Kaande05

So this question was probably asked somewhere else but I remember reading that some of you take a l-lysine supplement. I went and bought some today but I was curious how much most of you take. I've read numbers all over the place so I just wanted to know bout how much is normal to take. And yea I know no one is a dr and this is technically medical advise I guess but I'm willing to take the chance. Im going to the dr at the end of the month but would like to start it now! It's funny that thru my research on this I discovered that I have 2 chronic conditions that can be treated/ complications minimized by taking L-lysine! And my dr never has even mentioned it to me!

AR77.... Do u have something like planned parenthood there!? Free clinics where they do STD testing?! I personally do not think that only ppl in the US should be able to join this. Obviously it would be much more difficult to get the message out to news and radio in foreign countries so that may not be something we could utilize but I definitely think blurred out pics/names/ and stories of non US citizens should be included in the whole "stepping forward" thing

This sounds like an amazing idea Adrial! How do u suppose we get people to do these profiles!? Post to other support groups?! Dating sites?put fliars up at pph,clinics, colleges?! I'm all over whatever ideas u have for this! Also where do u think we release the photos? On the Internet?! Talk to news and radio to spread the word? I think Dan Savage would be an awesome person to contact. I know he has had a show or caller once about herpes and the stigma and such. Haha can you tell I'm over excited for this idea?! Anyways hopefully something will happen! Let me know how I can help!

Love this thread so so so much!!! I was already debating writing to the area high schools, including the one I graduated from, to speak up about std's especially herpes. I remember 10 years ago sitting in health class and hearing all worst case scenarios and seeing all the pictures of this skin condition and I know that that's where the misconception i had about herpes started. The only thing holding me back is the fact that many hs's promote abstinence thru fear.... And this is how they do it! I don't want it to seem like I'd be minimizing te risk or fear and consequences that can happen from sex but just educate in a more factual manner then what I was taught! I start my college comp class next week and im really hoping to be able to write something that will out me to a broader population of people and educate them. We are only going to eliminate stigma and shame by talking about it and educating people!!! Your all amazing people and I am so thankful I have found this community!

My ob's after have not been nearly as bad. Maybe one sore that didn't even turn into a blister and was gone within like 2 days. I take 800 mg of acyclovir a day.

I guess I didn't clarify... I've had it for 4 years so a total of 4 ob's. But I still really consider myself lucky. I had a baby vaginally and he is healthy and has no problems. And my ex of 3.5 yrs also is h- . Really the stigma of this skin condition is worse then the condition

I'm sorry your boyfriend is being a dick about this whole thing. That definitely makes it harder. My first ob.... It hurt to sit and I did get 3 blisters. Before I knew what was going on my legs really hurt. It was like I had just ran 10 miles and they were sore and achy with any movement. Beyond that my first ob wasn't too bad. It's definitely not what you had discribed. If it does hurt to pee I would suggest dumping water down there while peeing.... I did this after I had my baby boy and it really helped. Ob's are different for everyone and length and severity and quantity also differ. I know I have only had 1 ob a year and that includes my initial ob. And my last one came on because of a med I had to take so who knows it may have been even longer. Just keep your head up. It will get better. It takes time and it's a struggle but it will. Hope I was able to help!

Thanks! I just feel like sometimes I make really emotionally charged decisions and later end up feeling like I did the wrong thing! Do your input is really appreciated!

Went on Facebook today and saw that my cousin made a herpes joke. He doesn't know I have it and he is in med school!!!! I don't know whether to bite my tongue or to just use it as an opportunity to enlighten someone. He lives far away do I'm not worried about any backlash but it's just annoying!!! What do you all think I should do?!

Please please do not define your worth on whether or not this guy will stay with you! I have been there and it's honestly the worst thing you can do to yourself! It is going to prolong your recovery from the shock of it all if you are simply basing your worth and happiness on this guy. I am dealing with that right now, because I never accepted myself before I was with my ex. All these negative herpes emotions came back once we broke up even though Me having herpes played no part in the break up. Just accept yourself and love yourself and surround yourself with people that are more positive and not dragging you down by them being scared, and in turn making you feel self conscious!

I think it needs to be a priority of accepting yourself fully and not caring what other people think of you having H. I told all my friends about my H and one in particular that I regretted telling. She too was just a backstabbing person who turned out to tell a lot of people about my H. I started getting txts and Facebook messages from people that I hadn't talked to in months, who wanted to know if te rumors were true. And of course told me who told them. But I think it's just a grin and bear it type of scenario. People are going to either accept you for it or not. But the ones who don't are obviously not your true friends anyways. So yea if she does tell, it will be awkward but hey she is doing you a favor in a way.... It will either bring you closer to friends or it will weed them out of your life. We all need to learn to embrace it and use it as an opportunity to squash te stigma and educate people.... And not be so ashamed

Wow Carlos I feel like you are just an amazing person who completely just explained my own feelings inside of my head that I could never really figure out how to explain! I think im going to print out that quote and plaster it to my door. Haha! It's amazingly accurate and exactly what I needed to read! I too am having such a hard time moving on, although it seems like my ex has had no problem! Though he won't admit he is with her yet. I think he is waiting for the custody papers to be signed! But yea I'm too struggling to get over it and getting angry about it is so exhausting. But for te time being it works. I'm supposed to go over there tonight to carve pumpkins and I don't know if I'm hurting myself more by trying to hold onto something I don't know if I want or if I'm jut telling myself I don't know If I want him, just so when the perverbial shit does hit the fan, I won't feel as hurt! Sometimes I just wish your mind and your heart could just be on the same page! Good luck with getting over this guy. I wish you all the best!

O girl!!!! We have all gone thru tr same emotions you have right now. It's so scary to think " what if no one will love us" but I'm here to tell you, I was in a serious relationship for 3.5 years with a guy that was H-. And he totally accepted me for it. I think you need to tell your new guy probably soon. How long have you been together?! If you wait too long both you could end up hurting and that trust frigate you need in a relationship can really be ruined if you keep this secret for too long. Make sure you read Adrial's e-book! it will give you the confidence you need to go they with it. As for the whole ex situation... I am too dealing with a breakup. It will be 1 month on Saturday. I dunno if I'm still hurt from the breakup or it's the fact that he had another girl who he talks to and texts all the time. She was at his house 4 hours after we broke up and i packed!!! But e still claims they are not together!! I hate people that just can't admit their wrong doings. I don't know if your a religious person but prayer, exercising and improving myself had really lessened that nagging pain about the whole situation so maybe try something like that. Time heals all wounds and I really think you will be ok! Hope I helped a little bit....

I know what you are going thru. And I do understand his concerns. My ex and I were together 3.5 years and we had a baby together. Rarely used condoms and he never got it. It is possible to not pass it on!

Thanks Adrial! I'm really hoping your message will get out there to the masses soon, and of course let me/us know what else we can do to help

I don't know about natural methods, never took the time to research them. I'd be curious too as to how they work with viral shedding. I take acyclovir 400mg 2x daily. I have a healthy baby who was born vaginally, an ex who is negative even tho we hardly used condoms. And I have had maybe 1 outbreak per year. I've almost had it 4 years now. So I would say acyclovir probably does a great job with the viral shedding, but I can't give you facts and numbers about it!!!

I think your feeling all the typical feelings we all felt at the beginning! It does get better with time. I have learned thru this that u need to be happy with yourself. Please don't have your happiness and self esteeme be defined by whether or not a guy will love you. When I started dating me ex I had known I had h fr 2 months and I never really had worked on accepting myself. Then I met him and it was like I could forget about it because he didn't care. We were together for 3.5 years and just broke up less then a month ago. When we broke up it was 100x worse because of my herpes. It only made it worse because I never took the time to accept myself before our relationship. So just please work on accepting yourself. You will be okay. You can still enjoy all life has to offer. Kids, a career, love marriage. Herpes is not what defines you! Stay positive, get educated, join other support groups, talk to a therapist if u need to. I promise it will get better <3. And no you're not disgusting. That's just the social stigma you had engrained in yourself telling you that.

It's so hard to be super confident and positive about it sometimes but it's truly been on my mind so much lately. I've been looking for a new passion in my life, maybe starting to educate people would really be what I should start doing... Now just figuring how to start and do something enough to make a true impact is what the real challenge is!

Im curious to see what everyone thinks it would take to change the stigma of herpes! I mean that's really the hardest part or this condition, right?! Dealing with the jokes that now are hurtful. Dealing with the rejection because most people are so uneducated about it and scared to give people like us a chance. I just wish there was a way to educate people about herpes so things are easier for us and we don't feel so alone and dread disclosing. I had no problem telling my friends and most of my family but it's telling prospective partners I dread! I dunno maybe it would take someone famous stepping up. Maybe commercials or a campaign to end the stigma! Maybe if this country was given proper sex education and all the facts, not just the scary ones then we wouldn't be in this mess! I mean if we can't have a cure or a vaccine to protect those who don't have it, eliminating the stigma would be the next best thing, right?!

O my, I feel like you just read my mind! I have the same situation as you only we ended our relationship almost 3 weeks ago... And I don't have my own place yet and it's not confirmed he has a new gf! But none the less I feel for you and know how frustrating it can be! I too worry about the future, I don't really care about the now seeing as I'm not ready to date but I don't want to be a single Mom forever and I want to feel that excitement and completeness that being in love brings. I think we should both try what the other person suggested, with the letters.... It sounds like a good idea! I hope you find everything your looking for!

Your story is very very sad! Your ex husband was a dirtbag! I can not stand cheaters! Things will get better, it's taken me 4 years to be ok with H. And it seems when I get in a fight with my now ex or I have a little outbreak, it seems to bring forth feelings that I thought were resolved about the whole H thing. I think counseling really helps me, I use it mainly for other aspects of my life but it helps to talk about H sometimes too. And also staying actively involved in this forum has really helped. I hope things get easier for you and I'm glad you spoke up and let us get to know you!!!

I know exactly what you are going thru.... Except mine wasn't as clean of a breakup. I too have been spending a alot of time grounding myself and working out on a daily basis! Good luck with everything! From what I can tell your a great guy and the community you created and the open arms you give everyone in this forum really has helped me thru these challenging times! We're here for you!

I too am 25 but have had h for almost 4 years. When I first found out it was a month before finals and needless to say I had to repeat the whole semester because I was too depressed to concentrate on school! But I urge u to put that energy of being sad, frustrated, depressed or what have you, and turn it into a motivator to get your school work done! I think I read something on here once that basically said to make every other part of you amazing, whether it be your career, your heart, looks, or whatnot, so that herpes is just a tiny piece of you! Everyone has their faults. If the only one you have is just a silly skin condition then your better off then a lot of people!

Thank you for starting something like this! I can't believe how much better I feel already since finding this and being able to communicate with caring people in my situation!!

I researched it more and if everything goes thru it will be released in 2020