Hi #87800,

I am sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with herpes, it is common to have lots of questions and one of the most common is "how did I contract this virus?".

If your partner has tested negative to the Herpes virus there are a couple of possibilities as to why.

1) If your partner has only recently contracted the virus himself, the antibodies which a herpes blood test are designed to look for may not be created by the body yet. 

It can take up to 16 weeks for the body to begin to produce antibodies to the herpes virus.  If the test was taken too early it is possible that these antibodies will not yet show up, hence a negative diagnosis.  To help eliminate this possibility, you may like to suggest that your partner get re-tested in 2 to 3 months time. 

2) Your partner may not have contracted the herpes virus.  In this case, it is possible that you could have caught the virus at some other time in your life from another person. 

The herpes virus can be inactive for long periods of time (from months to years) and may decide to "show up" and cause symptoms at a time when your immune system is vulnerable, such as if you have been sick, under stress or some other factor which could trigger an outbreak. 

The other alternative is that you may have experienced symptoms previously that were so mild (such as a pimple, cut or rash) that you did not think anything of at the time and did not identify as being herpes or an "outbreak".

3) Was the blood test "type-specific"?  In other words, was your partner's blood test one that could tell the difference between Herpes simplex virus Type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 antibodies.  Anyone who has ever had a cold sore will most likely have HSV Type 1 antibodies, whereas HSV Type 2 antibodies are normally indicative of genital herpes.  The test cannot tell you where the location exists but it is helpful to know which strand of the virus has caused the infection.

If you are interested in learning more about the two different types of the Herpes simplex virus this article will be very helpful to you: http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_simplex_1_and_2.htm

The first outbreak is normally the worst because your body has not yet built up antibodies to the virus.  Thus, if there is a recurrence it is normally less severe.  However, the virus reacts differently for each person and the outbreak pattern is largely connected to your immune system.

In regards to treatment, suppressive therapies (such as Valtrex, Acyclovir and Famvir) all work in a similar way to suppress the virus and help reduce viral replication.  These drugs have not been proven to be effective if taken more than 72 hours after the symptoms begin.  So to get results from an antiviral drug it is important to start the course as soon as you feel the onset of symptoms.

I would suggest that you DO NOT use Hydrogen Peroxide on a herpes outbreak as it can sometimes make the outbreak worse and irritate the situation further.  If you are looking for a topical to apply to the sore to make it go away faster I would recommend trying Dynamiclear - it is specifically designed to work on HSV outbreaks and normally works very fast. 

You will also find a good list of Helpful Tips to relieve the pain and discomfort here: http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_home_remedies.htm

Warm regards,
Cindy Robinson

Herpes Support Team
http://www.dynamiclear.com