[Question #1268] Possible herpes transmission

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101 months ago
Hello doctors,  thank you in advance for this great service you provide helping people through difficult situations. 

I'm very worried I may have gotten herpes from a one time exposure with a gay male.   I've been in a monogamous relationship for 7 years.   But one night I met up with a random gay guy in a park and we masterbated together for maybe ten minutes.   It was very dark and I couldn't see his penis at all and I was very drunk.  He said he's never had herpes symptoms.  There's was lots of back and forth.   No fluids were exchanged though.   The next couple days after, I got very anxious worried I could've caught something.   When I was showing Saturday morning around noon,  the incident was Thursday 1130pm, I noticed a very small patched of skin just outside of my foreskin.   The more I think about it the more it was like a blister.  I rubbed it and it kinda flaked off and turned red.  It was painful.   Then it looked kinda irritated wit very small red dots very small.   Kinda looked like fordyce spots but red.   Throughout the next 2 weeks it was kinda itchy sometimes more irritating depending on time of day.   I never went to doctor for swab now I'm kicking myself.   It went away after about 2 weeks.   I know everyone says mutual masterbation is low low risk.   But maybe he had open sores.   I dunno.   I remember my penis feeling kinda wet at the tip and having to pee a lot when it was there.  I've been for a full std screen now a 3 weeks.   Everything was negative including non specific herpes test.  Terri has said this test could miss hsv 1 though.    Now it's 7 weeks later  and ive had this strange pain in my lower back.   My calfs are very sore in the morning.  The pain in my back moves all around my lower back sometimes right someone's left sometimes more in buttocks.  Could this be nerve pain from a hsv2 primary infection?  I've started reading about PHN and it's got me worried sick.   Do that many people in the general Population actually get this.  
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
101 months ago
I'm sorry you are still worrying about this, Derek.  I feel really certain that mutual masturbation is not a risk for the acquisition of genital herpes.  Yes, the traditional screening test misses 30% of HSV 1, but there is no reason to believe that you are at risk for HSV 1 OR HSV 2.  Even if he did have open sores.  It takes a rather large volume of virus to infect another person and mutual masturbation just doesn't provide that opportunity.  The issue of what you believe was a blister that flaked off and was painful is worrisome, a bit, though your opinion about what is a water blister and mine might be completely different.  Did what remained look like an ulcer in the skin?  Again, I am not the least bit worried about this encounter - I cannot say for certain that you don't have HSV 1 from some previous encounter though. 
I also don't believe that the pain into the back and buttocks is likely to be herpes related.  Lots of people complain about back and leg pain and are worried it could be herpes, but honestly, most of those people end up testing negative and don't have herpes.  But like you, they have had some specific incident that worries them.  I would encourage you to look at other responses on this forum from Drs. Hook and Handsfield about the lack of risk of STD transmission with mutual masturbation for even more reassurance. 

Terri
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101 months ago
Ok terri you are right I will drop this issue.   It was also a typo when I said painful.   There was no intial pain when I scratched it off.   I don't think it looked like an ulcer.  It kinda resembled the red dots of ringworm.  In a semi circle.   Very small though less then 1/4 inch. 
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
101 months ago
Oh, I'm so glad it wasn't painful.  That's even better!  And so tiny.  And no risk anyway.  I think we're good here!

Terri
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101 months ago
Hi terri, one last question. 
I tried looking up some but my computer kept taking me back to the first page.    Have u ever seen herpes transmit this way?  Or is it just not well documented because most people have Intercourse after mutual masterbation? What would you say my risk is 1 in however many chance? 
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
101 months ago
I have never ever seen herpes transmitted in this way, no.  And if you read about someone on the internet who has had that happen I say total BS.  If someone tests after mutual masturbation and has a positive antibody test, that is long standing infection, not new infection.  You risk is likely 1 in a million, if even that.

Terri
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