brinpdx

Leslie – it takes great strength of character and courage to be as vulnerable as you were. As one who has gotten better over time to BE that vulnerable honest person, the lows are no fun, but I’ve learned a ton – and the highs, well – they are the BEST - and have come into my life BECAUSE of those low / learning times. Keep on truckin!

Correction - just noticed I've been calling you Ellen vs Elle. Got it now . . .

Hi all - (and Ellen MN esp), My Q fist, then what I’ve found out / wish to share. And VERY glad this is here – thanks for those who set it up!! QUESTION: too all who are more informed than myself (easily done - and Hi again to EllenMN) - is there anything to take to reduce risk / increase immunity to viral shedding / increase the possibility of having barrier free vaginal sex? I’m expecting to hear "don’t ever"!, but I wish to ask regardless. MY STORY: I’ve known for 2 weeks about my hvs2 status. My amazing partner (from whom I did NOT get #2 – THAT was from a prior lover) is a dr. and is very up on the mainstream side of all things viral and bacterial. Her take is that hvs2 can make its greatest bother to healthy folk when we get older, when our immune systems decline, esp. shingles. She’s very much in the mainstream re prevention and remedies, and tells me that there are anti viral drugs that can reduce risk of transition by ½. I’ve yet to look into these, but soon shall. Here are some links I’ve found to alternatives, including a more broad-minded approach/sentiment to the ‘other cold sore’ as it were. A FEW RESOURCES (Ellen, I'd be really interested in your thots re these if / when you've a moment): Pardon too the excessive wordiness . . . Great sounding remedy and purchase source http://www.essentialwholesale.com/Neem-Extract Other alternatives for same http://www.natural-remedies-world.com/natural-herpes-remedies.html#axzz202cT5Tgr http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1814962/pg1 http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/messageforum/showthread.php?28322-Positive-HSV2-blood-test-6-weeks-after-exposure 4-6 wks – takes mos for serum antibodies to build up for accurate pos test outcome From http://std.about.com/od/gettingtested/f/timetoherpestest.htm Various studies have investigated how long it takes from when genital herpes symptoms show up to when an individual tests positive on a blood test for HSV-2. As it turns out, the range varies a great deal, both between studies and between tests. For example the median time from symptoms to a positive HSV-2 blood test was: • HerpeSelect ELISA - 21 days for people who were HSV-1 negative and 23 days for people who were HSV-1 positive. (Ashley-Morrow et al. 2003) • Western Blot - 40 days for people who were HSV-1 negative and 47 days for those who were HSV-1 positive. (Ashley-Morrow et al. 2003) • Western Blot - 68 days. (Morrow et al. 2003) • Kalon ELISA - 120 days. (Morrow et al 2003) • Focus ELISA - 21 days. (Morrow et al 2003) In other words, since it usually takes around 2 weeks for symptoms to show up, it's probably a good idea to wait at least a month or two before even considering getting an HSV-2 test after a potential exposure -- and you might want to consider getting retested after six months. Remember, after all, that those are only median times and that they were highly variable. Some infected people will seroconvert quickly, while others will take even longer before a herpes blood test accurately shows them to be positive. Elisa best test http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=4824