Hi there H Opportunity Community,
First off, I want to say how thankful I am to you, Adrial, for creating this community and helping to reframe the hype around herpes from one of paranoia to one of self-love and care for ourselves and our relationships. That feels so, so good, and I thank you.
I was recently diagnosed with genital HSV 1 - via a blood test and swab - and have a few questions to help get myself oriented to life with this. I appreciate any and all insight and feedback folks can offer!
1) My partner who has oral HSV 1 (like most folks) passed the virus on to me genitally. What are the chances of me passing the virus back to my partner genitally? Any info about the rates of genital transmission of genital HSV-1 to folks who have oral HSV-1?
2) Any info about the rates of genital transmission of genital HSV-1 to folks who *don't* already have it orally? (That 10-20% of the population who, like me, were not already carriers?)
3) Towels. Do I need to get a separate towel for my face? Is there a risk of me passing HSV-1 to my face if I dry my crotch first, then my face, in the shower?
4) Chocolate and nuts. I was *really* bummed to hear about chocolate having a high concentration of arginine, and that it should be avoided. I love chocolate, and can't imagine life without it. I mean, really... I'm already on an uber-restricted diet: no dairy, gluten, sugar, or red meat, and am having a hard time imagining giving up nuts (which I eat daily, particularly almond butter), and stevia-sweetened chocolate which is *such* a treat. Any info on the necessity of cutting out chocolate and nuts with HSV-1? Is this imperative?
Much gratitude in advance to you for your time and care in responding. Here here to community, shameless loving, and empowering each other with shared knowledge.