false result?

[advicenow]

test came back positive for hsv 1 & 2. had cold sores in the past, 2 outbreaks, 2 years apart. never had sores/lesions that would make me think i have hsv2.

my test result is as follows

hsv1 >5.00

hsv2  1.49

should i re-test for hsv 2 and/or get a western blot?

[advicenow]

Grace, if Quest used the immunoblot test like my doctor mentioned, then why would I have a numeric value? I read a forum post that said immunoblot only tells you its positive/negative and does not give a number.

I'm trying to gather all of my data so I can stay calm before I re-test. I'm going crazy again after I got the negative biokit.

[gracefromHHP]

your provider needs to order the WB.

you have to err on the side of caution and take your last encounter as the last time you had sex with anyone, not just when you last had sex with someone you think might've been infected.

get your partner tested and go from there.

grace

[advicenow]

Grace- I need to calm my nerves so I'm going to get the WB. Can I go to quest to get the test done on my own or do I need a doctors orders to get it done at quest?

Also you ask ppl when they had their last encounter. Do you mean the person they are with now or the person they may have got it from? Cause IF I have it, I think I got it from someone I was with over a year ago.

And if it wad from him, I wouldn't have gotten a neg biokit too close to the last day I had sex with my partner

I'm just so confused about the time frame of 'encounters' and testing

[gracefromHHP]

It's probable that you don't have hsv2. Err on the side of caution and get your bf tested just to cover the bases.

grace

[advicenow]

hi grace

i got the bio kit test today and it was NEGATIVE. I also found out that my doctor used Quest HerpesSelect and mentioned something about immunoblot.

So my HSV 2 was 1.49, low positive and high for HSV 1, which I knew I would be already. Should I get re-tested again?

[gracefromHHP]

the incidence of false positives can be quite high in certain populations.  The only way to get to the bottom of your own status is with additional testing.

grace

[advicenow]

Grace- have you ever come across someone with a false positive becuase they had a high positive hsv1? I want to know if doctors have seen this with their patients because by the looks of this forum, people have negative results later after low positive results. is 1.49 really low or just low.

And yes, i'm in a stable relationship and have regular partner. I think i got the infection over a year ago with a different person, but after that i never had any symptoms to make me think i have hsv2.

Also, I made an appt to get the bio kit test

[gracefromHHP]

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/Confusing-Igg-Test-Results/show/771141  is a previous post by HHH about the false positive issues with the hsv2 igg blood tests and why it's well worth following up on low positives to confirm them. Pity to go through life thinking you had hsv2 if you didn't.

I'd wait another month before having more testing done just to err on the side of caution. do you have a regular partner?

And yes, even the biokits have a false negative rate too.

grace

[advicenow]

thanks for doing the poll but im still worried

after reading some of the posts, im still a bit confused.

with a high hsv1 result, can it affect the hsv2 result? and when should i retest (blood igg) after getting tested a week ago? should i wait 4-6 weeks like my doctor suggested?

[gracefromHHP]

http://depts.washington.edu/rspvirus/herpes.htm  has the education and information your provider needs.


definitely follow up on this low positive result to see what your actual status is.

grace

[advicenow]

curiosity got me in for testing and i had a UTI last summer. oh yeah, the blood test was igg specific.

my doctor also said she doesnt like using the blood test when theres no sore to swab. also, she never heard of the western blot.

[petal130]

If you've never had genital symptoms, then yes, get the Western Blot. Your test result is a low positive for HSV2.

[gracefromHHP]

what triggered you to get testd?

grace