Oh dear...

[shockhorror:o]

On tuesday, an ulcer appeared on the back of my mouth, i didn't think much of it. I'd wanted to have a HIV test for a while so i booked an appointment for the GUM clinic on wednesday. Whilst i was there, i had another checkup because i'd had chlamydia before and wanted to check that it was gone (i went through a really stupid phase, dont really want to go into detail). I asked in passing for the doctor there to look at my ulcer and he took a swab for me. He says its probably oral herpes, but even the test wont tell for sure. I think i must have caught it off of my partner (were not emotionally involved) because he's the only person who i've been having sexual contact with for about 4 months, but i gave him chlamydia already and i dont want to tell him in case i gave it to him, what will he think of me? but i have to tell him, coz i might give it back to him. im so confused, i read that you can transmit it even when there are no symptoms? but the chance from female to male is about 4% or something silly like that, and the antiviral drungs can half that. and thats another thing, how do i get hold of the antiviral medicine? And all this and the doc says he cant even be sure if i have it! what if its just an ulcer in an odd place? and another thing, i read that the initial outbreak is usuall about 2 weeks after infection, yet the last time i had contact with my partner was sunday, and before that it was 5 weeks ago! do you always get an initial outbreak? coz if not then it doesnt seem to fit. Im sorry this message is so long, im just so confused. someone please rescue me!

[shockhorror:o]

why is it that lots ofpeople read my problem, but no one replied?

[Caliope]

well it does show that 27 people viewed your post but it may be that they are mostly visitors and cannot respond but don't worry about that.

welcome.

it is possible to have hsv for many years without knowing and without having symptoms or ever having an initial ob. so you could have gotten this from your current partner or from a previous it is difficult to know for sure.

That is the first time I have heard a dr actually sound knowledgeable about oral herpes. Also the first time I've heard them take an oral swab. If it comes back positive that is a very reliable test result. Swab cultures are difficult to grow in a lab and thus very accurate if positive. Blood tests can be sketchy and often require several tests over several months to get a positive result. They usually are most effective several months after initial infection.

If you can have your dr run bloodwork to check for hsv this might help to determine if you have it. be sure to ask for a herpes specific test to find out which strain you may have. oral hsv is very common and sometimes referred to as cold sores and can be transmitted through something as simple as a kiss or through performing oral sex on someone who is infected genitally. The percentages on rate of transfer from males to females pertains specifically to genital infections and not oral.

you need to get a prescription from a dr for antiviral medications. The two most commonly prescribed are Valtrex and Acyclovir. Valtrex is considerably more expensive than Acyclovir and some health systems don't cover it.

In the meantime you may want to consider investing in some vitamin supplements. I recommend lysine and vitamin c.

here are a few links to help.

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/amino-acid-lysine-for-herpes.html

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