Can you tell?

[1badnightmare]

I was wondering, can you tell how long one has had HSV2 after being diagnosed? When the doctor called and told me i tested pos for both hsv1&2 he asked if I'd ever been tested before. Not to my knowledge. I have never had a coldsore but went to the doc after seeing 3 blisters on my vaginal area in June. I haven't had an ob(I've only had blisters, never had burning pee feeling, never had swollen glands,) since early July, but have had some uncomfortable vaginal irritation & back pains. I was gonna start valtrex but have decided to just bite the bullet and let my body fight this naturally. I ask the question b/c I read alot of these posts and the descriptions of the ob's frequency/symptoms, I haven't had any of that or is it too soon? I don't know if I've had this for a long time & it has been dormant and my body is somewhat used to it or what. How can you tell if you have had it a long time or it was just introduced to your system?

[thiscantbe]

how were you diagnosed?

once you test positive on an IgG blood test, there is no way to know how long you have really had it...

for some people, when they see the doctor on their first OB, they will test negative but then a couple of months later they will seroconvert - that is, they will test positive. When you can see seroconversion you can be fairly sure that it was your first exposure...

[1badnightmare]

I had a blood test for the IgG antibodies. My first test was a swab of a blister which came back negative. But after 2 more of blisters came back 2 weeks later that's when I insisted on a blood test. I ask how can you tell because I am wondering if the present person I am seeing gave this to me or if I got it from someone else. By the way the present person says he has never had any symptoms. If that's the case then how did I get it if he wasn't having an ob or having prodome symptoms? I don't believe him because he is too damn calm about the whole thing. He still wants to perform oral sex on me but I have said no since we don't know if he has it. Does that fact that I am having some back pain mean that I am having an outbreak? What really constitutes an "ob"? As mentioned before I haven't had any blisters since early July.

[thiscantbe]

As far as I can understand, it's not an technically an outbreak until you experience some type of lesion, sore, something that finally pops through.

All the itching, tingles, leg & back pains, etc are prodromal symptoms, which means the virus is active. It can signal that an outbreak is coming, but sometimes the outbreak doesn't happen (maybe your body fights it off a little). Some people, apparently from reading the forums, experience constant prodromal symptoms.

The absolute earliest that I've read you can show up positive on an IgG antibody test is 3 weeks, and most people take longer to show up (2-3 months is more common), so you could have had hsv2 for a little while.

I caught my HSV2 from someone who never shows symptoms (outbreak or prodromal, at least that he can recognize - although in the future he might be more alert) and had no idea that he had herpes until I got terribly sick. I had to decide whether to believe him - I mean, there is the possibility that he could lie to me, but in my case he really looked and acted genuinely distressed that he gave me herpes. Also, there are several people who posted on the forums here that they had no idea that they had hsv until all the sudden they get a random outbreak or they sadly pass it on to someone else.

How long have you been with your current partner and how does it fit in the time line for the positive herpes test, keeping in mind that antibodies do take a while to show up?

Either way, he ought to get tested. Even tho some docs don't like to test, they usu will if he makes it known that his partner has been having active outbreaks.

[1badnightmare]

I have been with him since Jan. We took a little break from each other from about the last week in April until the end of May. I noticed the first lesions around the second week in June. Had blood test done around 2 weeks ago. So you tell me....how does that time line fit for him giving this to me???? I still get angry when I think about all of this.

[thiscantbe]

So, it sounds like the blood test was maybe 5-6 weeks after you noticed the first lesion...

That is long enough to develop antibodies (supposing you caught it in early June) so unfortunately there isn't really way of knowing 100% sure if you got it from your from your BF after the little break... or if you had been harboring it all along. If he does have H, it seems pretty reasonable to think you got it from him but it's hard to be certain (and he could have picked it up during the break... or even had it all this time and it took till now to catch it). Is he going to get tested?

On the other hand, H really can sit around in people for a long time before causing trouble, and maybe you got an OB in June due to stress about your relationship? You could make up a story for that scenario...

You may just have to go with your gut feeling on it since I don't think there is anyway to know for certain. If he's giving you bad vibes... then...

Since you tested positive for both hsv1 & 2, they say that the first OB for hsv2 usually isn't as bad if you already have hsv1, which could also why you didn't get the swollen glands, etc.

[sweetandsour]

Ok first of all I do think people need to STOP this obsessiveness of WHO to blame,it's unfair and unkind unless someone knows for sure they have it and deliberately withheld it,but we have to remember many many people do NOT know they have it,little itches and feeling flu like are not major issues we run to a Doctor about,I personally have no clue how when or where I got mine,the facts are that in many cases the person who passed it did not at anytime have symptoms that would have suggested anything amiss,so therefore would be unaware they may have herpes in the first place,only those who have very noticeable outbreaks would be likely to have it investigated,few would pay much attention to some of the very minor symptoms,I know I didn't,I only had the tiny rash on my back swabbed because I work in a Hospital and I wanted to know if it might be contagious because if so I didn't want to put patients at risk,I did NOT have this done because I thought for one second I had herpes,had I not worked in a hospital I doubt I would have done anything at all as it was a very small rash and causing me very little discomfort,I don't even know how long I've had this virus,nor do I see any point in knowing,I have been made aware of it now and will take the necessary steps NOT to infect anyone that is all I can do,excercise common sense from here on,finding someone to "blame" won't change anything it is now your herpes and your responsibility NOT to pass it on to anyone else,regardless of WHO gave it to you,partners are just as likely to have become infected in the same way you have "innocently" so why make them feel they have committed the worst crime possible,they too now have to come to terms with the realisation they have herpes too and will be going through the same emotional feelings about it,so please do NOT add to that by finger pointing,calm down and support eachother,it's NOT the end of the world.