19 year old positive for HSV-2
(Atlanta, GA)
So when I got home from college, my sister and I both switched gynecologists, because I had been seeing an adolescent gynecologist up until that point and I decided I was adult enough to switch to a different gynecologist and see if I liked them any better. The exam was okay, everything was normal, she asked me about my sexual history...and I told her, blah blah blah. I asked her to run a test for STD's because I hadn't been tested for about a year and thought it was safe measure to just get tested. I was mainly just trying to know that I was clean so I could have that reassurance. They took blood, told me that I would get my results online in 7-10 business days and they would call me if there were any issues with the blood work.
7-10 business days later...I get a call. I was awake early and getting ready so I missed it and received a voicemail. I listened to it on my way to driving my car out to the dealership to get it serviced, and realized what the call was...it was about my blood work, and I should give them a call as soon as possible. My heart sank...and I thought "oh my god...I have HIV". I spent the next hour and a half waiting to get a call back from the lady from the lab, biting my nails, fighting the tears..feeling my blood buzz through my body, and fidgeting. Finally I got the call. The lady says "Hi, so your blood work all came back negative, the HIV etc, but there was one problem, you did test positive for the herpes type 2." All I feel right now is relief that it isn't HIV...but then it starts to sink in a little. I take it in stride though, I'm no stranger to incurable things in your body that you can't ignore or get rid of, having struggled with ADHD my whole academic career and having to be medicated for it. But then I called me...sort of boyfriend, and explained the situation and he got really upset.
So then I started thinking...WHAT THE FUCK...where the hell did I get this from?! I racked my memory...for days trying to figure it out, and I remembered one person who could have given it to me but I used a condom? So..its narrowed down to three people but I have no idea who it could be because I was pretty positive all had been tested and came back negative, except for the one guy I didn't know about the test but I used a condom with. Still haven't had any symptoms...my stomach does a little flip flop whenever I get an ingrown hair, but you know I had those before I got the positive test.
Honestly, I dont know what to think. I'm getting re-tested in august, I'm mainly just confused, and angry. But whats one more thing that will give people a reason to reject you? I dont know how to feel, I think I'm dealing with it pretty well. I can't ever think of an instance when I had an outbreak..I think I would know, I'm pretty well educated on STD's. My partner still wants me though, so at least I have him, but even if I didn't, I think I'm finally coming to terms with everything.