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Can I ever have a normal first kiss again?

Pip

By Pip,
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Pip Established Member

Pip

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This summer I thought I had strep throat. Then I thought I had some sort of throat infection. With white patches that covered my tonsils and back of my mouth, I was prescribed a Z pack and amoxicillin. The pain was so unbearable I couldn't swallow and lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks not eating and barely drinking. I finally went to the hospital where they gave me steroids in an IV to make the sensation of stabbing screw drivers fade from my ears. After blood work and a swab my results showed HSV2 positive. I made an appointment with an infectious disease doctor shortly after. She was very nice and assured me this was not the end of everything as I know it. 

A few months later I asked for a daily script because I could not handle the anxiety of a throat tickle thinking any sensation was an outbreak constantly feeling like a disease. I had 1 cold sore on my lip since my first outbreak. I know it can still be spread without an outbreak. HSV 1 is so much more common in the mouth. I feel like because it's HSV 2 I can't just say I get cold sores. I'm single. How can I ever have a first kiss with someone? I take a valtrex prescription of 1g daily. Idk all I can see is, "I had a great night can I kiss you? There's only a 10 percent chance I'll give you HSV2 if I kiss you right now without an outbreak." Not romantic. 

Also, if I do give it to someone else are they going to have a horrifying outbreak in their mouth or throat like I did?? If that's the case I can't just say "I get cold sores" that's next level! 

Advice? :(

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WilsoInAus Platinum Support Member

WilsoInAus

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Hi there @Pip this is quite bizarre, HSV tends not to cause the symptoms and illness you describe and is probably independent of your herpes status. Nevertheless if something has been detected then let's get to the bottom of it.

Exactly which test has come back positive? What was your value for IgG HSV-2 antibodies?

Let's say you have oral HSV-2, then the chances of passing it are about 1 in 10,000 passionate kissing sessions and probably even lower if the person has HSV-1!

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CHT Platinum Support Member

CHT

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2 hours ago, Pip said:

This summer I thought I had strep throat. Then I thought I had some sort of throat infection. With white patches that covered my tonsils and back of my mouth, I was prescribed a Z pack and amoxicillin. The pain was so unbearable I couldn't swallow and lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks not eating and barely drinking. I finally went to the hospital where they gave me steroids in an IV to make the sensation of stabbing screw drivers fade from my ears. After blood work and a swab my results showed HSV2 positive. I made an appointment with an infectious disease doctor shortly after. She was very nice and assured me this was not the end of everything as I know it. 

A few months later I asked for a daily script because I could not handle the anxiety of a throat tickle thinking any sensation was an outbreak constantly feeling like a disease. I had 1 cold sore on my lip since my first outbreak. I know it can still be spread without an outbreak. HSV 1 is so much more common in the mouth. I feel like because it's HSV 2 I can't just say I get cold sores. I'm single. How can I ever have a first kiss with someone? I take a valtrex prescription of 1g daily. Idk all I can see is, "I had a great night can I kiss you? There's only a 10 percent chance I'll give you HSV2 if I kiss you right now without an outbreak." Not romantic. 

Also, if I do give it to someone else are they going to have a horrifying outbreak in their mouth or throat like I did?? If that's the case I can't just say "I get cold sores" that's next level! 

Advice? :(

Hi "Pip".... herpes esophagitis is very rare... typically resulting from giving oral sex to someone with an active HSV2 outbreak.... is it safe to assume you engaged in this type of sex at some point over the summer when you first felt the symptoms in your throat?  Was an IgG antibody test run in addition to the swab test?   Is the valtrex helping keep the outbreaks down?  With the exception of the one cold sore, have you had any further problems in your mouth or throat since last summer?  

For a variety of biochemical reasons, HSV2 prefers to make its home in the genital region and HSV1 prefers the oral territory.... but, it's still possible for both forms of the virus to take up residence in each other's territory.... though typically when HSV2 is not in its "home territory" it is less virulent and outbreaks and shedding are very infrequent.  So, to answer your question about kissing, yes, it's possible to pass the virus on to someone else through oral contact but, it's a very low risk and if you are taking daily valtrex, it's almost zero chance..... here's a link to an article packed with info on oral HSV2:  https://sti.bmj.com/content/80/4/272  I hope it helps answer your questions and puts your mind at ease.... note where it states:  Eighteen of the 233 people who shed HSV-2 from the genital area also shed HSV-2 from the mouth. The rates of shedding for HSV-2 were 0.09% of days from the mouth compared with 7% from the genital area (p<0.001) (table 4).   

I hope this helps in some way and hasn't confused you more.... please come back with any questions.... wishing you the best.... take care.

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Pip Established Member

Pip

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WilsoInAus- I'm not sure what igG is. While at the hospital they took blood and did a swab. I was told a first outbreak can be that painful but was assured any breakouts that fallow would not be so severe. The way I got the results was my patient online hospital chart. All it said was positive. That's when I followed up with infectious disease. When I got the valtrex thats when I started seeing results. I'm SO happy to hear the odds are so slim to pass 🙌 does this apply to giving oral sex too? Odds being low of passing it for me? Also should I request an antibody test too still? 

 

CHT- yes, I did ingage in oral sex with an unfamiliar partner. I have not had any break outs since. I was not taking the valtrex daily when I had the one cold sore on my lip. But that's when I requested the daily for peace of mind. So far I am still break out free. Thank you for the article link! I'm finding it hard to get answers about oral HSV2 online. I'm guessing because of it's rarity.

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CHT Platinum Support Member

CHT

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5 hours ago, Pip said:

WilsoInAus- I'm not sure what igG is. While at the hospital they took blood and did a swab. I was told a first outbreak can be that painful but was assured any breakouts that fallow would not be so severe. The way I got the results was my patient online hospital chart. All it said was positive. That's when I followed up with infectious disease. When I got the valtrex thats when I started seeing results. I'm SO happy to hear the odds are so slim to pass 🙌 does this apply to giving oral sex too? Odds being low of passing it for me? Also should I request an antibody test too still? 

 

CHT- yes, I did ingage in oral sex with an unfamiliar partner. I have not had any break outs since. I was not taking the valtrex daily when I had the one cold sore on my lip. But that's when I requested the daily for peace of mind. So far I am still break out free. Thank you for the article link! I'm finding it hard to get answers about oral HSV2 online. I'm guessing because of it's rarity.

Hi Pip.... yes, it is extremely rare.... can you get the documentation from your doctor on the blood test they conducted (this is the IgG antibody blood test referred to earlier)?  The big question here is was it positive for HSV2 and what was the level?  If you can't get the results for some reason, it might be worth following up again with the infectious disease doctor and asking for another IgG antibody test for HSV2.   The fact you had sores so far back in your throat leaves some questions about what you actually were dealing with....the fact you haven't had any outbreaks since last summer (now almost 8 or 9 months) with no further outbreaks is a good thing.... it means either the valtrex works very well for you or there's a chance those sores were not HSV2 related....

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Pip Established Member

Pip

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Thank you for your guidance, I had no idea there were different levels of HSV antibodies. I'm going to call the doctor and see if she can pull it up for me!

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