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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Herpes / March 2005I want to know if I have herpes?
I'm in my thirties and male. I have this weird occurrence that happens about once a month or maybe once every 2 months. What happens is that I get itchy hives above the anal area, in or above the crevasse of the behind and sometimes on the butt cheeks. The hives are usually itchy for a couple of days then get sore to the point of being ulcerated and moist. At the ulcer point, the area is very sore and prickly, then after about 5 days to a week everything goes away like nothing ever happened, no scabs or scaring. This has been going on for a while now and follows the same pattern. The weird thing is that I don't get these in the front genital area like near the penis or groin and don't have cold sores on my mouth. Can someone tell me if this sounds like genital herpes? This is so weird I don't know what to think. Thanks, Tom Actually, it isn't weird at all. Herpes lives in the nerve bundle at the base of the spine and then travels through the nerves to the skin where it creates an outbreak. Any skin surface that is serviced by that nerve bundle is fair game for herpes outbreaks. For many, you just described where they have their outbreaks. The only way to know if you have herpes is to have a few tests run. There are some blood tests that will tell you if you have the virus but not where you have it. Or, the next time you begin to feel the start of an outbreak, get to the doctor ASAP for a culture. That will tell you if what you are having is an herpes outbreak or not. But, if you wait too long to have the culture done, then you run the risk of a false negative so make sure you do the culture early in the life of the outbreak. ar >I'm in my thirties and male. I have this weird occurrence that happens about >once a month or maybe once every 2 months. What happens is that I get itchy [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Tom Thank you for writing back. I am almost convinced I have GH but I will need to get a test I suppose. I wonder if a urologist is the right doctor to go to. I hope the test is covered by health insurance. I was at the clinic for asthma and I should have had them test me then, but didn't think about it. I just don't want to describe it at the clinic and then have everyone there know what I am talking about. Its kind of embarrassing to talk about. > Actually, it isn't weird at all. Herpes lives in the nerve bundle at the base > of the spine and then travels through the nerves to the skin where it creates an [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > ar The "right" tests that you can have done to find out if you have herpes are all over on www.herpesdiagnosis.com. You shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about or to ask questions about herpes or any other virus for that matter. Hang in there, Angela :)  SignaturePatient Advocate www.yoshi2me.com Teamwork is Sweet www.herpesonline.org Help Spread the Word http://www.yoshi2me.com/research/herpesonline-yoshi2me-flyer.pdf >Thank you for writing back. I am almost convinced I have GH but I will need >to get a test I suppose. I wonder if a urologist is the right doctor to go >to. I hope the test is covered by health insurance. I was at the clinic for >asthma and I should have had them test me then, but didn't think about it. I >just don't want to describe it at the clinic and then have everyone there >know what I am talking about. Its kind of embarrassing to talk about. I understand! Any doctor should be able to request the tests. If you can see a urologist and that makes you more comfortable, then go ahead. I think that most of the tests are covered by insurance - at least partially. But it really depends on your insurance. Even though it is embarrassing to talk about, remember that they hear this stuff all day long. Good luck and let us know how you're doing. ar Okay thank you, I will probably be seeing a urologist, but those appointments are not immediate, so I may have to wait a month or so to get it. When I was about 22 I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and I heard that is also a herpes virus, but I am now wondering if that makes me either prone or likely to have GH because of it? Thanks, Tom. > >Thank you for writing back. I am almost convinced I have GH but I will need > >to get a test I suppose. I wonder if a urologist is the right doctor to go [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > ar >When I was about 22 I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and I >heard that is also a herpes virus, but I am now wondering if that makes me >either prone or likely to have GH because of it? Nope. It's a different animal altogether. Genital and Oral Herpes is caused only by Simplex (Herpes Simplex Virus). So unless you're exposed to and infected by Simplex, you're no more prone or likely to contract Herpes (the disease) than anyone else. There are quite a few viruses in the Herpes family. Only eight of them cause problems for humans though, from Chicken Pox (VZV) to Mono (EBV). They don't cause get any help from each other though. For some accurate info, here's a site you might want to check out. http://www.westoverheights.com/freebooktext.html#viruses M2 > There are quite a few viruses in the Herpes family. Only eight of them > cause problems for humans though, from Chicken Pox (VZV) to Mono Tim enters technical mode Nine or ten for humans. One extra for Herpes B which can cross from primates, and one more if you want to treat HHV6A and B as seperates. Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 Hi Tom, About 98% of the population has Epstein Barr. It's just that most of them don't seem to have any lasting problems from it. I know that I spent a very bad year with it, myself. I do not believe that it makes you anymore likely to have gh. ar >Okay thank you, I will probably be seeing a urologist, but those >appointments are not immediate, so I may have to wait a month or so to get [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >> >> ar Hi all, I did have a bad experience with EBV in fact I was out of commission for about 6 months, but that was about 12 years ago. I had chicken pox when I was a kid and ebv/mono in my twenties. I went to the clinic today and told the doctor the symptoms and he said "no it doesn't sounds like herpes" Then I told him I had a sore so he checked it and said he didn't know for sure. So I asked for a test, and they gave me a blood test for I and II herpes. I'll know in a few days. I heard of something called the western blot which is when the swab the area I thought, but I wonder why they did the blood test instead? Thanks, Tom. > Hi Tom, > [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > >> > >> ar >went to the clinic today and told >the doctor the symptoms and he said "no it doesn't sounds like herpes" He should have said it doesn't sound like a "classic" or "textbook" case of Herpes. Those are the easy ones to diagnose visually. Problem is, they're the minority of cases out there. Most cases do NOT have classic symptoms. >so he checked it and said he didn't know for sure. Good. I'm gaining a little confidence in him. >they gave me a blood test for I and II herpes. >I'll know in a few days. I heard of something called the western blot which >is when the swab the area I thought There are several tests that are known as "Western Blot". In fact, some test for things other than Herpes. The one you'll hear about around here though is a blood test for Herpes I & II. It's considered the most accurate of the modern blood tests. Blood is drawn locally and sent to the U of Wash for the test. Takes longer than just a few days for results though so that's probably not the one you got. No matter. There are several other good ones. >but I wonder why they did the blood >test instead? The "swab" type tests are notorious for false negative results. And the later into the outbreak that the swab is taken, the more likely you'll get a negative. That may be why he didn't bother with one now. On the other hand, a blood test can be pretty accurate whether you're having an outbreak or not. Only problem is, a blood test won't give you the location of your infection. In other words, you may have a positive result but that doesn't necessarily mean that the current outbreak is herpes. Might be something else. Your doc's strategy may be... hope for a negative blood test. In which case, Herpes is eliminated as the cause and he can concentrate his diagnosis on something else. If the blood test comes back positive though, then he'll need to do a swab of the next outbreak to see if it's caused by herpes instead of something else. It can get complicated at times. M2 Hi Tom, I'm glad you went to the doctor. The Herpes Specific Western Blot test is a blood test. It's the best. But difficult to get because many doctors have never heard of it. You can facilitate getting the test yourself, but your doc still has to sign off on the paperwork. The swab test you are talking about is a culture. Let us know what the results are. ar >Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 72 lines] >> >> >> >> ar Hello, Another thing I was wondering...My doctor told me that most guys get genital herpes in the genital area (front) or groin and thighs and the fact that i had the problem in between the buttocks he thought wasnt usual.What I do know is that I dated a girl years ago and she also complained of the same symptoms in between her buttocks area also, so i am thinking maybe its possible that this is more common then the doctor says. Thanks, Tom >i had the problem in between the buttocks he thought wasnt usual. Again, even though that's not the "classic" location, it's possible for genital herpes to outbreak anywhere in the boxer shorts area. It's not very predictable. M2 > Okay thank you, I will probably be seeing a urologist, but those > appointments are not immediate, so I may have to wait a month or so to get > it. When I was about 22 I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and I > heard that is also a herpes virus, but I am now wondering if that makes me > either prone or likely to have GH because of it? Nope. Its a gammaherpesvirus sure and it infects 90% of the adult population of the world but it doesnt interact in this way. It hits different tissues primarily and the viruses are not that related. Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 Ar, It's nice to see you back! How are you doing? ((( hugs ))) Angela :) SignatureSTD Message Board: http://www.yoshi2me.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/index.php Picking Up the Pieces: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PickingUpThePieces/ > Actually, it isn't weird at all. Herpes lives in the nerve bundle at the > base [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > ar Hi Angela, Thanks. :) It's been quite a journey getting back here. I've been able to read but not respond for months and months. :) I'm still working out the glitches here and have a very nice benefactor to thank. Take care, ar >Ar, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> >> ar ((( hugs ))) Angela :) SignaturePatient Advocate www.yoshi2me.com Teamwork is Sweet www.herpesonline.org Help Spread the Word http://www.yoshi2me.com/research/herpesonline-yoshi2me-flyer.pdf > Hi Angela, > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] >>> >>> ar Hello all, I called the lab today and they told me i may have to wait as long as 7 days to get the results! This seems like a long time for a blood test, but they told me the results have to incubate. Does anyone know if i will get the saem scale as you do with the HerpeSelect tests? I mean where 0.8 and under is negative and 0.9-1.0 is either and 1.1+ is positive? I was kind of wondering about that too. How can you be 0.0-0.8 and be negative? Wouldnt any indication mean there was some antibodies to herpes, or does it just mean that within that range there are an increase of antibodies, but not enough to be herpes? What about white blood cells? Paltelets? Are they higher or lower if you have herpes than not? Thanks, Tom Hey Tom, All of the antibody blood tests you have taken so far are "indirect" tests. The lab techs are using chemical reactions to determine if certain proteins are present and they have to do multiple tests. 1) Bind the blood to a test plate. 2) Use a chemical that binds to a specific IgG. 3) A second chemical is used to bind to the first chemical in Step 2 that causes a visual reaction that can then be "read" by a machine. Kinda like those scan card tests you took as kid where you fill in the dot. Each plate has controls, a well or wells with a known postive sample and known negative sample. Those are easily read and allow for obvious faults (like a bad batch of test chemical) to be filtered out. Because the tests are indirect they are imperfect and there can be a certain amount of noise. It is possible for other substances to react a little and possibly produce an area the machine reads as a positive. Like that stray pencil mark on the scan card confusing the machine. But one stray pencil mark only effects a single answer and not the result of the whole test. The control wells I mentioned allow the machine to correct for some problems, but not all. That is why you can have results that "detect" some antibodies but are considered negative. There simply were not enough of them for a specific IgG to be considered actually present. Certain experts at the U. of Washington believe that if you have no symptoms and results under 3 you should retest. You are showing symptoms, but frankly they could cover other conditions. At this point a culture would be a good idea (I read some of your later posts.) --Ulysses > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Thanks, > Tom <snip> >You are showing symptoms, but frankly they could cover other conditions. > At this point a culture would be a good idea (I read some of your >later posts.) >--Ulysses Welcome to a.s.h., Ulysses. New contributors are always welcome, and it sounds like you know your stuff. So, Howdy! Mike Hi Ulysses, I understand what you are saying, but my symptoms don't seem to be able to be anything else and being that the level showed: 0845 HSV1 IGG, I have to assume that this means that the HSV1 IgG level is 0.85, and being that 1.0 is a definite positive and even 0.91 is considered borderline, I have a feeling that it could be that my immune system is not kicking in enough. I checked many other conditions and there aren't any that have recurring outbreaks, with flu like symptoms, itching, tingling, aching in the genital area and blisters in and around the genital area. I also know that my ex girlfriend has similar symptoms, but not as severe and her ex boyfriend before me was diagnosed with genital herpes. So I have the feeling that I have HSV1 genital, but for some reason the IgG output is below the norm for what ever reason. I have had a weakend immune system in the past because I was never good at fighting off even something like the flu. I should be getting the other IgG levels the end of this week to see if anything changed. Thanks, Tom > Hey Tom, > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Thanks, > > Tom |
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