AlliKat12

@PoppiVera My first outbreak lasted 6 weeks unfortunatly. Once it felt like the blisters and cuts were healing, they would come back. I've read that only the first outbreak is that extreme and future outbreaks will be more mild. I have not had my second outbreak yet so I am not sure if thats true. Its probably different for everyone. As for getting HSV after you've been with someone for a certain amount of time... HSV can lay dormant in your body for any amount of time. It took me 7 years to have my first outbreak and some people never have outbreaks and are just asymptomatic. So either you were previously exposed to HSV before your relationship, or you could have gotten it from your parnter now.

Hello, Herpes is never a reason to stay with someone who isn't worth staying with. I know rejection can make you feel like you arent worth it or something is wrong with you but when the right person comes along they wont leave. It might be a little awkward now but just give it some time and see where things go with this new person. Maybe you could let this person know that you feel like things are a little distant and see what they are feeling or thinking about the situation. You never know, maybe you wont have another outbreak once things calm down. This site is a very good place for knowledge and help. There are thousands of people on this site who feel what you feel at some point in their lives.

I hope everything works out exactly the way you want.

Well to start off, me and my boyfriend have been together for almost 5 years. I had a STD panel blood test in 2015 and it was positive for HSV1 antibodies. I never had symptoms and didn't really know alot about HSV so I never really thought of it again. When I asked the doctors what antibodies meant, they just kept saying " you came in contact with someone with HSV at some point" So I wasn't sure if that meant that I also had it. Then in June of 2022, I started getting blisters and cuts on my genitals. So we pretty much found all this out together because it had been so long since I got the positive test, I kind of forgot about it. He was mad at first, but not at me. He was more so mad at the person that gave it to me because we saw it as a life changing thing. Me having genital HSV1 didn't change anything for him but I was the one that made it awkward because I was scared of giving it to him if I hadn't already. Now that its been over 6 months since my symptoms starting, its gotten a lot better. We are just assuming he does have it and we are both okay with that. I think he's just accepted the fact that we've been having unprotected sex for 4 years beforehand and it's just inevitable. I really hope this works out for you because its nice to have someone accept you for everything that you are. It might not be right away but hopefully eventually. As long as you are taking the precautions to not transmit this and being upfront and honest about everything. You are doing everything right.

Hello, It's really great that you are being conscious about disclosing before the fact. Are you planning on doing it in person or doing it before you meet up? It's good that this person already knows you on a deeper level because it instill trust beforehand. I think I would state exactly what you said above, that you wanted this person to have their own choice because yours was taken away. I do not know a lot about HSV2 as I only have GHSV1 but I would have all the knowledge and information available for him so that it gives him a bigger picture beyond the stigma. Knowing that you are asymptomatic means that you can be viral shedding at anytime but its great that you take those meds to reduce the risk of transmission. I don't really have great answers since I was already with someone for years before I found out I had it but Im really glad that you are being upfront and open about your disclosure. Good Luck!

On average, the first outbreak is always the worst and most of the time accompanied with flu like systems. Symptoms with reoccurring outbreaks should be less severe and flu like symptoms shouldn't happen. I am not sure about the leg pain being connected to gential herpes as the flu like symptoms could have caused body aches. I would wait until you have symptoms and get them stabbed. You can go to a doctor and get the cold sores swabbed and they can prescribe antiviral medications to help. Hope you start feeling better.

Well HSV2 likes to stay in the genital region so having it orally is kinda rare but possible. Since you were unable to get the outbreak swabbed, I would wait 12 weeks after the sexual encounter to get a blood test. Are you having any type of symptoms in or around your mouth? If not, then transmitting the virus ( if you have it orally) is a small chance. I am not sure if the shedding risk is higher during the primary outbreak. I do know that the primary outbreak normally lasts awhile since your immune system and your body is trying to figure out what is going on. My first outbreak lasted about 6 weeks with 2 rounds of Valtrex. I would maybe go talk to a doctor and see what they suggest. Sometimes the positive result will come back on a blood test before the 12 weeks.

Hello, Do you have HSV1 or HSV2? Do you have it genitally and orally? If you have genital outbreaks then you should be fine kissing because in order to transmit the virus, you have to have skin to skin contact with the infected area.

Hello, Did you have any open sores or any symptoms when this happened? Transmission is a minimal risk when you dont have any open sores or blisters.

You are welcome! I am in the same boat as you, I am so glad that I found this site because google can have some answers that either don't make sense or doesn't quite relate to what you are going through. When I first found out I was positive for genital HSV1, I was devastated. I wanted my symptoms to be anything else but when I saw that positive test result, I automatically googled everything I could think of. Most information online for HSV1 is geared towards oral HSV1 so it wasn't really helpful. This page helped me understand the transmission rates and helped with the anxiety that I was feeling about having this lifelong thing. Having a support system in place is always the best thing because you have people around you to pick you up when you feel down. If I think of anything else, I will for sure reach out. Otherwise this site is a blessing for any type of answers you need. Have a great day 🙂

Hello, I'm sorry you are going through this, being told that you are positive for HSV1 and HSV2 must have been really hard. I am not too sure on the percentages of false positives for blood tests. I know that blood tests can come back negative if you are positive but I don't know about the other way around. Antibodies means that at one point, you came in contact with someone who had the virus and your body created the antibodies to fight it off. I was tested in 2015 and was positive for HSV1 antibodies and I didn't get my first outbreak until 2022. I completely forgot that I even tested positive for the antibodies because it never affected my life. if you tested positive for the antibodies then that means that its an established infection which means you came in contact with the virus at least 12 weeks ago. So the guy that you were seeing is probably where you got it from if you previously tested negative. You could be asymptomatic if you are not having symptoms. I believe a lot of people who are positive with HSV are asymptomatic and that's why 2/3 of the population have HSV1 or 2. Even if you are asymptomatic, shedding can occur at any time. Shedding is where your body is creating infectious virus partials that can be transmitted to others through close skin to skin contact. You never really know when you are shedding the virus, but the Valtrex will help lower the transmission rate. Do not have any type of sexual contact if you ever get symptoms. I think you are supposed to wait 8 or so days after symptoms to resume sexual contact after an outbreak is over. When you do have any type of sexual contact, just know that condoms are helpful to reduce transmission as well as the Valtrex. Since you do not have any symptoms, you do not know where the infected area is. HSV1 can be oral or genital and HSV2 prefers the genital area. Your kids will be perfectly fine since they need to come in contact with the infected area. So if you are feeling any tingling sensations, itching or see any blisters or lesions in or around your mouth, I would avoid kissing them until all symptoms are gone. It is possible that the scab in your nose could have been an outbreak, I have read on here that people do get HSV1 in their nose. I know this is a lot of information but this forum has a lot of answers. I was freaking out for the longest time before I found this website. You can always search up at the top for keywords if you are looking for answers as well. There are thousands of topics on here that have great input from people who are dealing with the same thing you are.

Hello, There is a chance that the blood test is wrong. I believe I read on here that a standard blood test can miss about 8 percent or 10 percent of HSV2 cases. HSV can lay dormant in the body and can cause symptoms when the immune system is fighting something else. I tested positive for HSV1 in 2015 and didnt get an outbreak until 2022. So anything is possible. She lab lady is right, you can only get the virus by skin to skin contact. So if she is having vaginal symptoms then it most likely came from vaginal penetration. HSV2 likes to stay in the genital region. HSV1 can be found in both places due to the increase of oral sex. There is a possibility that you do have it since she does. I know there is something called a western blot test but I dont know much about it. Sorry I couldn't be of much help.

Hello, I went through a similar situation that you did. I had the worst pain and irritation from my first outbreak. I also have genital HSV1. I have only had one outbreak so far but I'm always in constant fear that anything I feel is an oncoming outbreak. During my outbreak, which lasted about 6 weeks, I used Hydrocortisone and Lidocaine for healing and pain. It seemed to helped a lot. I started taking the Valtrex as well. Its very common for people to have flu like symptoms when they are their initial outbreak. Like Bloomer said, since your blood test was positive, its an infection that you could have had for quite awhile. I had tested positive in 2015 for HSV1 antibodies and didn't have an outbreak until 2022. The virus can lay dormant in your body so it might be hard to establish when the virus came in contact with your body. HSV1 is normally an oral thing but nowadays its becoming more common in the genital region because the increase of oral sex but the good thing is that HSV1 in the genital region can also mean less outbreaks in general. I have learned a lot on this forum, so you can always search for key words and find old topics to help you. I know getting the H diagnosis can be devastating but its not the end of the world. Hopefully your significant other is supportive and understanding.

Thank you for your input. It's always nice to have another persons perspective and opinions.

No, he has not been tested since we have been together. We decided that he would get tested if symptoms became present.

Thank you @Bloomer. That is what I was assuming but I wanted to make sure. So far my boyfriend has shown no signs of HSV and we have been together for over four years. At this point, he might be positive for it and just not be experiencing any outbreaks.

@Seeker1960 I slept with someone in 2015 that I found out after was questionable. So I got a full STD panel and it came back with the HSV1 antibodies. I never really thought of it again since I had no symptoms. I had an STD panel in 2013 and was negative for any HSV. I ended up getting small cuts on my genital region in May of 2022 and I got them swabbed but it came back negative. The doctor even told me that if it was herpes, it probably wouldnt come back positive because their was no liquid or puss to swab. About 2 months after that, I kept getting the small cuts every now and then but then I started getting lesions and blisters in the same area. So i went back to the doctor and got them swabbed again. My test results were positive for HSV1 and negative for HSV2. So I assumed I got infected somewhere between 2013 and 2015 and thats how I got the antibodies for HSV1 but never had another outbreak again until this year.

I got a STD panel in 2015 and it came back positive for HSV1 antibodies. I didn't have any outbreaks until July of 2022. So technically I guess I have had this since 2015.

So adding on to this, now I have another question. If I have the GHSV1 and my partner is presumably negative due to no symptoms. We have unprotected sex most of the time since I've only had one outbreak. If we have oral sex, is there a chance that I could get HSV1 orally as well? He doesn't have any symptoms so I dont even know if he has herpes. I am just scared to get herpes orally as well, so if we have oral sex or if he gets it orally for going down on me or vice versa, what are the chances of either of us getting cold sores. I just need help working through my train of thought I guess.

Hello, Anything new to the body has the potential to bring on an outbreak. When you introduce something into your system, your immune system will always have a different reaction. So if you get the Shingles Vaccine, there is a possibility of an outbreak but I think since you are taking the Valtrex and shingles and HSV are in a similar category, maybe it wont happen. I would also ask a doctor about taking the Valtrex and the Shingles Vaccine at the same time.

Herpes is a guessing game. Not all activities will make someone have an outbreak. I do not lift weights or have strenuous work outs so I can't fully answer your question but just because it makes other people break out, doesn't mean it will do the same to you. I would try to do the stuff you would normally do and see what the outcome is.

Hello, Im sorry you are going through this. It is hard when someone continuously makes you feel like you aren't enough or like something is wrong with you. Herpes isn't something that you can get rid of and you are taking all the necessary precautions. Before you end the relationship, I would sit down with him and make sure he knows how this makes you feel so he can fully understand. Since you have been together for 2.5 years, its already possible that he may have it and just be asymptomatic. Herpes has a small chance of transmission even while you are taking precautions and that is something that your partner needs to understand if he wants to continue this relationship. Like I said, I would sit down and have a full on conversation about everything before you decide what to do. 2.5 years is a long time to just throw down the drain. Hope all works out in the end.

I use Aquaphor with hydrocortisone in it. I think you can find it in the baby isle at the store.

Hello, I do not have oral HSV1 so I don't exactly know a lot about it but I can answer the questions about triggers and acne. Everyone is different so having herpes is kind of like a guessing game. Everyone will have their own triggers. I've read people saying, chocolate or junk food can give them outbreaks. Since you have HSV orally, maybe it could be the things you ingest.. so caffeine, alcohol, or carbonated drinks. Stress, fluctuating hormones', being sick or having a weakened immune system can also be a trigger for some people. I haven't read anywhere that antivirals have a side effect for acne problems but anything is really possible. It just depends on how your body is reacting to them.

Yes, I was on 1000mg of Valtrex during the first 15 days of my breakout. The doctor also prescribed me 500 mgs of Valtrex if I decided I wanted to take it as a suppressive medication. I started taking it as a suppressive because I was scared to ever get another outbreak again but after taking it for 2 months, I realized that I would never know If I have frequent outbreaks if I dont let my body figure out how to fight this virus itself. I haven't taken Valtrex since September and I still haven't had one. The Valtrex made my symptoms be less severe so I think in the long run it helped but it didn't lessen my outbreak time wise. I still had an outbreak for 6 weeks or so. You could always try the Acyclovir. That is another popular one and sometimes one will help and the other wont. Maybe your body just isn't responding to the Valtrex and this one would work better for you. Everyone is different, so the medication will effect everything differently. Everyone will have different triggers that cause an outbreak. So far, I haven't figured out what my triggers are since I've only had one outbreak but I know its not alcohol, junk food, shaving, waxing or sex. I agree, its insane that this has been around for so long and its still a mystery.