Do i have herpes?

[omaia]

I had unprotected sex with a man for a few days in a row a little while ago. He was quite big and the sex was rough and the first night not well lubricated. Sleeping with him was nice, but also increasingly painful at the same time, and on Day the pain became pretty intense. I discovered a cut in vagina all the way on the inside of the outer labia. I later discovered cuts around the opening of the vagina. The day after the whole thing was swollen up and the pain was really bad. I couldn't sleep during the night and went to the doctor the day after. He put me on virus-repressing meds and took a test from my wounds. A few days later they called me and said the test had not been taken properly and that i had to redo it. I took a New test, but was told it could easily be a false negative since i had been taking virus-repressants. The wounds were hurting very intense from i discovered them (3 days after first intercourse with guy) and for four days after that. Then i slept for 20 hours and the pain was gone and the wounds had begun to close up. I also had itching from my vagina and swollen lynf nods. Could this just be vaginal tears or is there reason to suspect herpes? I had no blisters in the beginning, the wounds look like lines (not rund) and no fluid or blood were coming out of them. They did not get a crust when healing.

[omaia]

Update: the cuts healed, and i felt fine for a little time. About 1 1/2 week ago i starte itching like crazy in the genital area. I also had stinging/pulsating pain on the exact same sports where my cuts had been last time. Three-four days ago i starte to feel like i had wounds again and my lymf nods swall up, but i couldNT really see anything when self examinating in the mirror . Last night i went to a gyneochologist and she examined me super thorough (like with a magnifying glass). She found one tiny blister. We couldNT do swab test (blister hadn't cracked and i think maybe also it was too small) but she was quite certain this was herpes. So i guess i've got it, but it seems like i am pretty lucky in the way that i guess my immune system seems to be able to fight it quite good? Been eating heroic does of vitamin c, meditating and sleeping alot and eating healthy. I guess that also helps boosting my immune system.  Thanks for all support and good advices. I am starting to feel like this is really manageable and not such a big thing really. I guess i am lucky but this secondary outbreak really feels like a piece of cake. My biggest concern now is not to pass it on to any one else.

[TooHip1973]

This does seem to fall in line with a primary HSV outbreak. You didn’t mention the use of condoms but the cuts showing up a few days after sex point more to herpes. If these where from rough, dry sex, they would’ve manifested immediately.
It’s a shame the testing the doctor did was mishandled. I assume it was a swab test? Swab tests are the best and most accurate but they need to be done when the sores are fresh and not in a healing stage, as they can show a false negative if not enough virus is present. I would finish taking the antiviral medication that he gave you to get you through this outbreak. It’s also important if you have any more cuts or sores, you go to the doctor or an urgent care clinic immediately and have it swabbed.  If that doesn’t happen, you will probably want to go off the medication so that way you can blood test. It takes time for antibodies to develop to a detectable levels, so you may want to take a type specific IgG test now as a baseline test and then again 12 weeks after the sexual encounter. The IgG test is excellent for HSV two detection. Not so great for HSV1 but it should be able to tell you if you have HSV2.

[omaia]

Thanks for your advice. What they did was a swab test. I will do a IgG-test on the next occasion. The outbreak (or what i really hope was just tearing) healed after 4 days, and i am now off the meds anyway. But is the IgG-test really certain? My doctor told me also this one has a big risk of false negative. But he doesn't seem to be very competent on the
matter.

[TooHip1973]

The IgG test isn’t perfect. It’s actually a really good test for HSV two, picking up around 92% of infections. The antibodies for the strain easier for the test recognize. You should wait though at least 12 weeks past the last time you had sex before having the test. That is when the test becomes the most reliable. Even though it’s not 100%, it’s pretty damn good.  The IgG test for HSV one, on the other hand, can miss up to 30% of infections. Just not very reliable. I don’t think anybody knows the reason why but the antibodies for that strain specifically are harder to detect. If you do blood test, you want a type specific IgG test. The best test for HSV is the Washington University western blot. The problem with that test, is it’s only performed there but you can have it performed by ordering a test kit from the  University of Washington virology clinic website, you may have to call their number, and have the kit sent to you. It’s a bit tedious and pricey but this test is around 99% accurate for HSV two and 95 to 96% accurate for HSV one. It’s just more comprehensive test. Worry about that later if need be. If you get any more symptoms, be seen at a clinic immediately and have them swabbed. A well timed swab, which means you go in immediately when you see symptoms, will give you a definitive answer.

[Joejoesmith]

Herpes can look like cuts, lesions or blisters. What you describe sounds like herpes, but could also be explained by rough dry sex. The cuts showing 3 days later would be more indicative of a herpes infection. I’m sure your doctor will do further testing. Follow back up and let us know how your doing

[omaia]

Thanks! Will do!

[omaia]

Note: sores were discovered 3 days after first intercourse. The tests that were taken were herpes, chlamydia, gonoreah, syfilis and hiv.