Herpetic Whitlow concerns

[Dengeki]

Last week I finally went to see a doctor for the blister-like things on my index fingers. Mostly on my left index finger. She looked at my hands and even touched them without wearing any gloves while I told her my symptoms. That I've noticed I've had these bumps come and go for years. Sometimes they come in patches, sometimes they're lone tiny bumps that if I pop clear liquid pops out of. They never break on their own--ever. The moment she told me it was herpetic whitlow (there was no test to confirm other than the visual she had before her) I began to panic.

If it is indeed herpetic whitlow, can I transfer this from my hands to my mouth or from my hands to my genitals? I did not give this to myself. Every STD test I have had has come back clean and I go in for yearly papsmears. I don't have cold sores in my mouth either. I have only been with two men, and at the time I first began noticing it I had only been with one man. He has also had STD checks and they have come back clean so I am sure I never caught them from.

I am just deathly worried of the precautions I need to take if this is herpetic whitlow and what I can do and say to my boyfriend to help him understand what this is. I don't want to scare him or make him worry. I do not want to accidentally give myself or my boyfriend genital herpes from my hands.

I plan to go see my gyno for my yearly and I plan to ask her about it when I go in. But I would also like to hear from the pool of medical doctors and staff here before my appointment just in case there are other questions that I find out I want to ask.

Thank you for your time.

[fm123]

Make sure you check out Dyshidrotic eczema or Pompholyx and see if this resembles what you have. I get it every year (even right now), sometimes single tiny blisters on any random finger and sometimes all over my hands (both). They have clear fluid in them. They never burst on their own, either, just dry up after a couple weeks / month or a little more. Just a thought. Good for you to get it checked out, but like Grace said, insist on cultures even if the doc doesn't want to. Hindsight is 20/20 and you'll feel better you did, I just switched my doctor for this and now I have a very knowledgeable doc who I have all the confidence in the world in.

[gracefromHHP]

the only way to diagnose whitlow is to get a lesion culture done of active symptoms. This needs to be done within 48 hours of the appearance of them.

Odds are you have never been tested for herpes with all your testing. You'll need to look and find out. Even if you do test + for herpes on an igg blood test though, that doesn't mean that this is herpes - that is why the lesion culture is so important.

grace