Received and Performed Unprotected Oral with a stripper

[generalwest]

I’m a white male in my 30’s. 18 days ago i had a drunken night where i both preformed brief oral sex and received oral sex to completion from a stripper. She did not have obvious sores that i know of or remember, she said she was clean of course. Day 3 post exposure i began to experience a cold burning sensation in my groin and thighs but no signs of leisions. I saw my primary that afternoon and he did not see any signs of anything but gave me a 7 day dose of Valtrex to help ease my mind and potentially blunt an infection he said. Day 4 i noticed a pimple like spot in my pubic area (i have had spots in that area before) i popped it and put acne cream on it and it has almost completely gone away. I got results back from a full panel STD test including Igg for HSV 1&2 and everything was negative. Symptoms continued and i went back to see my primary on day 6 and he ordered me an IGG/IGM test which i took on Day 9 (while still on Valtrex). Results came back negative IGG 1&2, Positive 1.15 IGM. Now i am freaking out. After those results he gave me another prescription for the valtrex and said to retest in 6 weeks, if negative then he would feel comfortable saying i didnt have anything. I am still experiencing the same symptoms of the cold burning with some spasaming in my right hamstring and thigh, tingling in lips and tongue, but still no sign of any lesions or blisters on day 18 (spot on pubic area is still there although very faint and dermetologist diagnosed it as foliculitis as well as other spots on my waistline and thighs, he has me on doxycycline now also). I am planning on retaking the IGG test on day 23 and wanted to know how accurate that will be. I know everything you read says to wait till 12 weeks but i cant wait that long, i am married and can not reject my wife for that long.
Questions:
1) Likelihood of contracting HSV from this encounter (i know i am at risk for both types)
2)Should IGM of 1.15 be totally disregarded even though IGG was negative previously
3)How accurate will IGG be at 23 days post exposure and will the Valtrex that i am still taking affect results
4)Dr. says as long as there are no signs of blisters or leisons then i am ok to be with my wife, even better if i am on the valtrex. Is that true? What are my risks of exposing her to anything?
5)Everything i read says i need to wait to 12 weeks to retest, is there anything available to take sooner and to feel comfortable with the result?

• This topic was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by generalwest.

[Terri Warren]

1) The biggest risk of course would be HSV 1, not HSV 2, statistically. Have you ever in your life had a cold sore on your lip?
2) YES
3) The test at 3 weeks will pick up about 50% of those infected with HSV 2. AT 6 weeks, it is 70%. If you continue to take Valtrex, it could impact your antibody test results, yes.
4) I disagree with your doctor on this point. Even if you have no symptoms, you can transmit herpes. And yes, it would be reduced by about 50% for someone who has had herpes for a while. But at the same time, you won’t be able to be as certain about the accuracy of the testing. I don’t have an exact percentage of risk to her if you have brand new herpes.
5) No. Antibody takes a while to develop and you are interfering with that by taking antiviral therapy.

There is just no replacement for time passing, honestly. However, if you have had a cold sore in your lifetime, then you are extremely unlikely to get HSV 1 genitally.

You have two more questions to ask me – feel free to do so!

Terri

[generalwest]

I have never had a cold sore. So are you recommending that I stopped taking the Valtex? Did the symptoms that I listed indicate a possible herpes infection? Is there a high probability that I’ve could’ve contracted hsv from that single incident?

[Terri Warren]

It is possible that you could have contracted herpes at this encounter but the odds are very low. You need to make your own decision, but prolonged use of Valtrex (More than about 10 days) can intefer with the antibody test.

Terri

[generalwest]

Ok I have decided to stop antivirals since it really can’t stop or ward off the infection if there is one. Can the valtrex be preventing an initial outbreak?

Are 1st time outbreaks always at the site of infection? Both orally or genitally?

I read that there are digestive enzymes in the mouth that kill bacteria and virus making it unlikely to contract hsv2 that way. If she had genital hsv1 would she need to have an open or recent sore for me to contract it orallay?

If she had hsv1 or hsv2 orally would she need open or active sore for me to contract either genitally?

Again, do my symptoms sound like indicators of an infection?

I know a lot can be brought in from fear and anxiety and also reading too much on the Internet!

Thank your for this service and for any comfort you can provide me!

[Terri Warren]

No, we are not aware that Valtrex can ward off latency, at least in your situation.
Yes, they are. So genital herpes would almost always be genital the first time and oral the same. Recurrences could be much farther afield, if you will.
I don’t know anything about digestive enzymes prohibiting HSV 2 oral infection. I guess that could be but I’m not aware of the science around that statement. You could contract HSV 1 without or without her having symptoms.
No, your symptoms don’t sound like herpes to me. And a clinician seeing them is a far better indicator than me guessing on the internet.
Remember that the IgG test for hSV 1 misses about 1-2 out of 10 cases so you antibody test may or may not be accurate for HSV 1.

You are most welcome.

Terri

[generalwest]

Terri,

I stopped the valtrex back on Feb the 5th (took it for 10 days twice a day and then once a day for another 5 days or so). I just got back my test results from 6 weeks post exposure and IgG was negative for both 1 & 2. So i am hoping and praying that the Positive (1.15) IgM was a false positive. Any spots that i have been concerned about i have seen a dermatologist and they have assured me that it is nothing to be remotely concerned about. I do still feel some itching and burning sensations in my groin mostly and tops of my thighs as well as occasional itchy penis……thinking that may all be anxiety since this is all i think about all day everyday.

Questions:

1. Given my exposure incident (low likelihood for contracting HSV) and the negative results with no symptoms, how confident should i be at this point that i did not contract anything. I read somewhere on MedHelp that Dr. H had suggested that in new infections 90% will show pos IgG at 6 weeks. Is that true?

2. My doctor is telling me that i should feel comfortable to be with my wife again sexually as long as i am not showing or feeling any symptoms at this point. I will not initiate anything with her but i don’t want to reject her for another 6 weeks if she does initiate with me. What would you suggest in this case?

3. I want to have a final test done to make sure i am completely clear of HSV, would a Western Blot be the best thing to do in this case and can i take that at 12 weeks and feel confident with the accuracy?

Thanks for your help and help me put my mind at ease!

[Terri Warren]

1. Given my exposure incident (low likelihood for contracting HSV) and the negative results with no symptoms, how confident should i be at this point that i did not contract anything. I read somewhere on MedHelp that Dr. H had suggested that in new infections 90% will show pos IgG at 6 weeks. Is that true?

The correct statistic is that at 6 weeks, 70% of those infected will have antibody.

2. My doctor is telling me that i should feel comfortable to be with my wife again sexually as long as i am not showing or feeling any symptoms at this point. I will not initiate anything with her but i don’t want to reject her for another 6 weeks if she does initiate with me. What would you suggest in this case?

Tough question, but i tend to agree with your doctor. But you need to know that everything is here a trade off – the small risk of infecting her vs. the consequences of rejecting her sexual advances. That has to be your call, honestly.

3. I want to have a final test done to make sure i am completely clear of HSV, would
a Western Blot be the best thing to do in this case and can i take that at 12 weeks and feel confident with the accuracy?

Yes, that would be the most certain and I would say 16 weeks. It could pick up HSV 1 from a long standing infection that the screening tests don’t pick up – you need to know that so you won’t be shocked it if happens. If it is positive for HSV 1 you will never know when you contracted HSV 1.

Terri

[generalwest]

How long does it take to get western blot test results back and can i go through your office to set it up?

Would a test at 15 weeks be substantial, i will be heading on a lengthy vacation close to the 16 week mark and would like to have everything behind me before i go.

I am obviously concerned about giving anything to my wife. She has mentioned that she used to get cold sores in her nose when she was much younger. Does that mean she would have antibodies to HSV1 and would be very unlikely to contract it from me if i did have it?

Do the symptoms i describe sound more like a fungal infection? At 7 weeks post exposure still having some burning and itching in groin and scrotum and occasionally my pubic area and sometimes in my calves. Also, we did have sex over the weekend. The majority of it we used protection and then she took the condom off of me and we finished the last 15 minutes unprotected. The next day my penis shaft was very irritated and seemed to be red and dry. You think that would be anything to worry about or is just that, i am worrying too much?! I used some hydrocortizone 1% on shaft and scrotum and it was not pleasant.

Thanks Terri

[Terri Warren]

The way it works is that you make an appointment with our office for a phone consultation at which time we find the appropriate lab for your location and place an order for the test. What state do you live in? From the time of the phone consult to the time you can go in for the western blot is about 3 days. Once you have your blood drawn, it takes 1-3 weeks for the results to come back to us. Then we contact you with results. We are able to schedule phone consults usually within a few days of your call.

I think probably 15 weeks would be just fine, assuming you’ve not taken much if any antiviral medicine.

yes, if your wife got cold sores in her nose in the past, then she very likely has antibody to HSV 1 and would not then acquire that from you.

The redness and dryness sounds more, to me, like a reaction to the condom or perhaps a fungal infection in her? Yeast?

I wouldn’t honestly recommend much use of steroids on the penis.

Terri

[generalwest]

I stopped the valtrex back on Feb the 5th (took it for 10 days twice a day and then once a day for another 5 days or so). Would 15 weeks still be ok?

I live in St. Louis, Missouri.

I am going to take another IgG test at 9 or wait till 12 weeks just to keep an eye on things and then i will set up the Western Blot.

How do i make the appointment for the phone consultation?

[Terri Warren]

Just call the office and tell them that you want to set up a phone consultation to get a western blot. They will likely put it on my schedule. Please don’t take any more antiviral therapy before testing. What you’ve taken should be fine, but no more as it might confuse the situation.

I believe we’ve used up your most recent subscription now. If you have more questions, please feel free to renew your subscription.

Terri

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