ashleytiffania

@ash128083 I am in a very similar boat as you... I contracted GHSV1 about 5 years ago and had no issues until 8 months ago and since then I have had nonstop outbreaks. I believe having covid, not sleeping much, and having lots of sex created a HSV monster that won't go away. I have been taking vitamins b,c,d,e, zinc, and lysine, but have not seen improvement. I also get plenty of sleep and don't overexert myself physically. I have ruled out sex as a cause after abstaining for 2 months and still getting outbreaks. It seems that I have good days and bad days... one day will be symptom-less but then the next will be so unbelievably itchy until I scratch and am in pain and then the next two days will be fine and then the cycle repeats constantly. Do your symptoms present similarly? It seems more like yeast infection symptoms than traditional hsv, but I think it's a strange presentation of hsv. Your comment about pregnancy and hormones playing a role is very interesting. I've noticed that I get no symptoms while on my period, but during ovulation is particularly bad. I was thinking hormones or maybe because the menstrual blood lubricates it and prevents friction, but I'm not sure. I'm seeing an obgyn next week to see what can be done. My bf also has genital hsv1 (i sadly got it from him) and he has constant itchiness in his buttocks and perineum as well, but since he's a guy i'm wondering if that rules out the hormone theory. Is there anything you've found to be helpful or any patterns contributing to your symptoms? How do you manage the itchiness? I tried withholding once from scratching and I think it maybe made things worse strangely. It's almost like I need to scratch and break the skin to rid my body of the virus... wild stuff. Please let us know what the infectious disease doctor says! This is no way to live and enough is enough.

@Isleguy This is a really difficult situation and one where I can tell you have been under intense stress and pressure for a while. You're juggling lots of stressful things between your wife, kids, job, and diagnosis and it's okay to feel sad and worried and frankly depressed. You took the right precautions after your exposure by getting tested and being considerate with your abstinence. Please do not let your HSV diagnosis be the sole driver of your marital separation. HSV is very common and there are ways that you can be intimate with your wife without spreading it to her, i.e. condoms, suppressive therapy, etc. Being diagnosed with an incurable illness is really difficult, but I promise you it does get better as you follow the stages of grief. At first there is despair, but then you arrive at acceptance over time. Have you thought about couples counseling or therapy with your wife? If you do decide to work on your marriage, it would be beneficial to first rebuild some trust and communication with your wife before disclosing your diagnosis. In this way, you will feel more at ease telling her and you will be more likely to be met with understanding and empathy. This forum has been really helpful and you could also connect with people on reddit and other online forums as well. I too have not told anyone I am close to and it's been 5 years since I was diagnosed. The only person who knows is my current boyfriend. I chose not to tell my mother because she has been warning and harping on me about STDs since I was in high school and I can't bring myself to admit to her that I contracted one. That being said, your father might be more understanding and provide much needed support for you.

@mr_hopp Thank so much for your reply, already I have been feeling more hopeful. Every day this week I have been fearful of even touching down there in case it starts another outbreak. Is tingling a normal daily symptom that I should get used to? I just don't remember this at all over the last 5 years when the virus lay dormant. I have been doing a good job about not scratching down there when it itches and I have found that using Vaseline helps to curb the itch. Also, how long does it take for the immune system to get the virus back in check? I've been reading online that it can take a few months to build a stronger immune system and I really only started about 3 weeks ago to take this seriously. When I was first infected, the virus went dormant pretty soon after and stayed that way for almost 5 years until a few months ago where it's been nonstop prodrome and sores ever since. My dream is to get it back to being dormant again. My worry is that if I start suppressive therapy that I'll never be able to come off of it.

Hi All - Sorry in advance for the long commentary, but I need help, my herpes is driving me mad! I was diagnosed 5 years ago with genital HSV-1, which I got from my current boyfriend that I am still with. After my first outbreak, the virus remained dormant up for almost 5 years up until 6 months ago. I took a 2 week trip with my bf and I believe that it was a combination of triggers that led to my current outbreak. We had sex everyday (caused a lot of friction), I didn't sleep as much, I ate foods high in arginine, and I got sick with covid. At first, it didn't really register that this was going to be a bad herpes outbreak because I hadn't experienced anything like this before. But in the last 6 months I have had nonstop tingling/itching met with sores that just never seem to go away. Last month, I decided that enough was enough and that I can't keep living like this, I need to fix it and go back to the way things were. In the last month, I have given up chocolate, nuts, alcohol, and caffeine. I am also sleeping 8+ hours per night and loading up on supplements like vitamins b,c,d,e and zinc. I also have been refraining from scratching. I also use vaseline down there when it hurts or gets bothersome and itchy. I made the discovery last month that there is a sore in the opening of my vagina, and two on the labia next to it that have not gone away. It also looks like my perineum is sensitive as I bleed from there when I poop. The sores have a whitish/yellowish discharge. I have not had sex in the last 3 weeks as I try to heal, but what I'm doing doesn't seem to be working and I am becoming desperate. I am making an appt with an obgyn and am going to look into taking lysine supplements and suppressive antivirals. This whole ordeal has made me feel very depressed and hopeless. I want my old life back, when this beast hadn't awaken yet. I am hoping that I can get this to become dormant again and revert back to how it was over the last 5 years before this madness. I also want to resume some aspect of my sex life. I'm wondering maybe if I use a lot of lube or coconut oil and have gentle sex if that could be ok. I haven't had sex in the last few weeks to prevent cuts, but I still manage to get them anyways so may as well have sex with my bf I guess who already has hsv 1 and gave it to me. The cuts seem to just not be able to heal, so I am getting pretty freaked out. PLEASE let me know if you have had similar experience and/or what has helped you! I really want to feel some hope that this will get better.

@Chelsea514 I am in the same boat as you. I have had nonstop prodrome and sores for the past 6 months. I checked in the mirror with a flashlight, and it almost seems like the sores in my case haven't really healed. I am making an appt with an obgyn soon to check it out. I have tried changing my diet to avoid arginine, sleeping more, taking supplements, but so far nothing has helped. I will say that vaseline provides a good barrier and comfort, but I don't want to keep using a petroleum product down there and am looking at alternatives like olive oil and coconut oil. Have you tried taking antivirals?

@hidden I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with HSV 1 and the immense physical and emotional pain this is causing you. Have you seen a doctor yet for this? It might be worth seeing infectious disease or an ENT to help. I've heard that antivirals have about a 50-60% success rate and I too am considering going on them right now. Regarding the side effects, you should check with your doctor to see if there is reason to be concerned. I believe if you have kidney issues then your GP will monitor kidney function more closely while on meds. Aside from antivirals, there are other things that can help minimize frequency and extent of symptoms and outbreaks. The most significant evidence I've found is taking lysine supplements since that inhibits arginine (which has been shown to be the amino acid that herpes uses to replicate and cause outbreaks). Some people on amazon have said that taking lysine supplements has prevented further hsv 1 flare-ups. You should also keep track of different triggers that are causing outbreaks. This could be stress, sun exposure, lack of sleep, and certain foods. Chocolate, nuts, and seeds have high arginine in them and so they can cause outbreaks. I'm wondering if acidic foods are causing outbreaks in your throat too since they are irritating. I have given up alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, nuts, and sugar to see if that helps. I did notice that two days after eating chocolate I developed sores, so there definitely is truth to it in my opinion and research evidence too. Unfortunately, we have to learn to live with this. I wish there was more research being done to help us. I have found that the stress of dealing with this outweighs some of the physical pain too, which is why you need to prioritize your mental health too and that will in turn also help lessen your symptoms hopefully since stress worsens outbreaks. It's not fair that you are dealing with this. This virus really does suck, it's smart in that it targets mucosal regions of our bodies where the skin is more delicate and easier to damage. I too am dealing with recurring outbreaks since i had an outbreak at the same time as having covid. I almost wonder if covid had something to do with it, it's almost like my immune system didn't recover enough to keep herpes at bay, which is why I'm desperately thinking about going on anti virals. Let us know if you find something that works for you. If it's any consolation, know that you are not alone. The majority of the population has hsv. I hope that over time your symptoms lessen and that you find your triggers and things that work for you.

@Mzinformed.sad I'm sorry to hear your story and how you must be feeling. I hope that in time he will reconsider and recognize that with daily antivirals the risk of passing it to a partner is much lower, but most importantly that he should be willing to put you and your marriage above this. I have read that mothers can get a c-section to prevent passing the infection onto the baby and so there would be virtually 0% risk of passing onto baby during delivery. I actually got genital HSV-1 from my current bf when we first started dating exactly 5 years ago. I pushed him to get STD tested and all was clear, but silly me didn't think about herpes being a possibility since that doesn't get routinely tested. The very first time we were intimate I got ill a few days after. I remember it being painful and unpleasant. Most of all, a part of me resented him and was angry that he unknowingly gave it to me. I sought treatment and for the last few years it's been dormant until a few months ago. I realized later that the 'cuts' he got on his penis weren't from the condoms, it was herpes. To this day, I don't blame him as I know he didn't spread it to me maliciously. He truly didn't know better and assumed the symptoms were something else (he didn't get any sex ed in school unfortunately). In all honesty, I have never told him that he gave it to me. We had just started dating and I didn't want to put a damper on our honeymoon phase and so I kept it a secret. I figured that since he gave it to me it wasn't like he could get it again and we were exclusive. To this day, I still haven't told him and it weighs on me. But in my mind it just feels like too much time has gone by to finally tell him and it might seem ingenuine. At first, I was upset at him deep down for giving it to me, but over time we have build a long term relationship and if I hadn't gotten it then there's a chance I would've gotten it by now, especially since we don't use condoms anymore. If I could go back in time knowing my bf has herpes, I would've used condoms forever without even any rubbing/grinding at all down there. But most importantly, I would still love him and maintain our relationship. I am hopeful for you that in time he will change his mind, but I also know that there will be a man out there who accepts your HSV and loves you unconditionally. There are precautions that can be taken, just as long as one is willing. Wishing you well and I hope that you find your Mr. Right!

@Jayne00 Thank you for your message, it is certainly some relief knowing there's more of us looking for a solution. I will definitely look into the zinc oxide cream. Currently I use Vaseline, but that's just a barrier cream and doesn't really treat the issue. Good point about using cooler water, that's something I will do from now on. I haven't had chocolate or nuts in a week, and am even afraid to drink alcohol at this point. It has been a little over a week since my last flare up as well. During the last week I have been ill with a bad cold and have been sleeping much more and taking care of myself. I wonder if that could be helping as well. I also have refrained from sex this week and am scared to do it again now that I am recovering from my cold. Another lady on this forum said that having sex has been worsening her sores. I wonder if that's been behind the recurring outbreaks and I am considering using lubricants to help with this and keep the virus inactive for as long as possible by preventing friction. Do you recall if any of those girls who had continuous un-ending outbreaks did something in particular to make them stop? Perhaps there's a common denominator in all this we can beat.

@JJlove I wanted to hop on here and give an update as we are both in the same boat of trying to resolve this. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe the prodrome symptoms and recurrence of sores is due to something hormone or sex related. It's been a week and my sores and symptoms have been clearing up. I was actually sick the past week so I'm pretty surprised, maybe my immune system got stronger fighting another active infection or perhaps getting more sleep and rest helped. But one interesting takeaway is that I have had my period over the past week and have refrained from sex. I wonder if the hormone cycle may play a role in development of sores/prodrome symptoms or maybe the friction from sex. Aside from that, I have added vitamin d to my supplement list and continue to abstain from eating chocolate and arginine rich foods. I have not taken any antivirals as I too agree that I'd rather holistically treat the issue than load up on medications that could damage my kidneys. Let me know what the infectious disease doctor tells you, I'm hopeful there's a long term resolution to this that's not just antivirals related!

Hey @J1010, I am in a similar boat as you were. I have been having symptoms for 6 months now with non-stop itching, burning, tingling. The itching is so intense that I can't even help myself and this I think has made my condition worse. I too was starting to freak out that my partner (who gave me genital HSV 1) maybe strayed and caught syphilis or another STD and gave it to me recently because my symptoms are just so bad and I have found pus too down there. I have been in a sad place and your post brought me some hope. Is there anything that the infectious disease doctor told you to do to get better? Any advice would be highly appreciated, thank you in advance!!

Hey @Jayne00, I'm so so relieved that I found your post. I am going through exactly word for word the same issue as you. I was diagnosed with genital HSV 1 almost 5 years ago and since then have had no flare-ups until 6 months ago when I caught Covid. It has been persistent since then with maybe one or two days being ok but then it gets so itchy down there that I can't help myself and I make it worse again by scratching at my genitals. I have been continuing to have sex with my bf weekly since he has it too and actually gave it to me unfortunately, but it does get painful and I am unfortunately hesitant to admit that I can't have sex. It's really taken a toll on my mental health. I freaked out last night because I woke up with itching and the morning after found a big glob of yellow pus in my underwear. I wonder if it got infected down there from the scratching or the herpes. I've been pretty afraid and hesitant to see an doctor and am now really thinking about it because I'm fed up and can't keep on like this. I'm starting to wonder if this is my new reality forever and honestly it makes me very sad and depressed, which is why I have turned to this forum once again to find support. Have you seen an OBGYN about your same issue? Did they have any helpful advice or any info? Have you done anything that has helped in the slightest? I am now going to cut out chocolate and arginine rich foods to see if that helps. As hard as I try not to scratch, it's almost impossible. Vaseline helps somewhat for this and taking daily showers down there with soap. I have scratched pretty hard down there and now the area is quite inflamed. I am going to try to do a better job of ignoring the prodrome symptoms and not scratching.

I completely relate to this. I was diagnosed with genital HSV1 about 5 years ago and it was relatively dormant all these years. Suddenly about 6 months ago I got an outbreak that has been active until now. The itching is unbearable and I think that has slowed down or impeded my recovery. I feel the tingling and then itching and dripping too. Last night I was woken up in the middle of the night with itchiness. When i checked my underwear in the morning, there was a big glob of thick yellow pus. I'm wondering if it got infected. I wish I could have a solution for you as I am struggling with this myself. If it helps, mine started right when I got sick with Covid so I was immunosuppressed. I also have been pretty stressed out the last few months, but honestly I think the big reason is that I keep scratching. I heard that 8+ hrs sleep, taking zinc, vitamin b super complex, and lysine helps. I am now giving up chocolate for the next two months to see if that helps clear up the outbreak since it's full of arginine and has ben linked to enhancing the virus's ability to replicate and infect our healthy cells. Have you talked to an OBGYN about this? Curious if so what they said. I am feeling desperate and considering seeing one. I can't take this anymore.