[Question #6401] Strange symptoms and really anxious about herpes

68 months ago

Almost 3 weeks ago I felt itchy around my vagina opening (near my butt), and upon looking, saw 3 little spots that looked like they could be tiny blisters, or maybe the area was just irritated, it was hard to tell. The next day, those little spots were gone, and instead there was one single bump on the location - white headed with a red base and firm, not really blister-looking, slightly sensitive to touch but not too bothersome, no burning when pee touched it, it never burst nor scabbed - it just became flat and completely disappeared after 5-6 days. I could not get a swab test as I was overseas with insurance that only covered emergencies.

Since then, I have seen no other bumps or lesions (checking every day), but I have had ongoing itching, burning and mild pain down there daily - sometimes in one particular spot, sometimes all over my vaginal area, even on my butt, and sometimes it seems to get worse at night. At times, it feels like nerve pain but I can't tell 100%.

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year, he has had cold sores in the past so he definitely has HSV1.

9 months ago we both had itchiness and a red rash down there at the same time (no lesions), I actually got 2 swabs of the area and they both came back negative for HSV. Doctors said it was a fungal infection and we both cleared it up with cream but it took more than a week to clear up. Aside from that, he has had no other genital issues.

I’m thinking it’s possible I contracted gHSV1 from him giving me oral, but I heard the first outbreak of gHSV1 is really brutal and mine was nothing like that (if it was an outbreak). Is it possible to have a very mild first outbreak of gHSV1? I’m aware it could also be HSV2, but since I already know my boyfriend has HSV1, I’m inclined to think maybe I got it from oral sex (I thought I had one cold sore 9 years ago but someone mentioned it could have been angular cheilitis since it was in the corner of the mouth)

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

68 months ago

You know, not all first outbreaks are brutal. 70% of those infected with HSV 1 and 80% of those infected with HSV 2 don't know it so it can't be true that everyone has a brutal first infections. I think if you want to know if this is herpes, you could be tested using an IgG test. Or you could wait and see if you get another outbreak or symptoms. It sounds like the lesions were on your perineum maybe? This could have been a herpes outbreak, very hard to know from the information we both have. Please let me know what other questions you might have.

Terri

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68 months ago

It wasn't on my perineal, it was more around the bartholin glands area. It was just one small bump, with a white head, but firm to touch, and it didn't look blistery, it never burst nor scabbed, it just went away in 5-6 days. My other questions are:

1 - is it normal to be getting all this itching and burning down there now, with no other bumps? It's been consistently happening, and this bump showed up 3 weeks ago. The doctor I saw today said my symptoms don't sound like herpes, but rather a yeast infection or BV. However there is no visible rash down there (which I thought was a telltale sign of yeast/fungal infections).

2 - if this bump was not herpes, what else could it be? (taking the ongoing itching and burning into account)

3 - if I did have oHSV1 before (and not angular cheilitis), is it possible I got gHSV1 from my boyfriend through oral sex? I know it's unlikely, but is it impossible? This might explain why the symptoms were mild/ not brutal, if my body already had some resistance to the virus

4 - if this is gHSV2, what's the likelihood that I got it from someone else and not my current partner? I've only had sex with him for the past 10 months, and while I know it can lay dormant, from what I hear it's way more likely that if you're going to show symptoms, you almost always do so within the following 2-12 days after infection. I guess my concern here is him possibly not having it, and me ending up passing it to him.

5 - would it be best to wait 3 months to get the igg test, in case this is a new infection and I need time to develop the antibodies?

6 - if this was indeed my first outbreak and it wasn't terrible, is it likely that any following ones will be just as mild? the only thing bothering me is the ongoing itching/burning, but I suppose that would cease sooner if I was taking antivirals (which I would be, if I knew for certain that it was an outbreak).

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

68 months ago

1 - is it normal to be getting all this itching and burning down there now, with no other bumps? It's been consistently happening, and this bump showed up 3 weeks ago. The doctor I saw today said my symptoms don't sound like herpes, but rather a yeast infection or BV. However there is no visible rash down there (which I thought was a telltale sign of yeast/fungal infections).

Women can get lots of symptoms like itching and burning that have nothing to do with herpes. Herpes lesions don't normally last three weeks but yeast certainly could

2 - if this bump was not herpes, what else could it be? (taking the ongoing itching and burning into account)

Yeast is a good option, group B strep?

I would be highly unlikely for you to acquire HSV 1 genitally if you already have HSV 1 orally

It is possible that you could have had this for a long time. There is just now way to know at this point.

5 - would it be best to wait 3 months to get the igg test, in case this is a new infection and I need time to develop the antibodies?

You could certainly do the IgG test now - and it would have been way helpful if this was done at your very first symptom but that didn't happen and the opportunity has passed.

If this is a new herpes infection, and you had a first outbreak, you may well have mild outbreaks in the future. We are guessing at this point.

Terri

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68 months ago

Thanks Terri.

In your experience, have you seen this at all? One bump that was gone in 5 days, followed by weeks of itching/ burning/ general discomfort when no other visible symptoms (no other bumps, lesions, rashes) are present? This seems inconsistent with what I've read about herpes, and I've been thinking that maybe the itching is signalling more bumps to come, but every day I check and see none, and the anxiety is driving me crazy.

I took a vaginal swab yesterday to find out if I have yeast or BV, so at least that I'll know. I took a yeast treatment pill and am using the external cream and it seems to have helped a little but not entirely.

I'm currently in between jobs, so money is tight, and the igg blood test isn't covered, so I'd have to pay out of pocket. Do you see any benefit in doing it now vs waiting and doing it 3 months down the track, where the chance of a false negative (in case of a new infection) is lower?

And last question: would the IGG blood test help me establish whether this is an old or new infection, depending on the levels?

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

68 months ago

I have seen people who do have herpes who have itching pretty often, yes, but most often I would say that is due to something else like yeast.

How about if you wait 3 months to do the IgG test? I think that's a reasonable plan. If it is positive when you do it, it is not possible to know when you acquired the infection, no

Terri

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