ihaveittoo
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Posts posted by ihaveittoo
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Wow...lot of ignorance on display. Local TV news is a joke when they do srories like this. Think I'm gonna email that reporter and attempt a cranial anal extraction. Hes in bad need of a link to this site.
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I agree about the heat and humidity. I had an outbreak about 20 years ago during the hottest most humid time of the year. At the time I worked outdoors most of the day. When I got home I peeled my clothes off because I had sweated so much. Needless to say with the outbreak I was miserable. The doctor prescribed Famvir. It didn't work for me. Had to get him to prescribe Acyclovir. A couple days later the ob was pretty much gone.
Valtrex or Acyclovir should help. Acyclovir always worked for me. Herpes should not interfer with you heach time. Talk to your doctor about suppressive therapy when the outbreaks keep hanging on.
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Robin Williams. What a shame it ended like it did. Been a fan since the days of Mork & Mindy. RIP.
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LOL....like what I see so far..the spirit I was hoping for.
This one went way over my head when I first heard it at about 12 years of age...
What do you do if an elephant comes through the window?....SWIM!!
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Hello all,
I've read through many posts in this forum. They cover the spectrum, enlightening, inspirational, sad etc. Many people come here when they are at their lowest emotionally, especially after just recently being diagnosed. Trust me when I say that we long time veterans of herpes never forget where we come from. I know I had my rock bottom moments regarding herpes back in the day.
Over the years I have found humor to be a great pick me up. I once worked with a guy who was a master at telling the most awful jokes. Not that they were dirty, just the kind that make you groan at first, then after a minute or so of thinking about it you start laughing in spite of yourself. So, I thought I'd leave you with a couple jokes that made me laugh. (I openly admit to anyone who listens that my inner 14 year old is alive and well.)
What's the difference between a condom and a coffin?......You go in a coffin...
What do a condom and a battleship have in common?....They're both full of seamen...
Groucho Marx or Richard Pryor I am not...but those make the inner 14 year old laugh.
Please add one or two bad jokes you know, the world could use a good laugh.
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@adrianm
Hello and welcome.
The fact you have come here tells me you find your girlfriend to be a very special person. Be very thankful she disclosed to you. 80% of people who have herpes don't know they have it. If you reject her now you may not be so lucky with the next woman.
For the time being subtract herpes from the equation. If things were going well before she disclosed then it sounds like the relationship is still worth pursuing. You two should go over the e-book and handouts available from this site. With good education and communication you should have little chance of catching the virus.
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My wife and I both have genital herpes. Only outbreaks stop us. Otherwise its like we don't even have it.
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For 16 years I was a letter carrier for the USPS. One morning I was going about getting the route I was carrying ready to go to the street. The carrier on the route next to me began laughing like Bevis from Bevis and Butt-head. He comes over and hands me a letter that had HERPES TEST RESULTS ENCLOSED printed on it. This happened during the period in my life when I didn't speak to anyone about herpes. I was conflicted. On one hand it was amusing, it was obviously a gag novelty item. On the other it wasn't, in my frame of mind at the time it just reinforced the idea that I was damaged goods and not desireable. I didn't dare do or say anything to out myself.
Now days if that happened I know the stats to quote. Before you laugh you better know your status. You could be unwittingly infecting others with herpes. The individuals referenced earlier in the thread need to be educated.
Just an aside...The guy who laughed like Bevis was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole about 15 years ago now. He graduated from pothead to methhead. He got wasted one night and ended up murdering his girlfriend. Its one of the big reasons I am against legalizing pot. Ok, stepping off the soapbox.
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I know exactly where your coming from. Outbreaks seem to come along when you really really don't need one. They can really drag you further down when your already down. I've also had outbreaks when things are going great, that tends to wipe all that out real quick. You just have to keep one foot in front of the other. Wish I had better advice. You'll get through this. I've found over the years that everything works out in the end.
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@lotussmoke and @jasonswife,
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad this story was a help to you in some way. Never really considered a career in writing, not sure I have enough patients for it. Its always been rather hard for me. I will write when inspiration strikes though. Yeah, for me writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. ;-)
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Thanks @WCSDancer2010 and @whitedaisies. The progression of his alzhiemers has really been noticeable in the last month or so. He always had worry wart tendencies and I've noticed that this has really intensified them. Mom has already informed my brother and I that when the time comes he will go to a care facility. I know it won't be easy, but it will probably be for the best. Mom will be 76 in October. She's handled it like a trooper so far, but the day will come when it gets to be to much to handle.
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Being diagnosed with herpes is pretty devastating when it happens. The stigma immediately kicks in. The absolute worst fate imaginable has come to pass. Life is over. Nothing is worse than this.
Today I spent a few hours with my father. He'll turn 74 in September. He spent 8 years in the US Navy flying airplanes. In the late 60's and early 70's he took classes in computers. He made his living programming computers for 35 years. He was a wiz with all kinds of technical gadgets. Then, two years ago this week, he was diagnosed with alzhiemers. Now he is not able to figure out the TV remote. It took me 20 minutes to coach him thru using his cell phone today. His attention wanders constantly. He can't be left home alone anymore. I spelled mom today so she could go have lunch with friends and have a break from dad. We are witnessing the man that my father was slowly fade away. It hurts.
Herpes is nothing more than an inconvenience. With proper care it can be easily managed. Life goes on as usual. It's not going to kill you or cause any other health problems. Alzhiemers slowly destroys the brain. It robs people of there memories and intelligence. It's a creeping death that can't be stopped. Dad will never improve from where he is today. Sad to say his best days are behind him now.
I guess what I'm trying to say is herpes is next to nothing. Its been blown way out of proportion by society. There is a hell of a lot worse things that can happen to you than herpes. Get out there and live your life!
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Good article overall.
@WCSDancer2010...Unfortunately many of the wise asses in the comments section are going to learn their lesson the hardway.
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@wcsdancer2010
The technology has improved drasticly since then. I firmly believe we have finally made it to the future.
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Been asked to write a few words about my experience with her peas...er Herpes.
In 1987 I was a 20 year old Marine stationed overseas. Like many young Marines I liked to drink...beer...lots of it. They don't call alcohol liquid courage for nothing. It tends to make you feel invincible and make bad decisions. Add to that many, many young ladies throwing themselves your way, disaster lies just around the corner. as Dr. Sheldon Cooper would say...bazinga!
After 3 different swabs came back negative a doctor finally told me it is definitely herpes. He said 30% of herpes cases will not test positive. The navy clinic would never order up a blood test, so to this day I have never had one to test for herpes. My next doctor appointment is set for October so I am going to ask her to order one for me then. I got a prescription for Acyclovir and it cleared the outbreaks up in very short order.
As time passed I just didn't talk about it. Nobody would understand. A few days before I got out of the Marines I got a 90 day supply of Acyclovir. Got my discharge and drove halfway across these United States to get home. A couple days after getting home I got careless and left the Acyclovir bottle sitting on top of the dresser. After 4 years away from home I forgot how nosey mom could be. She saw the bottle and just had to read the label. Great. The very last person on planet Earth I wanted to know about this. Being a nurse she knew just where to go to look up Acyclovir. Do you know what those pills are used to treat she asked. I thought, goddammit, I don't want to talk about it. She told me what it was for like I didn't have a clue. I remained fairly unresponsive about it, and that was the last time the subject was ever brought up between us.
I did my damndest to avoid relationships. Never asked anyone out. Hung out with the guys and did shit guys do that didn't involve the women folk. At the workplace I never flirted with the ladies. I kept a respectful distance. Never ran stupid pick up lines by them. Tried to always present my self as a nice but rather dull fellow. Then, one fateful day, the sister of one of the ladies at work came into the store. My sister really wants to go out with you she said. Dammit, why me. What the hell did I do to make an impression on her. Anyway April(not her real name, just her birth month) wasn't there that day. It would be a couple more days before she came to work. When she got back she apologized for her sister. April didn't know her sister was going to try and play matchmaker before she came to talk to me. A few days after that we ended up in the break room at the same time. Remembering she had been out sick for the better part of the previous week I asked if she was doing ok, She admitted that she really hadn't been sick sick, she just didn't want anybody to see her. Why not I asked. She told me she had had a big huge cold sore on her lip and it embarresed her to be seen with one. Hmmm. I know what cold sores are.
Well, the short of it is, we did eventually go out. I did disclose. We always used condoms. After a year or so the relationship played itself out. I went back to my old ways. A nice but rather dull fellow.
1996. I had begun to notice .com every where I looked. What pray tell is .com? The World Wide Web I was told. What pray tell is the World Wide Web? Computers. Hey, my fuddy duddy Dad has one of those. Dad, show me the World Wide Web. Wow, this is pretty cool. Guess I better get a computer. Got a Packard Bell. Windows 95. Still remember the ooohs and ahhs I got when I told folks it had a 1 gigabyte hard drive. That was a monster hard drive in 1996.(As I sit here writing this I have an HP with a 500GB hard drive with a 3TB external plugged in.) My next stop was America On-Line. Ahh, the days of dial up. Am I really that old? Anyhoo, I soon discovered chat rooms. As I remember you used to be able to scroll down a list of chat rooms. Click on the room name and there you are. Lo and behold, one day I come across a chat room named Herpes. Click. I found myself warmly welcomed by those already in the room. Wow. Spent that first time mostly sitting back and observing.
I soon after created a new screen name. Ihaveittoo. Yep, I resurrected it for this forum. I made many friends there. I opened up for the first time about herpes. I realized that I am not alone. I found out about a local herpes support group thru that chat room. I went to my first meeting in June 1996. Talking to others face to face was a revalation. every one was so normal. I met a -/+ couple. I would never have Imagined that possible before. I began to feel confidence in myself again.
Later that year I met my wife in an AOL Herpes chatroom. We discovered we lived in the same state. 250 miles apart, but the same state. We started talking on the phone. We continued chatting online. The next logical step was meeting in person. So, of all days of the year to meet in person for the first time, Valentines Day 1997 was it. So, I made the 250 mile drive to a city by a river that has this arch thingy. This city also has a baseball team that I despise because they became a bunch of whiney little cry babies over an umpires bad call in the 1985 world series. If they had manned up my team might not have kicked their asses so bad in game 7. Anyway, by the end of 1997 we got married. We had 2 lovely little girls. Herpes had no impact on either pregnancy. Now, almost 17 years later, we are still married. Ready to strangle one another from time to time, but as I understand it most married couples, with or without herpes feel like that sometimes.
So, if you are newly diagnosed, what can we learn from my mistakes? Well, by coming to this site you are already avoiding my biggest mistake. I remained silent. I did not talk about it at all. Do not be afraid to participate in this forum. If you have questions, ask. If you need to rant, rant. Rave and drool to your hearts content. Find a local support group. Confide in someone you can trust. Deal with it. I spent the better part of 10 years not dealing. Even with April, once I disclosed that was it. Nothing more was said.
A herpes diagnoses is pretty overwhelming. You will eventually realize that it is not that big of deal in the grand scheme of things. It will take some time. Nothing anyone like me can say will change that. Just know that you need to take control of the virus. The best way to do that is educate yourself about the virus. Explore this site. Print out the handouts and read them once, twice, three times if you need to.
Damn, I'm worse then a preacher tonight, Been long winded tonight. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.
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@WCSDancer2010
When you said above we humans have a so-called "advanced" brain, it reminded me of something Robin Williams once said. "God gave men a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to use one at a time." I suppose the fact I find that funny means I have a rather warpped sense of humor. Or I'm up way passed my bedtime...
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Hello @lovingmyself2014
Dancer is absolutely right about this site being in your favor. I was diagnosed 27 years ago and all the info I got from the doctor was on a tri-fold pamphlet. There was no one to talk to. I lived in almost total silence about it for nearly 10 years. When I finally got online I discovered others who also had H. I eventually attended some meetings at a local support group. I had finally started to learn about H and found out I wasn't nearly as alone as I thought I was. Look on the bright side, after one month your already 10 years ahead of where I was at when I was one month post diagnosis. (If that makes any sense.)
As far as marriage and children go, don't sweat it. My wife is also H+ and we have 2 daughters and H was never a factor in either births. I would say that after the first year your going to have a pretty good idea how H will affect you as far as outbreaks and prodomal symptoms go. Once you have a handle on that you will be in the drivers seat.
Hope this helped in some small way at least. It will get better.
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Hello katef and welcome.
The early days with H are the hardest. You've done the right thing by coming to this site. Download the handbook and read through it. Lots of helpful info. Maybe you can try to find a doctor in your area who has good knowledge of H. Sounds like you have not had much luck with them so far.
As someone whose had this 27 years now I can tell you it will yet better. Once you come to understand the virus you'll be in the drivers seat.
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The wingman comes through once again.
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I experianced one occasion of having an upset stomach, but it may have been a coincidence. I was in the military at the time so no tellin what they were feeding us at the chow hall. Other than that I never had a problem with Acyclovir. It was a very effective treatment for me. The doctor told me its one of the safest drugs on the market.
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Hello Sportygirl,
Herpes is spread by skin on skin contact. Although saliva can be icky for alot of reasons, transmiting herpes is not one.
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I do believe a cure will be found someday. I also accept the fact that it may not be during my lifetime. After 27 years its not a big deal to me anymore. I've lived with it for well over half my life now. If I live to be 100 and there is still no cure, oh well, I'm still going to be alright.
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I have never used Valtrex. I have used Acyclovir. I found it to be very effective. The only side effect i ever experianced was a case of diarhea, and that may only have been a coincidence. I was told by a doctor it was one of the safest drugs on the market.
I was prescribed Famvir one time. It was not very effective for me so I asked the doctor for Acyclovir instead. Talk with your doctor and see what he/she thinks.
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You may also want to pay more attention to what you are eating. You may have a trigger food. Also, if you have been sick with a flu or cold or some kind of other infection beside H your immune system may be taxed. If you've been under stress that can cause prolonged outbreaks.
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Why can't I get a positive swab result??
in General herpes discussion
Posted
I had three different swabs done way back in the 80's and they all came back negative. A doctor finally told me after the third swab that 30% of herpes cases will not test positive. I was in the military at the time and they would not do a blood test. I am finally going to have one done at my next doctor appointment in October.