Was the doctor correct that I have herpes? Appreciate advice

[Summer13]

I would appreciate any input from all the wonderful people I have been reading on this support group.

I am starting to question if I have vaginal gentile herpes or not?? I never had a std before. I had unprotected sex one time with a guy I have been dating and now my life feels changed forever. We both were married 18 years, had very few sexual partners and are divorced and dating each other. I have learned quickly all of that means nothing... We finally had sex and both said we were tested recently and had no std's or unprotected sex since. So we did not use any protection as I am on the pill.

Ugghh that one decision seems to have changed my life forever

4 days after having sex I noticed an odor and what felt like a possible yeast infection or bacterial infection coming on. I have had a problem once prior that my PH balance gets thrown off from a new partner's semen all though this guy pulled out. The odor and stomach cramping smelled & felt exactly what I experienced in the past when I had a bacterial infection. I went to the drug store and bought a medicine PH balanced douche. Which i never douched before but thought I could fix it. Next day I still had the odor so i read online eat lots of yogurt and take probiotics. And it said to open the capsule and pour the inside of the pill inside your vagina which i did before bed and pushed the sand like stuff up and all around.

I woke up day 6 and now i noticed a white fluid like a yeast infection and i went and bought 1 day monistat capsle and inserted that before bed.

The next day 7 i had worse stomach cramping and still the odor so I called my obgyn for the bacterial medicine they gave me when this happened to me with my last partner of 3 years, rx for clindamycin. They called it in for me but i was feeling sore and like my opening had been torn some during ... as it was a good two hours of sex. Then another round in the morning.

I took the medicine 2 days and on day 8 i woke up with a incredibly red vagina. As i was urinating i noticed a white bump on my outer lips and when i touched it my nail popped it and fluid came out. Urinating started to burn and it hurt very bad to wipe or walk or sit down.

We had oral sex quite a lot in those two hours and as of now I do not have anything in my mouth or throat thankfully. Can I get it there on my face if its #2 and not #1?

I got a flash light and looked in a hand mirror and realized I had many red bumps in side my lips and vagina. I googled pics and it looked similar to herpes. I freaked out and drove to urgent care as it was a weekend.

The doctor there was i'd say in his 70's. He only looked at it did not touch me or anything. He said yes its herpes. I asked for a swab test since I had fluid filled blistered. He said I see it a lot I don't need to swap test you it's herpes. I started crying. He said its no big deal its just a virus like when you had a cold sore or chicken pox. I told him I never had either of those. He said he wanted to give me a chicken pox vaccine. I said no way. I told him 20% of people are automatically immune to chicken pox and I am one of them as I was tested for that when I was pregnant and came up I had the immunity. He still wanted to vaccinate me even though i had the immunity and my immune system was down and fighting herpes?? I again declined! He annoyed me as I told him I can not get shingles as I never had chicken pox. Everyone you vaccinate for chicken pox can now get shingles and i had questions about herpes not chicken pox!He gave me valtrex 1,000 mg 3x a day for 10 days and said it should clear up in 7 days. I started taking it that night. He said you could have had it a long time and you are having your first outbreak. I said i was tested at my annual 5 months ago and tested negative for everything including Herpies 1 & 2.

He said it unusual to get it that quick after having sex. Yet everything I read says it typical to have a break out 4-12 days after contact.

The man I was with had NO visual signs of anything on his penis.

By the next day Peeing was TOURCHEROUS. Touching the area to wipe hurt even more! sitting hurt. I couldn't spread my legs open without feeling like my vagina was ripping. I couldn't walk. The pain I was experiencing was WAY worse than what i felt after 2 days of labor, 6 hours of pushing my child out all swollen and cut to my anus with over 100 stitches inside my muscles and outside all the way down!!!!!!!!!! I thought that was bad but, Whatever I have is way worse!!!!

I made an appt with my obgyn the next day. They had me get a blood test however i read it takes 2-4 months to show up in your blood. They didn't even have me take my pants off or examine me. They gave me another rx for future breakouts. My dr said take it at first sign of one valtrex 500 mg 2x a day.

I asked her is it true I've been reading you can always infect someone because there are shedding stages in between breakouts. She said there isn't any evidence to back that up and I can have unprotected sex and oral sex without passing it as long as I am not having a breakout. She confirmed 4-12 days is commonly when you get it after exposure. Which the urgent care dr said the opposite.

I'm getting such conflicting information i am so confused I don't want to give this to anyone else. i also don't want get this on my face having oral sex. I didn't see anything on my partner and I got it! She said he may have been having an out break coming on. I said i don't think so as he keeps asking to see me like nothing is wrong with him.

I don't even think he knows he has it as he keeps asking to see me and I haven't told him yet. Even though he gave it to me I don't think he will believe me.

I'm on day 5 of the valtrex. Urination has gotten much better for a day or two then went back to painful again. Wiping still terrible. And washing that area sooooo painful to touch. There is no way i could even put a finger inside me its so painful to even dab the outside dry.

I am wondering if i have herpes? Or did I just irritate my vagina pouring sand probotics in it and medicated douches since I am very sensitive and cant even use bubble bath because it makes me makes me swollen and feel on fire I'm so sensitive. Also, Because my blistered havent changed. They are not scabing over. They are not popping. They are just bumps no fluid in them now it seems. I still have an egg shell heavy amount of fluid contanstantly pouring out of the bottom of my vaginal opening. The blisters are not clumped together. There are spaced out. The pain isnt getting any better. I also have no flu like symptoms as they say you do with your first out break.

I have tried to call the 1-800 herpes numbers and std support lines and they just say heavy call volume and hang up on me all week now.

I do not know where else to turn?? Now, I an very constipated and haven't been able to have a bowel movement in 7 days. It must be the valtrex. I bought miralax and took that but it made me want to puke and no bowel movement yet.

Based on everything I am experiencing and that my blisters haven't changed in 6 days now. Does it sound like I have herpes??

I'm so lost and I'm not getting any better in the sensitive touching/ wiping area.

I do use a new towel every bath and wash my hands well. I wear a panty liner i change a lot due to the constant eggshell cover discharge.

Any advice based on your own experiences would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[JBnATL]

Visual diagnosis is the least accurate. Too bad your first doctor did not swab test you as there are many things that can cause symptoms similar to herpes. Here is a link to a post here that talks about that:

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

You are correct, most people who do get an outbreak do so 2 - 20 days after they acquire the virus. However, your doctor is also right, you can have it many years before your first outbreak. If you were tested months ago and was negative then you know it is a recent infection if indeed this is herpes.

The only thing you can really do at this point, unless you have another outbreak, is to wait until the 4 month mark after possible exposure and then take another blood test.

If you never have an oral outbreak you can probably assume you don't have it oral.

Good luck!

JB

[Summer13]

Thank you JB. Today is the first day I am feeling better down there where I could touch the area without jumping. I put a medical glove on and could actually insert a finger inside because I wanted to feel around and see if there were more bumps inside. The bumps are not scabbing or turning white. They are still just red bumps with eggshell color discharge.

However do you think if it wasn't herpes this medicine would make it feel better?

I have probably 8-10 red bumps on my outer labia lips that i can see. I didnt feel any inside. They haven't changed since they started 6 days ago and im on 1000 mg valtrex 3x a day since sunday.

Does herpes always scab up?

I am so new I appreciate anything you can answer? I have no idea who else to ask. The herpes line wont take calls. My doctors gave me opposite advice and I read all the other things it could be and looked at the photos. Its very confusing.

Thank you again

[JBnATL]

Time or your immune system could be making it better and it only seems like the meds you are taking are doing so.

No, herpes doesn't always scap. Some people do have full blown blisters that do blister while healing while others don't have blisters when they have an outbreak.

Even if you do have herpes you will be alright. You can live a normal life with this virus, many people do so. I have been on this website daily for over 6 years and have chatted with thousands of Herpsters and many of them have told me that getting genital herpes changed their lives for the better.

Good luck!

JB