Herpes or misdiagnosis

[Talkhe]

In 2015 I had some cuts on my vagina. I was convinced they were from scratching as I have always been a bit of a night scratcher down there. Anyway I went to the GUM clinic to get tested about 4/5 days after they appeared, they person testing me say they look like I have scratched and not like herpes but will test anyway. A week later I got a phone call to say I have herpes, no other info other than that. This has happened several times again and everytime I can remember scratching or being a bit hard with the toilet roll. They always look like little cuts never bilsters. Twice when this has happened again I have got down to the GUM clinic to test in a day or two for more accurate results. Both times the tests have been negative.

now I can’t stop thinking, was the first time a misdiagnosis, can that happen? Everytime they have said it doesn’t actually look like it and I have no other symptoms other that the little cuts.

Ask for a print out of the lab report maybe. If the lab did confirm it then I’d assume it had to be.

I once had a dr insist I had herpes. He swabbed a couple of occasions but the swabs came back negative. He kept saying ‘just because it wasn’t cultured in the lab, doesn’t mean It isn’t herpes’. Horrible man. He swabbed DH (then boyfriend, a cold sore sufferer!) and told him that as it was a new relationship he should think about leaving me! Tosser. Anyhow, my ‘herpes’ symptoms magically disappeared with thrush treatment. It was just horrendous thrush.
My point it, misdiagnosis is possible but if the lab confirm it then it was, if the swab was negative it could just be that whoever phoned you was as awful as the dr I had.

I was also misdiagnosed herpes by a nurse at a sexual health clinic. It was very traumatic to be misdiagnosed - it made me question my relationships, past sexual encounters etc. Turns out it wasn't that, just a rash.

How did you find out did you get tested again?

I never had a positive test - it was diagnosed on sight, which clearly wasn't correct

I get thrush from sanitary pads and loo roll, that gives me little cuts where the skin gets so irritated it cracks. Could it be thrush (v common)?

I had a lesion like a papercut that returned in the same place over and over. GUM doctor said it could be herpes though it didn't look herpetic. Eventually diagnosed with Lichen Planus but it took many visits over a year.

It's unlikely to get a false positive the only way that could happen is if they mixed your results and swap with someone else's - unlikely. It's easy to get a false negative if they just don't scoop up enough of the virus to detect. Similar with pregnancy tests - you never get them showing positive accidentally but sometimes they show negative as the person is testing a bit early or didn't wee enough on it

Had a GP in my mid twenties, couldn’t do his job (aaah) should have given up the game but didn’t as he could’t tell dry skin from an inch on a vagina.

oh he delighted in sending anyone up to Colchester County (now luxury flats) cos he knew best (not) even when it was excemia on your fan Jo, but Years ago he could be forgiven why. !! How many people now have respect for you doc ??!!