living_and_working

Hi,

I have been having a difficult (e.g upsetting) time lately playing the
genital herpes guessing game while I await a swap and blood test.

Is it possible to have a herpes outbreak that produces a sore (small
ulcer) 3 times over the course of about a month?

The 'sores' I am referring to (below) are approximately 2mm in
diameter. I think they first appear as a red spot on the shaft of my
penis and then quickly turn into a small sore with no blister or
lesion. They are not painful or itchy and heal very quickly. From the
onset, they are healed in 2 days and then are completly gone (not
visible) by the 4th day.

March 30th: I noticed that I had a crust from what must have been an
abrasion of some sort on the shaft of my penis. It went away in a
couple of days and I remember thinking a spot looked red a couple of
days earlier. Just when I started feeling good about things...

April 13th: I noticed what looked like a small 'scratch' near the site
of the first one. It soon looked more like a very small sore for about
a little over a day and then quickly healed. Just when I was feeling
good about things (it could be something other than herpes)...

April 23rd: I noticed a small spot that looked a bit more red than
usual. Later in the day it looked a little more pronounced (maybe
edges..but no sore). After masterbating later that night it look like
a small abrasion/ulcer. Two days later, it is almost healed.

I have read that genital herpes outbreaks can be so mild that no
blister(s) appear, just a small ulcer/sore that goes away quickly.

Doesn't a herpes outbreak follow a pattern whereby the lesions/sores
appear and then go dormat for awhile? Is it possible that these are 3
seperate outbreaks, even though my last suspected symptom was 7 months
ago? Could I be reinfecting myself in areas around the first
suspected site?

Everytime I try to see my doctor, by the time I get their, it really
doesn't look like much of a sore, and he makes me feel like I am being
a worry wart. He says it is not herpes (after the first sore) but I
can't think of what else it could be. Before, during and after the
first bump I had sensitive muscle aches in my buttocks - I just seems
to get uncomfortable quicker from sitting in one position. It was a
definate dull ache though.

I would feel a lot better if I could think of any other possible cause
for this. It could be irritation from masterbation, but I haven't been
doing anything special in the last month...

Thanks in advance for input,
Steve

grant

Hi Steve,

Well, there is no such thing as a typical herpes outbreak. So, yes, it
could be herpes. But it could be something else. There are a couple of
blood tests available that you can take and see if you have herpes
antibodies. Problem is that the blood tests won't tell you WHERE your
herpes is. So, if you test positive for type 1 herpes, then you could have
oral herpes or genital herpes. Or, if you have ever had a cold sore, you
will test positive for type 1 anyway. Ask your doctor about blood tests.

Good luck.
ar