Reply To: Testing for kids

[Thinkingrunning]

1. I will not ask for IgG test since you said they are not accurate and have 50% false positive rate. I would like to get testing done to see if my kids have HSV1. What about the western blot, is this test accurate for children?

2. I know you say that i should get any concerning spots swabbed for pcr testing, but swab testing seems dependent on good timing and proper sample collection technique (unroofing the blister to obtain adequate fluid sample) that I worry I will “miss the window” or get a false neg. It is also difficult for me to go to the doctor’s office as I have to take leave from work (full time). I think it would be easier and I would feel more confidant to have a western blot result for my kids to give me the final answer. Given how much this has caused me to worry about my kids, I am really considering going forward with western blot testing for them so I can have an answer and be able to move forward rather than worry about every little red bump. I have no intention to put them through anything difficult which is why i think it would probably be better to get the blot done than have to take my daughter in repeatedly to the doctor’s office. How do I go about getting western blot test for my kids?

3. I had what looked like a cluster of 5 spots on red base that turned into red ulcers that got larger and scabbed on upper right part of my buttock. I am not on AV and swabbed aggressively on the first day the red dots appeared using 24/7 lab kit and shipped it out on March 30th. Apparently there was a delay in the lab-I did not get my final result (neg for HSV 1 and 2) until 4/13 (2 weeks later). Can I trust this result or is a neg result more likely to be false if the sample was sitting there and not tested for 2 weeks? The lab told me that HSV stability is around 36 days before it can be determined unqualified and said to me that my result is accurate. However, on the website it said that testing is time sensitive and needs to be shipped immediately.