On January 15, 2017, I decided to call up a friend that I had known for about a year and had hung out with a few times during last year. (Biggest mistake of my life) We met up and got something to eat that evening, had some drinks, and headed back to my house. We had some more wine, and at that point, were pretty intoxicated. I normally would not have pursued sex with this person, but we had sex that night. I did use protection. About a week later, I noticed a tiny open sore at the base of my penis (closer to my pelvic region), and I thought it may have been a friction cut caused by the condom and my pubic hair. A few days later, the cut scabbed over, but then woke up last Saturday and noticed that my groin region had become very swollen, painful, and the area surrounding the cut was puffy and slightly itching. I was panicking! I called her that day but could not reach her. The next morning, the puffy area around the cut had broken and become a patch of open wounds. I denied what I thought it could be, but reluctantly began researching the symptoms. I finally got in touch with her and explained my symptoms, and she swore to me that she had been tested last month and all results were clean. Fast forward to yesterday, I visited the doctor, and lo and behold...it is what I feared it might be. She swares that she has never had any symptoms of HSV-2. I also asked her if she has ever SPECIFICALLY requested an HSV-1 or 2 test, and she said she has. The only other person I've slept with in the last year was my ex, and that was months ago. The timing is so close that I know it had to be this person that gave this to me, just still slightly confused on why she's never had an outbreak, but I did so quickly after contact. At any rate, I'm trying to be calm and educate myself on this disease as much as I can. For those that have had HSV for at least a year or more, what has been your experience with it when it comes to outbreaks, your love lives, etc?
Sounds like it's her. You should ask her to show/send you her negative test results for herpes. Mind you, she could have caught it since her last test, or tested too soon after infection.
People with no prior HSV1 infection are more likely to develop *symptomatic* gHSV2, if acquired. Why some do and some don't within this group comes down to genetics, immune system setup, other factors unknown, etc.
People with pre-existing HSV1 (wherever located, with or without symptoms) are more likely to develop *asymptomatic* gHSV2, if acquired, since the immune system recognises the similarities and reacts to immediately quash the nastier symptoms.
I did not know that people with HSV1 were more likely to be asymptomatic upon exposure to HSV2, but it makes sense in terms of how many people have HSV2 and don't know it! Given that the majority of the population has HSV1, it come as as no surprise then that 90% of people with HSV2 don't even know they have it!
I'm very disappointed in how little doctors know of the serious problems associated with genital herpes.
Thanks for for sharing your knowledge. This forum has helped me cope and manage this condition better than any medical advice from a doctor...any doctor.
Happy to help! Yes, I'm also frustrated about the lack of awareness amongst doctors and the general public. It also bugs me how some doctors and people fob it off as "just a skin issue" when it's a lot more than that, especially gHSV2. Knowledge is power, though, and I do find it helps to know what you're up against, although sometimes too much knowledge can cause more worries than otherwise warranted, lol.