Hey - of course I remember you. I'm happy to see you, though not under these circumstances.
So you had a positive culture, which came back as hsv2 - am I understanding this accurately?
Your WB test - did you test negative for hsv1, as well? If you have hsv1, that means that you probably won't get that genitally, as you have antibodies to prevent that from happening. It also means that if you get hsv2, you won't have a true primary outbreak, which are the outbreaks where you get the swollen glands, fever, lots of sores, etc.
You're concerned that you gave him oral hsv2, and I'm thinking that he has an established hsv1 and hsv2 infection, and he gave you hsv2.
Your symptoms appeared 4 days after the 4th, right? That's when you started feeling the symptoms of what you thought were a yeast infection, and that's the perfect time for hsv symptoms to appear.
His cold sore appearing the next day wouldn't be from you - no STD would appear that fast. The minimum incubation period is 2 days.
The thing about waiting for the culture making it less accurate means it would be harder to detect the virus, making it a false negative, not resulting in false positives. There is no such thing as a totally accurate test, so false positives can occur, but false positives on cultures are rare. You can always get a WB again at 12 weeks if you want, but I'd get your bf to test first. If he's positive for hsv2 on an IgG test, that would lend itself to your test being more accurate, right?
Have you had other partners since your test last year? You could always get an IgG test and see what that says. You know you have a history of false positives on that, so don't freak if it's a low positive, but it might be interesting to see if it's risen, if you've had other partners since your WB. That could establish if this is a new infection for you. I think you tested with STDCheck last time to get the index values.
I know this is stressful, but we got you through it last time, and no matter what, we'll get you through it this time. I've had hsv2 for almost 20 years, I can promise you that nothing about it is as bad as you think it is right now.
Sending you hugs.
The WB works totally different than the IgG. The IgG looks for a single antibody protein. In order to to test positive on the WB, you have to have 16 antibody proteins.
https://westoverheights.com/forum/question/western-blot-results-2/
The WB is the absolute gold standard. No, it's not perfect, but I haven't heard of it ever being wrong. I can't imagine you'd be the first.
So yes, you were negative, herpes-free in Sept. You had no other partners until March, had sex again until July. You got symptoms in July. Your source has to be your current BF.
Like you, I'm not in MENSA, nor am I a doctor, but your NP's theory just makes no sense. Since it can't be magic, it has to be your BF. He's not a bad person for having herpes - I'd be really hypocritical for saying that, right? - but it's just facts.
Okay, I'm the cynical one here, right? Could he be avoiding you because he got an hsv2 outbreak and is freaking out? I've seen it here before. Could whatever triggered his hsv1 oral outbreak have triggered an hsv2 outbreak?
And yes, welcome to adulthood. Work, school, relationship issues - that's what we all deal with. Avoiding confrontation isn't always a choice. If someone wants to spend time with you, they make time. If there's an issue, they solve it or work to solve it.
Yes, it is well-known that having hsv1 can keep hsv2 milder. It's not true for everyone, but it can help. You already have antibodies for an hsv infection, so it offers some control. You might get frequent outbreaks, but typically - and everyone is different, obviously, they might be milder.
Your discharge could mean you have internal sores. It's very common to get them on your cervix. I think - don't quote me on this stat - something like 80% of women get them internally. I can't find that stat now, so it might be incorrect. In any case, the discharge is normal. If it changes color, gets an odor, etc., get it checked. Getting yeast or bv with an outbreak is also pretty common.
You may get prodrome symptoms - those are the warning signs. Some people get really clear signs, others don't. I've never figured mine out. My ex used to get a deep ache in his thighs. Others get a weird tingle.
If he gets a low-positive (God help us), then he can get a WB, unless you both are satisfied with it. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that he gets a super clear result, like 38.8 or something.
I can't tell you how to handle it. I don't know him. I'm often a bull in a china shop, and probably wouldn't be able to wait, so I'm probably not the best one to advise you. The only reason I'd advise not waiting is because if he tests now and is negative, but is positive later, you have evidence that he's been with someone else. Then again, someone can test positive in as little as 10 days, so at this point, it might not make any difference.
Hang in there!
*also to note, I was tested on Wednesday (7/14)*
I have read that the longer you wait for a swab test, the less accurate it is. I also read that a culture trumps any blood test. So, should I trust the culture? Should I bother with another WB after 4-5 months?
Should my boyfriend even bother with a blood test? Does he need to look out for genital symptoms now, or is he relatively safe? I mean, it was clear as day that he had a cold sore on his bottom lip. I’m just very shocked that I didn’t have any cold sores on my mouth. We kissed, but yet my culture is coming back positive. I obviously don’t want to overload him with all of this information, but I want to make sure when we are able to sit and talk, that I have all of the right information/facts.