Diagnosis: Acute Herpes Infection. We're skeptical. Thoughts?

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michael1919
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Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:30 pm
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by michael1919 on Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:49 pm

Diagnosis: Acute Herpes Infection. We're skeptical. Thoughts?

First post. Thanks for hearing me out.

Two weeks ago, my wife started to feel some pelvic discomfort and difficulty urinating. Within a few days, she started noticing painful sores or blisters on her genitals. Within three days of their appearance, she was examined by her OB/Gyn, who made a visual diagnosis of herpes, and ordered tests. I immediately had my own blood tests ordered at the same time.

1. Swab cultures from my wife's blisters returned NEGATIVE results.
2. My wife's blood tests (IGG) for HSV1 and HSV2 returned NEGATIVE results.
3. MY blood tests (IGG) for HSV1 and HSV2 also returned NEGATIVE results.

My wife and I have been married for 18 years, and we consider ourselves a mutually faithful, monogamous couple.

Although the doctor is refraining from making pronouncements about our personal lives/fidelity, after receiving the results, she's still fairly insistent that my wife (and I) carry HSV2, and that the negative blood tests results are caused by the short duration from the time of infection and the test date. The doctor's working theory is that the symptoms result from recent exposure to HSV2, and that blood tests held in 2-3 months will likely confirm this. (She chalks the negative swab test result up to bad luck).

Not very convincing. Adding to our skepticism? Quarantine. Lockdown. We live in a city with a lot of adherence to safety measures, and we've be a very observant family. Masks, distance learning for the kids, working remotely. If this is a recent infection, rather than one we might have carried long enough to produce measurable antibodies, it means contracting it while working from home. And social distancing. And homeschooling. I haven't been to the office in a year. My wife's even more homebound than I am - she's been tied to her laptop and a total hermit. I'm the one making the Target runs while she watches the kids. We've been living in a cave.

My research tells me that uncertainty isn't uncommon when diagnosing herpes; we get that. But between this constellation of factors - her negative blood tests, my negative blood tests, her negative swab tests, and yes, quarantine - the diagnosis feels like a stretch, and we're frustrated with the OB/Gyn's reluctance to walk us through (or test for) any additional possibilities.

My wife fully intends to continue her round of Valtrex for the time being, and yes, to undergo additional blood tests in a few months. (We both expect negative results).

Aside from getting a second opinion, which we plan to, does anyone have any ideas? Theories? Thanks so much!