Anyone else????

[newworld1]

I was just diagnosed with HSV2 and don't know what to make of my outbreaks!?!?!?

This is a little lengthy but here goes-

I had been sleeping with this girl on and off since around June last year. Sometimes protected, sometimes the condom broke and sometimes without. The last time I had sex with her (or anyone)was mid November. About a month after our first encounter in June, I noticed a single pimple-like bump on the right side of the shaft (I don't think it was anything at this spot)of my penis and my glands in my groin were swollen. I went to my Doc and he took a blood test and it came back + for syphillus. He gave me the shot of penicillin and put me on some heavy duty antibiotics for about a month. i told her about it and she said she got tested and was neg for everything(don't know if she had the HSV test). The swollen glands continued for about two months so I went to an infectious disease doc who asked if i had HSV but concluded it was probably a small hernia but very minimal and not to worry. Keep in mind I had no outbreaks at this time. I went back to my original doc and got another Syph test and it was neg so he thought it might have been false positive?.?.? Around September I noticed a small rash on the right side of my penis just below the head. No blisters or swollen glands when this happend and the rash(raised and red) disappeared in a couple of days. All was well for sometime until January 6th the when I got the classic prodrome. i was driving in my car and it felt the burning and tingling in that area like I had put Ben Gay on my unit. Very small bumps appeared like the typical outbreak in the same area as the previous rash so I went back to the Doc and I got a type specific HSV test after he asked me if I was sure I wanted to do that?!?!?!..It came back HSV1- but HSV2 + as I suspected. I got an Rx for Valtrex and took 1000mg -2000mg of Lysine to treat. Although it got a little better, it never totally went away. After the scabbing, the area remained a litle red and I could still see where the biggest of the blisters were slightly visible even til now(Feb.9)! I think I am now having another little outbreak that began this morning but it looks like one little zit.

-But why did the first one never seem to completely heal even after 6 weeks?

-Why did it take so long to have the first ob and why did it last so f'ing long? Am I going to just go from one ob to the other, even when they are so mild? I never really had any pain in the area and the aches in my body weren't all that bad.

I thought I might get lucky and be one of the few who only has the initial ob but I now I'm afraid it will just never go away! Repeat, continuous ob's!

I'm freaking cuz I don't know how my body is going to tackle this thing. part of me wants to stay off meds to see how I do and the other half of me want the maximum suppresion therapy available.

I have a high metabolism and rarely get sick but I don't know if that matters. I have suffered from depression in the past and of course this hasn't helped (although reading you guys has been a great relief to ensure I am not alone here). I have the same fears and regrets that I have read many other newbies have here.

I am thirty-one years old and and have spent two years getting out of a very dark place in my life....and now this!!!

Anyone have an intial set of ob's like this??????

Also...

-If you want me to vote for you for president, announce you will fund research into HBOT and ozone therapy that may likely hold the key to curing so many ailments.

-Why are docs so f'ing afraid to tell you that you have HSV when it would probably prevent so many of us from being here? I have read about and experienced this.

-This new vaccine research only works if you are HSV1-& HSV2-. Whats the point if 80-90% of the population has this?!?!?!

Arrrrrghh.....sorry, I am just so frustrated,

Please help!

[MC37 Pilot]

I don't know if I have time to respond to everything you said...

First, this is my new favorite website thanks to Aloeman's posting it..

I would send you here:

http://www.herpes.org.uk/index.html

and especially here:

http://www.herpes.org.uk/faq.html

To respond to a couple of other things you wrote:

I'm freaking cuz I don't know how my body is going to tackle this thing. part of me wants to stay off meds to see how I do and the other half of me want the maximum suppresion therapy available.

I'm NOT a big fan of medicine... Some medicine's are very targeted and effective, but in general, I think the human body is a VERY efficient machine, and if you give it the right things, it will heal itself/take care of itself/fix itself better then ANY medication...

So I'm always in the camp of live a healthy lifestyle, let your body do what it does best, and that is take care of itself.

So rather than try to band-aid your problems with medication... eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest... And I guess I should add, eliminate stress in your life, and learn to be happy (and I believe we can learn to be happy, and that happiness IS something that has to be learned)

I have a high metabolism and rarely get sick but I don't know if that matters

.

yes, this matters... Its good that you rarely get sick... So if you have a high metabolism, you are probably thin/not fat.. That's good BUT... I know that some people who have a high-metabolism in turn, eat all kinds of crap because they 'can'...

I'm not sure if this is the case for you or not, but EVEN if you don't need to 'eat right' to stay thin... You DO need to 'eat right' to support your body's immune system, and immune response... And your body's ability to keep HSV in dormancy is directly related to your immune sytem, which is directly related to eating healthy vitamin rich foods, and getting adequate nutrition/hydration etc.

anyway...

I have suffered from depression in the past and of course this hasn't helped (although reading you guys has been a great relief to ensure I am not alone here). I have the same fears and regrets that I have read many other newbies have here.

I am thirty-one years old and and have spent two years getting out of a very dark place in my life....and now this!!!

I suspect THIS is probably your biggest problem... And the biggest reason you might be having a problem with outbreaks... STRESS.

Stress is a HUGE HUGE blow to our immune system/health/etc... I'm no psychologist so I can't really tell you 'how' to not stress so much, but if I was you, I would acknowledge that stress is probably your main problem, and go about learning more about stress/eliminating stress/learning to be happy etc...

I'll bet when you get your stress level under control, your outbreaks will be under control also..

good luck!

fhl,

nik

[newworld1]

Thanks Pilot,

I am still confused because my first real, noticeable outbreak was on Jan 6th and although it got better, I can still see where the bumps were/are. it feels like one really long outbreak. There are no scabs but just a white tip that you can only feel on like one of them. I'm going crazy because I feel like the out break will never go away. Its been 6 weeks now! I keep hoping it something like my body is knocking the sh-t out of the virus and this will be it but I'm scared b/c it just hasn't gone away. Can you always see (on close inspection) where the outbreak was or is it just b/c its the first one?

I know my story is complicated but the last time I had sex was in early November. Although I had no outbreaks on my penis then, I suffered some serious rashes on my inner thighs after surfing for a week straight. They took alot longer than normal to heal and I noticed that those areas are a little red when I got this neverending outbreak. Are they related or could that have been the real initial outbreak on my thighs in November?

[Aloemen]

ItS ALoemen, but anyways... its nice to be quoted for the info..

Keep up your good work, Mcpilot. i am sure u've helped many..

[Guest Anonymous]

Repeat! continuous ob's!

I had to laugh when I read "repeat, continious ob's!". That's the story of my life for the last year. I've had subtle and misdiagnosed herpes for about 6 years. I thought it was supposed to get milder over time but for me it's gotten worse. Honestly, a full gram of valtrex doesn't help, and the lysine doesn't seem to be working anymore after using it for about a month.

I've had a lifelong battle with depression also, and I find myself in a catch 22. I'm depressed about having herpes, and the depression from the herpes is making the herpes worse, which is making me more depressed!

I went to the gyn last week and wanted to discuss my dozen symptoms and chronic outbreaks. She only had one herpes patient to draw reference from. Sometimes I feel like an alien from the planet Herpes.

[Lasmom]

Re: Repeat! continuous ob's!

I went to the gyn last week and wanted to discuss my dozen symptoms and chronic outbreaks. She only had one herpes patient to draw reference from. Sometimes I feel like an alien from the planet Herpes.

You're not the alien Layla, sounds like your Doc is - get another opinion from a more experienced doc.... do yourself a favor.

[newworld1]

here I am

Layla,

I know what you mean. I think cuz we are new and our bodies haven't gotten up to speed with the antibodies we are getting bombarded with the long ob's. I mean I don't even know if mine has come or gone or what because I can always see where it was/is. Confusing as hell!!!! My other symptoms aren't that bad but I have a mild pain down my leg and feel something in my nodes(not really swollen though). I have a little depression going on too, prior to this. I t runs in my family and caused my dad to take his own life. I would never get to that point but I certainly didn't need the big "H" to drop in right about now. Kind of aggrevates the ob's I'm sure. But you are not alone in this or even that. I've been here since about the first of the year and I still have my good and bad days but slowly getting better overall. You will to I'm sure! Valtrex didn't really help me either and the Lysine may or may not have. I do feel better when I drink alot of water throughout the day though. I spend alot of my time looking at diferent research and what may lie ahead. Possible vaccine, invisible condoms research(gel), Ribavirin, HBOT, Ozone and the many. I don't buy into false hope but even the MSN website says "This is not the worst time to be diagnosed with all the research going on". I still drink a little and smoke so I am working on those things and trying to live a little healthier life (I do eat a sh-t load of broccoli now). I suggest the same to you and lets see where it takes us. You made me feel a little better when you LOL'd at my first post and I just wanted you to know your not on this boat alone!

[newworld1]

me again

Layla,

i saw that you said you were + for 6 yrs plus but just recentlly real bad. Quite honestly, I might have been too but know I got the real deal now! I still think you need to pick your head up and see how the ob's do then. For me, I lose all thought of "H" when I can muster a positive attitude. Still feel like I'm in your boat!

[Guest Anonymous]

The worst O.B. EVER

Is there any females out there who could help me? I know I have had this disease for almost 8 yrs. now, only I just really learned of it a year ago, since I found out, I seem to have O.B.'s all the time. But right now this is the worst ever, I'm taking all the vit. everyone else is, but it doesn't seem to help. It seems to be all I can think about, sometimes I just want to break down, like I can't handle it. Is this why my O.B.'s are so bad? I can't seem to get this O.B. under control. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I don't really have anyone to talk to, and I really don't know what I can do to destress my life. My mind just won't stop, I always think about this. I am a smoker, and I hearded this could be helping bring on O.B.'s, I bought the patch, and tomorrow is my quit day. If there is anyone out there that can help me, I will owe you my life. Please!

Thank you!

[Guest Anonymous]

one question - did you learn you had it because you started having outbreaks, or did it turn up in a blood test and THEN you started having ob's? incidentally, how do you know you had it 8 years and learned you had it a year ago? just trying to understand.

if it's the former of the above scenarios, i would take a look at any dietary or other lifestyle changes you may have made around the time your ob's started. like, did you start drinking a lot of orange juice (for example, just one of many foods that's risky for me)?

if it's the latter, i would say the stress of obsessing about it may be worsening your experience with it.

either way, have you tried lysine supplements and/or trying for a good lysine/arginine balance in your diet? there's a good link on this page to lysine:arginine ratios in foods. i don't know anything about smoking and hsv, but it would certainly stand to reason that it would worsen it, so good luck with quitting! sounds like you're motivated! take care.

[Guest Anonymous]

I have had ob in the past but didn't know what it was, thought I might have cut myself shaving, but they have never been this bad. It all happened a year ago. I do take lysine, alot, no to mention a thousand other vitamins. I just don't know how to stop going crazy about this. I'm hoping that if I stop smoking that will help, but the stress. I have even thought about yoga, but I'm so busy. No matter what I'm doing it's there, the thought, the stigma, the pain. I'm a good person, but this. Thank you for your reply, at least now I know I'm not the only one. Thank you!

[Layla]

Continuous OB's. Seems New World 1 and Guest 13 are in the same boat as me. By the way, "thank-you" New World 1 for the response to my "Seeking Support" post under Is It Herpes. I didn't get any other responses at all. Gesh! Tough crowd when you can barely get support on a herpes board..ha!

Anyway, it's better to give than receive, so I offer my support to you two who are also coping with these constant, neverending, OB's. It does get discouraging. But, we just have to strive toward suppression, be it with medication, diet, suppliments, rest, etc.

I recently decided to increase my lysine intake and dairy each day. I guess yogart helps.

I think Yoga is a great idea, Guest 13. Besides being relaxing and a great way to tone up, it's very balancing to the bodies energies. It also massages internal organs. The breathing and meditation exersizes are great for stress and depression. I used to do Yoga a lot but started becoming a couch potato. Lack of exersize probably doesn't help immunities.

Anyway, It's kind of therapudic to compare some notes and see that I'm not the only person having these never ending OB"s. I wish you health!

Layla

[Lasmom]

Quit smoking - good idea herpes or not - I did yoga when I found out - it did help - your problem probably is nerves - you are now consumed with worry and stress triggers outbreaks - vicious circle. Break the circle - yoga to settle mind/body, try surpressive therapy... whatever - you will probably continue with the OBs until your mind settles. You have it - can't change that - work on acceptance - mental & physical health - it will get better.... I have had OBs when life got stressfu;, but for the mmost part, once I accepted "it" the OBs got better...

good luck.

[ardent]

to Layla, New World 1, Guest 13 - I'm in the same boat!

Have had genital herpes for 5 years and the OBs have gotten steadily worse, longer, and more frequent (rather than milder as the doctors were promising). No antivirals helped, really. Even making diet changes & taking supplements doesn't seem to help. And I'm pretty healthy otherwise.

From recent experience with a good gyn (the first truly responsive one I've come across since I was 19 y/o!) I heard a confirmation of what I suspected: that women seem to have OBs more often than men, most often around the time of the start of the period, and both men and women have OBs in cycles. These cycles are individual.

I think we need to organize and lobby for effective research for more effective viral suppression and for a cure or at least a vaccine. I've had to deal with the guilt of having passed on the virus, twice, to men I loved, despite all our precautions and periodic abstinence during visible outbreaks. They went into the rlshp with their eyes open, but still....

[happybutterfly]

look for triggers

on google, type in herpes trigger & you'll find there are things which can bring on an outbreak.

you probably already know of stress... for your face: sun.

also: food. chocolate, nuts... maybe oils, perhaps acidic ph balance according to those who favor the theory regarding oxygen levels & ph...

beware of your own prodrome: the signs that you are going to get a lesion - whether the lesion shows up or not, the prodrome (like a PREsymptom) means you are shedding contagious viral cells...

i found that lysine helped for awhile then after about 2 years it seemed to make my situation worse. so i stopped taking it & had relief...

i have been trying Valtrex for about a year but found i could still have an outbreak with it. also i seem to have false prodrome alot lately (prodrome but no sore - i am sure it means i'm shedding even though there is no outbreak so i don't have sex any time within 8 to 10 hours of a slight ache where i break out - even a TWINGE counts for me, to protect my lover.

i think i will take a break from the valtrex. i had started taking it because i seemed to be having frequent outbreaks after a big long vacation of one outbreak every other year... now i'll take a break & see how it goes...

after 3 years of an intimate relationship, my lover has not had any signs of catching herpes from me. he is extremely sweet about using a condom any time i think we should. it never impedes his attraction. he never ever complains: i'm lucky!

of course i worry some day he may not be so lucky but time will tell.....