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Incubation period of H - Did current boyfriend give this to me?


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I suspect the current boyfriend (of 2 months) gave me HSV-1, but I have a question about something the dermatologist said during my exam (before swab and blood tests).

 

I told her what my PCP had already diagnosed me with, and she shook her head and said, "Yeah. no. This is herpes."

 

I told her the story of how current boyfriend's mustache had rubbed a raw spot on my lip a week before my outbreak began, and that I kept touching it. She shook her head and said, "Yeah, no. He gave this to you. He probably doesn't even know he has it. The incubation period is right in line with him being the one."

 

Is that how incubation periods work? Prior to this massive outbreak on my face, I had never had a cold sore in my life.

 

Of course, I won't say anything hostile or accusatory to current boyfriend. I just wondered if the incubation period info was correct and if it might give me a leg to stand on as far as introducing the concept that he probably has this and did not know.

 

I had high hopes for this guy. I was thinking I was falling in love with him, and now I'm afraid of being rejected and being alone forever. I'm working on crafting a disclosure talk in my head.

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Help me remember..... the swab test came back positive for HSV1 and the blood test taken around the same time came back negative, right? No matter how confident the doctor is with making a visual diagnosis, I would only trust lab results.

 

If so, that scenario generally indicates a new infection, but it’s worth noting that the IgG blood tests miss a significant number of HSV1 infections, resulting in some false negatives. And it’s possible to carry HSV for years and have a first outbreak years later. As a result, I’m not sure you’ll ever be able to say with certainty this is a new infection or not. Now from the sound of your situation and the timeline you described, it does seem very plausible and even likely that this came from the new beau. Symptoms generally start to show (if you get them at all) roughly 2-14 days after infection (maybe it’s 2-10 or 2-12 days—-I have such a hard time remembering!!), so it does fit with your timeline. But if you’re looking for 100% certainty, I don’t think it’s coming. :(

 

One thing worth remembering here is that he may deny having HSV or deny giving it to you, no matter what you tell him. (I mention this because of comments he has made which you described in other posts.) An admission of having it, a willingness to get tested, or an apology...these things may never come. I hope I’m wrong.

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Hi, @hikingGirl. Thanks so much for your reply.

 

So far, I've received results only from the swab test. From what I understand reading through this forum and a few other reliable sites, the blood test may not give good results until several weeks after the initial outbreak, correct?

 

I haven't seen current boyfriend and probably will not have a chance to see him until after the holidays. This is good, in a way, because it gives me time to deal with all of this, process it, and work out the way I will bring up this whole conversation with him in person.

 

You are correct about a few things that he has said. At this point, I'm wondering if he said those things because he knows something (like that he already has it), or maybe he was attempting to be funny (which isn't funny), or maybe I'm way too sensitive about the whole thing right now.

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please try to see things in perspective. HSV-1 is super common, approximately 80% of the population has it. some people get it when their mom kisses them as a child, some people by a relative or a lover a bit later on in life. I got it after my mom kissed me at the age of 25. even though the first outbreak can be very intense symptomwise, the outbreaks that follow typically include having a cold sore for a few days by your lips and no major issues. And most people don't get very frequent outbreaks with HSV-1. So, it's a super common and very mild almost unavoidable infection (unless one lives in isolation). Getting rejected for having this super common infection does not make sense as most people have it anyway! I would even argue a disclosure for oral HSV-1 is a bit of an overkill. there is no point in making a fuss about such a minor issue in my humble personal opinion...just my humble opinion...

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My grandaughter (when she was 9) got a cold which was followed by a cold sore. I had never seen a cold sore on her before that day nor either of her parents. I asked her who she might know who gets cold sores and she replied "her granny." She has never had another sore and she's now married with children. I've often wondered if at some point she may unknowingly (I'm sure after 15 yrs she never even thinks about that one time) pass it to her husband. She may not even know that she could shed the virus. Just a thought!

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Yesterday I remembered more about that fateful weekend with current boyfriend.

 

Ihe wasn’t feeling well. He said he al ost called to let me know he thought he had tonsillitis and to ask me not to come. He felt tired and run-down the whole weekend. He had me look in his throat to see if his tonsil was swollen, but I have never had that “Mom skill” so I couldn’t tell.

 

He told me he’s had trouble with his tonsil (just one) since childhood. He put iodine on it a few times and said that’s what his mom always did.

 

Is it possible to have an outbreak in the throat?

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