UGH! These herpes tests!

Can I trust ANY of them? My first "outbreak" was mild, and I went in to my Dr before the blisters were open, so no swab could be done. Diagnosis was H though unsure of which type, and Dr said it was "certainly Herpes". The blender was turned on and my whole self image as in it! I found this site and began to look inward as I got educated. Less than 3 mos after that "mild outbreak", had another couple blisters and some mild discharge, so went in for labs and pap. Again, couldn't swab because blisters weren't "open" according to Dr, but we drew all labs. Again, she said it was certainly Herpes based on what she saw. We looked at every possible 3 letter acronym you ever hoped to avoid (and yes, I HAVE to laugh here :) and ALL labs/pap smear came back negative...YAY, right? But what was this "outbreak"? She told me to move forward as though positive, with continued efforts to reach out and shed the stigma, as well as the responsibility required of an H+ woman. When I had an "OB" last week, I waited for the blisters to open, and went in for a swab. Just got the call from my Dr that the swab is negative! I swear...do I laugh, cry, or WHAT?! I asked my Dr, "So WHAT he hell am I dealing with here. Because, you have now told me THREE times that these are "outbreaks", and it's been a pretty tough few months to now not know wtf I'm dealing with"! She said, "Well, could be some kind of 'allergy', but could still be Herpes. We'll swab again when it comes back." Notice she said "when"? Has anyone out there had a false negative on an actual swab? My Dr says she has only seen a false negative when the lab reported an error on their part, and it's only happened twice in her career. I swear, it feels like I no more than come to terms with things, and these tests don't match what the Dr says!

Well i just went by my blood tests. everytime i go in to the doctor my outbreaks cleared up by time they get me in. Even thougb the doc hasn't seen it down there i k.ow its there. I've heard the blood tests are pretty much spot on whereas I've read false positives and negatives occur with the swabs. i haven't done the swabs so i don't know. Just get them to do blood tests and it will settle all your doubts. Best of luck!

@aerial2013 I feel the exact same way. I'm going in at 2pm today but I almost feel like it's pointless. I'm 99% sure I have herpes although the first 2 times I went to my gyno she said she didn't think I had it ( the first time I was in for a yeast infection and the bumps had just appeared and she didn't mention them at all. the second time I went in specifically because of the bumps/scabs and she said it didn't look like herpes to her and not to worry). I'm going to a different dr today to see what she says, although the scabs are now almost gone. I don't know what else to do.. I can't keep laying around crying. Regardless of what she thinks today I'm going to ask for antivirals. I can't go through another awful 2week+ outbreak. I'm also going to ask for a blood test.

I thought we did the right thing not swabbing until the blisters were "open", and I also thought we did he right thing waiting a good spell after initial exposure for blood tests. With both reporting negative results for everything, I just don't know what to think!

Peach, the Dr actually said she was sure it was H, and that we probably needed to repeat labs so that antibodies were high enough to register. She actually thought the swab was going to be conclusive.

I hate to think of anyone else going up & down w/the diagnosis yo-yo, but would like to know of anyone's exp w/early false negatives, particularly w/swabs.

WCS, I wish we hadn't missed your post on here, but thanks so much for your response...Actually, my first and both subsequent "OB"s we're in the exact same place, same appearance, and yes, they did open up, and even get a scab like appearance as they healed. The dr called them mild because the two OBs she actually saw only consisted of 3 blisters. I went in before they did, though, and then couldn't swab later because she was out of the office for an extended weekend. I was thinking about the allergies, and I haven't changed any personal products or laundry soaps, etc.

Have u ever heard of false neg swabs, WCS?

update: I went in and and this new doctor says it doesn't look like herpes to her either. I got a blood test; results won't be back until next week because of the holiday. I feel like all these doctors do is get my hopes up and in the end I'm going to crash harder than when I first suspected I had it. :(

I haven't heard of any false neg swabs @aerial2013, but I guess it's possible? @adrial might know

I hear you! Just had a 45 minute conversation w/my Dr, (our second conversation of the day) who btw is an awesome woman. My issue hasn't ever been with her, I've just had alot of confusion over test results. I was told to still proceed as though positive even though swab came back "inconclusive". I told her I was confused by her saying that because she reported "negative" to me earlier today. She confirmed that was what the actual lab report said, but she had no explanation whatsoever for the blisters other than H and wanted me to proceed as though positive. Her concern at this point is with the labs handling of the sample, as well as for me to be able to get the anti-virals paid for by my insurance....

And so it seems this will continue w/out anything definitive in terms of the tests. Talk about a lesson in waiting patiently...ok, maybe not so patiently at times! HA!

Aerial; Do you know what test they ran? Supposedly the most accurate is the PCR blood test ... supposedly very accurate...it looks for pieces of the viral DNA. I don't know if they use that only for the HSV2 tho because what I found says it looks for the "Genital Herpes". You may want to ask about that. the Serologic test looks for antibodies and may give you an answer as it can tell you if you have type 1 or 2. If they all come out negative, then you may need to look for other answers.

Reposting this which was on the other post that Adrial deleted because it came up twice...just for reference....

First - (((HUGS))) and glad you are seeing *some* humor in the situation. What a DRAG!

I wonder if the Dr is right and you have some sort of allergy/ingrown hair type issue.

In my experience, OB's come back in the same place or very near by each time - is that the case with you? Or is it moving around? Also, given that your first OB's didn't open and blister up (usually the first ones are the "really bad" ones), also makes me wonder about whether this is indeed Herpes. I would ask for a culture if you get it again too, to see if you are getting some sort of acne/bacterial infection. I have a friend who gets dreadful acne on her bottom when she's stressed or eats certain stuff and I could see that as being confused with H.

If you are still not getting an answer after the next go-round, then I might try a different Dr with a different lab... just in case. Ya never know......

Crossing fingers for you that it's not H ...just cause, well, who needs it really? We learn to live with it but it's certainly an inconvenience that no one "needs"

Keep us posted.... all information is good information and I'm finding that reading all these posts is giving me more determination to get H taken more seriously by the medical profession so that better info/tests/etc can come about in the future...

I will find out which blood test was done. The range for results shows levels < .9 are negative, .9 to 1.0 are "equivocal" , and >1.0 is positive. My result was .9 @ about 2 months out from initial outbreak. I don't yet have the printout from the swab.

And btw...u r clearly the brains around here! LOL! Who else goes around talking PCR vs Serologic? LOVE it!

Not brainy...just really good at doing research...

And been dealing with this for quite some time, so I've had plenty of time for research :)

I have been reading this post and I can't believe they said that to you. when I went into the e.r because of the intense pain and all kinds of ulcers that looked like cankersores the dr. swabbed the open ulcers and took a culture. (that was my very first outbreak) I about went through the roof the pain was like none other. I would find a second opinion. like what WCSD said.

BTW, is your Dr a General Practitioner or an OBGYN? If she is a GP, I would DEFINITELY get a second opinion ... from an OBGYN ;)

Yes, she's FP. I'd call and get in with my OB/GYN after Thanksgiving, but probably better wait til it happens again, this most recent episode is cleared almost completely. I just assumed a test is a test, have always loved my F Dr., and my OB/GYN is much farther away. Nexis, was the culture you had done available immediately through the hospital, or did you have to wait?