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Very scared about possible herpes infection
Hi, Im a male, 25 years old. I appreciate anyone's help with this matter that has been bringing me a lot of anxiety and fear. On October 24th I had a regretful encounter with another male after a night of alcohol. We kissed a couple of times and I received and gave unprotected oral sex. I immediately regretted what happened mostly because I am in a long term relationship with a wonderful girl who I live with all my heart. This guy did tell me that he has anal herpes and claims he does not have oral herpes, but I am scared he just doesnt know. Three horrible days since the encounter I told my girlfriend everything and seeing how distraught I was, she comforted me and does not seem to be worried I have anything. She, Im very sure does not have any stds, and I've only been with her. The next morning I decided to go to planned parenthood for testing and as I was getting ready I noticed discharge coming out of my penis. I also think I came down with a cold of some sort, which also scared me very much.I was tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hiv which all came back negative. I know it takes 3 months for a herpes test to be reliable. Before I left the nurse practioner gave me azithromycin as a precaution. I have been constantly checking and educating myself out of pure fear of possibly giving anything to my girlfriend. I have no symptoms I am aware of including sores or lesions and it has been over one month since possible exposure. A few days ago after experiencing a minor sore throat and and noticing many tiny dots all over my soft palate I went to a clinic to get it checked out. I told them the whole story and the doctor, who seemed like she was in a rush, looked at my throat and immediately said I had thrush. I thought I may have had thrush for about 2 or 3 weeks but since it wasnt bad I forgot about it. I thought that the azithromycin had something to do with it which the doctor agreed. About the tiny dots which I hope to be inflamed salivary glands or taste buds from coughing- the doctor said they may be canker sores or herpes. I was in shock because it really doesnt seem to look like those sores at all and she immediately offered a herpes test which I knew is still too early and sadly, Im not even sure she understood that if I was going to get a test I wanted Igg type specific. Who knows what I wasted money on. I forgot to even mention about a swab. I felt so stupid and disappointed that people I expected to take care of me are seemingly uneducated. Needless to say I hope I am overreacting and I do not have herpes of any sort. Im very scared and would like to know my risks because I never plan on having any encounters with anyone except my girlfriend for the rest of my life. Everything seems like it is falling apart. I stopped shaking but cannot get the possibility that I have something out of my head on top of so many other things I have to do. Should I still be so concerned or am I ok? I do plan on testing at 6 weeks somewhere else and maybe 8 weeks but definitely at 12 weeks. Thank you so much for putting up with my words and I truly appreciate anyone who reads this. Please help.
I have some things to contribute that I think you need to be aware of,, so you can know what to do between now and the four-month mark following exposure, when it will be safest to retest. Antibodies can take that long to generate in order to trigger an accurate result.
First, "anal herpes" is genital herpes. The virus sets up house in the same nerve bundle, the sacral ganglion, at the base of the spine, regardless of point of entry. From that bundle, it travels up any number of different nerve pathways to the surface of the skin, where it can cause an outbreak anywhere between the belly button and mid-thigh. If your liaison had Type 2, it would have been hard to contract, but not impossible. There is a percentage of the herpes community that has oral HSV-2. In fact, I know of two cases whose first infections resemble what you described inside the mouth. The good news is, oral HSV-2 hardly, if ever, recurs.
If he had genital HSV-1, it doesn't shed as often, so it also would have been tougher, but again not impossible, to contract.
If he had oral HSV-1, however, it can be spread via oral sex. This would be the only likely thing that might have transmitted, if anything did. However, again, you want to wait 3 to 4 months – I recommend 4 months to be safe. Ask for a reliable, type-specific blood test, either the IgG (good) or the Western Blot (best).
Best of luck to you!
First, "anal herpes" is genital herpes. The virus sets up house in the same nerve bundle, the sacral ganglion, at the base of the spine, regardless of point of entry. From that bundle, it travels up any number of different nerve pathways to the surface of the skin, where it can cause an outbreak anywhere between the belly button and mid-thigh. If your liaison had Type 2, it would have been hard to contract, but not impossible. There is a percentage of the herpes community that has oral HSV-2. In fact, I know of two cases whose first infections resemble what you described inside the mouth. The good news is, oral HSV-2 hardly, if ever, recurs.
If he had genital HSV-1, it doesn't shed as often, so it also would have been tougher, but again not impossible, to contract.
If he had oral HSV-1, however, it can be spread via oral sex. This would be the only likely thing that might have transmitted, if anything did. However, again, you want to wait 3 to 4 months – I recommend 4 months to be safe. Ask for a reliable, type-specific blood test, either the IgG (good) or the Western Blot (best).
Best of luck to you!
That is the thing about herpes, you read a lot of views that it is better not to know unless you experience symptoms and swab positive. They might be right, but then again as I have HSV1 and HSV2 my views are tainted!
Hi, thank you very much for responding to my post. Neither my girlfriend or myself have ever experienced cold sores, I know that may not mean much, but testing positive for HSV-1 will scare me even though most people have it. Isnt it scary how ignorance is bliss?
Do you either you or your girlfriend get oral cold sores? This is a critical factor, and it would be much more likely than not that one of you would test positive for HSV1.
HSV1 is the only pragmatic possibility for the one off encounter you describe. Even then, it is an incredibly low chance. It is entirely possible that you have had HSV1 most of your life and not realize it. Hence if you test positive for HSV1, it may not indicate at all that it arose from this encounter.
It does sound like you have picked up some bacteria or low grade virus as often happens with sexual contact with a new person. Testing is required at 12-16 weeks post episode to be confident in a negative antibody reading. Be careful as mentioned though as to what a positive HSV1 outcome may actually tell you.
HSV1 is the only pragmatic possibility for the one off encounter you describe. Even then, it is an incredibly low chance. It is entirely possible that you have had HSV1 most of your life and not realize it. Hence if you test positive for HSV1, it may not indicate at all that it arose from this encounter.
It does sound like you have picked up some bacteria or low grade virus as often happens with sexual contact with a new person. Testing is required at 12-16 weeks post episode to be confident in a negative antibody reading. Be careful as mentioned though as to what a positive HSV1 outcome may actually tell you.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
