fortyninethousand322 Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 This is the problem with the general population...they think doctors are gods or saints or something. There were people in my med school class that didn't believe in evolution, who ate texas toast every day, were homophobes, who womanized, etc. Doctors are just people....a lot of what you know doesn't get applied to your life. As I said earlier in this thread, it's a big argument against occupational licensing.
TaurusTerp Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 As I said earlier in this thread, it's a big argument against occupational licensing. I don't think I understand what you mean. What does being imperfect have to do with getting a license to practice medicine?
fortyninethousand322 Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 I don't think I understand what you mean. What does being imperfect have to do with getting a license to practice medicine? Licensing doesn't guarantee quality. I'd rather take my chances without the licensing. It can't be any worse than what we've got now...
TaurusTerp Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) Licensing doesn't guarantee quality. I'd rather take my chances without the licensing. It can't be any worse than what we've got now... You know you don't HAVE to see someone with a medical license right? There are plenty of naturopaths, shamans, whatever if you want to see someone else. I've heard of patients going to chiropractors to treat their cancer. Whether or not you'll get better treatment is a different issue, but it's a free country. Edited November 27, 2012 by TaurusTerp
Balzac Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 Give me a doc who has a fellowship complete and board certified. Preferably at a large urban teaching facility.
Stephanie Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 ***Moderators Note*** Lets keep this thread about the topic of the original post please. He is seriously saying that herpes type 1 is a dealbreaker for him Is it me or is this total douche behavior? Is this a dealbreaker for someone else out there??
zebracolors Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 It is just something so minor to eliminate such a big group of people for. I mean I don't think anyone goes out and seeks people to date who have herpes, but if I met a guy and liked him a lot him telling me he has Type 1 herpes, which like 60% of people have, is not going to be a deal breaker. Actually 90% of the population. I get lip blisters once in a while, and I spoke with my Dermatologist about it and thats the figure he at least told me about the oral one. Its also currently unknown just how or why it is that some people can have it but never get outbreaks. He also told me that someone is sometimes able to give it even if they don't have a sore, but only certain times within a year, presumably on some unknown cycle. But that part Id actually like to get a second opinion about. I also asked him if it shows up on a blood test, but he said something about how they would need to be looking for it specifically when they test the blood. IB brings up a good point that really there are worse things out there to have, and someone may be a little delusional to think that they are never at, or ever going to be at risk of getting H.(at least the oral one) I think if there was more emphasis on education about it, maybe more people would be understanding as to why they shouldn't be ignorant about it. While it is unfortunate to have it, it doesn't have to mean you should never be intimate with someone again. But what i wonder. Given that such a high population has it, yet it still is mostly under wraps in society, and apparently has a stigma about it, what does anyone think about whether or not to tell a potential intimate partner that you get cold sores? Obviously, if someone has never had a reason to think they have it, they probably won't want to take the risk of getting it. There fore, they might run for the hills. That would be their choice to make IMO. I know I would feel terrible if I came to really like someone, but they disappear after I tell them. At the same time, you can't really hide it because they'll wonder why you don't want to see them for 3-4 days.
KatZee Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) I don't know if it's been posted on here because I'm not scrolling through 5 pages of a herpes debate BUT Acyclovir is used to decrease pain and speed the healing of sores or blisters in people who have varicella (chickenpox), herpes zoster (shingles; a rash that can occur in people who have had chickenpox in the past), and first-time or repeat outbreaks of genital herpes. So there's no saying WHAT this housemate has unless he asks. Aside from THAT, yes herpes would be a deal breaker for me. I'm a woman and I think my world would be devastated if someone infected me with painful, oozing, sores that erupted whenever they felt like. Also, half of women infected with herpes also get cervical cancer. I want to be able to have children naturally and not worry about passing an STD to my child. I want to be able to live with a healthy reproductive system and not have to worry I may become sterile due to having my reproductive organs removed due to cancer. And ESPECIALLY if someone had sex with me and didn't tell me they were a carrier, or lied about it, and THEN passed it to me, you bet your ass i'd file charges against him. People seem to think Herpes 1 isn't that bad, it's "just a cold sore" but it's very real that herpes 1 is passed along and becomes genital herpes. Can herpes be transmitted by oral sex? Genital herpes can be transmitted by oral sex and can be caused by HSV I or HSV II. The transmission of herpes can occur in the absence of lesions and during asymptomatic shedding. This is one of the reasons why the population of patients with genital herpes caused by HSV I is thought to be increasing. NO THANKS! Edited November 27, 2012 by KatZee
Drseussgrrl Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 I'm guessing that the vast majority of people who get cold sores, such as myself, lead completely normal lives aside from getting the occasional sore on my mouth. It's no more bothersome than getting a big zit. And do you mean to say that half of women who get "genital herpes" get cervical cancer? Or HPV in general? What? Because the majority of sexually active people have HPV also - sometimes the body clears itself of it, sometimes you get an abnormal pap, some strains cause warts. In all honesty, unless you have only had sex one person who has only also had sex with you, you are at risk of contracting anything. Chances are you already have or have had HPV and you could very well have HSV 1 and not even know it.
KatZee Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 I'm guessing that the vast majority of people who get cold sores, such as myself, lead completely normal lives aside from getting the occasional sore on my mouth. It's no more bothersome than getting a big zit. And do you mean to say that half of women who get "genital herpes" get cervical cancer? Or HPV in general? What? Because the majority of sexually active people have HPV also - sometimes the body clears itself of it, sometimes you get an abnormal pap, some strains cause warts. In all honesty, unless you have only had sex one person who has only also had sex with you, you are at risk of contracting anything. Chances are you already have or have had HPV and you could very well have HSV 1 and not even know it. We're not talking about HPV, we're talking about herpes. HPV is the equivalent of a common cold, yes, pretty much everyone who has had sex has contracted HPV, in some cases HPV causes WARTS, which are NOT the same as the herpes sore. And no, I don't have the herpes virus at all. I have never had a cold sore on my mouth (thank God, because my mother gets them and they are huge and look seriously painful) and I've never kissed anyone with any sort of sore looking outbreak. I'm going to try and avoid that if at all possible.
angie2443 Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 Also, half of women infected with herpes also get cervical cancer. Actually, this is a correlation, which does not equal causition. It is a number of strands of the HPV virus that you really have to worry about. Like the herpes virus, you can have that forever and never know about it. Herpes Virus Linked to Cervical Cancer From what I can understand, there are many strands of the herpe virus. Chicken pox is one of them. I wonder now if you can get genital herpes from the chicken pox strand of the virus. Another thing to be paranoid with, I guess.
Author eleanorhurting Posted November 27, 2012 Author Posted November 27, 2012 We're not talking about HPV, we're talking about herpes. HPV is the equivalent of a common cold, yes, pretty much everyone who has had sex has contracted HPV, in some cases HPV causes WARTS, which are NOT the same as the herpes sore. And no, I don't have the herpes virus at all. I have never had a cold sore on my mouth (thank God, because my mother gets them and they are huge and look seriously painful) and I've never kissed anyone with any sort of sore looking outbreak. I'm going to try and avoid that if at all possible. unless you have been tested, there is no way of knowing
runningfar Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 they DO NOT test for it in routine screenings or ever if you don't have an outbreak. You could have herpes simplex, get a full STD screening, and still not know you have herpes . Just repeating for all the people that are so sure they are clean. There is not a good screening test. They do not do it if you have no symptoms. If you had a close family member with it you almost certainly have it symptoms or no. The common tests (because the viral test is so inaccurate not used except to determine type of infection verified) need sores to test 1
todreaminblue Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 I think it is harsh to exclude people because of cold sores they may or may not get.......but that is his choice and his feelings on the matter......doesnt matter what anyone else thinks he wont change his mind and that is his right to choose what he accepts or doesnt accept.....deb
AMusing Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 Yep, the majority of people are carriers for HSV1, like many other posters have said. Most of them won't get cold sores, but I believe somewhere around 1/3 do. Scientists aren't sure why some people suffer from cold sores and other carriers don't; it's likely at least partly genetic. And, like other posters have said, the majority of carriers have no clue that they ARE carriers (how could they know?). So unless you have gotten an HSV test (it's not part of a typical STD panel), saying you don't have HSV1 makes you look uninformed. Oh, and it's best if you've taken the test at least a few months after you've last kissed anyone, since it takes a while for antibodies to develop sufficiently for you to test positive. And then, the negative results are only good until you kiss someone again (including a chaste peck from a relative), because each time you come into contact with someone you risk contracting HSV1. Did I mention, even then, the blood test isn't perfect? No test is. Let's look at some recent scientific articles. Take the typical ELISA test (a popular blood antigen test that will test for HSV1/HSV2--but can't tell you which strain you have). Patients who have and HSV will have a positive test only about 91-96% of the time (this is called the sensitivity of a test--the probability of a positive test, given disease). That means 4-9% of people tested, who have an HSV, would be told they don't. Now, if you were to ask for a test that specifies HSV1 vs HSV2, the available ELISA test is even worse; the sensitivity for that test is around 69%. Disclaimer: these numbers are just from recent scientific articles I pulled up on PubMed. I only skimmed the papers, so while they were peer reviewed scientific articles, I can't vouch for their validity. A professional in the field might have more recent results or may tell me that everyone uses a different test nowadays that is more sensitive. Now back to the OP's original question. Cold sores are annoying and gross, and the OP's boyfriend has every right to say he doesn't want to date a woman who gets cold sores. He has the same right to say that about overweight women (~60 of women are), women who get pimples, or women with blonde hair. Is he a dick? Yep. Is he misinformed about HSV1? Sure. But it's still his right to discriminate however he sees fit. Just like it's her right to kick his ass to the curb (which I highly recommend, based on this and previous posts). On a side note, I'm starting to think med students are stereotypically some of the most close-minded people I know as far as illnesses are concerned. I wish they were required to take more probability, biology, and epidemiology courses so that they could have a better grasp of the diseases behind the symptoms they're treating. Whew, ok, time to get off the soapbox. 2
Eternal Sunshine Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 I must be a complete freak of nature. I have lost count how many guys I made out with - certainly over 50, probably 50-100. I never had a cold sore in my life. I have had unprotected sex once, months ago and got tested for everything recently including HSV1. It all came back clean and I even tested negative for HSV1 It's pretty much a statistical impossibility, but hey, I will take it 1
ja123 Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 Never have had cold sores, recently tested for all diseases. Im clean. No thanks, dont want herpes. HSV1 tests are very seldom run with standard STI blood testing, to my knowledge. This is because HSV1 is so common, it is almost expected that a person might probably have it (even if there aren't outbreaks.) Did your test include just HSV2, or HSV1 also? Plus, there can be false negatives for HSV. In addition, one can get HSV1 on genitals.
ja123 Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 (edited) What should I have said? Right before he kissed me should i have said "oh, by the way, my mom and my sister have HSV1 so odds are I have it too even though I have never had a cold sore. Do you still want to kiss me"? I'd ask him to get a HSV1 test. I wonder how he would feel if his results came back positive? Edited November 28, 2012 by ja123 1
Author eleanorhurting Posted November 28, 2012 Author Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it
fortyninethousand322 Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it I think you should put the relationship on hold until he brings proof that he's an adult with a functioning brain... 7
LittleTiger Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it If I were you, I would go for the test and insist that he gets tested too - for everything! When you get the results (whatever they are) dump him! 1
johan Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 I think you should put the relationship on hold until he brings proof that he's an adult with a functioning brain... We need the government to step in on this one. We could all be required to donate a few brain cells, making us each only slightly, unnoticably dumber. And those brain cells could be redistributed to truly needy guys, like Fred.
Anela Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it I don't know what to say that isn't unkind. For someone so concerned with "red flags", he sure does come with a number of his own. 3
Pyro Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it I know that you have self respect and dignity and to prove it you need to end things with him IMMEDIATELY. Wow what a douche. 3
Citizen Erased Posted November 28, 2012 Posted November 28, 2012 He told me he wants to put our relationship on hold until I bring proof that i dont have it Good, let him wait for that proof while you go out and have some fun. How long will it take before he catches on you're not coming back... 4
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