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Is prodrome in hsv a constant feeling or a tingle here and there ?

Genital herpes
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207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
I meant if they weren't blisters or cuts or sores, what were they? But you've answered me.

2cnd and 8th episode  - how long did this last? Was this just a couple of days? Was the spot on your butt like the spot on the vagina?

3rd episode - probably not, since it lasted the entire pregnancy

4th, 5th, 6th, 7th - I don't know what these were, maybe just hormonal changes/pregnancy things, or pimples/hair follicles

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3rd episode it looked like a white tender spot , 8th episode was a red raw spot but I believe it was from postpartum bleeding and wearing a pad the blood broke my skin down (atleast that’s what I think ) and both episodes lasted 3-4 days
I had some splits on my vaginal opening that appeared after sex but they disappeared in a day so I know that was from friction
The explanation for the 8th sounds really plausible to me.

I don't know what the others were, but it doesn't sound at all like herpes.
Thanks for your responses , if none of my episodes sound like hsv then I don’t know what they were , I was always skeptical about it because I read from doctor hook that OB’s don’t bounce around there typically in same location give or take a inch or two  . You might think I’m really stupid for what I’m about to say but 7 years when I was diagnosed I was visually diagnosed . The doctor I saw at the hospital looked between my legs for a second and said it was herpes and discharged me . He did not give me a swab test or blood test at all and didn’t give me any medication . I actually forgot all about my diagnosis until I became an adult and got tested and showed positive for cold sores and I assumed it was genitally considering what the doctor told me at the hospital .
Oh you're not stupid, hon. I hear stories like this all the time, and right now, my heart is breaking for you since this has given you so much anxiety. Doctors love to visually diagnose herpes, and sometimes, they're right, sometimes they aren't. I'm sorrier still that he thought you had it and didn't even give you any medication for it.

You may indeed have ghsv1. You might not. You might have oral hsv1, or maybe you have both. The only way you'll know now is if you get symptoms genitally and get that cultured. Even better would be a PCR swab, which is more sensitive.

Stop taking the Valtrex, or you might never get an OB, if you do actually have ghsv1.

I'm sorry you're going through all this. :(
I’m 27 and I do not have any insurance and can’t afford it . Before pregnancy I didn’t have nothing go on genitally for 5 years and that whole time I was not on any medication . For transmission reasons do u think I should stay on the medication to reduce transmission further since I don’t exactly know the location of the cold sores ?
That's up to you. Have you found out if your partner has hsv1? If he does, you really don't have to worry about any of this.

If he doesn't have insurance, he can get a test done, but he'll have to self-pay - https://www.stdcheck.com/herpes-1-test.php It's not cheap at $65, but it could save you money in the long run on Valtrex you don't need.
He is negative for both
Well, part of me is sorry for that. It would have made things easier for you.
So would u recommend suppression still or what would u recommend ?
Things easier for me in what sense ? Anxiety wise or transmission wise ?
If what I was experiencing during pregnancy we’re outbreaks , I would’ve been shedding more at the time due to the pregnancy  , would my shedding rate go back to normal after giving birth ?
Easier for you in that you can't transmit hsv1 to someone who already has it, and your anxiety might get a break.

I think if you want to ever find out for sure if you have genital herpes, you need to stay off suppression. You won't get an outbreak otherwise. A visual diagnosis may be correct, but it may not be.

If you do have ghsv1, your shedding rates should be back to normal now after pregnancy.
I thought it’s unlikely to transmit ghsv1 to someone anyhow ? Regardless I have it I’d rather it be genital than oral because oral is easier to transmit . So if I do have it genitally it’s been 7 years and my shedding rate would be 4 days a year and with supression almost reduces it by 50% ? So I would be down to days a year right ? So transmission in my circumstance seems how likely to you ? In your professional .
We don’t enjoy oral sex so ohsv1 wouldn’t be much an issue , it would just be the ghsv1
Thanks for all that you’ve been helping me with thus far
It is HIGHLY unlikely to transmit ghsv1, but you are still really anxious about it. I've said a number of times that I don't see any reason for you to take suppression for ghsv1, but it seems like it would help your anxiety. Even before we knew about the latest study with 4 days a year if the infection is a long-standing one, I would have said the same thing. It's just not easy to transmit ghsv1 to someone else. It sheds and recurs so infrequently.

To me, personally, it wouldn't be necessary to take pills every single day to change something that happens 4 days a year to drop that down to 2 days a year. We aren't talking about seizures that might kill you, or an abnormal heart rhythm.

But I don't have anxiety, so I can't make that decision for you. I've already said that transmission chances for you are next to nothing, if they're anything at all. I can't figure out another way to say that so you can grab on to it and remember it.

Professionally and personally, I wouldn't take it. I wouldn't worry about transmission at all. I don't have anxiety, though, so I can't decide that for you.

I know you have and I thank you for being so patient with me . Your right and with Ghsv2 F-m transmission being at 4% and with daily antivirals making transmission 2% and considering ghsv1 sheds far less than ghsv2 .. ghsv1 transmission is pretty much negligible and I suppose with antivirals transmission would be 1% if any . I’ve finally got it through my rock head thank you .
You're welcome. I'm glad you've found peace with this. :) You deserve it.
207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
It's different for everyone, but it's usually a constant feeling for a few hours up to 2 days. Some people feel tingling, some feel itching, others feel something like a deep ache in a muscle, like the thighs. It really varies from person to person.

Random tingles happen all the time, and aren't likely to be prodrome.
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The reason why I’m asking is because Saturday night I got a random tingle .. it wasn’t  constant then the next day through out the day I felt a lil tingle every few hours inside of me vaginal hole .. and yesterday my legs where achy but I don’t know if it’s from work or not ..
I was reading a response on here where doctor hook said a random tingle that’s not accompanied by another symptom isn’t herpetic. What does that mean ? and I read another response where grace stated prodrome is constant not just a tingle here and there as u stated
A random tingle without another symptom, like an outbreak following, isn't herpetic (meaning it isn't herpes).

A random tingle, even followed by a few others could be the start of a yeast infection, dryness, underwear chafing, even a reaction to soap, toilet paper, etc., etc. Or it could just be random tingling.

If you were working and have an explanation for achy legs, go with that. You haven't had an outbreak in years. Unless you get a secondary infection, get really stressed or sick or something, there's no reason to think you'll have another any time soon.
I had OB during pregnancy which was 6 months months ago (and i don’t even know if they were OB because they were so atypical and all around the vagina ) Yea I believe my achy legs are from work I’m on my feet all day and my feet and back also hurt so it’s most likely related to work . and as you stated prodrome following no OB is not related . So how long following prodrome will OB occur and can you have prodrome without OB if so are you contagious during the “prodrome” stage ?
over the course of 7 years I only had initial and then whatever was going on during pregnancy down there .
Oh I'm sorry, I thought your pregnancy was a long time ago.

Prodrome will last up to 2 days, and is only prodrome if you have an OB. You are likely contagious during prodrome as you are shedding. If you get symptoms that never result in an OB, it's something else, not prodrome.
So considering the random tingling started Saturday evening/night and I have not  had a OB yet .Do you think it’s prodrome ? (Mind you it’s been random tingles 1 or 2 every few hours)
No, probably not. You'll know for sure by tomorrow morning though, but it's been almost 2 full days, so I would doubt it.
So do you think I should abstain from sex tonight & if so when do u think I’ll be in the clear to do so ?
I’ve also been on Valtrex for 9 days
Oh if you've been on Valtrex, I'd be surprised if it's an OB.

Some people report prodrome like symptoms on Valtrex. Keep track of that. You may be one of them. If you are, then acyclovir may be better for you.
Well correction i was on acyclovir for 5 days then I switch to Valtrex on day number 5 til now .. if I am one of the people , are the prodromes real or false prodrome ? when do you think I should resume sex ? Are ghsv outbreaks always some open wound of some sort ? Do it always crust up even on vag lip (inner)? I also read prodrome tingles would be on site of infection , were the OB aid gonna occur  , so does that mean if I get OB on my vag lip would the the tingle be on the vag lip ?
It's not prodrome if Valtrex is causing the tingling. It's just a side effect of the medication.

Ghsv outbreaks are usually blisters that will eventually scab over when they burst, or they look like paper cuts, then scab over.

Prodrome can be where the OB will occur. It might not be, though. My ex, who I got herpes from, gets a deep muscle ache in both thighs before he gets an ob, and his obs are on his penis.

Do you have an OB today? If you don't, then this wasn't prodrome. If the tingles linger, have your doc check you for yeast or bacterial vaginitis, and consider going back on acyclovir. I know it's not as convenient, but really, you probably don't need it at all.
Nope no OB . Felt one tingle this morning but that’s it and my legs doesn’t ache anymore
Good. :) I hope it stays that way.
I suppose I can relax now  and spend tonight naked and having fun
You said that OB’S are usually a blister that turns into an open sore that will scab over or a paper cut that will scab over . What if the OB’s I’ve had weren’t a open wound of any sort and never crusted over and all ways went away in 2 day or less , what is the likeliness that those were actual OB’s?
Not likely at all. What do you think they would be if not those things?

Remember that ghsv1 doesn't recur as often as ghsv2, and many people don't even get any OBs after their initial one. You may only get them while pregnant, for example.
You asked me “ what do you thing they would be if not those things?”
I didn’t quit understand that can you reword that please ?
Ill describe to you what I thought were OB’s during pregnancy . Initial , 5 years later during pregnancy
2cnd episode - a irritated spot on my left inner but cheek
3rd episode - achy vaginal opening and 2 white spots on posterior fourchette (white spots and achy vaginal opening lasted my whole pregnancy and subsided after birth so I doubt that was an outbreak)
4th episode - my whole vagina was red and with a whole bunch of red streak all over inner vagina (you know when someone scratches u but doesn’t break the skin you just have a red scratch mark)
5th, 6th,7th episode - 2-3 flesh colored bumps with red heads that went away in 1-2 days
8th episode - on pubic area on outter vagina I had a raw spot
Quick question auntiejessi, do prodrome symptoms happen with the first primary OB for hsv2? Pain in the legs buttocks? I had a partner 2 days ago protected, I think I'm fine but I just wanted your thoughts or info on that
They can. Chances of you getting hsv2 from protected sex are very slim.

If you have more questions, you should post them to your existing thread in STDs so we don't hijack this one, and your questions don't get lost.
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