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Thank you @lifeislovely. I seriously needed to read this!!!

Thank you for this information!!

Yes I had a swab test done and it was confirmed a few days ago. I think I'm convinced that this finger will always be infectious even without an OB. Maybe eventually I will feel normal again. Doctor said I may get an OB on my finger sometimes but I really hope you're right, thanks for responding

Hey all.. I haven't been on here in a while and to make thing short I am in need of some support. I was diagnosed in November had a horrible initial outbreak and since then have been doing better but recently it has been tremendously hard and feeling down again. A couple of weeks ago I had a second outbreak which sucked but was rather tolerable. I am still seeing my boyfriend who is very supportive so that helped a lot. However I started having a swollen index finger and yup, it's spread there. I am very careful about not touching that area when I had my second outbreak and washed my hands even coming out of the shower. I've been very paranoid about it spreading so I'm really surprised that it has. I've had it wrapped up for a week and been on valtrex for first time. I'm so grateful to have a supportive man but I had a feeling this would destroy me if it spread and it has. I already feel self conscious in my own skin naturally, then to have been diagnosed , and now it spreading is not helping. I'm over the top paranoid about this spreading too and I refuse to let my finger touch ANYTHING other than water and even then I'm scared to let the same water touch my other fingers (insane I know) so basically I want to know if anyone has any advice or has had this on their finger. I don't want to live paranoid everyday and I'm not sure how easily contagious this is after an outbreak. Help :(

hey @pepper90 i just disclosed one week ago.This was a first for me. i was seeing a guy for 4 months! it was not easy,and we all choose to disclose at different times for different reasons, and i agree with WCSDancer, 3 weeks shouldnt make you feel horrible for not telling him. If you think he truly cares about you and you can see it going somewhere then go for it. I found that it helped to know all the facts before i told him. Also I made sure to come across as confident, not so worried, and knowledgeable. I really made him understand before i told him that this is a very manageable situation, and does not/should not be the end of the world. That gave him the thought that I am okay with it. If you make it seem like its so horrible, and your terrified, worried, then he will feel the same. let him know that you are and will do everything you can to protect him. I hope he appreciates your courage! You will feel very relieved! Good luck and keep us posted

same here @nurselove.. im obessing over something on my forehead which you cant even really see, just feel underneath the skin. i put alcohol on it and toothpaste which cures my pimples! ahhhhh i feel crazy!

i have a question about symptoms as well, do sores usually have heads? like something you could pop? feels like a pimple but im obsessing over whether its an outbreak or not, no other symptoms just a little sore when i sit, (it lasted for about 2 days its gone now) it was on a different area from my first OB. i also just noticed last night a bump on my forehead, and im obsessing whether thats a pimple too! Am i being crazy??!

I agree, i mean you can't force anyone to do something if they're THAT worried about it, even after seeing the numbers. But that is very uncalled for and shouldn't have been said.. he should be making you feel just as special as he would with any other girl. What the hell is normal now days anyways?

Hey yall ! Hope everyone is having a great Monday! Okay, so a few things to share here. Please excuse me if this is a long post, i promise ill try to make it quick. So if you haven't spoken to me I'll give you a little background info about myself/story. I'm female, 23, and i live in Ontario, Canada. I found out four months ago that i had herpes (wow, even typing it still gives me the chills) and i of course was devastated if you look at my first post you will see that. I am also 99% sure this disgusting disgrace of a guy did it to me on purpose, for no reason at all, but thats besides the point. Anyways i started seeing someone shortly after who I have been friends with for quite some time, and we've been seeing each other ever since. Things have gotten hot and heavy but there was no way I would ever put him at risk without him knowing. Long story short I have been so stressed over telling him, what to say, his reaction, would i lose him, all that stuff. FINALLY just two days ago I DID IT! I cannot tell you all how relieved i feel. I feel like I was carrying 1000 tonnes of stress that has finally been lifted off my chest. I really did not think he would be accepting of this, and i totally underestimated him. I didnt do it in person, but i was careful with my words and made sure he knew that I did not think it was a "big deal". His initial reaction was anger that this whole thing had happened to me, and he was just shocked. He then proceeded to say "Everything is going to be okay". At that moment I felt relief and happiness like I never have before. I couldn't believe it, and I still can't. I just hope he doesn't change his mind! Nevertheless, he drove over to my house at midnight and i OBVIOUSLY could not say no to that so i did what any other person would do and snuck out of my house to see him :) We talked for a long time and got everything out on the table. This leads me to my next topic.. Although these past couple months have been rough, I just cannot accept that there is no cure for this. Its just in my nature to not be able to take no for an answer. So yesterday he emailed me something and i realized hes been doing some research too. He came across this book which had a lot of info about this, and explained a program to stop further outbreaks. Its called Oxygen Therapy, using H202 drops that are diluted into water, as well as some general eating tips to go along with it. So my question is: 1)Have any of you heard of/tried this method? 2)Should I give it a try? 3)Should I consult my doctor before doing so? 4)How will I know if this has worked? (other than not having any outbreaks) I haven't had an outbreak since my first. However right now i have two bumps far apart from eachother, in a different area, but i can't tell if its that or just ingrown hairs. So tell me what you all think!

amazing! your words really speak to me @nic4897

@steven90, In my opinion, whether its casual sex or a committed relationship, everyone has the right to know. casual or relationship doesn't change the fact that there is always a chance of someone else getting it. (although i assume you would be smart enough to use protection) when i first found out i was kind of bitter and thought why should other people know if i didnt have the choice of knowing? But as time went on this also changed my perspective of sex, love, relationships. i would never want to put someone else through what i went through. so i decided, dont get bitter, get better! :) but hey thats just me!

Hi Steven90! WELCOME to the forum! I won't be the first one to tell you that you have come to a great place for support and love which it seems you have already figured it out :) I'm sure we all have had the moment where we never thought it was going to be us, unfortunately these are life's curve balls! You will be surprised at how strong you actually are, and how this can actually open up a whole new chapter for you. You will read many stories of how this has actually broadened peoples' perspectives about life, love, relationships, sex, all that good stuff! Of course we all have bad days, but fortunately this is a very manageable situation and does not and WILL NOT define who you are. You are very lucky to be able to share that with your dad and brother, who i'm sure will help you along the way. Any questions, feel free! You've come to a great place! I am no pro, only three months into this journey, but this site has really helped me<3 You will be more than okay, i promise;)!

thats okay, nothing i havent seen before.. i dont think any of us here would be able to diagnose this issue though.. i know it is expensive but better to make the visit while you have the symptoms..

it could be, it could be some other type of infection. have you visited the doctor to get the bumps tests?

I think im going to disclose soon, but i really cant find the words to tell him. I'm not so much ashamed, just afraid of the outcome. Hopefully it goes as well as your situation. It could go both ways so im praying for the best.