Is it Herpes?

[TheBoz]

I have HSV2, blood test confirmed. But I have never had a confirmed outbreak. I had some red spots that I though were H, but they biopsied them and it was a type of dermatitis (often caused by exposure to a virus like H). Anyway, no doctor could look at the marks visually and identify what it was - auto-immune marks can really look like anything.

For people who have H and get non-obvious or minor symptoms sometimes, how do you know it is H?

I mean, I assumed it was H symptoms in my case, but it wasn't - and it took me 3 doctors and a biopsy to figure out what it was. And I do have H, I just have no idea what the symptoms are in my case, or if I ever had or will ever get any symptoms. If I get another random mark tomorrow and it doesn't look like dermatitis or an ingrown hair . . . then biopsy?

i get that people say the "classic" outbreak is obvious and painful - but what are the minor ones like? If you KNOW that they are caused by H, what are they like? . . . I have been trying to find symptoms of H, that I know I have, and statistically I SHOULD have some symptoms, but I can't seem to find any . . . only like 1% of people is supposed to be totally asymptomatic (rare), but 80% of people don't get bad enough outbreaks to notice them as being from H (people don't know they have it), so 19% of people with H get "obvious" outbreaks sometimes (you know who you are) - so what are the "minor" symptoms the 79% of people with non-obvious H get? . . . what would be a mark that would be suspicious enough to warrant biopsy? Anything "unknown"? How do these people know what the cause is? Or are they just assuming any mark is from H? So in hindsight, they think they had symptoms . . . because I would assume about 80% of humanity, if you told them they have H, would remember some sort of red mark they had one time and think "that's what it must have been", but how do they know? Is it always a cluster of marks, or can it be a solid red rash over a wider area? I assume two or more conditions could exist at the same time as well . . . there are so many skin conditions, like 1,000's . . .

Are there photos of "minor" H marks somewhere on the internet? Google is a horror show of immune-compromised people covered in lesions . . .

[blue84]

I don't get blisters but I get lesions that turn red and go away.. No crazy blisters ..just because you don't have type of behavior doesn't mean your clean .keep mine that your lucky u should worry if u don't have blisters ..your lucky (;

[TheBoz]

OK, this is what I'm talking about - what is a "lesion" without a blister? Doesn't the blister lead to the lesion?

Or do you mean just a patch of red skin that then goes away, like a rash?

[TheBoz]

And how do you know it is H? Did you ever get a lesion swabbed or biopsied?

[Scared12345]

I don't get blisters either. I got a red bump once last week my doc has to swab it cuz she thinks I may not even have it. My first OB was painful but those sores never crusted over. They don't do the blood test here so I have to wait to get a swab when I have a sore. My doc told me today, herpes is herpes it's painful, itchy. Mine wasn't really itchy and only hurt getting out of the car. But now I don't know if I should have sex. She told me I'm not contagious and good to go since there was nothing to swab

[TheBoz]

People call all sorts of stuff "herpes" becasue it's what they've heard about. There are literally 1,000's of similar skin conditions. Having a skin condition, then testing positive for herpes via blood test, does NOT mean that the skin condition is from the herpes. Dermatitis is very common, it is intermittent, sometime herpes triggers it, and it can happen without herpes also, and some types of dermatitis are commonly confused for being herpes, even by highly trained doctors.

You do not know for sure what is causing a skin condition without a conclusive swab test or a biopsy. A negative swab doesn't mean anything, it is just inconclusive. If you are the impatient type, just insist on a biopsy.

[Guy12]

Boz what was the name of the dermatitis. Is it intermittent or constantly there? Do any other symptoms present with the area? What was your blood test levels?

[TheBoz]

I have a type of interface dermatitis. It comes and goes, but steroids kill it pretty quick. So now if I do get a tiny mark it never gets bad, the steroids knock it out in a few days. I have H2, proven by blood test, but I have never had an outbreak that I know was H - maybe some unexplained rash a long time ago was H? Who knows. I have never had blisters or painful sores. Never in memory anything that wasn't exactly like the dermatitis. If I ever do get a "suspicious" red mark, I will just get another biopsy to see what it is for sure. In recent years all I remember hving is the dermatitis, and now that is a rare thing now that I have treated it . . . I keep steroids on hand to kill it quick if it shows up and before it becomes an issue . . .