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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Herpes / May 2004Herpes FAQ ?
Hi all, I am not sure if there is a FAQ or something for this stuff, but I had a couple of general questions. The first time I experienced blisters/sores was over 3 years after my last sexual encounter with a previous partner. I had since been married and completely monogamous. It was so mild that I didn't know for sure whether it was herpes or not. I had one more mild case of blisters/sores about a year later, but other than that, nothing that would clue me in to herpes. after another 3-4 years, my wife was diagnosed with herpes because of a severe outbreak of blisters/sores. Neither one of us knows, or admits, how this happened. I have had no other obvious symptoms whatsoever, and the total time span here is 8-9 years. Since my wife's diagnosis, I don't doubt that I have herpes, I'm just a little confused about what happened. So, my questions are: Could I have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Could my wife have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Could I have had other symptoms and just didn't identify them with herpes ? Is there a good list/description of the kinds of symptoms that herpes causes ? One thing I have thought of is that I occaisionally experience a day or two of excessive fatigue. Is this a potential symptom ? Hi Aztek, There is a faq....kind of....sort of....well, maybe... :) Keep reading below for my comments: > The first time I experienced blisters/sores was over 3 years > after my last sexual encounter with a previous partner. I had > since been married and completely monogamous. It was so mild > that I didn't know for sure whether it was herpes or not. I > had one more mild case of blisters/sores about a year later, > but other than that, nothing that would clue me in to herpes. I think the blisters/sores was probably enough to clue you in to herpes and to get yourself to a doctor to have things checked out. > after another 3-4 years, my wife was diagnosed with herpes > because of a severe outbreak of blisters/sores. Neither one > of us knows, or admits, how this happened. I have had no > other obvious symptoms whatsoever, Again, blisters and sores are pretty much the most obvious sign...I think you know exactly what happened. >and the total time span > here is 8-9 years. Since my wife's diagnosis, I don't doubt [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Could I have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Yes. > Could my wife have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Yes > Could I have had other symptoms and just didn't identify them > with herpes ? Yes > Is there a good list/description of the kinds of symptoms that > herpes causes ? Probably, but I don't know where to find something like that. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: blisters, sores, rash, pain, itch, flu-like symptoms, tingling, or nothing at all. > One thing I have thought of is that I occaisionally experience > a day or two of excessive fatigue. Is this a potential symptom ? Yes. ar >Hi Aztek, >There is a faq....kind of....sort of....well, maybe... :) The poor thing. I *was* working on it, actually gathered up a lot of info for a big Testing section, but still haven't put it together yet. (sigh) But I'm just now done with some stressful family related stuff, so maybe I'll get a head of steam up soon and add a few more authoritative paragraphs to the thing. As usual, if anyone wants to collaborate, just drop me a line. Yours everso, Mike Thanks, Mike. When you need some proofreading done....I'm just getting into my busy season, though. Might have to wait till July or the fall. ar > >Hi Aztek, > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Mike >Hi all, >I am not sure if there is a FAQ or something for this stuff, >but I had a couple of general questions. Like Ms Grant says, kind of, sort of, there is a FAQ. It's unfinished. And it's lonely. But it's here: http://web.newsguy.com/sphere/ >The first time I experienced blisters/sores was over 3 years >after my last sexual encounter with a previous partner. I had [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >that I have herpes, I'm just a little confused about what >happened. >So, my questions are: >Could I have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Yes. In fact, you could have it forever without knowing it. >Could my wife have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Yes, also. Either one of you could have had it for a long time, and could have passed it to the other even without obvious symptoms. As you grew older and your bodies changed, the virus may have been able to exploit some of the changes and so made itself known. One of the trickiest things about herpes is trying to track who gave it to whom, and when. Often, you end up just guessing. >Could I have had other symptoms and just didn't identify them >with herpes ? Mebbe. Some people have very mild symptoms, or none at all. >Is there a good list/description of the kinds of symptoms that >herpes causes ? The most obvious symptoms are the tiny blisters, very often in clusters, resembling tiny whiteheaded pimples. Some people report the lesions as more resembling small paper cuts. Some people will only get a slight reddening, either in dots or small patches, which is how I think my oral HSV shows up, which it rarely does. You might also experience itching or tingling. In fact, many people experience a funny sort of tingling itch just *before* an outbreak becomes apparent, and that little itch is known as the Prodrome. Other symptoms are tiredness, swollen glands, and neuralgia or nerve pain either in the lower back or down the legs. And flu-like symptoms are possible, as the body responds to the herpes virus much as it responds to almost any virus. >One thing I have thought of is that I occaisionally experience >a day or two of excessive fatigue. Is this a potential symptom ? Yes, and quite a popular one. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask more, and let me know if that FAQ does any good. Take care, Mike > The first time I experienced blisters/sores was over 3 years > after my last sexual encounter with a previous partner. OK so you could have herpes, have you ever had cold sores/fever blisters to compare those unidentified blisters with? > since been married and completely monogamous. It was so mild > that I didn't know for sure whether it was herpes or not. I > had one more mild case of blisters/sores about a year later, OK, not unreasonable if it was herpes.... > but other than that, nothing that would clue me in to herpes. > after another 3-4 years, my wife was diagnosed with herpes > because of a severe outbreak of blisters/sores. Neither one > of us knows, or admits, how this happened. I have had no > other obvious symptoms whatsoever, and the total time span > here is 8-9 years. Yup the virus involved sets up a life long infection. People displaying disease from the infection are in the minority. It can also be active biologically without producing noticeable disease. > So, my questions are: > > Could I have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Yes, most people who carry the virus and are risks for transmission dont know it. > Could my wife have had herpes for a long time without knowing it ? Again, yes.... > Could I have had other symptoms and just didn't identify them > with herpes ? POssibly, its not uncommon in an individual with one set of sores that there may have been some very mild outbreaks that weren't noticed. The virus is also quite capable of being active and shedding sufficiently to infect someone else on occasion despite not showing any outbreak lesions at the time....some of those infected will display symptoms. This may have happened to you - you got the virus had one outbreak of reasonable size, a second milder one and passed it on.... > Is there a good list/description of the kinds of symptoms that > herpes causes ? For the classic lesions yes, plug it into Google and find a decent set of descriptions at medical sites. Herpes.org I assume would have a piccy or two. Non classic simply downgrade or make the symptoms milder from a region of tingling skin to a bit of irritation to nothing. > One thing I have thought of is that I occaisionally experience > a day or two of excessive fatigue. Is this a potential symptom ? Theoretically possible but in the scheme of things it could be so many other things I'd be pretty surprised if you could think about tying it to HSV1 or 2...there's other herpesvirus likely to reactivate in you to do that before HSV let alone the countless other reasons (stress, a cold, busy day, too much time staring at a screen etc etc etc etc [ad nauseam]). Id give up on laying that on possible herpes really. Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 |
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