Flowerteacher55

Hi! I am so sorry for the late reply. I am so sorry you are struggling. Please know you are not alone and there is hope. Things will get better, and you are so strong! ❤️ Urine's acidity really burns the sores. Lysine balm is really great to help protect the sores from the urine. I used a lemon lysine balm that I think was actually for oral sores but it worked well for me. I just wouldn't put the balm inside the vagina or too close to the "holes" as it may burn (and it's not for internal use anyways!). Having an ice cold bottle of water in a spray bottle to mist on the area after or during urinating can help reduce the burning and soothe the area. Sometimes changing your peeing position helps, too. Squatting instead of sitting can help aim the stream so it goes straight down instead of running off the nearby skin. Stay strong and hopeful. You will make it through this! ❤️ Sending blessings and prayers of healing and joy your way! 🙂 grace

@Adeladham Hello! As @CuriousBlue said, you are perfectly safe. If you only have HSV on the genital area, you cannot pass it via kissing. If you have oral HSV, just avoid kissing your child if you feel an outbreak coming on (tingling, you are ill, etc) or have an outbreak. You are safe to be in a pool with your child, since genital HSV is passed via skin-to skin contact, and HSV likes dry skin. You are covered by a bathing suit and you are in water, so that's great! I hope this helps 🙂 You are NOT a danger to your child. Stay kind to yourself! Blessings, grace

Hi! Sorry for the late reply. That does look like some sort of blisters, and the stages of healing do match the stages of herpes sores. Did you get the area swabbed at the doctors? Have you shown these photos to doctors yet? Did the sores hurt at all or ooze anything? Stay kind to yourself! ❤️ grace

Hi! That is totally normal, as new skin is lighter than older skin. I'm so sorry you feel embarrassed by this. Please know you have nothing to be ashamed of! You can consult with a dermatologist and see what they suggest. ❤️ Stay confident and be kind to yourself! Blessings! grace

Hey Friends! 🙂 I hope everyone is doing well! I wanted to ask which countries do a Western Blot and how others here have gotten the test in their countries. Thank you! ❤️ Blessings! grace

Hi! I hope you are well. I honestly do not know the answer to this question, but it is interesting. I would consult a virologist, as that is who would be able to provide the most accurate answer. Stay well! ❤️ grace

Hello! Sorry for the late reply. I am so sorry you are facing these symptoms. Please know you are not alone and everything will be okay! I would wait the 12 weeks and get an IgG blood test. Your symptoms do sound like they could be from herpes. Did you ask her if she has ever had a herpes outbreak or tested positive for it? Stay well and try to ease the nerve discomfort with ice or heat packs. I am praying for you! ❤️ Blessings, grace

Hi, I am so sorry for your pain. Do you have a support system or anyone who is helping you get through this tough time? Also, Did the doctor suggest any specialists who could provide more in-depth treatment? ❤️ Stay Strong! ❤️

Hi! You should be safe if you are not experiencing prodrome symptoms and have no outbreak lesions. 🙂 Hypothetically, you could be shedding the virus at any given time. Keep in mind that HSV-1 has a lower risk of transmission in general. The fact that you are taking suppressive Valtrex lowers the risk of transmission even more! For HSV-2 passed from female to male during unprotected penetrative sex, the risk of transmission is 4%. When using a condom OR antiviral suppressants, that number drops to 2%. These numbers should be lower for GSV-1. So, in your situation, it is possible the risk is <2%! Sadly, there aren't stats about oral sex, however I would assume the risk is also lower for HSV-1 and when taking suppressive medication. I hope this helps! Stay kind to yourself ❤️ grace

Hello! First, it's great you care about your health. Do you have oral or genital HSV-1? In general, about 2/3 of the world has oral HSV-1. Many people with HSV-1 and HSV-2 do not know they have it and are asymptomatic. In general, the risk of contracting HSV-2 from an infected man to woman is about 10% (unprotected) 5% (condoms OR antivirals) and 2% (use of both condoms AND antivirals). From an infected female to male, the risk rate is 4% (no protection) 2% (condom OR antivirals) and 1% (condoms AND antivrials). So, even if someone doesn't know they have it but they hypothetically do, then using a condom could help reduce the risk of transmission by about half. These statistics are for HSV-2, and the transmission rates of HSV-1 are typically lower than HSV-2. You could ask someone to take a blood test to see if they have HSV, but it is possible for blood tests to have false positives or negatives (see the rates, here: https://stdcenterny.com/herpes-testing.html#:~:text=The IgG test is about,person does not have herpes).) If they don't want to pay for it, it's okay to not take things further with them. You are 100% right for sticking to your boundaries. If you need someone to take a test and they don't, then it seems they do not find your health important and you deserve someone who thinks it is important! As long as you disclose to them and they understand the potential risks and they fully consent, then it is okay to be intimate with them. I know it is scary to think about passing this on to others, but if they are okay with the risks and are fully informed, that is their freewill choice. I hope this helps ❤️ We are here for you! Sending blessings of happiness and health your way! 🙂 grace

Hi, Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am so sorry you had this experience. Please know that it is not your fault; when someone treats you unkindly, it is a reflection of THEM, not of you. It is great you are seeing a therapist. Your mental health matters! It is possible for her to have already had it and had symptoms but did not get checked until that outbreak. It is also possible this was her first outbreak, however she did not have other symptoms that you knew of (body aches, flu-like symptoms, etc). It's also possible she got it from someone else. You said she was abusive, and perhaps she was also unfaithful. For your own well-being, have you been tested for HSV at all via a blood test? Hypothetically if you passed it to her, it is possible to have HSV and not know it. However, if you didn't know you had it, then of course you couldn't have disclosed it to her. So, whether you passed it to her or not, you are not at fault here. The "blame game" is not important. We may feel guilty or confused, but it is best to let all that go. Find peace in your new future, a future where you will find someone who is kind and caring and treats you with respect and love ❤️. In the meantime, focus on healing. Remind yourself that we cannot control others, only our own actions. Stay strong and be kind to yourself. We are here for you! ❤️ Sending prayers of happiness and kindness your way! 🙂 grace

Hi! I'm so sorry you are experiencing this. It will get better! ❤️ You are so strong for making it through these past few weeks! ❤️ Some people with HSV get paper-like cuts in place of sores. It could also be from a yeast infection or other skin irritations. Is it a deep cut, or a superficial cut? Praying for you! ❤️ grace

Hi! Have you thought about seeing a neurologist? Maybe your doctor could refer you to specialists. Has your doctor talked to you about post-herpetic neuralgia? It kind of sounds like what you are experiencing. Here is some information on it. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12093-postherpetic-neuralgia Sending prayers and happiness your way! ❤️

Hello, I am so sorry for the pain you have endured. You are so strong for making it through everything! There are definitely folks on the forum who have experienced severe nerve damage and pain from HSV. Sometimes it can take a little bit of time for the body to get used to the virus (especially the nervous system because that's where HSV lives). It's great that the medicine is helping. Heat or ice may help as well. I am praying for you! ❤️ Blessings, grace

Hi! Hooray! ❤️ Thanks for the update. Stay kind to yourself! 🙂

Hi ❤️ Sorry for the late reply. Please know you are not dirty. You are not unworthy of love. You life is not over. You are pure. You are worthy of love and kindness. Your life is still going to be happy! 🙂 The way you are feeling right now I completely empathize with. It can be really scary at first. Remember that even the word "herpes" has so much negative connotation associated with it, and because there is a stigma around it, we feel bad about ourselves for having it. However, society makes stigmas about a lot of things, and what society thinks is pretty much always wrong. Stigmas are based on fear and judgment and have no basis to them. Recreate what the word "herpes" means. It is a common virus that so many people have, and it doesn't indicate anything bad about anyone who has it. It doesn't have the power to take over your happiness! Honestly, having herpes can make intimacy difficult at times, but it definitely has helped me weed out the chumps from the good people. Those who are judgmental right away are not people I would want to be with anyway. Those who are accepting and appreciate honesty are good folks, and that's who I am looking for 🙂 You deserve someone who is kind and accepting! Be kind to yourself ❤️ You will get through this and we are all here for you! Sending prayers and blessings your way! 🙂 grace

Hi! Yes, it may be anything. Stay hopeful and let go of HSV health worries. I know it is so hard not to hyper-focus on every blemish and bump, but know that you are safe ❤️ Your body is not dangerous and you are safe ❤️ It's totally okay that you took the Valtrex late! It's more of just taking it to see if it makes the finger mark go away. Any updates since you last posted? Praying for you! ❤️

Hello! Sorry for the late reply! I am so sorry that you've been struggling. Please know everything will be okay ❤️ Having sores anywhere in the region where you have herpes is 100% normal. Herpes in the genital region lives in the bundle of nerves at the base of the spinal chord. The nerve cells are long and extend and branch into the entire genital area, so if you have genital herpes, you can get outbreaks on the buttock, anus, genitals, and even thighs. Having outbreaks in new spots in the same general area is normal. For example, I had my first huge outbreak with sores inside my vagina and on both labia and on the mons pubis. My next outbreak was the labia, and the next was up near the bikini line area on the mons pubis. I hope this helps! Hang in there ❤️❤️❤️ Sending prayers and blessings your way! 🙂 grace

Hi! Great question! I honestly have no idea. Ethyl alcohol has been shown to deactive the herpesvirsu. Read about it here! https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/viw2.16. Hit Ctrl + F and search the word "herpes" to find specific parts of the article related to HSV. However, this does not mean we should go around rubbing alcohol all over our genitals before we have sex or are intimate! Using harsh products (even alcohol!) can cause irritation and skin issues, especially with sensitive genital tissues. The article is talking about sanitation of SURFACES, not skin! I am curious to know if antiviral cream would help as a "pre intimacy" precaution. However, this cream (and most ointments) is for external use only. You CANNOT use the topical Acyclovir internally (orally or vaginally or anally). So, it wouldn't be safe to use before sex. If you are really concerned, the best idea would be to take a shower before you are intimate. I hope this helps! Blessings to you! 🙂 grace

I am so sorry that you've been so stressed. Rest assured all is well and you and your baby are safe ❤️ 🙂 There are really great OCD books out there that have helped me a lot. At the bookstore in Barnes and Nobles or even Amazon you can search up workbooks that help you address OCD and work through it all. This is especially great if it's hard to find a therapist or if it's hard to schedule time to talk to someone. The book Talking Back to OCD! by John S. March, MD is a great book! I hope this helps! ❤️ Sending prayers of peace and happiness your way! Blessings, grace

Hello! Sorry for the late reply. I just started teaching, lol! In regards to your test results, yes, EBV, cytomeglaovirus, and HSV are related. Epstein Barr, cytomeglaovirus, and genital and oral Herpes are all part of the herpesvirus family. Read about them and the herpesvirus family here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8157/ It is possible that your finger has whitlow, however whitlow is often very painful. Do you have any symptoms on the finger besides the white mark? Also, does the mark have a head or a blister? It kind of looks like there is one small one but it is hard to tell. Is it possible that it is a callus? Also yes, you are right, herpetic whitlow usually looks like classic blisters. If you are still experiencing genital symptoms, I would not resume sex. Sometimes even when we don't see sores, it is good to be about 8 days without symptoms before resuming sex. Sometimes the tingling can be from viral shedding, and other times it may be from nerve damage or irritation or from the skin having to heal from the sores. Have you tried taking antivirals to see if the finger mark goes away and to see if the tingling would go away? Did you take any antivirals when you had your last outbreak? I hope this helps! Stay strong ❤️ ! Sending prayers and blessings of happiness and healing your way! grace

Hey Friends!! I hope you are all doing well ❤️ I was curious if anyone has ever had sores in their nose. I have a white tiny tiny bump (kind of like a skin tag I guess?) Inside my nose on the side wall of the nasal bridge. I have gotten sores in my nose before except those hurt pretty bad. This one I currently have doesn't hurt and I've had it for a few days and it doesn't change at all. What do you guys think? Is it safe to kiss someone? Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️ grace

Hello! Congratulations on your baby ❤️ Babies are such blessings!! 🙂 I am so sorry you've been experiencing stress. Please know you are safe and you are not a danger to your baby. Washing your hands after using the bathroom with soap and water, and not kissing your child if you have an oral sore all are protective measures you can take 🙂 Here is a study reagrding antibody protection: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/mother-lode-protection#:~:text=Researchers have long known that,antibodies to their own offspring. Also, here is a study discussing the impact of ocular herpes to newborn babies and antibodies in case you were interested: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.00678-17 Stay kind to yourself and remember the facts over the fear! Blessings to you and your family ❤️ !! grace

Hello, I am so sorry to hear about this. It sounds like the outbreaks may not be herpetic. Have you been tested for monkeypox? Yes, suppression is successful for many people. It really all depends on the person. It is helpful for those with consistent outbreaks. Sometimes people need an IV antiviral to help their body adjust. Many people who get HSV and have really bad outbreaks need IV antivirals because their body has such a hard time handling the virus. You could ask your doctor about IV antivirals. Also, did your doctor try another antiviral? I am praying for you! Things will be better, I promise! ❤️ Blessings!

Hi!! I am SO sorry I didn't reply to the previous post with the urine screening results. The photo you posted does look like a cluster of blisters. Does it hurt? Also did this occur maybe because you stopped taking antivirals? If it's been within 48 hours, you could get the sores swabbed. Praying for you!! 🌻🌼