More Questions than Answers

[obfu7]

I am so nervous, I feel like everything is an itching burning sensation in my pubic hair. Late this afternoon, i was again convinced I was having an outbreak, but it was just my belt irritating my skin. that said, I feel itching and heat in my pubic hear. Perhaps I am creating this in my head, but still, now it seems real.

the affected areas are just in the pubic hair, above the penis and between the scrotum and balls. it doesnt feel warm to touch. I cant tell if it has become red from me rubbing it or from an 'outbreak.'

I have surfed and surfed and surfed the web and arrive at more questions than answers. It is frustrating.

Iif you could point me to the best sources of answers, or to a thread with all the answers I am looking for, or, better, post a response, it would be much appreciated.

- Is this 2 - 20 day reaction time, (following exposure) real, rumor, accurate?

- What is the "rash" others have described. Must it have raised areas?

- Could I have had a dormant virus that is aggro because of my anxiety?

- Is it true that herpes will manifest on the penis in all cases?

This is devestating. God bless you folks for creating a form to discuss such a brutal virus. I am crushed.

[Caliope]

anyone can get hsv 1 or hsv 2. both can be either oral or genital. there are no hard and fast rules for ob's just standard reported infection to ob ratio's.

if you had a negative test recently then you aren't a candidate for a long term dormant infection. more likely it is recent - it takes a while for antibodies to be created by your body to fight the virus. the herpes specific blood tests look for antibodies.

infections don't have to be specifically on the penis or in the vagina they can be anywhere in the area below the belt and sometimes other places. as I stated above you can get hsv either oral or genital and even in your eyes or ears etc.

don't go flipping out over the comment directly above. you can prevent spreading to eyes, ears etc. by good hygiene and lots of hand washing.

Infection comes from contact with infected skin. this means if it is in an area not covered by a condom the virus can be transmitted to you from someone or to someone else by you.

read this article for a starter on hsv.

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_simplex_1_and_2.htm

[hopingseeking]

- Is this 2 - 20 day reaction time, (following exposure) real, rumor, accurate?

It's usually accurate for most people, but there are those exceptions where people express symptoms after many years.

- What is the "rash" others have described. must it have raised areas?

The rash is a symptom some seem to have. No, it doesn't have to have raised areas. The thing about herpes is that it's SO different for so many people.

- Could i have had a dormant virus that is aggro because of my anxiety?

Yep, could be possible. But if you've had negative tests testing for the herpes virus up until now, you probably didn't it before recently.

- Is it true that herpes will manifest on the penis in all cases?

Nope. It can manifest anywhere, but for men, usually the penis or the mouth.

- If it is true that my wife has herpes, what are transmission rates for lesbians?

Not sure myself.. I'll leave this one to the experts.

This is devestating. God bless you folks for creating a form to discuss such a brutal virus. I am crushed.

We're here for you, you'll make it.. just stick with it.

As for what you should do now (even though you didn't ask), go see a doc, get a script for acyclovir/valtrex even though you're not sure. Taking it now won't hurt.

[BoxofRain]

the most important thing is to wait 12 weeks and go back and have a repeat herpes type specific blood test, by then, if you do have this virus then the antibodies will finally show up. Theres a good chance you do have it since your wife has recently tested positive and in the beginning when someone first gets it is often a very contagious time period, even when they dont see anything visible on the skin yet. Also, you explain the redness is in the pubic hair region above the penis, which is actually a very common spot for men and women who were infected while using condoms, as the condom does not protect that area. The first place I noticed my symptoms was exactly where you described....top area in the pubic hair only. It was red at first, then became itchy a few days later...it was a rash...not raised, no defined big bumps or anything but then it proceeded to get more and more itchy and I thought it must be a yeast infection....for me, unfortunately i also got it all around my anus as well and it became raw and inflamed, redness and more itching....never a blister, never anything that the knowledge i had at that point would ever possibly be herpes....but wrong I was. So, based on the fact your wife was newly infected and the fact you have this redness in your pubic hair and a clean blood test shortly after the symptoms, I would say there is a good chance you do have herpes. I would definitely think that in 12 weeks the antibodies will definitely be there. Theres a chance you dont have it, but in all honesty, in my opinion I think you probably do have it given the circumstances. But you can always be optimistic, but remember that even in 12 weeks if you are negative, but have continued to have sexual contact with your wife during the next 12 weeks, then you could still contract it at any time and need to tested via blood every few weeks to see if it has shown up yet. If you do have it, its not the end of the world, but definitely isnt something anyone wants. If you do have it there are plenty of people here to help you understand the virus better and to offer great support... and if you dont have it then i hope it stays that way...but remember, you will have to take a lot of precautions to try and lessen the risk of getting it, as your risk is high since your wife has it now.Good luck