|
HERPES |
From: "Nuny"
To: <info@stdweb.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 6:05 AM
Subject: Worried
Firstly, thank god there are people like you who care enough about
others, to spend you own time to answer so many important questions.
After my first sexual experience, I got symptoms of burning urination
and a rash that was very itchy around my pubic hair. The rash/Irritation
seems to come and go every 2 weeks or so, but mostly, just an irritation
present.
They are not ulcers, but are very itchy, sometimes down my thighs and on
my buttocks and irritated my anus. They look like blind pimples, but
have no head on them, and usually go away on their own. Doctors told me
that it was nothing to worry about, back then, (10 yrs ago) that it was
probably just thrush, so i didn't worry about it too much, just put up
with the symptoms as it has gotten better rather than worse. I am now
married, (my second sexual relationship) and have discussed my concerns
with my husband, but he does'nt seem to be worried. We want to start a
family, but i am scared of passing it (whatever it is) onto my hubby and
baby to be.
Is there any way of finding out - If an ex partner has had an STD? ie;
if it is reported, and if that person has not let all contacts know -
how can I find out if I may have been infected .
More importantly - If you have a cervical smear testing specifically for
gonorrhea, will it show up positive if you have had the disease for
longer than 10 years? If it does'nt show up on a smear after having the
disease for that amount of years, how can you be tested for it?
I have had blood tests for Syphills, Hiv, Hep - all negative.
How do I stop worrying?
Hi Nuny
Thank you for you kind opening note. Your description indeed triggers a
suspicion of a Herpes infection. You may want to discuss this with your
Doctor and run some Herpes testing. Now you question about finding out
about your partner. Sexually Transmitted Diseases are reportable
situations to local Public Health Departments. Herpes is a reportable
diseases in may states. However the report of Herpes usually ends up as
a mere statistical information being the disease so widespread and the
Public Health Departments understaffed . For things like
Hepatitis,
Syphilis and
HIV people are usually contacted to obtain more information
about partners. For Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and others is usually a matter
of collecting numbers. However all the information given to the Public
Health dept. are highly confidential and not released publicly. So if
you want to find out if you were infected you must resort to STD
screenings, which you did and which were negative. Good. Now, for you
question about cervical smear and Gonorrhea. In the context of a
gynecological exam, the best test for GC ( Gonorrhea) is the GenProbe done
using a special kit and inserting a swab into the vagina and cervix.
This test is very accurate and will show the presence of a Gonococcal
bacterium.
If your are positive: how long has the bacterium being there? You are in
charge of the length of time. But 10 years!! My goodness!! If you are
negative: you can close the Gonorrhea case and think something else.
Finally the question: how do you stop worrying? You just do. Stop
it. Come bank in the present.
be
WELL.
Dr. Gian
|
From: Anonymous@aol.com
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:06:25 AM
To: webmaster@stdweb.com
Subject: Herpes
Hi,
A girl I've been intimate with just confesses to me that she has Herpes.
I used protection when we had sex but I was mainly concerned with
pregnancy so there was some contact before I put on the condom. I also
performed oral sex without protection. There weren't any signs of an
outbreak at the time but she is having one now. What are my chances of
having an infection? I'm going to get tested regardless. I just need a
straight answer. Please.
Mark
Hi Mark,
Although you and I have a body structure which responds to outside
stimuli and, in a sense, we are like machines, we are also such complex
machines for which making predictions is practically impossible. When we
want a prediction we use crystal balls and tarot cards. What we do in
science is called "Educated Guessing" which is an elegant way to say
blah blah blah.. Do you know of any weatherman who would bet his life on
his/her weather prediction? That is because the components of weather
and their interactions are so many and so variable. Just like us human
beings.
Now to your question: what are your chances to get an infection after
performing oral sex or unprotected genital sex to a partner with Herpes?
Your chances of being infected are HIGHER than a person who did not have
sex with an infected partner, and HIGHER than a person who protected
himself during genital or oral intercourse and HIGHER than a person
whose partner confesses before and not after a sexual intercourse about
having a Herpes infection. The Herpes virus is shed even when the skin
is normal and does not require a portal of entry but only skin friction.
And finally remember that during an encounter there are two entities
dancing at the same time: the virus and YOU. You with your immune system
and all the other bodily processes occurring all at the same time while
you encounter the virus.
Mark, thinking about chances, predictions and probability or anything
else may be entertaining but does not make much difference in the area
of STD’s. What makes a difference is ACTION: like getting tested ( and I
applaud your decision to do it; 2) getting treated, if necessary, and we
do have excellent antiviral and I hope it will not be your case; 3)
getting educated in the specific situation, like you are doing and...4)
finally grasping the opportunity to make a change in your behavior so
that you may prevent similar reoccurrence
Be well.
Dr. Gian |
Hi,
Could you please tell me what procedures are available to diagnose
Herpes Type 1 accurately.
I am doing research for a legal matter in which a Female plaintiff (35
yrs old) is suing a Male defandant (43 yrs old) for them contracting
Herpes Type 1. The Court Documents do not state Oral, or Genital Herpes
The plaintiff was serologically tested in 1995 at SUNY, Stonybrook
University Hospital in New York, with a positive result. The type of
test procedure is not known.
Also, do you, or can you offer any referrals, to provide "Chain of
Custody" testing for Herpes type 1.
This is for information therories only.
Thank you so much for your reply!
Sincerely,
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
You must distinguish between a recent exposure with or without symptoms
and a remote exposure. In recent exposure and during the acute infection
the best testing is a blood test for the detection of antibodies to the
virus of herpes. The type of antibodies present in the acute stage are
called IgM of both type 1 and type 2 Herpes infections. For a remote
infection, seropositivity and antibodies presence occurs usually a
couple of months after exposure. In these cases the antibodies tested
are of the type called IgG 1 or 2. The presence of antibodies is
indication of viral infection. As far as a "chain of custody," you may
want to request a procedure similar to the "chain of custody" procedure
done in blood-drug screening.
Greetings.
Dr. Gian
Dear Dr.Gian,
Thank you so much for your reply! I know that it
takes away from your valuable time. The information you have provided
helps me out considerably.
Regards,
Daniel
|
From:
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 1:13 PM
To: drgian@stdweb.com
Subject: I am worried about my daughter!
My 20-year old
daughter confided in me just a few days ago that she is afraid she might
have contracted Herpes from her ex-boyfriend. She said that early in the
week she didn’t feel well and a few days later she had one blister that
showed up in her genital area. She of course went on the internet and
diagnosed herself with Herpes. Only about three months ago she had
herself tested for all STD’s including Herpes and the blood tests came
back negative. She informed her doctor that she had unprotected
intercourse with her boyfriend and that was why she wanted to be tested.
Her doctor did not inform her that she should use protection at all
times, as a matter
of fact she never even made a big deal out of the fact that she had
unprotected sex with a Herpes carrier. He had told her that he is not
contagious when he doesn’t have an outbreak, and she believed him
because she knew nothing about this disease. So now it is possible that
she did get this virus from him, and she thinks her life is over. She
broke up with him, and now she has it set in her mind that she will
never date again because there will be no man out there who would want
to be with anyone like her, nor does she ever want to have children.
These are all things she has looked forward to in her live and now she
is just upset and cries a lot. I am truly worried about her when I
listen to her talk, and I don’t know how to make it better. I told her
that she should read up on this disease because there are many people
like he, if she actually did contract Herpes. We have scheduled another
appointment with her GYN who only had one thing to say when my daughter
told the nurse about her suspicions, she said: “I already checked her
for this.” Can you please tell me how I can help my daughter through
this difficult time?
Thank you,
A worried Mom
Hi,
It is not clear from what you say whether your daughter’s boyfriend knew
to have a herpes virus, and what kind, and if he had communicated that
to your daughter. From your description it is possible that your
daughter symptoms were a function of a primary herpes infection. What
your daughter could do is to have Herpes type1 and type 2 specific Immunoblot or, even better a Western Blot, antibodies test four months
from exposure and FIND OUT if she has antibodies to one or the other or
both viruses. Call 1-866-478-3417. We can help you with both tests. Having
done that…you have a place to start.
In the meantime tell your daughter that, whether we like it or not, our
bodies are also home to many bacteria and viruses which happily share
our living. Just ponder on the one and half pound of bacteria we usually
host in our intestine…and the chicken pox, the mono and other many
viruses, the staphs and streps and so on. They live with us. They are
us…hundred trillion cells plus some more with the viruses and bacteria.
There are people who have one primary episode of Herpes and never, ever,
one more flare up. There are people who have flare ups once a month.
What makes the difference? You make the difference. I have treated and
counseled many couples with one person or both infected with Herpes.
They can live a perfectly normal life. They need education in the
matter, counseling and some many need medications. Otherwise everything
else is normal.
So first find out and go from there. And that’s what you are already
doing, worried Mom. Keep going.
Dr. Gian |
From: Kathy
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 7:51 PM
To: drgian@stdweb.com
Subject: herpes
Hi dr grian
I cant seem to pinpoint an answer to this question: how long can herpes
stay dormant for before an outbreak? Ive heard that once you are
infected you will usually have an outbreak within 30 days. Ive been with
the same partner -- only about 10 times of protected sex and the rest
oral -- for 2 and a half years. He has not been with anyone else,
either…. What are the chances that herpes has been dormant in me for
over 2 and a half years or longer (sexually active for 6 years) and
also, that I have passed it to my partner and it also has been dormant
in him for these 2.5 years?
--helpme
Hi Kathy,
Picking up the virus and
have clinical manifestations are to separate things. Why? Since the
process is a transaction between the virus load and your immune system
you can have a variety of forms. So you can go from nothing, or almost
nothing, to the full “Herpes show” such as general malaise, lymph node
enlargement, fever, tingling sensation and redness, small blisters which
later open and leave wet ulcers which end up hardening out, crusting out
and disappear. There are however situations where the process may
reaches the first, second or third stage and then withdraw and stop and
you may end up having only some tingling sensations or the appearance of
a red area, or only of a blister that once it is formed shrinks, heals
and disappear. In all this variety of manifestations the modulation of
your immune system is very important and, of course, how much
participation you contribute to the show with scratching, pinching,
breaking, squeezing and so on.
Now, the virus likes the epithelial cells just below the waxy part of
the skin and once replicating there needs to survive and has learned how
to travel and hide. It has learned how to use the nerve pathway and
travels along those nerves which supply the infected area until it
reaches and hides within a hub called “ganglion”.
There in the ganglion it may remain sleeping {latent stage} and never
appear for the rest of your life or it may travel back to the epithelial
cells of the skin and fire up again. Some people, not many, may even
have monthly break outs!!!! Two factors seem to make a difference: 1)
the vigor of your immune system and 2) whether or not you are taking the
medications available for this condition.
What are the chances that the virus has been dormant in you? I can’t
answer since you do not say to have had a primary infection and since I
do not yet make predictions!!!. But you and your partner can be tested
and find out whether or not you have been infected.
Hope this helps.
Dr. Gian
|
|
|
