Alias_Grace

Has anyone had any experience with postherpetic nueralgia? I'm not having a herpes outbreak, but the skin around the right hand side of my groin (the side I usually have an outbreak on) is extremely sensitive to touch, particularly if my hands are cold. It extends up and around my hip, and also on the inside of my knee. It's painful, but certainly not unbearable. The symptoms seem exactly the same as what I've read about postherpetic nueralgia. A lot of medical sites say phn is only associated with shingles, but I've read some forums that suggest otherwise. I'm curious to know if anyone else has experienced this?

What a day. I wrote in my introduction that I was yet to tell my (very) long distance boyfriend. His phone has been out of action and it's not the kind of conversation you want to have by email. Well he emailed me this afternoon because he was awake at 4 am on the other side of the world with the feeling that something was wrong. I still didn't want to tell him. I just said I'd had some bad news from the doctor but I couldn't tell him by email. But he pleaded with me to tell him, so I did. I couldn't leave him wondering. And he was so fabulous about it. He said he was glad that it was nothing serious (he thought I was going to tell him I had cancer) and reminded me that he gets coldsores and it's very common and I shouldn't worry about his willy falling off :) In the midst of all this my doctor phoned to give me my results. Needless to say it was all too much and I ended up in floods of tears, mostly tears of relief I think, but a little bit of sadness too that I can no longer hold on to the very slim hope I had for negative results. But I feel good. The two scariest parts (for me) are over and done with, and now I can move on with my life. Along with my new little friend - who I think has appeared in my life as a necessary reminder that I need to take better care of myself, physically and emotionally.

So this is my story... I think I've had herpes since January of this year. At least that was the first ob that I can remember, now that I know what the symptoms are. I'm pretty sure what I've mistaken for a couple of thrush infections and the odd ingrown hair - without a noticeable hair! - have been outbreaks. But it wasn't until this week, when I discovered that I'd passed the virus onto someone else, that I realised what was really going on. I have a boyfriend, we've been together for 18 months. At the moment we're having a long distance relationship. In order to cope with the difficulty of long distance we decided mutually to have an open relationship. So last week I slept with an old friend. Unfortunately I had one of those "ingrown hairs" at the time. After we slept together I developed a really bad "thrush infection". Then my friend phoned me to tell me that he was having symptoms. He's since been diagnosed with herpes (I'm not sure what type) and I'm waiting for my test results. But there's no doubt in my mind that they'll be positive. I feel very sad and very sorry and if I could turn back time I would. My friend is taking it pretty hard, but he doesn't seem to blame me - well at least he hasn't said so - and we are supporting one another through it. It helps that my best friend has had herpes for three years. And she has an amazing relationship with a beautiful man and while it's been tough for her at times it really hasn't changed her life. She tells me that yes it sucks but I'll learn to manage it. My next step is to tell my boyfriend. I've really got no idea how he'll react. And I'm scared. But at the same time I think maybe this is the test that we need to see if this relationship is going to last the distance (literally). I'm particularly not looking forward telling him over the phone. But I'm not one for putting off awkward conversations. I know from past experience the fear is usually worse than the conversation itself. And isn't it better to know? I don't want to let this virus limit my life. I want to deal with the emotions attached to it, learn to manage it so that it has the least impact possible, and move on. I have epilepsy, I've experienced a crippling anxiety disorder and I recovered. In fact I didn't just recover, I grew and learnt a lot about myself and became a better person because of those experiences. So why should this be any different? I am glad that I found this forum though - I don't think I would be adjusting to this anywhere near as quickly without reading everyone else's stories (yes I lurked for a few days!). There is so much panic and scaremongering on the Internet surrounding herpes. Or just plain clinical information. It's nice to put a human face to the virus. So thank you all :)