Newly exposed. First outbreak

[grateful one]

Hi. I have been dealing with Herpes in my genital area for about one week and am not sure if it is 1 or 2. I am waiting on the diagnoses. It has been PAINFUL. Today, i had all of this nerve pain. It was difficult to walk. My feet were hurting every time i stepped down and i am very sensitive to touch. Today is the first day i went online and starting reading on Herpes. Kinda scary! There are some people who have lasting nerve pain and damage. How common is this? Is there any advantage to taking some kind of medicine NOW at this stage that might prevent lasting nerve damage or "issues"?

I really just do NOT want to go down the emotional drain with this. I see the potential for that. I am staying in the moment. Breathing. Meditating and resting. Allowing my body to get through this flu-like painful part for now. I really wanted to connect with others ASAP just to get a sense of the lives that go on and are functional and full, etc. Thanks. ~Grateful one~

[MsLucy]

Well, Grateful, if you're looking to connect with people in the same situation, you came to the right place. Welcome. As for the tingling and touchiness, bear in mind that your first ob will usually always be the worst one, mainly because your body is still trying to produce enough antibodies to fight it. And to be honest, the first ob can last a while... up to a few weeks. So prepare yourself for that possibility.

It's good that you've started to investigate the facts about HSV. There's much to learn, and the more you know, the better prepared you'll be to help your immune system along in preventing ob's and lessening their severity when you do have them. Bear in mind that the pictures and descriptions you read on line are often worst case scenarios, so don't let them freak you out.

The nerve pain and tingling is not unusual, and at this point, I wouldn't worry too much about it becoming permanent. For the vast majority, it's not. When I had my first few ob's, I had a terrible time with just what you describe. I've found that it subsides though, with time, just as your ob's will. Now it hardly bothers me at all. It can take up to a year for your body to produce enough antibodies to effectively deal with the virus, and until then, you're bound to experience more of these types of discomforts. That's why it's important to keep your immune system strong, and try to stay as well as possible.

I assume when you mentioned medicine, you meant suppressives like Valtrex or Acyclovir. Some people find them helpful in suppressing ob's, but ultimately, it's your own immune system that will actually fight the virus off. For that reason, many people take supplements to boost their immune system along. Lysine is probably the most popular one. I take Neem leaf capsules, and I think they work well. It's a very individual thing, and there are numerous posts on this forum regarding the subject. Just eating right, exercising and getting enough rest will go a long way in keeping you healthy. Avoiding undo stress is important, too, since stress is a major ob trigger.

As for life going on... it does. The chaotic activity going on inside your body now will settle down, and you'll find your emotional equilibrium again. To some extent, you'll always have to make some concessions to HSV, but it needn't ruin your life or control your future. My life really hasn't changed significantly. It is what you make of it. Try to remember that what you're experiencing now is probably the worst it will ever get, and as time goes by, you should experience fewer and milder ob's.

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to jump in any time if you have questions or comments. And let us know how you're doing, okay?

[starphyse]

You have all our support grateful. Try to keep as positive a attitude as you can it truely helps. Do alot of research that will help you alot too do what you can for youself. Don't forget to spoil yourself also that helps greatly.