[Question #2362] Infected Family With Oral HSV2

98 months ago

Hi,

I am worried sick that I may have spread HSV2 to my family. I had sex with a condom 5x and oral twice with female with no symptoms ever but found out after they had HSV2. I noticed a razor burn in pubic hair area after shaving with a cheap razor (4 small bumps) lasting 7 days with NO blistering, open sores, pain. I also shaved my face with the cheap razor and got 3 zits in the mustache area that lasted about a month (shaving over it almost daily) and pink rash there that hasn’t gone away in 8 months. I had the odd red bump on my pubic hair area over this time, disappearing in a day or two and have always had acne on my bum/ upper legs my whole life. There are no marks on my penis/scrotum. I got dry face zits checked out at doctors, she said it doesn’t look like herpes, swabbed it, and my mouth and came back negative.

During that time my 3yo son silly wet kissed me on the lips. I noticed 2 days later he had a small red pimple on his mustache area that went away in 3 days without any blistering or sores. (he’s teething). He’s had the odd single pimple on his cheek, head, mustache area on occasion since birth but not often and always disappear after 2 days. Does this sound like oral HSV2?

I’m also paranoid that I may have passed it genitally wiping his face the odd time then turning the wipe to the other clean side and wiping bum/crotch. When I change him daily I see possible diaper rash, just a few pimples around the groin, bum, waste band, pubic hair region and go away in a few days. There’s never been a primary outbreak or pimples lasting longer than a few days, and come/go week after week diff. areas. Does this sound like it could be Genital HSV2? I’m sick thinking about it.

Also, I’ve seen him give his aunt wet kisses. 3months ago a gnarly blemish on corner of her mouth appeared/went away, month after 1 on nose/cheek/forehead, went away, then severe 6 on cheek month after, all scarred. Is the primary outbreak supposed to be the most severe and on/in the mouth? Does this sound like oral HSV2?

98 months ago

Please excuse the length, I thought I read 400 words and I am financially strapped to submit again due to a work injury and am desperate to get some information so I can warn family members who may be at risk of spreading it. I can edit the initial submission. Please respond. Thank you.

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

98 months ago

no worries, you have two more posts left after this response to ask follow up questions.
This sounds absolutely nothing at all like HSV 2 oral infection (which is quite rare indeed).
You did NOT put your family at risk. At all Whatever bumps are around in your family they are not due to you having sex with someone with HSV 2.
I am a bit unclear - were you the giver and receiver of oral sex?
The condom was an excellent choice indeed - good job!
Let me know about the oral sex, OK?

Terri
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98 months ago

Thank you for the reply. I've been having paralyzing anxiety towards what I might have done to the family, especially an innocent child. So to follow up with your question, yes protected intercourse, unprotected oral sex received and given. I was hoping you could offer some specific science to clear the air:

1a) For me the potential source, I read one of your colleagues state that atypical symptoms aren't typically actually HSV2 symptoms so even if you get mild symptoms on the primary outbreak they would still go through the prodrome, blistering, opening process to some extend. So would 3 or 4 pencil eraser size red bumps in pubic hair region after shaving lasting for 7 days that stay just same size, colour red, with no blistering or opening and disappear be atypical and not HSV2?

1b) I also read that symptoms always disappear between breakouts so having a rash in mustache area for 8 months straight after a couple small zits lasted there for a month that never blistered or opened be atypical and not HSV2 (worried about time of 1 month to go away, could have been from shaving over a different skin condition?)

2) A 3 year old's developing immune system if they were exposed to HSV2 oral to oral or own oral to genital would have a noticeable primary outbreak lasting more than a few days with a simple pimple on the mustache area or groin area disappearing in a day or two (non on penis/scrotum even wiping his face and then down there) correct? This would not be HSV2 symptoms either place?

3) When an outbreak happens does it typically all come at at once /within a few days or can you get a couple red marks one day, disappear a day or two later, then a couple days later in a different spot, same region then disappear, then next week the same thing ?

4) For the aunt (who's had immense stress recently) scientifically having the primary outbreak be the most subtle (1 blemish/pimple/ not just red) then go away and get three times as bad the next time and move to forehead, cheeks and nose and then get the most severe even later down the line with half a dozen or more on the cheek, and one still lasting on bridge of nose for two months and counting does this count as 'atypical' and not HSV2?

Thanks you for you service. I can hardly function right now with immense anxiety, stress and guilt. I appreciate any insight alleviate this.

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

98 months ago

1. No, these bumps are in the wrong location (first episode infection normally show up somewhere on the penis) and they mostly don't appear as red bumps but rather blisters.
2. Yes, a child of that age would likely have more than a simple pimple should they acquire HSV orally or genitally. I don't believe that this represents a herpes outbreak AT ALL.
3. Yes, herpes outbreak come on all at once, perhaps continually developing over a few days, but not going away and reappearing, no, that is not what happens with herpes outbreaks.
4. Again, none of that sounds anything at all like how herpes behaves or spreads and normally does not show up on the cheek. It most definitely does not last two months!

I hear your anxiety, it is pouring through your post. Let's take this apart a bit. First of all, it was a single encounter, and single encounters rarely result in infection. Second, oral HSV 2 is very very uncommon - match that with the single encounter and you've got extremely low odds. Third, none of the symptoms that you describe here sound anything at all like herpes.

Please try very hard to let reason override your anxiety on this issue.

Terri
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