Dear Doctors,
I have been in monogamous heterosexual relationship with a woman for the past 4.5 years. About 4 years ago I had an outbreak of blisters on my genitals. I went to a local std clinic and they scraped the affected area. They doctor was able to give me results the same day and said it was herpes. However, she did not tell me whether it was HSV-1 or HSV-2. Since the initial outbreak, I have not had another outbreak. Since the diagnosis at the clinic, I have had two blood tests for stds with my primary care physician. Both have come back negative for all stds. Both tests were done a year apart. What is the likelihood that I have herpes? If I do have herpes, is it safe to say that I have HSV-1, because I have not had another outbreak in the past 4 years? Should I retest?
My wife has not shown symptoms for either. As a side note, she was diagnosed with shingles as a teenager. It's my understanding that this would be completely unrelated to my initial diagnosis.
Also, I am curious as to whether the Doctor at the clinic performed a virus culture test or an antigen detection test. Is there a difference as far as accuracy goes? I've called the clinic several times, but nobody can give me a straight answer.
Please advise. Thank you.