Symptoms of herpes besides lesion?

[Helpasistaout]

I have been dealing with strange symptoms for the past few months and am trying to figure out if they are herpes related or not. I have seen several doctors who have not equated them to herpes based on their duration (and the lack of visible sores or lesion), but I am not 100% convinced.  Symptoms include: vulvar and vaginal redness, occasional burning discharge, irritation and redness of the perineum and anal area, occasional itching in the anal area.  There is also some discomfort when urinating, but not consistently. I have one or more of these issues on a daily basis several weeks. I have also had other issues arise intermittently such as fatigue, tingling, and some muscle twitching, but I am not sure if those were due to the same problem or if they were from anxiety in dealing with this extremely stressful situation.

Additional information:  Doctors have tried treating for BV, yeast, and strep B.  No relief.  I have had gonorrhea and chlamydia tests done twice, both negative. I had an HIV and the HerpeSelect Igg test done at 14 weeks after contact with a person who is believed to have herpes. (Person did not tell me about herpes until later and never has had a blood test, but thinks had an outbreak once 4 years ago.)  All results from my tests came back negative.

My questions are: Do these symptoms sound like they could be herpes related?  How reliable are the HerpesSelect tests at 14 weeks?  If it is not herpes, any ideas of what else this could be?  

I am very frustrated and down due to the lack of information. I have been unable to focus on anything else in my life right now besides the discomfort and unease of not knowing what's going on. So, thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.

[Blank2010]

I have also been having these same issues and mine has been going on since Oct 2010 and it is now March 2011 on a daily basis.  I've tested for all stds and bv, yeast, etc and it has all come back negative.  My irriation lies on my perineum and sometimes I get this sour smelling discharge that especially irriates my perineum.  Did you ever found out more about your situation?

[gracefromHHP]

I wouldn't even bother with more blood testing to be honest. If you are seen for symptoms and they suspect herpes at that time, they can do a lesion culture for you. It's really low likelihood of being herpes.

From the been there, done that files - it totally sucks to have genital pain :(  I had to be seen monthly for over a year by my gyn to get to the bottom of it all. Of course it wasn't as simple as take this pill and it'll all be better but at least we had explanations and came up with treatments that helped.  A lot of trial and error goes into it too - trying different creams to protect and heal your skin, trying different detergents, trying different soaps, switching toilet papers and tampons/pads etc.

best of luck!

[Helpasistaout]

Thanks so much for your response.  I know it is impossible to diagnose anything from a simple, short description, but your explanations are better and your concern more sincere than most of the doctors I have seen in person.

I was going to try a specialist next, so trying to find one in my area will be my plan for now.  I have done some reading on vulvodynia and if all else fails, it seems to be the diagnosis. If that helps give me peace of mind though and then can direct me to managing my discomfort, I would be all for it.  Anything is better than nothing at this point!

I hope that this won't last this long, but if by some strange chance it does, I may seek herpes testing again at 6 months.  I don't want to be one of these people obsessed with the idea of having it, I just don't want to be naive to the fact that I may have been exposed and something eventually has to explain what's going on.  At 6 months, I think I could finally put that idea completely to rest.

Thanks again for your help.  This forum is great and you are wonderful for helping so many people!

[gracefromHHP]

no they don't sound like herpes going on and your negative testing backs that. You won't have herpes symptoms daily - there are clear periods of no symptoms in between.

vulvodynia can be an issue. If you can find a specialist near you that specializes in it, you might have better luck getting to the bottom of it all.   of course it's just a fancy name for pain in the genital area but obviously controlling the pain is important because it is impossible to concentrate on other things when you are constantly reminded of your genital area being painful :(

grace