hsv 1 orally odds it passed through hand to genital contact

[cinnamongirl4]

Hi Grace, I have some background information and then a few questions to follow. I hope you can follow my train of thought here. I think I might have posted this in the wrong forum the first time, sorry for that.

I have had oral hsv1 since I was 22. I have no idea how I contracted it, and suspect a roommate might have used a make up product of mine w/o me knowing and I contracted it from that or her using a personal product of mine. Doesn't matter now I am over 40. I experience outbreaks a few times a year near my nose when under stress or with a mense cycle usually. I have learned to recognize it well and it lasts less than a week if I treat it immediately.

I have been with my husband since age 23, he has never shown any signs of an hsv outbreak of any kind, as I am very careful to handwash etc. and not kiss him when I have any signs of an outbreak at all. If anything I am over careful in his opinion. We do not have oral sex because I am afraid of passing it on during asympomatic shedding.  

FWD to late March. One evening my husband came to bed and we were intimate but did not have intercourse. He touched me with his hands and then we mutually masturbated.  IS there someway that either of us could have been shedding a virus orally and then we touched that area and then my genitals and HSV 1 transferred to me genitally?  I began experiencing burning, itching and increased discharge just days after this encounter. I was tested for a series of STI's (even hsv from a swab/ with no sores, cracks etc). and it was all negative. I did come up + for bacterial vaginosis and did 2 rounds of flagyl. Each time completed the flagyl the burning and discharge disappeared but came back 4-5 days after treatment.  

I still have vular burning (that can get severe in pain), itching, some discomfort in the urethra (neg. UTI) quite a bit more discharge than normal but clear (on an off). Negaitve for yeast and bv again yesterday. The symptoms sometimes both the peri/anal area as well. The symptoms are worse after sitting up a long time in a chair or riding in a car... and are soothed somewhat by a warm bath or sitz.  One dr. thought it might be vulvodynia.  This has been going on for over 2 months.  

I am afraid, I don't want to be intimate with my husband for fear of this being hsv genitally but he has no signs and he touched himself with the same hands we touched me with. Is it is likely this could be herpes 1 self inoculated after all this time. The discomfort can be worse and peak and then fade, and then come back other times of the day.  I just cannot get answers. No sores, - no tests. I already know I have hsv orally so an IGg test would not indicate if it was genital now right?

Thank you for reading this and your advice.
.

One thing to add ... from what I have read there are conflicting reports on whether you would have some immunity from infecting yourself with hsv genitally if you have it orally for such a long time, 20+ year is a long time. I just cannot seem to get answers...

[gracefromHHP]

dermoplast spray ( the blue can , not the red can for the genital area ) is helpful too. you can spray it on the genitals a few times a day to numb them. it helps sometimes to stop the itch/pain cycle.  I have used that a lot in the past as well as just keeping a layer of desitin/baby butt cream on my genital area to help soothe and protect.  

[cinnamongirl4]

Ty I will look at the ingredients. I don't need referrals thankfully. You have been awesome, Grace. I hope the skin "there" can heal over time....it's been horridly long lasting. I miss feeling well. Will update if something is discovered to help etc.

[gracefromHHP]

ask for the vaginal flagyl the next time! it actually works a little better at prolonging how long until bv comes back and it has less side effects. you still can't drink alcohol while on it though. Just be aware that after you use it, you tend to get a few days of whitish grey chunks. just rinse them off with water as needed. it's the dead bacteria working its way out of your body ( gross eh? ).  

I actually had skin changes from bv myself. I had it more than I didn't for several years and it caused damage to the skin due to all the frequent irritation.   there are good reasons why I think it's worse than my herpes!!

take a look at your probiotic and compare it to the strains of bacteria in fem dophilus by jarrow.  most probiotics just make your bowel bacteria healthier but the strains in the fem dophilus have been shown in many studies now to colonize the urogenital tract to help reduce uti's and vaginitis.  you are already doing your bowels good with the kefir, no need to be taking something that is just doing the same as that.

any doctor can order type specific herpes igg blood testing. depending on your insurance, depends if it will be covered by other providers or not.

[cinnamongirl4]

Oral flatly 3 rounds as the symptoms kept coming back ... However I think maybe the burning, itching and tingling in that area below... including perianal, Along with bladder pressure (no burning) is a result of side effects from flagyl. I am still having gasto issues though getting somewhat better. Using Kiffer , probiotics and vitamins. Wondering if peipheral neuropathy damage from Metz? That drug is hellish.

My husband is calm ...and still sleeping ;)

Could we get the Igg outside of our reg dr office? He is our neighbor?

[gracefromHHP]

did they give you oral flagyl for bv or the vaginal cream?

yes, you are thinking too much. you didn't contract hsv1 genitally from that encounter with your partner.

you and hubby should both seek out herpes igg blood testing so you know who has what and it will help you stop worrying about genital herpes as  a cause I am sure :)

[cinnamongirl4]

Bump

[cinnamongirl4]

I also forgot to add that I do have a tingling sensation that comes every so often in the labial area and that made me think prodrome. I don't think that tingling would last 2 months though off and on. I swear I am thinking too much but how one does not is amazing to me.

[cinnamongirl4]

Thank you for you reply. I'm trying to remain calm, as stress seems to amplify the pain.  Would prodrome symptoms of hsv1 genitally last 2 months with no outbreak visible with sores if they already had hsv1 orally? Seems to me a big long if my immune system already has anitbodies.

At night I am taking Benadryl for itching and 800mg of a motrin and 10mg paxil for anxiety. Last night was my best night in two months I think.

My husband has never been tested for hsv nor have I. I know I have hsv1 orally though.

I was just tested again for bv and yeast on Sunday as I had said. I am wondering though if the Flagyl (which is a horrible drug for me side effect wise) caused my system to be totally off balance.

I also wondered if maybe I had a reactivation of the herpes zoster virus (I have had cpox) and one outbreak of shingles with one blister on the lower back about 15 years ago it was horrible aching pain.  

I guess my main fear is if the hsv1 did transfer through that encounter and it's hsv genitally. I do not want to expose my husband and have him suffer like I am. It's been one hell of roller coaster ride.  Would the hsv pain come and go and intensify in burning and then not burn, then itch, then not itch and ache and not ache over time? I kept waiting for it to stop for enough days to consider it separate outbreaks but the only time the pain and discomfort did that was while I was on the flagyl, but that made me ITCH esp in the anal area and gave me horrible gastro issues.

Many thanks and blessing Grace for sharing your knowledge.

[gracefromHHP]

I honestly  hate bv more than I could ever hate my herpes!  it totally sucks :(  

bv is caused when your vaginal ph  is off and it allows an overgrowth of bacteria in the vagina. it's quite common in females and it's not unusual for it to start being an issue when our hormones start to misfire here and there as we age.  It's also quite common for it to come back too :(  don't hesitate to be seen monthly for testing for bv if things aren't quite right down yonder.

does any of this sound like herpes? no it does not. also no reason to avoid performing oral sex on your partner either. has he ever been tested to know his own status over the years?  Odds are if he didn't have hsv1 orally prior to meeting you, he very well could've picked it up over the years. most people who have hsv1 orally, don't get obvious cold sores to know that they are infected.

vulvodynia is a fancy name for pain in the genital area. many things can cause it including vaginitis, the medications we use to treat vaginitis and many other things.  continue to give your genital area some tlc and follow up with your gyn regularly.

best of luck getting to the bottom of all of this :)

grace