. I’m not sick. Just a sore uvula. I know that sore throat could be a side effect of the meds, but it’s weird that it’s localized to the uvula. I don’t know if it looks like a blister or not.

i am still worried that I might have oral hsv1. Maybe I have it, but the meds have suppressed an outbreak.

Do you think I need to stop taking the meds in order to find out for sure? Or would you say that since I didn’t have an obvious outbreak that I don’t have oral hsv? If I stop taking the meds and no oral outbreak occurs, is that a conclusive answer? Or is it still possible I’ll have an oral outbreak in the future?

Thanks again.

M.

[Terri Warren]

I wish I had an answer for your question, I really do wish that but I don’t have an answer.
Let me get clearer – you were diagnosed with genital HSV 1 by a swab test? An antibody test? If an antibody test only, how long after the lesions appeared did you get the antibody test done? If you were diagnosed by an antibody test, do you know the index value associated with the positive?

Terri

[Author]

Posts