First Herpes and now hpv too

I contracted herpes 6 weeks after dating my now husband. Of course we went back and forth about who had it first as we both tested positive. But, I knew I didn't have it...my initial OB lasted 5 weeks. It was so horribly painful I had to pee through a funnel I made with tin foil just to avoid urine touching the sores. I work with children so I was terrified that I could somehow accidentally pass it to them (I still struggle with this after 2 years). My husband said he must have had it and not known and admitted recently that one day he saw something on his penis but assumed he caught it in his zipper. Looking back he says it was most likely a sore. We were able to work through it and got married. 2 years after the H diagnosis I find out I'm hpv+. So now in the almost 3 years I've been with my husband I've contracted a virus I can never get rid of and now another virus that can cause cancer. My husband says he must have also had this but did not know. Now I am left to fear that I could also have something even worse. When he got tested for herpes 2 years ago he said he was tested for everything thing else and was negative. I also was tested and negative for everything else. I guess I feel so confused and now I worry that he didn't really get tested. Although difficult, I can live with hsv2 and hpv. what choice do I have? If I found out I had hiv or hepatitis I don't think I could accept that. I was so shocked when I received the letter after my annual pap smear that I was hpv + that I cried and screamed at my husband. I told him I will not have sex with him again even protected until he is tested for every possible std and I see the results with my own eyes. I am so scared of catching something else. I love my husband but I can't keep taking these risks. I had 2 pap smears prior to this recent one and both were negative for hpv so i'm confused how this latest was positive. I don't know if it lies dormant like herpes and I've had it a while. I guess I'm scared he may have cheated and gave it to me recently. Why does life have to be so hard? Sorry for the long post but hopefully someone out there can relate? I pray no one ever has to go through this in their lifetime..

@ann1997

Hello and Welcome!

First... BREATHE!

Well, sadly there isn't a test for men for HPV .. because there's no way to "swab" the upper end of the shaft of the penis. The CDC says that everyone who is sexually active will get at least one of the strains of HPV in their lifetime. Yes it can lie dormant and yes the pap smears could have missed it ... there's a specific swab for HPV but they don't usually do that one ... and the Pap smear only catches a portion of the 40 + strains of HPV..

So - do you know for sure if the one you have is the one that caused cancer? There are about 40 strains. 2 cause Genital Warts. About 4-6 cause cancer. The rest are a nuisance and usually go dormant after about 3 years.

Were you tested by an OBGYN or a Family Dr? If it's the latter please get to an OBGYN so that you get ACCURATE info and testing.

And BTW, I have BOTH kinds of Herpes (oral and genital) and I've had an abnormal Pap in the past which was likely HPV (it was before they knew that they were usually caused by HPV). So you are FAR from alone!

Check this link out to get better informed... and give your hubby a hug. It's highly doubtful that he cheated....

http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

(((HUGS)))

Omg no I had no idea that only certain strains caused cancer or warts. I have a regular gyn and I get yearly exams regularly. This July was the first time it's come back as hpv+. I lost it...I had tunnel vision reading the letter. Not only was I disgusted to know I have another std but I was really upset that I was sent a letter and not called by my doctor. What bothered me the most was at the end of the letter it said this is sexually transmitted so all the more reason to use condoms. Really??? I'm a married woman. I guess it makes me feel gross like I'm looked at as a person who is out catching diseases. I thought about finding a new gyn...one who would call me with such info rather than sending me a letter. What if my landlord downstairs or neighbor got it and opened it Jesus! But, then I would have to explain the whole H and now hpv to someone new and I just really don't want to. Sigh

thank you wscdancer for sharing and thanks so much for the link! I did feel better after reading what you wrote :))

Pffftt! I had hpv - warts.

and now i have hsv2-g...

Sure i was devistated 7 yrs ago with the hpv thing..

and hell ya i was a wreck with hsv..

but both are very managable.

We are all just a bunch of warriors trying to cope with devistation.

you'll heal in no time!! (Emotionally)

I certainly would look into finding a more compassionate Dr. Maybe ask around and find one that a friend goes to that they rave about .... in the meantime you need to ask them which strain you have and do you need to be concerned about the cancer risk ... they should have called you to tell you which one you have and explained all that to you :/

If at all possible, you should get your hpv typed to figure out what kind it is. I freaked out when I had an abnormal pap, but they then typed out and it turns out it wasn't one that causes cancer or warts - just temporary cell changes on the cervix. My following pap they did another hpv test and it came back negative - meaning my body "cleared" the virus and that I am very unlikely to be contagious. According to PP (last time I was ther anyways) 90% of women clear it in the first year, 95% by the second year, and 98% by the third. This could very well be the case with you! And if not, you just need to make sure you get a pap done every year to keep an eye on it.

Hey @sanngrior,

Since u seem to understand hpv more than i do...

i was diagnosed with upv warts in 2007.

Does this mean i still have the virus dormant in mu body? Or is it gone?

How can u know?

Willow,

The following link discusses HPV in great detail. Its a question and answer session with one of the STD experts from Medhelp.

You never "get rid" of the HPV virus ... but it seems that once it has run it's course, it goes dormant and doesn't *seem* to cause any problems.

The CDC reckons that everyone who is sexually active will get at least one type of PHV in their lifetime. Only about 6 of the 40 or so strains cause cancer. The rest just either cause warts (2 of them) or scare the shit out of you when you get your results back :/

http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/whatishpv.html

http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/pap/default.htm

Isn't that technically true of most viruses in general, though? I remember learning as a kid that you will always have every virus you've ever had in your life floating around in your body: colds, influenza, etc. because there is no cure for a virus. This was around the time we learned that there is no cure for the common cold (we were all shocked that day lol) and that you could still be contagious even if your symptoms were gone. BUT on that same note, you would eventually get to a point where your body gets the virus under control and would no longer be contagious. Hence, why you needed to drink lots of fluid and get plenty of rest and all those other good things you do to help your body fight the bug.

I've seen HPV described as the "common cold" of STI's and, put in that perspective, that actually made a lot of sense to me.

Speaking of common colds ... just got one..

uhhgg

@MyNewNormal

Hello and Welcome!

When your body manages to build enough antibodies against the flu/cold virus, it DOES kill it all off... but it will have a "memory" for that one if you happen to catch it again. This is why the Flu virus keeps mutating so much ... it has to stay one step ahead of our immune systems ... it's also why most of the time Flu vaccines are somewhat useless. The one you get today is based on Flu strain that was going around 4-6 months ago, by which time it's mutated and at best the vaccine will only help to assist your body in dealing with the Flu.

Yes, you can still be contagious once the symptoms are gone, but only for a very short while. Usually by day 10 you should be in the clear.

With HPV, it actually goes dormant in the system... and thankfully generally stays that way (unlike our Herp-friend) ... after 1-3 years.

hellooo!!! i can shed some light on hpv as I've read everything i can get my.hands.on...

there are around 13 different strands that cause warts or cancer. the cancer one does not cause warts and vice versa. for u ihaving the cancer related strand just get regular paps. and cryo anything irregular. mine is the wart.kind. which sucks. pregnancy flares it.. I've had it for going.on four yrs..and only one wart break out..

it began with constant itching and urge to pee..

just remember...PAP SMEAR. Id say as often as ur.doc suggests.

and as far as the herpes..im not new to it..per se...but it sucks too..however..i am surviving!! good luck