Hello,I dated someone for two months. We did not sleep together but oral sex happened once. I had a rough dental cleaning at 2 pm one day and this took placeat roughly noon the following day. I know my gums bled after the cleaning even when not brushing them because I spat out and saw blood in my saliva. This continued for several days. I feel very stupid to have performed oral sex when my gums were like this. I also had an ulcer on the tip of my tongue when this incident occurred. NO ejaculation but I think there was pre cum. The episode lasted around a minute or two. Two weeks later I got a bad cough with phlegm that was yellowish/greenish. I may have had a mild temperature. It was more cold like symptoms, which lasted a bit over a week. I don’t know if he has hiv but he seemed reluctant to test when I mentioned it. He is straight, aged 26, has a few tattoos and smokes weed. He said he only slept with Caucasian and Puerto rican women. He seems unknowledgeable about sexual health. He didn’t know what hiv was. He said he tested a few months ago at a clinic for “everything” and was fine but I asked him about hiv specifically and he didn’t seem to know. I suspect he slept with some of these girls unprotected. Not sure if it helps but he lived in Albany, NY and now LA.

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.---

Ok. I was tested for hiv in October, 2016 and it was negative and this was my only exposure since then.  I was tested for all stds in October in fact and they all returned negative apart from hsv2 which was a low positive. I know that is a different topic but I am assuming that doesn't increase any risk for hiv if only exposed orally. I believe a partner who I only had protected sex with gave me hsv2 as I was in a lot of pain following an episode of protected sex. This was someone I really cared about so I kind of just let it go and didn't say anything to him. The symptoms I have had of hsv2 are hard bumps under the skin of the labia. It is always in the same spot. I find it confusing because they are not blisters, but under the skin and hard but the recurrent in the same spot is also a feature of herpes I know. They are sore. Anyway my main concern is the oral exposure. What do you think about having had the ulcer on the tip of my tongue, as well as the bleeding? Is that worrying. I also have felt fairly fatigued for the last few weeks, but it maybe stress.

Thanks for the additional information.---

Hi Doctor,

Ok. This was the situation with the HSV2. I was very upset about it at the time so tried to forget about it as much as possible. Basically, I came back from visiting my ex boyfriend (who broke up with me for long distance reasons) in SF in october. Two or three days later I was in excruciating pain but I did not examine with a mirror. It took me a few days to actually feel like I could walk without discomfort. Eventually I went to urgent care and had testing done. I had never been tested for herpes in my life at this point, all other stds, never herpes. The test came back at 2.7 reading for HSV2 and below reading ie negative for HSV1. Now I do not have those results in front of me, I maybe able to find them but I have a very good memory and I know this was the reading and it was a herpeselect test at urgent care in LA. Ok. Now after that I went away for a few weeks because I was very upset and also upset about the relationship ending but because I read your forums about the low positives, I then went back to my primary doctor and tested again for everything. I have the sheet and am copying it here. It is a high reading which I had forgotten about but assume from this I have it. I think I am going to be tested once more to make sure though. Now if this recurrent bumps are not herpes, is there anything else they could be? They are under the skin and they are sore. There are only one or two each time also, usually one. THIS IS THE EXACT COPY FROM SHEET. THE LAB IS QUEST DIAGNOSTICS.  IT'S TOO LONG TO PASTE:

HSV 1/2 IGG, TYPE SPECIFIC
AB HERPESELECT
HSV 1 IGG, TYPE SPECIFIC.            <0.90
AB
HSV 2 IGG TYPE SPECIFIC.                                                  4.73 H
AB
                                                                        Value.                          Interpretation

<0.90 negative, 0.90 -1.10 equivocal, >1.10 positive - AS GUIDELINES ON SHEET

So the first time I had a low positive reading but the next time, three weeks later I had a much higher reading

OK, thanks for all the detail. Your results are definitely positive:  you are infected with HSV2. Sorry this is not what you were hoping to hear. From your initial comment about a low result, I was hoping (and semi-expecting) something between 1.1 and 2.0 or thereabouts. 2.7 is getting pretty close to the conclusive positive value of 3.5, and your second result is definitive at 4.7. The initial result of 2.7 only a few weeks after your symptoms was highly suggestive, and the rise to 4.7 three weeks later e typical for a newly acquired infection.---

Hi. Thank you. It's ok, that's what I had thought. So you think the timing is all accurate, with a new infection, the symptoms and the value of the result rising like this a few weeks later, meaning I was definitely infected from this encounter? Now I have a few more questions. In terms of moving forward with this, firstly if I someday wanted to test again for HSV2 even though I definitely have it, if the value went down, would that just be because a new infection has a higher value. What does the value usually stay at for a year long infection and older? I would like to test just one more time, even though I know it doesn't change anything.  Secondly, no I only had oral sex with this person because I decided I needed to take things more slowly with dating and then when I got to know him, realized he was completely wrong for me so it just ended there. Now unless I have a partner who does have HSV2 as well, what does this mean for me. I have dreams of marrying and children. I have always wanted this. Does this mean I should forget all of this, or can only be with someone with HSV2. I am not a selfish person but it is very embarrassing to have to tell someone you have this, I am assuming this is why my ex boyfriend didn't tell me he had it, since I did ask him about stds, I always ask. I never don't use condoms because I have a large fear of hiv infection. I have only slept with one person unprotected in my whole life, and I knew, without a doubt, that he had nothing. Is there anyway of avoiding telling someone but protecting them still. If I got this with condoms being used, then it seems it is possible to contract it with condoms? So where does that leave me. Either being selfish or never having a relationship. I am just confused at how I deal with this exactly. And if I do eventually marry and try to have children, my partner will then definitely get it? I read unless you contract herpes in pregnancy it will not harm your baby, is that correct

Oh. And sorry, I didn't answer any of your questions. I got caught up in my thing. No, it is usually only one bump, sometimes two but it is SORE. But it is hard and feels under the skin. It comes on suddenly, there is nothing preceding it. I would say half the time it is one bump, and then other half, two bumps. It is inside the labia area and lasting a few days. They have been occurring quite frequently, every few weeks. But i have looked at photos of herpes, and it is NOT A BLISTER. A blister looks like a bubble correct? IT is not a bubble.

Also, I don't like to take pills but I was prescribed the equivalent in a cream form. I did have an exam but they were almost gone and the urgent care doctor said she couldn't tell if it was herpes or not. But I told her I tested positive for herpes and she prescribed that. But she said she didn't know if those bumps were herpes. She couldn't tell. I will go back when they happen again and have the swab.

There is no point in future HSV blood tests. From here on out, the numerical result will make no difference:  it often varies substantially from test to test, but means nothing about how active the herpes infection is, potential for outbreaks or transmission, or anything else.---