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HSV2 exposure, equivocal result, no symptoms over 40 days
Hello everyone. I am going through a very tough time over the past two months and I need to tell my story and ask a few questions to see if anyone had a similar experience.
On December 13, I had unprotected sex with another male who I've had several encounters with in the past. I was the bottom and I gave him oral. Yes, it was very foolish of me to do that without confirming his status for any STDs but he said he hasn't been sexually active in a year and was tested after his relationship ended and was negative, blah blah. I did, however, examine his penis for any abnormalities before touching it with a flashlight, such as redness, bumps, blisters, etc and all looked fine (I know it can still spread without obvious symptoms but that at least reduced the likely hood I hoped).
Well, two days later on the 15th, I went on a family vacation to Disney World. I started feeling sluggish that evening but I figured it was from flying. The next day I was fine until the evening when my throat started to get a little sore. I decided to look in my throat and noticed a white patch was forming at the center of the throat.
The next morning on the 17th, the white patch was spreading and started covering my tonsils and the entire back throat. I had a fever, no themometer to know how high, but I was definitely getting sick but ironically my throat did not hurt, just looked awful, and never spread to my tongue, lips, cheeks, gums or anything. I lost my appetite though which made it hard to eat anything.
Monday the 18th came around and I went to a walk-in clinic. They tested me for strep and it came back negative. I worried I had gonnahrea or clymidia and I told her my concerns but she had no way of swabbing for that but gave me antibiotics for three days.
On Tuesday the 19th, the male I had sex with messaged me that evening and asked if I have something and gave it to him and for me to tell him what it is. I told him what I'm going through but his symptoms were in his penis and he said he thinks it is herpes and blamed me for giving it to him.
I asked when his symptoms showed up and he said the next morning and I told him that's impossible for me to have given it to him and for it to show up the next day.
Well, the three pills weren't getting rid of the white stuff but made me feel somewhat better and I arrived back home on the 21st and immediately went to a doctor. She looked at it and said it looked bacterial and gave me a prescription for 10 day of amoxicillin and I asked for the shot for gonno. She swabbed for gonno, clymidia, strep, and flu and all came back negative. Fever was 105 that day.
I also had her test me for everything as it has been three months since my last test but only 8 days since my encounter. After a few days of the meds, it started to go away and I was much better and it completely cleared up by the end of the meds.
My test results came back and all negative except for HSV2 which came back equivocal at .92. The guy finally messaged me that his swab test came back positive for HSV2 but I'm skeptical on his timeline as he was swabbed on the 20th, 6 days after our enounter which I was told should be done within 48hrs of an outbreak.
So my questions are:
1. Can an equivocal result appear after 8 days from possible exposure? I got tested yesterday after 43 days encounter for hsv2 again and get results this week, hoping for it to be negative this time.
2. His symptom was one blister on his shaft. I think his timeline is off because why wait 5 days on the 19th to ask if I gave him something and then the next day he goes and gets swabbed. If swabs should only been done within 48 hours of an outbreak, can that mean his timeline is indeed off as this would have been 6 days later and that maybe our enounter was outside the prodrome period for the tingling?
3. I did not show symptoms of anything anally that I recall and the only symtpoms I had were the throat. I know not everyone shows symptoms, but if this was my first exposure to herpes (I don't have type 1), with as sick as I was, and if I was also infected below, wouldn't I have shown symtpoms down below too since my immune system was super low?
4. Finally, has anyone else had an equivocal result for hsv2 IGG one time and get tested again and it be lower? I am hoping it was just a coincidence that I was equivocal this time. I have several years worth of STD tests and the igg fluctuates but always stayed below .9.
Any feedback is appreciated!
On December 13, I had unprotected sex with another male who I've had several encounters with in the past. I was the bottom and I gave him oral. Yes, it was very foolish of me to do that without confirming his status for any STDs but he said he hasn't been sexually active in a year and was tested after his relationship ended and was negative, blah blah. I did, however, examine his penis for any abnormalities before touching it with a flashlight, such as redness, bumps, blisters, etc and all looked fine (I know it can still spread without obvious symptoms but that at least reduced the likely hood I hoped).
Well, two days later on the 15th, I went on a family vacation to Disney World. I started feeling sluggish that evening but I figured it was from flying. The next day I was fine until the evening when my throat started to get a little sore. I decided to look in my throat and noticed a white patch was forming at the center of the throat.
The next morning on the 17th, the white patch was spreading and started covering my tonsils and the entire back throat. I had a fever, no themometer to know how high, but I was definitely getting sick but ironically my throat did not hurt, just looked awful, and never spread to my tongue, lips, cheeks, gums or anything. I lost my appetite though which made it hard to eat anything.
Monday the 18th came around and I went to a walk-in clinic. They tested me for strep and it came back negative. I worried I had gonnahrea or clymidia and I told her my concerns but she had no way of swabbing for that but gave me antibiotics for three days.
On Tuesday the 19th, the male I had sex with messaged me that evening and asked if I have something and gave it to him and for me to tell him what it is. I told him what I'm going through but his symptoms were in his penis and he said he thinks it is herpes and blamed me for giving it to him.
I asked when his symptoms showed up and he said the next morning and I told him that's impossible for me to have given it to him and for it to show up the next day.
Well, the three pills weren't getting rid of the white stuff but made me feel somewhat better and I arrived back home on the 21st and immediately went to a doctor. She looked at it and said it looked bacterial and gave me a prescription for 10 day of amoxicillin and I asked for the shot for gonno. She swabbed for gonno, clymidia, strep, and flu and all came back negative. Fever was 105 that day.
I also had her test me for everything as it has been three months since my last test but only 8 days since my encounter. After a few days of the meds, it started to go away and I was much better and it completely cleared up by the end of the meds.
My test results came back and all negative except for HSV2 which came back equivocal at .92. The guy finally messaged me that his swab test came back positive for HSV2 but I'm skeptical on his timeline as he was swabbed on the 20th, 6 days after our enounter which I was told should be done within 48hrs of an outbreak.
So my questions are:
1. Can an equivocal result appear after 8 days from possible exposure? I got tested yesterday after 43 days encounter for hsv2 again and get results this week, hoping for it to be negative this time.
2. His symptom was one blister on his shaft. I think his timeline is off because why wait 5 days on the 19th to ask if I gave him something and then the next day he goes and gets swabbed. If swabs should only been done within 48 hours of an outbreak, can that mean his timeline is indeed off as this would have been 6 days later and that maybe our enounter was outside the prodrome period for the tingling?
3. I did not show symptoms of anything anally that I recall and the only symtpoms I had were the throat. I know not everyone shows symptoms, but if this was my first exposure to herpes (I don't have type 1), with as sick as I was, and if I was also infected below, wouldn't I have shown symtpoms down below too since my immune system was super low?
4. Finally, has anyone else had an equivocal result for hsv2 IGG one time and get tested again and it be lower? I am hoping it was just a coincidence that I was equivocal this time. I have several years worth of STD tests and the igg fluctuates but always stayed below .9.
Any feedback is appreciated!
1. 8 days is a bit soon to see elevated values. Hsv2 tests are very sensitive and sometimes they just pick up "noise".
2. Hard to say about the timeline. if he did indeed have a lesion forming the next day then it was to soon to have gotten it from you.
3. I agree that if you had contracted it anally you probably would've had obvious symptons. Hsv2 rarely infects the oral cavity. It simply just doesn't like the area.
4. Equivocal and low false positives are more common than you think. This test results should help to shed some light on things.
2. Hard to say about the timeline. if he did indeed have a lesion forming the next day then it was to soon to have gotten it from you.
3. I agree that if you had contracted it anally you probably would've had obvious symptons. Hsv2 rarely infects the oral cavity. It simply just doesn't like the area.
4. Equivocal and low false positives are more common than you think. This test results should help to shed some light on things.
4 Comments
So regarding his test tho, he had a swab done and it is supposed to be done within 48hrs of symptoms showing up. Since it was 6 days later since our encounter, do you think there is a chance that the enounter was outside of the prodrome period?
Could have been. Even if it wasn't, most exposures at that time still won't lead to transmision of the virus. Lets see what the test results say and go from there.
Thank you for that last comment. I dunno why but you saying "let's see what the results say" made me feel like you're here in this with me.
I am. This is what we're here for. Herpes testing is tricky and I can help you navigate through it. So far nothing you have told me leads me to believe your illness was herpes related. So now all we can do is sew what this latest test says. Try and relax we will get it sorted out.
I need to talk. Anyone around that has experience with this available? I think I have an outbreak.
I just want to let you know you are not alone I've had a few of the symptoms you've mentioned and now left with overall chronic nerve pain that's been going on for more than 3 months my last test was at 14 weeks igg hsv2 negative so I'm still left in the dark not knowing what's causing me this ongoing pain
Well, today I got the worse news possible. My blood test came back and it shows i am positive for HSV2. It was at 23.00. As you can imagine, I broke down at the office. I don't know where it is, either anally or orally in my throat, the only symptoms I had was that really bad throat infection with a fever of 105.
I didn't feel anything below at the time to make me think I had an out real down below (such as wiping when using the restroom). The only thing noticable was my awful looking throat with white patches everywhere that did not turn out to be strep, gonno, or clymidia.
I feel alone and I don't know who I can talk to. The doctor gave me a crisis hotline but I feel like I only calm down with talking with someone who actually has it and experienced what I'm going through. I think I need that right now, if anyone is available to tell me their experience.
I didn't feel anything below at the time to make me think I had an out real down below (such as wiping when using the restroom). The only thing noticable was my awful looking throat with white patches everywhere that did not turn out to be strep, gonno, or clymidia.
I feel alone and I don't know who I can talk to. The doctor gave me a crisis hotline but I feel like I only calm down with talking with someone who actually has it and experienced what I'm going through. I think I need that right now, if anyone is available to tell me their experience.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
