Reply To: Oral HSV-2 from Casual Contact

[Daisyann]

Thank you for your response! My plan is that if I get one in the next few days to have it swabbed again, as my only culture did not come up positive. If that doesn’t happen or if it comes up negative again, I’ll get the Western Blot you mentioned. You seemed to indicate that this would give me a definitive answer.

I am wondering if this kid and I have some kind of mutant-strong version of HSV-2, but I was told by several professionals that such a thing does not exist.

Thanks for giving me two more questions, I’ll ask them now. (I had thought that I asked all three in the first post… so thank you.)

1-Assuming this is HSV-2, I do not understand why I am having so much trouble. I do have a good immune system. I was very rarely sick as a child. Although I do get sick now from all the kids I’m around, I always recover fast- faster than the other teachers, actually. My question, is could there be something wrong or different about me other than my immune system that is causing my inability to clear this out of my system in the normal time frame? I’m not in the medical profession so I have no idea what I’m talking about here… but could my body have some kind of deficiency, ability, or inability that I don’t know about? (I understand that yes, obviously there could be something wrong with me that is affecting my response to this virus in a negative way… but is there something (known) found in studies that makes people have a hard time with herpes other than a poor immune system? I’m on such very high doses of anti-virals, and still getting them. (Again, assume for the sake of this question that this is herpes. I truly do believe this is herpes, just hoping so much for hsv-1 instead of hsv-2.)

2-I know self-innoculation is very rare once a person has developed antibodies. Do you have any idea what the actual figures are regarding self- inoculation once a person has developed antibodies? I read that developing antibodies is like being vaccinated…. but people get vaccinated against chicken pox and a minority still get a minor outbreak. My husband and I have a plan what we’ll kiss until he gets the oral HSV-2 and then once he has had it for many months, to not worry about passing it to each other genitally. I understand there will always be a small risk or getting it genitally once antibodies have been established… but do we have an idea of what that risk is specifically?

Thanks so much. I am freaked out. But your calm tone has helped me. And no matter what happens regarding this virus and my husband and kids, we are a solid, loving family who will cope together. I just need to remember that.