Symptoms?

[B98765]

I have been with the same partner for 6 years and neither of us had STDs. In Feb I had a one night stand with a man I'd known for some time, with protection, except orally. I had never done this before and as far as I know my partner has been faithful always.

I experienced terrible fatigue for some months after that, tingling in my extremities. In June, I was in bed for a week with what I thought was a flu virus, but also with extreme pain in my vagina, internally, with what felt like itchy and sore spots, and red and swollen and unable to be touched externally. It was like this for a week. We both had gritty and itchy eyes at this time. I went to my GP who did a range of STD tests as I'd never had any in my life and they all came back negative. The herpes test was a swab one, but it found I had vagnitis. I'd had yeast infections on and off for 10 years. I've heard this can mask herpes however. But as I didn't have blisters or bumps, my GP dismissed it as just a yeast infection.

The whole time I've had sex with my partner, but was abstaining for many weeks when I was tired and sore. In August I had another fatigue attack and soreness in my vagina with the same itchy spots and swelling, but not as bad as the first time. And then again this week I've been exhausted and also had soreness, cut like feelings on my labia, and itchy spots inside. I've never had external blisters anywhere. My eyes are itching again now.

My greatest concern is that my partner had a white sore on the base of his penis two weeks ago and had never had this before. He didn't experience any pain or symptoms with it, but it greatly concerns me that I unknowingly infected him, and due to infidelity. I am very very upset about this as I thought I was clear. I am going to the docs again tomorrow, but need to know what test to get that will be definite. I don't know what to say to my partner in the meantime. I think I need to tell him what happened, whether my results are positive or negative, he should know. But I am most concerned I infected him who didn't deserve that and I just don't know what to do about it. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms with anything other than herpes and what on earth do I do now? I am very upset and tired and can't tell anyone else now.

[TheOneInFour]

I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time, whatever it is you have. I'm not a health professional, but maybe I can help with what I know. You should know that swab tests are notoriously inaccurate and often must be done many times, sometimes over many months or years, before they'll return an accurate result.

The most reliable is a blood test taken at least 12-16 weeks after initial infection. If you think you might have been infected last February, it would show up in a blood test by now. It is best to use one that tests for the specific type of herpes; "Western Blot" is considered the best test.

A blood test will tell you *if* you have HSV-1 (usually found as oral herpes or cold sores) or HSV-2 (usually found as genital herpes), but it won't tell you *where* you have it. For that you still need confirmation from a swab test, to know for sure. To get the best chance for an accurate swab test, you have to test within the first 24-48 hours after symptoms appear.

Here's the thing about blood tests, though: Most people have HSV-1 (cold sores), typically caught during childhood, and most people don't get symptoms from this. So if you test positive for HSV-1 and not HSV-2, you may or may not have picked it up from this lover. Has your doctor ever run a herpes blood test on you?

You should also know that people can carry herpes in their system without symptoms for years and years, and then suddenly break out, often at times of very high stress. And I would think stress could bring on a candida episode too. I actually wondered as I read your post if much of what you described had stress as a factor. Is there a chance you're feeling a lot of stress from this encounter last February?

You might also try talking to the person you were with in February and ask if they've ever been tested for herpes? Maybe they would agree to get tested. Just a thought.

Good luck! I hope this helps. Let us know how you make out.

TheOneInFour

[B98765]

Thanks for replying with that information. I am very upset as I was always one to use protection and be careful. But I also know there's risk, I just hoped and I feel terrible for my partner. I feel terrible for how and why it happened. It's only starting to hit me now what I might have done. I have thought about it a lot, but felt we may have moved on now. We went through a very bad time for about a year when this happened, but it doesn't excuse what I did. We have tried very hard to work things out and just as it was looking good this happens and I don't know how I'm going to tell him when I have to. I can accept the consequences for myself, and the outcome for us, but feel absolutely terrible about the possible result for him.

I know I have HSV1 from instances as a child. I have not been tested for HSVII other than a swab test which I didn't find out until recently can be wrong. The doctor dismissed everything I described here because I didn't "look like" it when I presented, with no sores, even though everything else indicates what's described here by others. I very much relaxed after that but there's no way I would have had sex with my partner if I'd have known it may not be accurate. It was only two weeks ago, as well as noticing the sore on my partner, when I had the same thing come on again that I suddenly thought it might be wrong and it's possible he could be infected. I am going to ask for the blood test at the next appointment. So far, of three instances I could describe as possible OBs, I've never shown any visible sores, but internally it was very itchy in patches, and there was terrible swelling. I was extremely stressed due to work overload and things that happened those few months before June, so it makes sense that I was succeptible. I was also concerned there was a neurological disorder which I had to go have a lot of tests for with the tingling in hands and feet, but it came back just as stress.

I have had serious bowel disorders for about 6 years but it has settled down a lot in recent times. It ocurred to me that I could have some sort of yeast infection. My body doesn't digest things well at all and I have to be careful about what I eat and drink, but neglected it as things seemed to get better. It could nbe all of those things as I've noticed that to be the norm here. It;'s just I noticed most people show up in the few weeks after contact, whereas I can't remember anything until June. I'm very aware of my body due to the bowel issues, but can't remember anything happening before then. I know it's just speculating and now making me more upset, but I just needed to know whether there was a chance it may be something entirely different. It's possible the other person may have been infected, although he said not when I asked earlier this year, but he had had many partners and it wouldn't surprise me if he was not telling the truth. TO me that one off was in the past and I felt I'd learnt from it and was doing my best to move on, and now I have all the bad feelings associated with that time as well as this and just wish I didn't have to hurt someone both emotionally and possibly physically. Thank you so much for listening again.

[TheOneInFour]

It *could* be herpes, but I still think candida could also be a possibility. Even with your partner. Candida (yeast) can produce skin symptoms too.

If it's herpes, there are a variety of possibilities. If it's HSV-2, a blood test will show that. If it's HSV-1, you'll only know it by a swab test (since you'll test positive in a blood test regardless, as you have a history of cold sores). If it's HSV-1, you could have gotten it genitally from the February encounter, or by transmitting there yourself by touching your mouth and then your genitals...or from oral sex with your partner, if he's like 80% of the population who has HSV-1.

If I could offer a suggestion... You sound like you're planning to tell your partner about the affair, regardless. You might want to wait until you get a new set of test results back, including one for yeast infection (for him too). I'm not saying don't tell your partner, just that if it turns out there's no STD involved then there's little point in complicating the relationship issue with it before you know for sure (if it's possible to do that). Does that make sense? It's just something to consider.

Again, good luck! Let us know what happens.

TheOneInFour

[B98765]

I went to the docs two weeks ago and had blood tests done. I described the symptoms I did here, and he told me those are not symptoms of herpes. That is, the flu like symptoms, sore throat, glands, tiredness etc. I felt really upset because I had read and understood they are common symptoms. I clarified I meant genital herpes and he insisted they did not have those symptoms. I told him I never had blisters but had the itching and swolleness etc internally and externally at the same time as the flu symptoms. He basically had no idea why I'd have the flu symptoms regularly and the tiredness. (I don't have much faith in GPs). I then requested the blood test to determine type 2 and he said you can't distinguish between I and II and that if I had either it would show up, but I wouldn't know which. Is this right?

Anyway, I went and had it done and don't know whether the lab had the capabilities to do what I asked or not, and I haven't seen the results yet. It really upset me that I had to push for it but I am glad he finally agreed.

I feel very run down all the time, and particularly bad with flu symptoms again now and tiredness. I just want to sleep all the time. So I have to go back and find out what's going on. Thanks for listening.

I also read that high level of calcium and calcium carrying substances like Evening Primrose Oil tends to prevent blisters from ocurring and I had been taking high doses of it to deal with menstrual issues for some time.

I also read about lysine/arginine levels in foods. Apparently there were studies done which found that diets with not only high levels of lysine (amino acid found in protein), but twargeted with low levels of arginine, helped prevent attacks. This is because lysine inhibits alginine which is necessary to produce the cells for herpes. The theory is that if you ensure the ratio is in favour if lysine, and that you don't eat any foods with high levels of alginine, you will fare better. You can find info about it at various sites relating to herpes diets.

[This message has been edited by B98765 (edited 11-22-2002).]