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First outbreak

NerdyArtist

By NerdyArtist
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NerdyArtist Honeycomb Member

NerdyArtist

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Hello everyone, for the past week I've been suffering from my first outbreak. I was exposed by my significant other around christmas (wonderful gift, right?), I knew he had herpes but we took every precaution to avoid infecting me. But days later I found myself in my doctors office telling her about my symptoms.  I took a blood test today and several other labs knowing full well what they're going to say. I feel awful because I'm hiding this from my mom.  I'm in excruciating pain and I can barely walk, but I had to tell her it was an allergic reaction to latex condoms because I'm terrified of how she's going to react. I started my acyclovir  today and I just can't wait until this clears up. Getting an std has been my biggest fear for my entire life, but now it's my reality. Will I get another outbreak? Will it be this bad? How do I cope with feeling dirty and damaged? I feel like no one will ever want me again. I just have so many questions.

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New93 Honeycomb Member

New93

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What type do you have? And typically outbreaks after the first one aren't that bad I think. And I understand the feeling, but having this virus does not make you damaged or dirty in any way. Most of the population has it or has been exposed to it. Just try to keep in mind that this virus is a small part of you, it doesn't define you. And I've heard stories of people disclosing and not getting rejected so you will be fine. I hope you feel better. The diagnosis and first outbreak is always hard. I'm here if you ever need to talk!

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NerdyArtist Honeycomb Member

NerdyArtist

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13 hours ago, New93 said:

What type do you have? And typically outbreaks after the first one aren't that bad I think. And I understand the feeling, but having this virus does not make you damaged or dirty in any way. Most of the population has it or has been exposed to it. Just try to keep in mind that this virus is a small part of you, it doesn't define you. And I've heard stories of people disclosing and not getting rejected so you will be fine. I hope you feel better. The diagnosis and first outbreak is always hard. I'm here if you ever need to talk!

I have hsv2. And I've heard that the outbreaks following the first one aren't that bad, I'm just hoping that's true haha. Thank you for your insight!

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    • WilsoInAus
      HSV 2 Testing

      By WilsoInAus · Posted

      I really suggest that the best thing is for both you and your boyfriend to obtain the Westernblot HSV test. He has a 50%+ chance of being positive and you have a 50%+ chance of being negative. Only the Westernblot can sort this out for you.
    • WilsoInAus
      worried

      By WilsoInAus · Posted

      Hi @kpn the first thing to note is that it is all OK to have HSV-1 or indeed any HSV type. It is not negligence, it is just being human. Oral HSV-1 is not an STD in the sense that the primary transmission is non sexual and the majority of it occurs between parents to children. If any of your children contracted HSV, you would know it. It wouldn't be a silent infection for children. HSV-2 tends not to shed from the oral region for people who have it there in any event. At age 73, about 80% of the population has HSV-1. There is no reason to believe that your mother isn't one of those people. About half of all carriers of oral HSV-1 do not realise they have it and have no living memory of cold sores as they were infected when very young. The most logical explanation is that your mother has oral HSV-1 from her childhood and that your daughter doesn't have oral HSV. Not that it is relevant to anyone but yourself, but your wife might find she actually has genital HSV-1 having had an untyped swab when she was diagnosed.
    • WilsoInAus
      Anyone with oral blisters but negative igm/igg tests ?

      By WilsoInAus · Posted

      Hi @Dylan86 and welcome to the website. First note that you cannot pragmatically become infected with HSV-1 from sharing a drink. If you carry HSV-1, it did not come from that episode. As such it is extremely unlikely HSV-1 is the primary cause of your issues. Can the WB miss a HSV-1 infection? Rarely but its feasible in less than 1% of carriers who test with WB. Note that the WB does not have values, it has positive or negative as you say. It is way more accurate than IgG as it looks for all 30+ antibodies that are in your blood for HSV. Could you have HSV-1? Yes it is feasible, but it would be a very old childhood infection. Could HSV-1 be causing your oral issues? No herpes will not cause the burning mouth syndrome you describe. Could some of the lesions be herpes related? It is feasible if you are a carrier. But it is unlikely to be the primary cause of the issues, but its an opportunistic virus that can cause issues when something else is taxing your immune system. The best thing you can do is the PCR test on a oral lesion and that will be pretty definitive. Either way, in summary. I'd suggest there is <1% chance you are part of about 70% of the population that has HSV-1. Further there is less than a 1% chance that herpes is the primary cause of your issues.   
    • kpn
      worried

      By kpn · Posted

      My wife has had hsv 2 for around 8 years. We have two young children 3 years old and 18 months old. My wife only had one outbreak when she was first infected so we didn't worry too much about passing it on to our children. I understand the risk to be pretty low under those circumstances. I don't believe my wife took antivirals during either pregnancy. My younger child has diaper rashes pretty often and has had what I thought was hand foot and mouth disease. That was going around the daycare a while back. I haven't really given it much concern though.  About a week ago, my mother kissed my youngest on the lips. My kid was congested at the time but they pretty much always are. About 3 days later, my mother developed a cold sore on her mouth. She has never had cold sores in her life and she is 73 and happily married so she is not going around messing with anyone. She pointed to the fact she had kissed my youngest and presumed that is where she was infected. At first I said that's not possible since my child has never had any cold sores but since then I have really started to consider that maybe it is possible she contracted it from my daughter. This has me worried that my daughter does indeed have hsv2 and was shedding in her mouth. Does anyone have any experience with this? I am really losing sleep about this. Two people I care so much about got hsv from my negligence. I am fine if I were to contract it, I am not worried about what others think at this point in my life. I just don't want anyone else to have it. 
    • CHT
      Could this be genital HSV or something else?

      By CHT · Posted

      Hello DavidGua.... based on the two pictures, I'm not seeing anything that resembles a typical herpes outbreak.  I am not sure what those spots are on your penis.  Please have a doctor take a look and I'm sure you'll get a proper diagnosis.  Have you ever received an HSV antibody test (IgG)?  Again, I doubt your symptoms are herpes-related but, if you'd like some peace of mind, you could request the IgG antibody test for HSV2.   Best of luck.... let us know if you have any other questions/concerns.
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