Jump to content

Do I have genital herpes? Should I get tested?

justcheckingin

By justcheckingin,
in Could I Have Herpes or Cold Sores?

 Share

Recommended Posts

justcheckingin Newbie

justcheckingin

Posted
Posted (edited)

Photo taken last night:

9WE0GHl.jpg

Photo taken today:

y9sS3t8.jpg

Note: the spot in the lower-right corner only started to grow last night, about 3 days or so after the initial growth, and formed more fully today.

Another note - I plucked out some hairs that were in the growth with a tweezer, which perhaps was not a good idea. But I did that. And the plucked hairs do impact its appearance to some extent.

---

Things that make me think it might be herpes:

- the way it looks, I guess?

- I felt an itching coming before the first appearance of the growth.

- the growth is somewhat wet, although I don't know if this is herpes "fluid" or some pus that could be associated with in-grown hairs.

- I have been sexually active to some degree. (Just a few people, always with a condom for both oral and vaginal sex)

---

Things that make me think it might not be herpes:

- The first growth didn't appear until about 17-18 days after my last sexual encounter (most of the things I read estimated that the average time for genital herpes to appear, if it's a first appearance, is 2-12 days (with the average being 4 days).

- Although there was itching before the initial growth, there was absolutely no pain associated with the growth since it first came on a few days ago.

-The primary growth also only took a day or two to begin the healing / scabbing process.

- I shave my pubic hair on a regular basis. It hasn't happened for a little while, but in the past I've suffered from some in-grown hairs as a result. One in a rare blue moon, I'm prone to getting some random pimples on some parts of my body too, even though I'm 31.

---

So... do you think it's herpes? Should I get tested?

Thanks for any input

 

Edited by justcheckingin
Link to comment
Share on other sites
justcheckingin Newbie

justcheckingin

Posted
  • Author
Posted
13 minutes ago, Answersplease55 said:

How quickly was the progression from seeing a small mark to the stages in the pictures? 

About 2 or 3 days, I think? 4 at most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Answersplease55 Honeycomb Member

Answersplease55

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, justcheckingin said:

About 2 or 3 days, I think? 4 at most.

Can you describe the small mark please? Was it more akin to a pimple or just similar to a tiny skin blemish that's the size of a pin prick? Currently going through a herpes scare myself 

 

Not an expert myself but fwiw, get it swabved ASAP. Looks suspicious but if you've been scratching at it you could have torn the skin apart. 

Edited by Answersplease55
Link to comment
Share on other sites
justcheckingin Newbie

justcheckingin

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, Answersplease55 said:

Can you describe the small mark please? Was it more akin to a pimple or just similar to a tiny skin blemish that's the size of a pin prick? Currently going through a herpes scare myself 

It’s hard for me to really give an accurate physical description with words. It was like a growth that was reddish in color and maybe had tiny white-ish bumps on the exterior. But it was 100% painless (aside from the brief itching that appeared before the growth appeared) and it only took a couple of days to start healing up (or it appears to me to be healing up?)

Edited by justcheckingin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Donate

    If Honeycomb has helped you, please help us by making a donation so we can provide you with even better features and services.

  • The Hive is Thriving!

    • Total Topics
      71.9k
    • Total Posts
      485.2k

  • Posts

    • CHT
      SUCCESS STORY: Herpes is an opportunity to built trust and connection through vulnerability.

      By CHT · Posted

      Hi "Jeremy"..... I agree, the topic of your HSV status does not need to be something you disclose too soon in a developing relationship..... get to know each other first....see how it's going and as it progresses, then the HSV issue will naturally need to be revealed.... it's my personal opinion though that before there is any sexual encounter you ought to disclose your HSV status.... I know some will disagree with me on this but, I think it is morally wrong not to disclose first.  This can be a make/break situation for most people but, again, I feel it is simply wrong not to give the other person the whole story since your decision not to disclose could put their health at risk.... that is simply not an option in my opinion.  Looking back to my "pre-HSV" life I most certainly would want my partner to disclose their HSV+ status before intimacy so that I could make my decision as to whether I want to take that risk or not.... 
    • Jeremy Spokein
      SUCCESS STORY: Herpes is an opportunity to built trust and connection through vulnerability.

      By Jeremy Spokein · Posted

      Thanks, CHT. I appreciate the feedback. The whole trauma of going through this has led me to figure out a lot about myself and my attachment wounds, so I'm taking courses to come out of this better. This girl really was my dream woman in so many ways, it's been the hardest heartbreak to deal with ever. I'm truly in a lot of pain, but using the pain as fuel to launch that new business and work with coaches. I also opened up to my family about HSV, so my parents and sister know now, and they were very loving and accepting of it. Since opening up about it, I feel way better around this thing. After opening up, I also found out that some mutual friends in our family have discordant couples who are married with children, so HSV hasn't stopped them from living a loving life. The thing is... all of these couples I mention did not disclose until 6-8 months into the relationship. So now I'm thinking it might be better not to disclose until I know things are very serious. I'll of course stay on the medication and use protection, but maybe this is a better route than disclosing upfront and scaring women off.
    • WilsoInAus
      Could this be hsv-2?

      By WilsoInAus · Posted

      Hey @Lcj987 and welcome to the website. You can be sure that isn't HSV-2, looks nothing like it. It is much more likely to be folliculitis or inflamed fordyce spots.
    • WilsoInAus
      Unsure if Herpes, awaiting swabs, need help

      By WilsoInAus · Posted

      Hey @JackThrowAway herpes causes an outbreak where it enters the body first and maybe a progressive spread. If it doesn't cause an outbreak at the entry site then it won't cause one elsewhere, it also won't 'jump' upon infection - it would be more likely that the lesions are continuous from the penis to the anus. Nevertheless, testing trumps symptoms or any interpretation of symptoms. The correct conclusive result arises when: you have a positive swab; or An IgG HSV-2 level over 3.5 (Herpeselect test).
    • Lcj987
      Could this be hsv-2?

      By Lcj987 · Posted

      Slept with someone unprotected, roughly 2 weeks ago now. I felt generally unwell the couple of days after but I’d been drinking the whole weekend and didn’t have much sleep either of the days of that weekend so put it down to that. 6 days after I noticed these spots appear on the shaft of my penis. Along with symptoms of discomfort in my shaft in the couple of days prior to them appearing. No pain when urinating at all that I have noticed. They don’t hurt, itch or tingle and they don’t have fluid in from what I can see or feel if I squeeze them and have never burst? I went to a sexual health clinic to get checked up, they took bloods to do a full test and looked at the spots but said they saw nothing that concerned them but I’m not sure about that, any advice? The smaller spots under the shaft are just follicles I had diagnosed years ago and non-sti related.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept