Ahhhh.. whats happening

Sexual health
1

Hello everyone.

I was just diagnosed on Fridayand still realing.  I would really like your input on a complex history.  I dont know how long I have had this or who I might have exposed.  Its a lot of info to wade through.  But if you have the time and energy I would love your input. 

Names Changed to Protect the Innocent:

 

SID

Circa 2003, Casual partner, Sid.  First time we ever had sex I got vaginal infection.  A-typical, no odor, no discharge, just painful inflamed vagina.  Doc gave me flagyl, cleared right up. Symptom relief within 12 hours of starting antibiotic.  Every single time I slept with this man the infection occurred (2x per month for 3 mos).  Every time cleared up with antibiotics. 

Greg

No sex for a year, then, 2004, new partner, Greg, same thing.  Same infection. Every single time infection cleared by antibiotics.  Went on for a few months. 

Mitch

No sex till 2009(5 years).  No issues whatsoever. Had monogamous relationship with Mitch who had excessive number of previous partners. First time we slept together, infection.  Cleared by antibiotics. 

This went on for a few months until the antibiotics stopped working.  Deciding my bug had become antibiotic resistant I began acquire other types of antibiotics.  They seemed to work, although I do remember struggling at times, feeling like nothing was working.  Never had a lesion or any external signs of any problem. 

I had doctors tell me that some people are just sensitive to other people’s flora and fauna and sperms just probably throws my system out of whack.  I started douching with hydrogen peroxide after sex and taking lots of pro biotics.  I had some success with this(we were together 3 years).  I began to have times when we could have intercourse without triggering an infection.  Last sexual encounter was November of 2013. 

I remember getting an infection at this last encounter and having a devil of a time getting rid of it.  Tried lots of antibiotics, went to lots of docs.  Nothing worked for quite some time.  I think it finally cleared with a round of clindymycin. 

Abstinence until February 2015 (15mos).  No infections, no issues whatsoever.

Mike

New partner Mike.February 2015, and sure enough, vaginal infection after sex.  I was able to clear with antibiotics (again, relief as soon as I start taking them). They quickly stopped working (in hindsight, too quick to be due to antibiotic resistance), but I was able to clear things up relatively well with metrogel (antibiotic gel).   About 2 mos in that stopped working.

Went to doc who said my vagina looked angry (I had been trying home remedies that were likely irritating)  She found a bunch of white blood cells and inflammation, but no bacteria.  Never mentioned any herpes like stuff.  She only tested for common vaginal pathogens, not thethe stuff mentioned below.

Infection kept coming back any time I had intercourse.  Went to specialist.  Specialist found e. coli and kelbsiella p.  Unusual pathogens for vagina, but a different kind of antibiotic cleared me up. 

Then, first time ever, infection came without intercourse (I am sexually active with partner of 9 months, but typically the infection was within hours of intercourse, this came after a week of abstinence).  Up till then ALSWAY associated with intercourse.  Tried new antibiotics, didn’t work.  Went to doc here in town (not my specialist) and asked her to see if new bacteria was the culprit.  Also pointed her to a teeny tiny pin head of a bump, more goose flesh looking than anything, at the top of the labia.  She wanted to swab for herpes.  Had never occurred to me and I knew it would be negative.  She broke it open and swabbed.  WHAAAAAAAAT!!! How can it be?  Positive for type 2.

I now have pain and pinching on labia and vulvua.  I never had this before.  I can see some other little teeny tiny bumps, but I would never notice if I wasn’t inspecting close.  The vaginal “infection” feels the same as the others, but the vulvar/labial pain is new.

I have elevated vaginal ph, which is indicative of bacteria.  Not sure if internal herpes sores might cause this as well. 

 

So…. Here is the riddle…. Where did I get this?

Thanks so much for your input.  I know it a lot ofinfor to sort through, and its really anyones guess.

2

Also

Mike has no symptoms

Never has

3

The virus is super sly and likes to show up when it wants to. If you've had no previous exposure to HSV usually you will start having symptoms fairly soon after exposure. Like a couple of days.. Sometimes you have it and have no symptoms at all ever. Sometimes you have it and it lays dormant for years and bam you're hit with an outbreak. As far as your previous infections they may or may not be related.. The first outbreak tends to be the most severe. When did she break that blister open? How recent was this? Some people have very mild outbreaks even if it is their first! Your body may just cope well with the virus and fighting back at the outbreaks. Is your irination excrutiating? Mine was so bad I had to have a catheter in for 7 days while I healed just so I could urinate without feeling like I was peeing razor blades. Usually the blisters will burst open and ooze for a few days and create sores that will scan over and begin healing.. My outbreak lasted almost 5 weeks from first symptom to post outbreak itching.. Which you will itch at the end.. Very annoying.

4

Thanks for your response Jordan

My gosh... That sounds truly aweful

Im sorry ... Sheesh... What a mess

My theory is i may have had this a long time. When i thought that my infections were becoming antibiotic resistant, maybe they werent infections at all.

She broke the blister friday

I kind of wonder if that didnt start rhe spreading on my external genitals. I think it had always been internal before, if thats what it was

5

Any things possible! It does spread when touched and immediately touching another area of the body! Sex can bring on an outbreak so your blisters could have very well just been internal and you didn't realize? Did those infections ever make you itchy or swollen down there? Yiu can get certain tests done I think an igg is what it's called to see how long you've had the virus? I think! I may be wrong about this! I have hsv1 genitally and I've only had one outbreak and that was plenty but I also know exactly when I was infected and I partially feel it was intentional but I can't change anything now.. I was diagnosed on October 16th last month and I've finally come to terms with this. Not ideal but life must go on. Just educate yourself and absorb all the knowledge you can! Speaking with others who also have this virus is extremely comforting and helpful as well! Especially in the newly diagnosed stage. I'm on this support group and another. I've only told one person I have this and that is my fiancé. Extremely supportive but I also infected him unknowing that I had the virus yes. He wasn't excited about having it too either but he wasn't mad. Telling him was extremely hard for me to do but I just came right out and told him as soon as we got in the car after my appointment to get my results. Having someone to tell and support you and listen to you helps a lot too. It's hard to truly trust someone with that information but anyone you plan on being intimate with its importan to disclose to them because condoms do not prevent this virus from spreading. Always a risk. Frustrating.

6

In all those years of getting a presumably bacterial infection after sex, did you ever get tested? If so, what was the usual culprit? They must surely have found something! And did this never happen before Sid whenever you had sex?

7

Some women experience BV or yeast with GH outbreaks, but not specifically e. coli and klebsiella. Douching is not good for vaginal health, but probiotics are, especially if you are taking one designed for women. Did you used to get the same vaginal problems even with condoms? Because that would seem to rule out irritations from sperm, etc. In any case, that's a most mysterious case you have there!

8

One more thing, and kinda personal, lol, but do you usually have both vaginal and anal sex or stimulation? Because that's a big no-no if the guy doesn't adequately clean up in between. That would certainly pass e. coli and klebsiella, which typically reside in the intestinal tract.

9

Thanks for your detective work !!

Had a normal sex life before sid

No infections

I didnt have consisten health care back then so would go to a doc

Get antibiotics and move on

The docs were treating tbe symptoms and the antibiotics worked so no harm no foul

I dont remember ever having a blood test and im sure i dind have a swab test

I remember one time in the Mitch era a doc told me i was negative for bv bacteria. But... I could have had the klebsiella or e coli mentioned below as thats not a standard test

10

Ahhhh

Condoms

I seem to remember being infection free for a short while when mitch and i used condoms to try and prevent

Eventually gave in to spontaneity

11

I called my doc to see if they would do a blood test and they said !!!!! Said it wasnt needed !!!

12

I meant they said NO

And i didnt mean to "heart" that post

I "heart" NOTHING about this

13

Lol, definitely nothing to <3 about GH et al., I agree!

Hmmm, so it seems as though Sid triggered or gave you something, which may or may not have been GH, masked by an unidentified bacterial infection (unless what he gave you was simply the latter, and GH came from one of the others).

Do you know much about Sid's background, ever observe any possible symptoms on his bits in hindsight? Also, I can't believe they never tested you in all those years(!!), although I'm curious to know which antibiotics you were previously prescribed before they seemed to stop working.

If condoms seem to stop this recurring bacterial infection (you should test this out again!), then possibly it's something that is being passed back and forth, since only you were/are the one taking meds for it. May well be completely separate from GH or indirectly linked. Cannot be GH itself, since antibiotics would have no impact, and sex with/without condoms should make no difference.

You did a vaginal swab recently that found those two bacteria strains, but it didn't turn up anything else? No pathogenic organisms (BV), candida, trich? Have you ever been tested for gonorrhea or chlamydia? If you have another post-sex episode, ask to do a high vaginal swab and possibly a urine culture.

Lol, what an intriguing mystery! Must be bl00dy annoying for you, however, for this to happen every time after sex!! :s

14

Its been pretty limiting

Sid had a lot og unprotected partners.... All ofvthem did.

I sort of think i got some weird recurring bv with sid

Flagyl always worked

Flagyl stopped working durring the Mitch era. Mitch had an excessive number of partners prior to me (possibly 100)

What i have now definitely has a different quality to it than the bv stuff... But i may just be paying attention to it differently

In a way i kind of hope its Mike because i want to keep sleeping with him.

I will have to stop if hes not infected.

#selfish

15

Flagyl treats both BV and trich, so perhaps that's what you had, and continue to have, and are passing it back and forth, since only you are being treated. Maybe you can ask Mike to take a course of Flagyl at the same time as you (men aren't typically treated for BV, but worth a shot!). E. coli and klebsiella aren't an issue if you were treated and he has since properly washed his bits, like I hope he would have done by now, lol.

You can also suggest a full STD panel for you both, including HSV-2, and see what comes out of that, assuming you've yet to tell him of your diagnosis. Then you can handle the lab reports together, as if the first time, but with forewarning in your case.

16

I havent told him yet

Dreading it

So far he thinks im abstaining due to recurring infection stuff.

Even though we have been sleeping together unprotected for 8 mos and the damage is already done, i cant bring myself to be intimate with him unless he knows

But im really not ready 😕

17

And use condoms in the meantime, saying you want to test the flora incompatibility theory and/or because you are both taking Flagyl, so you want to avoid reinfection.

You should try to pinpoint the problem and avoid excessive antibiotics, btw, as that's not good. For BV (not trich), have you tried probiotics specifically for women?

18

Crossed messages!

Perfect reason (recurring infection issues) to suggest a full panel plus HSV for you both in that case! (And Flagyl at the same time while waiting for the results.) Then you will know if he has HSV-2, and just act like the report is the first time you found out about it yourself. That will also buy you a little more time.

No unprotected sex until then, when you can both properly decide what to do next.

19

Ugh

I will feel terrible if i infected him

I am going to call my other doc and see if they will order the antibody test

20

So

My doc ordered a blood test

I will go tomorrow and get the results in about a week

What numbers am i looking for?

If Mike is the culprit its orobably been 6-7 mos ive been infected

If mitch or anyone else over 3 years