To Genital Herpes or not Genital Herpes

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So I had unprotected sex about a year ago with a partner who has genital herpes. I did not fall foul of any blisters or painful rashes and have had rashes in the genital area which have cleared with tinea cream, but over the past year I started getting an uncomfortable itching and redness around my scrotum and also the shaft of my penis. This grew worse over the last 6 months but would come and go, leaving red, shiny skin when the it hing went away. At worst the it hing was bad and thete was some small blister looking markings on the shaft of my penis but i have never got them anywhere else and they are not painful. Throughout all of this I have seen 4 doctors, been blood tested and swabbed 3 times when the rash was most prominent, all have come back with a negative herpes result. Each doctor has even dismissed the issue as not being herpes but a possible condition or fungal infection similair to female thrush. No creams have worked but washing regularly in salt water seems to help but has not completely gotten rid of the issue. I now have a new sexual partner of almost 5 months who has had absolutely no symptoms and also has tested negative to genital herpes but the issue is not going away. Is it possible to test negative so many times for herpes but have it?? I have convinced myself i have it through googling myself to death but the doctors are telling me otherwise. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

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5 Replies

  • Posted

    If you were swabbed negative for herpes when you had these bumps and the bumps were still new, and if this has been repeated several times, all negative, then I would believe the results. The blood tests can be prone to issues, but the swab test is pretty good if you do it in a timely manner. If you are still not convinced, next time ask for a pcr swab, if that's not what you had done before. That is even more accurate than the usual swab (viral culture), but find a clinic that can do this in advance, as not all may offer it. Also, if your blood tests were all IgG tests and negative, you should feel confident that it is not herpes, especially when combined with the negative swabs.

    • Posted

      You do not need to test every six months for a year-old infection. Even the pcr swab I mentioned is only meant as a final test for peace of mind. Personally, I would believe your tests and doctors as it stands. Negative swabs and negative IgG (assuming that's the blood test you had done at or after 3 months from exposure), plus four different doctors telling you it's not herpes should be reassuring!

    • Posted

      Thanks for the info. Is it possible for the swap tests to be inaccurate then, I have been told they are dupposed to be pretty good. Is there a time limit to getting swabs done before they become inaccurate? The rash/spots or bumps whatever they are are concentrated to one area and i never break out anywhere else, Due to persistent googling Im convinced It's herpes but it doesn't look like herpes from what i see on google images and it isnt what i'd call painful, more just you know its there so it stresses me out! The last outbreak I did experience a slight burning sensation when urinating sometimes, the doctor has given me a prescription for fluconazole oral capsules to see if it will clear the issue up...hete's to hoping but I have a feeling it won't!

    • Posted

      The viral culture swab is pretty good if they can get a good sample from lesions that are up to two days old. It should still be okay after that, but the odds of it showing up negative start to increase. The pcr swab is even more accurate and good for older lesions, too. It really doesn't sound like herpes, however, and you have so much evidence saying it's not, so it might be more worthwhile to look elsewhere for the cause. Could it be something as simple as dermatitis?

  • Posted

    I would go back every 6 months to be tested to be on the safe side. I had a partner who gave it be and is in total denial. The doctor told me I got it from him because at that time I was faithful and found he wasn't.

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