CuriousBlue

Never mind … I have since spoken to 4 different doctors who have seen the sore and informed me it is folliculitis & believe it is consistent of my other symptoms .. no pain etc I just popped another in grown hair & it looks the same as this so perhaps they are right. so hard to tell someones as I do not get out breaks

Hello, I know I have HSV 1 via a blood test, I wanted to know whether this looks like a H sore? There was no tingling or blisters prior to seeing this and I am not in pain, no fever symptoms

Personally, If I had HSV 2 UNLESS i knew it was 100% orally I wouldn't disclose before a kiss. HSV 2 orally is VERY VERY rare. Bigger concern would be intercourse.

Sorry to add as you may have HSV 1 orally as you mentioning kissing on the cheek - I would avoid doing this if you have a sore, oral HSV 1 sheds around 9-13% of the time (roughly) so just keep that in mind, I would not worry about it too much though honestly. Just avoid avoid avoid contact if you have a sore.

If you have HSV 1 genital you cannot pass it through kisses. Only if it is oral. Holding is hand and kissing on the cheek is fine Also regarding swimming - as your genital area would be covered by clothing - I wouldn’t worry about it. You need skin to skin contact of the effected area.

I have had HSV 1 for 5 years Aside from the first set of sores I had, didnt have another sore appear until this year in february (4 and a half years later) - trigger was immense stress but I was arguably under the biggest stress I have ever had in my life which had lasted 2/3 months and I was even put on antidepressants for - to show the magnitude of the stress. Since then, nothing! Try not to worry too much as its likely you may never have another outbreak again. If you do - usually its MUCH better than the first time. Do you have HSV 1 or 2 and what location?

Hello, Sorry to hear you are struggling! So your boyfriend had the bumps on his penis and even though this was covered with the condom you still got it? I know condoms arent 100% effective but usually the transmission from male to female with use of a condom is 96% chance of no transmission. I suppose these studies did suggest when there was no outbreak. Maybe he was shedding on an area not protected by condom. Did you have oral sex? Do you know if he has oral herpes ? Ever gotten a cold sore? Definitely try and get the blister swabbed. I don’t know much about HSV 2 but I have HSV 1 and it has not effected my life at all. Over 70% of the global population has this strain so if you have HSV would be helpful to know which you have as it might effect your outbreaks etc. If your boyfriend didn’t know he had herpes I wouldnt be too hard on him. So many people (even those with oral herpes - and this is way more common) don’t know they have it and go around spreading it unfortunately

Yeah I’m sorry you feel this way. May is a long time to have known and not told you, especially as he is your boyfriend. I do hope you feel better soon! And I hope when you speak tonight he truly listens to your feelings - try and stay positive as there is a chance you haven’t gotten anything

Makes sense. How long has he known about it for - before telling you? Also maybe you guys should sit down and have a conversation about it. He needs to give you a proper explanation of why he didn’t tell you and not brush it off like it isn’t a big deal to you. I think you both need to be compassionate towards each other - he also may have been scared to tell you ?? Doesn’t make it right. But that’s something More time to process it will definitely help - when I first found out about HSV 1 I was feeling suicidal until I learned what it actually was, now it makes me laugh to think I ever felt that way Also regarding relationships should you test positive - you will need to work on how you perceive HSV. I work in healthcare so maybe my view is different as I know a bit about viruses and things but you need to remember Herpes - type 1 and 2, oral and genital is just a virus !! We as human beings have attached meaning to something that is literally not a big deal Chicken pox is herpes and no one cares and that virus stays in our body forever too. We literally live in a world full or bacteria and viruses and having a virus does not define you. Its a virus. It just makes you human !! Definitely recommend speaking to your partner as you need some support right now and clearly he has upset you so I think it would be good to get your feelings out 🙂

I would suggest waiting for your test results and to go from there. No point worrying about things just yet as you will just make yourself distressed. There’s a good chance you probably will have HSV 1 as upwards of 70% of the global population has that. Around 25% have HSV 2 and some will never know. Once you have your results then consider your options but do remember most people with HSV never show symptoms. I have type 1 - had one sore 5 years ago and have not since, it has no bearing on my life at all. So remember even if you were to test positive theres no guarantee you would even get symptoms and if you do they could be mild. Theres also medication if you need it. The idea of H is scary but over the last 5 years my whole mindset has changed. I’d be lying if I said the idea of type 2 didnt scare me but its more because I already have type 1 so i don’t want “more herpes” so I’ve actually decided here on that any partners I have - I will make them get a blood test That being said, plenty of people on here have type 2 - mainly genital rarely oral - and they live happy normal healthy lives (same with people with type 1 regardless of location) Trust me, you will be fine when you realise how common H is doctors literally don’t even care about it if you are negative - use condoms / dental dams (cold sores can give u HSV 1 downstairs) - also maybe he could go on antivirals ? I’ve only ever been in a relationship with someone who had the same type as me - type 1, so I can’t give too much advice im afraid as for us it was a non issue Wishing you the best!

I agree with Mr Hop which is why I think oral sex is safe if your partner has HSV 1 orally. Also the thing about oral HSV 1 and genital HSV1 and one suddenly being stigmatised is a good point. One thing that helps me put things into perspective was no longer using the term “genital herpes” or “oral herpes” and just calling it HSV 1 - when I was talking about that particular strain. It’s the exact same virus. E.g with acne, no one says “facial acne” or “back acne” if people have acne in different parts of their body. It’s just acne. Once you have HSV 1 you have HSV 1. Whether its in your eye, mouth, genitals, finger. I think location should only be considered if you were thinking about transmission/shedding but otherwise I never use the term oral or genital. I just say HSV 1 or HSV 2. Just my thoughts for people with HSV 1 who maybe be feeding into or giving into, the stigma

Hi I have HSV 1 and have only had one sexual partner who gave it to me. I have only had 2 different sores over the last few years - I’ve been doing some research on here and realised how many other STIs there are out there which are symptomless and condoms do not protect against. I realise 70% of the population has HSV 1 oral or genital (or whitlow etc) so I am ok with having it. However I am afraid to give oral or have sex or even kiss a new partner in fear they don’t have HSV 1 (although unlikely) and pass it to them I have been spending time with this guy who insists hes been tested but in the UK they dont test for HSV 1 or 2 routinely and many people are denied a test by their doctor so im confident he hasnt been tested for HSV I have found that you can pay for some online blood tests and would like to ask him to take one - I don’t know how to do this without sounding weird or like I don’t believe him? No one I know has protected oral sex and condoms with vaginal sex wouldnt protect me fully if he were to have HSV 2 and just not know Also, is there a way to test men for HPV? As I’m paranoid about getting that too. In the UK we don’t typically have to pay for our STI tests so people are usually only tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia, gonnorhea and syphillis (occasionally trich) I’ve asked people to pay for herpes blood tests before and they have refused so I didn’t take things further - however I already have HSV 1 and would prefer not to get type 2. Also I don’t want to be paranoid about giving someone HSV 1 so it would be easier just to know if they already have it or not Thanks