Oral Herpes, Strep or Tonsillitis?

[Curious]

Hey Terri

I think I had the beginnings of a cold in January (sore throat-not severe) and then I had unprotected sex/oral sex with someone right after. After two days of having sex multiple times I noticed I started feeling more sick (throat pain, lymph swollen, nauseous, tiredness, dry heaving, and felt like my lungs were closing in hard to breathe) a few days after i noticed some specs on my throat so i went to the doctor and and told her the story. She said it was likely strep throat, and they did a throat culture swab and said it was positive for strep. She gave me penicillin that cleared most of it up. They also noticed I had a bladder infection/uti (no symptoms of legions or itching or specs or anything like that) and I took meds to clear that up.
A few days later, I got the same symptoms like consistently sore lymph nodes, headache, white specs on my tonsils. They ran another throat swab, and it tested positive for a growth of Group A Beta Haemolytic Strep. I never really had history of strep so I was surprised it came back again.
I tried about two or three antibiotics of different kinds, penicillin, and they cleared the the white specs on my tonsils but after it would clear it would pop up again about 1/2 weeks later
Then I was clear of “strep” for a good 2.5 weeks and now I have specs and red enflamed large tonsils as well as white dots on my tonsils but now testing negative for strep. the doctor keeps giving me antibiotics for strep (4 rounds now) and it clears the specs, so I’m wondering, Do I have oral herpes if it rids the specs, but comes back?

Please note: I did take Penicillin, cephalex, amoxiclav, clarithromycin

I did take a test for chlamyria, trichomona, hiv, syphilis, hepbsag, hepbsab, hepcab, and it all came back negative, but I took those tests within a week or two after having sexual oral/sex. So is it valid? Why would throat swab come back positive for strep and then now negative even when swabing active sores.

Help.

[Terri Warren]

I think oral herpes is really unlikely here. Some people do get recurrent strep. The subsequent swab test for strep could have been negative for many reasons: lack of sensitivity of the in-house strep test, less bacteria present due to extensive antibiotic use, lack of good collection for the sample this time, many things. Herpes in your throat is at the bottom of my list of concerns.

Terri

[Curious]

Thanks for your response.

I just noticed one cold sore forming on my lip. bit of tinging and burning on my lips but not clusters or anything like that. and the clarithromycin cleared up the specs on my throat.

For peace of mind I will take a test, it has been approximately 3 months now since my sexual encounter. What test should I ask for? HSV 1 + 2?

In addition if it was herpes, why would the medication I’m taking clear up the white dots/patches on my tonsils?

If it was really herpes it would require other medication?
Or is the drugs i listed also able to kill off some of the herpes but not fully because its the wrong strain of medication? Which is why it keeps coming back and people thinking its step?

Sorry, need more clarification.

[Terri Warren]

The antibiotics would only work on bacteria, not viruses, like herpes – if you had improvement on these medicines, it suggests the cause was not herpes.
If you want to retest, you want HSV 1 and 2 IgG. Have you ever had a cold sore in your whole life? If yes, then you only need to look for HSV 2, not HSV 1. You mentioned a cold sore forming so is that your first?

Terri

[Curious]

Most likely I have had a cold sore. And I think i have one now that just formed on my lip. its a bump started out looking like a pin pierced it with a red dot. but not sure.
Also worthy or noting when i was a kid, I had bells palsy which apparently is linked to herpes hsv 1 from what I read. If this is the case…then herpes hsv 1 has been dormant and adjusted into my system which explains maybe the non frequent outbreaks or any severe symptoms for the last few years.

If the medication is getting rid of bacteria in my mouth and “curing” my reoccurring Tonsillitis/Strep and I also have herpes hsv1 already in my body, then with a new sexual encounter could it have reactivated the hsv 1 orally causing my throat issues to surface and actually be Herpes on my Tonsils?

We had oral and unprotected sex and fluid exchange from mouth to vagina. So why am i not experiencing any sores of clusters down there. I a tiny bit itchy there. But no real symptoms. Should I be afraid that after 3 months, this is just the beginning of an onset of physical issues.ie sores, open pus/clusters?

Can i be rest assured that because the medication is curing what i have, (even though it comes back).…that it is infact reoccurring strep and not linked to hsv 2? or being reinfected by hsv1 more severely?

In my case are there two simultaneous things going on, i.e. the need for treatment for reoccurring strep/tonsillitis and an additional treatment of hsv2/hsv1 medication required?

My doctor is sending me to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, is there anything you suggest that I ask them in my scenario?

I don’t have any overly obvious sores now in the back of my throat because the antibiotics ridded me of most of the white specs so i don’t think there would be anything to swab. I only have this subtle bump that just develop on my outer lip that burns a bit.

What tests should I take, its been 3 months now since “exposure”
HSV 1 and 2 IgG? As well as a PAP smear?

How do I know my vagina won’t eventually break out, or my face? etc and that it will get worse?
Im afraid of all these pictures online.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Curious.

[Terri Warren]

It sounds like you do have two things going on – recurrent oral herpes and new strep in your throat. Why don’t you have sores genitally? Probably because you don’t have genital herpes.
If you want to follow up in 3 months,you want an IgG type specific antibody test.

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Terri

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