HSV2 positive but outbreaks on back and arms not on genital!!!!

I'm so glad I came across this thread, because I truly thought I was going crazy. I have been positive for HSV2 for the last six or seven years and just recently over the past two years, Ive started to experience these break outs on my upper arms, thighs and torso, unfortunately for me it seems like this is a commonly reocurring issue, seems like I should definitely start taking Acyclovir as it has helped many of you. Thank you for sharing, I wish you all the best health!!!

hi when i first contracted herpes within few hours i got little bump on thigh within 24 hours i had 5 or 6 big blisters going from vigina to belly button .

i had flu like symptoms i got diegnoised hsv2 .it was awful psycoligicailly and bk then no internet or support groups 17 years ago .

in them 17 years ive had herpes bumps in thighs butt crack vigina belly bottom cervix mouth tounge loads big like cranker sores im sure are herpes nostrils bells palsey .

after a bit of tooth treatment my face went parilized but i was asked by hospital if ive ever had herpes .

i do yhis awful thing i like to squeeze which kills is really dose hurt to bust a herpes spot but if you do its full off puss and blood quiet bit of blood .

sometimes if squeez the one bump forms group cluster and just water liquid then blood .

im not advising anybody to squeeze its just a terrible thing i do sometimes to mine .but i actually think ive infected one on my belly bottom it hurts so so much it wont burst if i feel it its like top of a volcano with larver being blister .i can feel like circel harder shape then in middle blister filled its killing me because its swollen and been like for couple of weeks but its just not popping .

i read on google b4 if you catch it in one area it wont come out in another but thats rubbish .

it can im lucky it hasnt come on my finger tips

but it has come on other parts of my body .

including mouth and nose .

Hey Kevin!

Your case is nearly identical to mine in terms of outbreak spots! 3 years ago I contracted the virus (HSV-2) from a sexual partner and had an initial breakout on my genital area. I then proceeded to not have another outbreak for about 6 months. Then, for the following 1.5 years, I have had about 11 or 12 outbreaks in total but only on the sides of both my arms (middle of upper arm, tricep area) and on the sides of both my legs (upper thigh just under the hip). I have yet to have another outbreak in the genital area, and am super confused. I have even gotten two of my outbreaks that have occurred on my arm swabbed, and they both came back positive for HSV-2.. despite not being on my genitals! Super weird.

I also agree with you that I have an itch, but no pain whatsoever. In the days leading up to an outbreak however, I noticed muscle fatigue and a tingling sensation in the soon to be affected area (arms + legs). Super strange, but then I just take a round of antivirals (4 pills twice a day for one day) and the lesions don't seem to appear - or if they do, they're minimal.

You're right in the fact that this type of outbreak is definitely nice in that there is barely any pain.. I could not imagine having outbreaks only in the genital region.. would be very debilitating in terms of walking, sitting, etc. However, I find it super concerning/lonely knowing not many people share this same experience. Especially considering it confuses the several doctors I have gone to.

Just wanted to reach out Kevin and say you are not alone!!

Cheers

i think im having the same as all of you! but i was diagnosed with HSV1 in august 2020 8 months ago. initial outbreak was mild genital. but now ive been having rashes on my left arm inside elbow. my question is - how contagious do you think these areas are? i dont get fluid filled blisters, just a lot of red bumps that itch like crazy. the first arm rash was so bad that i do think it left my skin discolored. im back to taking valcyclovir daily to stop the rashes. but im still worried this area needs to be kept covered and not let anyone touch it??

is this thread still active?? i see you have OB In weird places i do too!! i get one bump in the bend of both arms, and on my back im not sure if yhe ones on my back are actually HSV because there are SO many of them and they dont hurt... just itch! i get the nerve pain before they appear though so im really confused. They look like bed bug bitrs but i know theyre not!

hi

yes i also have been diagnosed with HSV2 and its at base of my spine... no itch or soreness... but i feel constantly tired and lacking in energy even tho the last lot of blistering ( only 2 and always in exactly the same place!) has healed. ive had this for over 5 years on and off and doctor thought it was shingles but after a swab they find it is this horrid virus and thankfully NOT where it normally is ! It makes me feel under par and self conscious with mynpartner tho he is not concerned.BUT I AM FED UP OF GETTING IT!I was taking acyclovir but i dont want to take it forever as im concerned about and other side effects ... Oh dear... lets hope they find some way we can keep it from returning or at least help me feel back to my normal energetic self!

Today I just found out I tested positive for HSV2, and it all started from these boils I'd get on the underside of my left forearm. This had been going on and off for 3 years and I hadn't tested positive at all for it until recently. I also don't get itchy from it, but I do feel slight pain from the pressure of the boil that grows on my arm.

I find it very strange that they are attributing it to that, however I can say you are no longer alone on this. I'll be sure to update more if I find anything out in my follow-up appointment.

hi everyone, glad I found this thread. 5 days ago I started getting intense itching on the back of my wrist, out of absolutely no where. I figured it was a mosquito bite since I was sitting outside at night when it suddenly started and had been swatting mosquitos away, but over the next couple days it turned into a dime sized cluster of tiny blisters. I also had some pins and needles sensations going up my arm at times when I woke up from sleeping. I have never in my life experienced anything like this on ANY part of my body, especially not my genitals or my mouth. Ever! And I truly don't believe for a minute that I may have just "missed it" or "not noticed". I still have no genital or oral symptoms. I don't really have pain, just itching. My doctor took one look at it (after hearing my history/lack of history and about the tingling) and said it was shingles. At first she didn't think there was any point to swabbing it to check, but I insisted. My shingles results still haven't come back, but the HSV results came back and I'm positive for HSV 2 (genital herpes). This makes no sense... why would my first and only outbreak be on the back of my wrist? I have been with the same partner for 5 years and neither of us have ever had anything like this happen in our whole lives and I'm certain there has never been infidelity in that time or that there is lying going on. This makes no sense! I thought it had to be a false positive but my online research says a culture/swab test has 0% chance of bearing a false positive, and only the blood tests can confuse shingles and hsv 1 & 2. I know that the virus can be asymptomatic or lie dormant for years, but that still doesn't explain why the back of my wrist is the first and only place affected.... hoping it means I won't be able to get it on my face or genitals.. but all around I am baffled.

Let me tell you that I am also so glad to have found this forum and people who are in a similar situation to discuss this with!

I had a super itchy and then blistery spot show up on the underside of my right arm close to my arm pit back in Dec. urgent care diagnosed it as shingles and antivirals were started immediately. fast forward to may and the sore came up again in the exact same spot but this time a derm diagnosed it as a cold sore. this of course was shocking to me bc how does one get that on the underside of the arm?! out of curiosity i took a blood test to confirm and i was shocked to find out that i was positive for HSV 2. I tested negative fir HSV 2 during my annual screening two months before the first OB and have also never had any outbreaks on my genitals or mouth. I couldnt find any consistent information online and i was extremely concerned about spreading this to my daughter on accident so i paid to post a question on a forum that is run by a herpes expert. i still dont understand if i really need live my life like i have genital herpes but here is what she told me if it helps anybody:

First of all, we don’t know that the symptoms on your arm is HSV 2. It may well be, but that is quite an unusual place for an outbreak of HSV 2. We know that 95% of people who test positive for HSV 2 have it genitally, at least. That is true even if you’ve never had a genital outbreak. We can’t say for certain that this is genital, with a 5% rate of not being genital, but the CDC recommends that you assume you have genital infection and treat it as such.

Also, the HSV 1 antibody test misses 30% of HSV 1 infections, compared to the gold standard western blot so we can’t know for sure that you don’t have HSV 1.

My advice would be tha next time this shows up, have it swab tested using PCR and typing. Then you will know for sure if this is HSV 2.

Lesions that appear outside of the genital and oral region to do not shed virus when symptoms are not present so you don’t need to worry about infecting others when you have no sore present.

Hi Kevin,

I have Sacral (lower back) Herpes. The first one I got was right on my

butt cheek. Then they started popping up on my lower

back. I thought they were bug or spider bites at first. I went to

the doctor and he told me they were Shingles. This was

in 1986. He told me that Herpes never cross over. I had

them on both sides of upper butt cheeks/lower back. I had O/B a lot.

They were always in that area and I never had them on genital areas.

My best friend had this blistering area that she was always scratching

on her upper arm. I know now she had them also. It was clustering blisters

and she couldn't stop scratching them. Not long after she had that did

I get the Sacral Herpes. Within a year. So after thinking I had Shingles for years

I asked a different doctor in 2000 to look at them when I was having an O/B.

He took a fluid sample and then later was told they were HSV-2. I honestly

think there needs to be much more research done or correct information

because it looks like I wasn't the only one who had this happen and was told

wrong. It is too much of a coincidence after seeing her scratching that big

clustery blister on her arm that I got it later. So if HSV-2 can be caused by

skin contact and Oral can be on genitals they should rename it. It is confusing.

Thank you for sharing. You are definitely not alone.

Two patches on my back have been misdiagnosed as shingles for the past 1.5 years. Scrape returned HSV2. I wasn't shocked because I know that most people don't know that they have this virus. We are fortunate not to get genital sores. I am grateful, but I think the virus is eating away at and breaking down my intestines causing lots of fatigue and lethargy and it's just showing up mid to lower back. I can't wait tor a vaccine cure! Many companies are trying with new mRNA technology! Have hope!