Western Blot Accuracy

[Stego49]

Hi Terri! First off, thank you for the work you do. I’ve been hoping to find clarity for some time and it’s helpful to have access to someone with experience specific to HSV.

I’m curious if you are able to share the likelihood of a false negative from the Western Blot given prior Valtrex use.

For context, about two weeks after having unprotected sex, I had what seemed like clear signs of herpes…itching, back/nerve pain, and a small paper-like cut on my labia. I was out of town at the time and had a friend w/ Valtrex…I ended up taking 2 pills at once and then one more pill the following day. I went to the doctor that week but there were no signs of lesions to test. 2 months later I found another paper-like cut on my labia in the same place. The doctor gave me Valtrex while we waited for the blood test to come back – I took two pills each day (one morning and one night) for 3-4 days. I stopped taking the pills when the blood test came back negative (HSV1 IgG = .17 & HSV2 IgG =.22). 6 months after the initial symptoms I decided to do LabCorps’ HSV Type-Specific Immunoblot, as well as the Western Blot out of UW. Both came back negative.

It’s now been one year since the initial ‘outbreak’ and I haven’t had any paper-like cuts since, however every time I get my period I have subtle nerve pain on the right side of my body that at times feels like pain radiating through my abdomen and at others feels like it’s going directly to my clitoris. I’ve found that nerve pain can be very elusive and difficult to locate exactly!
Do you think my previous Valtrex use could have produced a false negative? With atypical symptoms (i.e. no blisters) and a negative blood test, it’s hard to know if I do or do not have herpes, although with no other explanation for my symptoms I’m at a loss for how to move forward – herpes seems to make the most sense but it’s difficult not having confirmation. Not sure if this is relevant, but I also have ulcerative colitis. Thanks for your insight!

[Terri Warren]

I absolutely do not think that the amount of Valtrex that you took would impair the western blot at all. I believe that you should trust the western blot in this situation and let go of the idea that the Valtrex had an impact. I don’t believe that it did.

Terri

[Stego49]

Hi Terri – thanks for this. I had a gynecologist tell me that despite testing negative, herpes tests aren’t always reliable as there are unmapped strains of herpes (i.e. an ‘HSV 3”) that won’t show up on a test. What is the validity of this? I’ve found that many doctors don’t know all that much about herpes…
I’d like to believe my negative herpes test but without an explanation for the paper-like cuts I got and the nerve pain it’s difficult. Have you had patients whose symptoms mimicked herpes but consistently ended up being something else?

[Terri Warren]

That’s BS.
If you want the best test, get a western blot.
I’ve certainly had patients who had paper cut things that were not herpes – most of othe time they aren’t herpes!

I have to say I am amazed at some of the things that doctors say about herpes. Just amazed.

Terri

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