Likealamb

Thanks Judith and WCSDancer2010 for all the advice. I'll definitely look into the l-lysine and I've been drinking more water which made urinating less painful. I did a little comfort eating when I first found out that included a lot of chocolate but I found out that isn't good for the healing and could maybe encourage future breakouts? is this true? I try to eat healthy and workout and I don't get sick very often but I don't want my little cheat meals to cause something more than weight gain.

Hi everybody! First I just want to say that I'm so thankful I found this place. Ive been reading post after post and feeling much less "alone". I'm also very grateful for some of the advice on how to deal with my first outbreak, which is brutal. My first OB came at a really terrible time as I have been applying for health insurance but yet to be accepted. Which means no insurance and, worse, no doctor. After my period ended last weekend I thought I was getting a rash from my feminine products but as it kept getting worse, I started freaking out, especially since I didn't have a doctor at the time to go see. So 3 days later the "rash" was so bad my boyfriend took me to the ER. My mom insisted on going too and actually ended up in the room with me since I have a pretty high anxiety about doctors/hospitals. This experience was terrible to say the least. All my nurse techs were male (I'm female :)) and if they were trying to hide their disgusted faces, they were terrible at it. The ER doc came in for a total of 40 seconds. Didn't introduce himself. Took a quick look. Said to the nurses "looks like herpes" and walked out. Not a word said to me at all. I remember just crying and staring at the ceiling while they did a swab and took blood. My mom tried asking questions but none of the nurses seemed to know what they were talking about. They told me to find a gyno (having no insurance that'll be fun) to send the test results to. I applied to be a patient at a couple offices but they wont get back to me for a week or two. In the meantime I'm taking acyclovir and even though I don't have the test results back I'm 95% sure that it is genital herpes. My mom was convinced my ex husband cheated on me but my boyfriend had an "almost" healed cold sore and we had oral sex. Unfortuantely, "almost" healed isn't good enough. He is also getting tested but has been amazing. It may sound crazy but this experience has made us feel stronger and feel closer than ever. I've always tried approaching hard times with positivity and he is helping so much with that. So, its been a week since the OB started and I just want to start feeling better. As long as I'm sitting without moving an itch I'm "ok" but using the bathroom has been a nightmare. Peeing in the bathtub helps a little but the sting is still unbearable. Up until yesterday, the worst was when my underwear would stick to me and felt like I was a getting a Brazilian wax. Thank goodness someone on here mentioned using diaper rash ointment. I want to hug you, whoever you are. I work as a CNA but in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. I tried going to work yesterday to just "tough" it out. Well, four hours in, I was in tears. The walking and lifting make the pain 50x worse. And I couldn't explain to anyone why I was walking so funny. I'm also a single mom to two toddlers so sitting on the couch all day is impossible. Is it best to rest as much as possible or is it better to try to keep up with your regular schedule? Did the walking/lifting I did at work make it worse? I guess I just want to hear someone tell me that it IS getting better. Although, like i read in someone else's post, it seems like a different kind of pain every few hours. Also, because I'm scared to pee, I'm not drinking too many fluids. I know drinking more water will dilute the acid but that also means more traumatic trips to the bathroom. I'm looking forward to starting my emotional healing as soon as my physical healing is done. I'm really happy I found a place like this where we can talk openly and in a "no judgement zone". It's very difficult dealing with something so painful and life changing and not feeling comfortable telling people because of the stigma. I'm hoping being on here will help :) Thanks.