i have never had any type of sexual contact that could put me at high risk for herpes though a couple days ago i found a genital blister on me and i am loosing grip of myself now. scared that it could be herpes. is there anything else that a genital blister could be? i have no reason to be at risk for herpes and i am wondering if it could just be a genital blister without being linked to herpes or an other STD?

I'm sorry you're going through this scare. Herpes is often misdiagnosed as other things, so yes, there are other things that have similar symptoms. Your doctor should be able to give you some idea of what it is.

You say you haven't had sexual contact "that would be high risk" and you may be right, but it occurred to me that maybe you have had some sexual contact that you didn't realise was risky. Many people don't realise, for instance, that oral sex can be risky. With oral sex, if the person is near an outbreak they would be contagious and could transmit it to your genitals through oral sex.

Herpes is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, not necessarily through exchange of body fluids (like HIV is). If your partner has an outbreak outside the condom area (e.g., in their pubic hair), you could still come in contact with that area and therefore be exposed to herpes. So even a condom won't necessarily protect you from getting it.

I just say all this because you might have had some sexual contact that you thought was "safe" but was still risky for herpes. I hope not, but I thought you should know.

There's also a chance (small but still a chance) that if you have oral herpes (cold sores), you could transmit it to another part of your own body. This is done by touching your mouth when it is shedding the virus (usually around an outbreak) and then immediately touching your genitals (for instance) where there is an abrasion or break in the skin. It could take hold there. For the record, the least likely place you would have got it (if indeed that's what it is) is a toilet seat.

Best bet is to see your doctor though, and do it right away before the symptoms heal so s/he can see clearly what it is. Let us know how you make out.

TheOneInFour

what i meant by risky behavior was that i have not even gone as far as to kiss somebody..ive barely held someones hand actually. i dont think its herpies but theres always that chance and so im scared. could it be possible just to have a blister down there? and i have had a cold soar before, it could have been a blister but i dont understand how i could have even contracted oral herpies. i am basically just really scared and confused right now i guess

There's no need to panic. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif Most people have oral herpes, usually picked up in childhood from kissing relatives and friends. Most people know that cold sores are contagious but often don't realise it's a strain of herpes. Because cold sores are usually transmitted in non-sexual situations, they don't have the stigma that genital herpes does, even though the two viruses are very similar.

It's *possible* that what you have on your genitals could be oral herpes transmitted down there by yourself, but all things considered I think it's more likely that it's something else. It's possible you could have transferred it there if you touched your mouth near the time when you were having an outbreak (OB) and then immediately touched your genitals, so that your hand carried the virus from one location to the other. However, the virus dies very quickly once the air hits it, so that would be most likely if it was combined with some saliva, since it thrives in warm, wet environments.

Sometimes people will use saliva as a lubricant during masturbation, and with the abrasion that can happen from the friction (giving the virus an entry point into that location), it could happen that way. Although not unheard of, it's not really common either.

Basically, you should wash your hands before touching yourself or anyone else, after you touch your mouth when you've got a cold sore or even just have that itching or tingling there.

I still think you should get your doctor to take a look at it ASAP before the symptoms heal too much for him/her to see it clearly. Your doc might look at it and go "Oh, that's just such-and-such" and put your mind at ease. For example, ingrown hairs look similar to herpes and can happen if you shave around there, so that's one possibility.

Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

TheOneInFour

Hi,
The best advice I can give you would be for you to go to a doctor for a herpes simplex I and II blood test(not a culture). That will give you definitive answers. A culture may come out negative when you may be positive.If you have not had any sex or oral sex, then you may just have bacteria buld-up that caused you to get a bump. If you want real answers, get the blood test.

Originally posted by Arti:
Hi,
The best advice I can give you would be for you to go to a doctor for a herpes simplex I and II blood test(not a culture). That will give you definitive answers. A culture may come out negative when you may be positive.If you have not had any sex or oral sex, then you may just have bacteria buld-up that caused you to get a bump. If you want real answers, get the blood test.

You're right that a blood test will tell you *if* you have herpes, and some blood tests will tell you which strain of herpes you have (highly recommended). Unfortunately, it won't tell you *where* it is located. That means if you already have cold sores, it won't tell you if you have transferred the virus to a second location on your body.

TheOneInFour