Is it herpes?

[germanchick]

I have had oral herpes (fever blisters) since I was a teenager. About 10 months ago, I started to feel a tingling right under my tailbone, and one day later I had one blister. It was gone within 4 days. About 6 months later I had the same thing again, so I scheduled a doctors appointment. I went to the doctor, she took a quick look at the blister and said it was herpes. She sent me to the lab to have blood drawn, and prescribed some oral medicine (the medicine didn't make it heal any faster). She then called me a few weeks later, to tell me that I tested positive for herpes. Well, I already knew that it would come back positive for HSV-1. But she didn't say which one I tested positive for. My husband has never had any symptons, so he says. Now I am wondering if the sore (looked like a little cut) that I had about 14 months ago in my genital area is herpes too. I have never had any type of symptons in my genital area before then. So should I assume that my husband cheated on me (we were having some marriage problems at the time)? How long can herpes lay dormant in your body? I have been with my husband for over 8 years, and I have never cheated. If it has been laying dormant in me, is it possible for my husband not to have it? Which doctor should I go and see, dermatologist or ob/gyn? I don't want to go back to my family doctor, as she seems to not know too much about it.

[petal130]

A visual diagnosis is not a valid one. Why on earth she didn't do a swab/culture is beyond me.

Of course the blood test was positive, you already have oral herpes. The chance of it being transmitted to your genitals is extremely small. You already have the virus, so most folks don't experience autoinoculation such as this.

Spectrespecs, the scenario you give for transmission is highly unlikely. Herpes transmission requires skin to skin contact, plus heat/friction.

Also, why hasn't your husband been tested? Really you both should know. Have him get an IgG type specific blood test. You as well if the test you had didn't type it.

[Spectrespecs]

I'm no pro, but this is what I've gathered:

HSV-1 can be transmitted to the genital area if there was any sort of oral-genital contact with you and your partner. So, if perhaps you kissed him, and then he put his mouth on your genitals, you may have transferred it down there. Or if from kissing he's unknowingly contracted HSV-1 at an earlier date and went down on you, he could have transferred it there himself.

I wouldn't assume that he cheated on you. Most people have almost immediate outbreaks after contracting herpes, but there are reports of it laying dormant for months and even years. Some people have symptoms that are so mild, they don't even know they have herpes. I read that roughly 90% of people with herpes aren't aware and are undiagnosed because of this. So just because he's never had symptoms doesn't mean he didn't already have it.

If you two use condoms, there's a chance he didn't get the virus from you. A few weeks ago, a study was released about condoms effectiveness against genital herpes. If you type in 'herpes condom' at any major news site, you should find the article.

I would say go to a gynecologist, as it's their area of expertise. They have been trained to know what genital diseases and infections look like.

Hope I helped you out!