Ok, my dr. appt was a joke....

[dazedandconfused]

Well, I went today to get diagnosed and from everything I've read on here, I'm not sure if my dr new what the hell he was doing. First, he didn't even ask me what I was in for...I had just told the nurse that I wanted to talk to the dr when she asked me. He looked at my blood pressure that the nurse had taken and wanted to set me up on some medication for that...meanwhile I'm thinking...asshole I think I have herpes. No shit my bp is high! So I tell him why I'm there and he takes a look at my abdomen where I have the breakout. He says he doesn't think it's herpes because when he sees it, it's on the penis. Well, I tell him that I was practicing safe sex with the girl whom I (believe I) contracted it from (I always practice safe sex unless I've been with a girl for a long time and that has been a while) and that's why it's not on my penis. He says he's going to send me in for bloodwork and I say that I've read that the antibodies can not show up in the blood for up to 12 weeks and that I would like to get swabbed. He tells me that the swabbing is only 50% accurate and that the bloodwork is the way to go. So I reitterate my concern about the lag time and what does he do!?! He goes and opens up the door and calls his nurse/pa over and starts asking her...RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE F-ING RECEPTIONIST AREA! At this point I'm frickin embarrassed. He comes back and says go get bloodwork done and if it comes back negative wait two months and get it again. I tell him my concern for my eyes because I wear contacts and I'm afraid I might have infected them before I knew anything (they've been itchy and burning) and he says for me to wait on the results of the bloodwork. Argh!

He writes me a prescription for acyclovir tablets and cream (damn this stuff is expensive) and sends me out to reception. ALL the women are looking at me funny including another patient. I'm embarrassed beyond all belief, sign the paperwork, tuck my tail, and walk out.

I'm thinking about waiting a week or two to get my blood work because I've only had this for a little over a week. Do you guys think that's crazy? Should I go ahead and get the bloodwork done? Second opinion? I've got the medicine anyway and I've started taking it so I don't know if it matters to get a second opinion. Please give me your thoughts.

This sucks...

dac

[JRTJRT]

I went through a similar thing a few weeks ago and found out that knowing if you already had HSV before "the scare" is important.

Get a blood test ASAP (you want blood taken BEFORE antibodies form) and then a second blood test after waiting at least 4 weeks. Comparing the two test results can (sometimes) tell you when and by whom you were infected. This could tell you which sex partners from your past that you need to inform of your HSV status. You'll likely have to wait weeks or months anyway for the second test because antibodies can take 12-16 weeks to show up.

Sounds like your doctor would need this explained to him, that you want pre-infection and post-infection blood tests for HSV1 and HSV2. Get IGG or Western blot blood tests. IGM blood tests are useless.

Hope I am making sense. Good luck.

[tothefuture]

I know this wasn't your question, but have you thought about putting a complaint in against your doctor?? Disgraceful, unprofessional behaviour.

[BoxofRain]

your doctor was actually right in tellling you to have a blood test, as culture tests are in fact only acurate if the virus is still active in the area being tested....thus providing false negatives sometimes. It was right of him to tell you to get a blood test as that is the only way to know for sure, and it was also right that he informed you that if it was negative to go back and get retested in a few more weeks, as antibodies can take a while to show up. What he was wrong in doing however, is speaking about you getting a herpes blood test in front of the receptions area and in front of people.....that is a high breach of your right to medical privacy....that is the only thing he did wrong....everything else is right on point and based on what he told you he actually does know what he is talking about when it comes to herpes....blood test is best if the doctor is not sure. Youre so lucky you didnt get some outdated or misinformed doctor who would not give you a test of any kind unless he saw a blister....or told you because it was on you stomach area he WOULD NOT even test you ( at least he knew enough to say he wasnt sure but get a blood test in case)....a lot of doctors out there tell people they will not test because it doesnt "look like herpes" or isnt in the spot it would be if it were herpes so feel lucky you got someone who knew what they were talking about....right on point with the blood test and then telling you to get an additional one if this one is negative. That alone will tell you it is a recent infection....within the last few months most likely....if you test negative the first time and positive the next you know you have got it more recently and that the antibodies are finaly detectable by the time you have the second test. However, I am sorry he embarrased you....that was unethical and not appropriate and a complaint is warranted about the privacy issue he violated but not his medical advice...that was on point. good luck to you