After this, I recieved 5 negative blood tests and a negative PCR test of vaginal secretions. I DO NOT have herpes 2.

I went in with vaginal irritation that was not indicative of herpes, but I was scared and wanted to be sure. I explained to her that I had chronic irritation down there for 4 months (not at all typical of herpes). I had no sores on the outside, so she looked inside for all but about 2 seconds and then says, "yep, that’s what it is". I panicked and asked her if she was sure. She said that she has seen this a lot and was very sure, but if I wanted to go get tested for my own peace of mind, I could. That's when she gave me the form I posted above. She was cold, mean and annoyed that I would question her judgment. Once I got the negative tests results, I called and left a very angry message on her answering machine. She never called me back.

And similar experiences have happened to many others. Below I list some true stories that have happened in my life. And I'm just one person out of millions. Luckily I knew a little more than most about this virus to be able to navigate through these situations and get the accurate result I needed. However, many people just trust what the doctor says and live with a life-altering misdiagnosis forever. What a shame!

My True Stories

True Story #1

Years ago, I went to my regular doctor and asked to be tested for genital herpes (HSV2). I had no symptoms, but I was just always freaked out by it, so I get tested periodically, even though I'm extremely careful. Basically my doctor sends the order to his nurse from his laptop, and then the nurse has to choose which test I need from a drop down menu, so you can probably see how easy it is for this to go wrong. The nurse calls me a few days later and says "it's positive". I said, "what’s positive?" She said "your HSV test". So of course I felt all the blood rush from my head to my toes in a split second. I then asked "which one, HSV1 or 2?" She says "I don’t know, it just says positive". Long story short, they gave me a COMBINED test, which means it comes back positive whether you have herpes 1 or herpes 2. Doctors must order a type specific herpes test, especially when someone already has cold stores, which is generally caused by herpes 1! It's unbelievable how many doctors are seriously clueless. After I got extremely upset and got to the bottom of what had happened, my doctor called apologizing saying he can't even believe such a test even exists. Well, yes it does exist and I believe there are many more people who have been misdiagnosed and don't even realize it.

True Story #2

Some years ago, I had met a new guy who seemed nice and after speaking and getting to know each other for a couple weeks, I let him know that I always require testing before getting physical. He agreed that it was a good idea and went to get tested. Once his tests came back, he texted me that he has some bad news and that he'll call me later. Needless to say, he was devastated when he told me that his doctor told him that he was positive for BOTH herpes 1 and herpes 2. He swore it must be a mistake because he never had any symptoms and didn’t even really know much about this virus. I told him many people have it and do not know it. He still insisted that something must be wrong. We were both very upset and confused. After a few days I remembered what had happened to me before with the combined test. I told him to send me his test results so I could check them and see what kind of test he was given. It was confusing; it said HSV1/2 IGG. I suggested that he may have been given a combined test and not to panic quite yet. He ended up going and getting a TYPE SPECIFIC TEST and sure enough it was negative for herpes 2, but positive for herpes 1 (which most of the population already has anyway). We were both so happy, and at the same time so angry at that doctor. We ended up writing an email to the doctor explaining what had happened and suggesting that he call back any of his other patients that he had diagnosed as HSV positive and offer to do a re-test. He was completely unapologetic, and reluctantly and nonchalantly admitted that my boyfriend was in fact negative for HSV2.

True Story #2

After 4 months of dealing with strange vaginal irritation, I went to the gynecological doctor to be checked. Vaginal irritation lasting 4 months is not indicative of herpes, but I was scared and wanted to be sure. And at that time, I didn’t know what I know now. I explained to her that I had chronic irritation down there for 4 months. I had no sores on the outside, so she looked inside for all but about 2 seconds and then says, "yep, that’s what it is". I panicked and asked her if she was sure. During my panic and pleading, asking her if it could be something else, she began to draw on a piece of paper of what she saw, which was a red spot with uneven edges. She said that she has seen this many times and was very sure, but if I wanted to go get tested for my own peace of mind, I could. That's when she gave me the form I posted above. She was indifferent of the pain and suffering I was going through just having received this life-changing diagnosis. She didn’t seem to care and almost seemed to enjoy giving this diagnosis. Once I got the negative tests results, I called and left a very angry message on her answering machine. She never called me back. So just keep in mind, doctors are people just like you and I, and they have their own issues. It’s called a “medical practice” because they are “practicing medicine” and clearly do not have all the answers. Always use your own judgment and intuition, and get second opinions if you need to.