ihaveittoo
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Posts posted by ihaveittoo
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You are far from alone feeling this way. I spent the better part of the first ten years I had this avoiding relationships. (had it 30 years now). I was involved in one relationship in that time and that was because of her getting cold sores came up in conversation one day. I figured she would understand. She did. After a year the relationship fizzled out and I was back to square one.
I met my wife 20 years ago in a herpes chatroom on AOL. We lived in the same state. One thing lead to another and we got married. Being with someone else who has it certainly simplifies things. Back then I would never have tried to pursue a relationship with someone who was negative.
WCSDancer2010 has a blog at this link http://supporttruthanddialog.com/. It covers a lot of issues we've all had to deal with at one time or another. I believe you may find it very helpful. http://supporttruthanddialog.com/using-herpes-as-your-wingman/ and http://supporttruthanddialog.com/category/relationships-and-herpes/herpes-dating/are a couple of articles that may be useful.
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@mermaid,
Talk to your doctor about Acyclovir or Famvir. Others have had similar reactions to Valtrex and switching antivirals helped.
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It takes 4-6 months after infection for there to be enough antibodies to detect. Beyond that there is no way to pinpoint an exact amount of time. You're not alone in getting a diagnosis like this. Many discordant couples have gone years in a relationship before finding out one of them has it. In many cases it never gets passed between them. Strange but true. Just goes to show how tricky h can be.
As far as the CDC and testing goes...In the medical community herpes is considered nothing more than a nuiescence skin condition. It doesn't cause cancer or any other long term life threatening conditions. Things the standard STD panel test for can cause serious medical problems if not treated in a timely manner. Up until the late 1970's there was not a stigma in regards to herpes. When effective antivirals were developed big pharma created the stigma through some well placed news articles that made herpes out to be a hideous scourge. There in lies the reason herpes has been turned into the mountain out of the ant hill it actually is.
WCSDancer2010 has a blog at this link http://supporttruthanddialog.com/ I highly recommend it for people just getting diagnosed.
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Medicine is not required. Sounds like your system is handling it well.
http://supporttruthanddialog.com/ Check the link for tips on ointments and remedies on treating outbreaks. They say pouring Epsom salts in the bathwater helps speed healing.
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It is possible to have HSV2 in both places. However, HSV2 oral is rare, 1-2% of oral herpes is caused by the HSV2 virus. Odds are that if you ever have an outbreak it will be down there.
Were you diagnosed by way of an IgG test? If so, results below 3.5 have a 40% chance of being a false positive, especially if you've never had symptoms or an outbreak. Might retest again in the future. The Western Blot test is also an option. Contact Westover Heights to have one ordered.
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I've had GHSV for 30 years now. In the early days I had three different outbreaks swabbed and they all came back negative. After the last one the doctor told me 30% of HSV cases will not test positive from a swab. I was in the military at the time and they did not do blood tests for it at the time. I finally had one done in 2014 and it came back positive for HSV2. No surprise, but it was good to have a definitive result.
Its possible you've been an asymptomatic carrier for a long time. It takes about four months for antibodies to reach detectable levels after infection. Herpes is tricky and doesn't play by any set rules. This could be an GHSV1 infection. You may have recently gotten an HSV2 infection. If it has been under four months it may not be detectable yet.
http://supporttruthanddialog.com/ This blog has lots of useful information. It is written by WCSDancer2010.
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I've never tried Valtrex. Had good results with Acyclovir when I took it. Its my understanding that Valtrex stays in your system longer than Acyclovir. When I took acyclovir I took 3 200mg pills a day. I believe the suppressive dosage of Valtrex is 1 500mg pill a day. Hopefully someone with Valtrex experience can clarify that. Some people report side effects while taking one or the other. Switching from one to the other is most cases seems to help solve that problem.
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The dentist and assistant should be wearing gloves when they work on you. I wouldn't worry to much about them. Herpes is spread by skin to skin contact. As long as you don't kiss the baby and keep your hands clean you shouldn't be putting the baby in any danger. Perhaps if you wore nitrile gloves while changing diapers and bathing will help put your mind at ease.
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Hello @killertofu,
Was this an IgG test or IGM? IGM are generally considered unreliable. IgG test are fairly reliable. 1.09 is very low. Results 3.50 and below have a 40% chance of being false positive if you've never had physical symptoms. If you think its possible you were recently exposed to HSV2 wait until 16 weeks post exposure to test again, that's usually how long it takes for the antibodies to become detectable.
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Hello @linda89,
Here is a link to WCSDancer2010's blog http://supporttruthanddialog.com/. Its worth a read if you have the time. Lots of info and links.
A local support group is an option to consider. It really helps to talk with others in the same boat . This link https://herpeslife.com/herpes-support-groups/ may help you find one. I've had h for 30 years now. I was 9 years in before I found the group in my city. Attending some meetings made a huge difference in dealing with it. If there is a group near you I would encourage you to check it out.
Of course this forum is full of great people too. Read the success stories. Your life is far from over...
Good luck.
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Hello @Dontknow
Here is a link to a blog by @WCSDancer2010 http://supporttruthanddialog.com/. Has lots of info that may be of some interest to you both.
I've had h now for 30 years. It is not the end of the world. I agree with Tina94 about getting it typed. From what you have written, finding a new doctor is a good idea.
You will be on a learning curve for the nest 6 months to a year. Frequency and severity of outbreaks is different for everyone. The primary outbreak is usually the worst. They do tend to get milder after that. Having a supply of an antiviral on hand is a good idea. If the outbreaks are frequent they can be taken daily as a suppressive treatment. If they turn out to be few and far between they can be taken at the first sign of an outbreak to help nip it in the bud.
Good luck...
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Wow! Very powerful. As a thirty year veteran I can identify with everything you wrote. You should submit this to @adrial to include in the blog. Very well done, thank you for posting.
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Has your diet changed radically during this period? Some foods can cause outbreaks, peanuts, chocolate, foods with high levels of arginine. It may be a good idea for a complete physical if you've not had one in a while, could be something else going on. The stress you mentioned can definitely be a major factor too. My mother has had skin issues over the last year also. It flared up around the time my father was put into memory care and again a few months later when he died. Probably stress related. It has settled down since then.
Doubling your antiviral for a day or two may help. If that doesn't help talk to your doctor about changing to another antiviral. Some folks here in the forum have had good results by changing prescriptions.
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Is Famic Famvir or a generic of Famvir? If so talk to your doctor about Acyclovir or Valtrex. I was prescribed Famvir once and found it to be ineffective for me. Acyclovir always worked for me. Never had an outbreak while taking it.
This link has lots of info http://supporttruthanddialog.com. You'll find tips on how to deal with outbreaks and make living with h easier.
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It may be possible. Get a IgG blood test done 4 months after you think you were exposed to hsv2, takes about that long for antibodies to be detectable. Of course, if you think you are having another outbreak get it swabbed asap.
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I was prescribed the cream one time back in the late 80's. Put it on the outbreak and had no adverse reaction. I preferred the pills so I never requested the cream after the first prescription was used up. Double check with your doctor about what you read.
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Unfortunately many medical professionals are totally inept when it comes to herpes. It may be time to find a new doctor. As far as the IgG goes, if this is a new infection of less then four months it will most likely be negative. Retest after the four months has passed and see how it turns out then. If you have another outbreak in that time,get in and have it swabbed asap. A swab can type it. The IgG can type it to, except it can't tell you the location. But, after the outbreak you already know that.
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Hello @K123,
Just turned 50 myself and this year makes it 30 since I got H.
As I usually do I am posting a link to WCSDancer2010's blog http://supporttruthanddialog.com/. It is an excellent source of information. If you haven't checked it out yet, its worth some of your time to do so. I think you will be able to find more answers there.
As far as food triggers go, the ones you mentioned are common but don't necessarily apply for everyone. I've never had any foods that triggered outbreaks for me. Stress, mainly physical stress has been my main trigger. Luckily, 9 years ago I was able to transfer from a very physically demanding job to one that isn't. My outbreaks have been very few and far between ever since.
As far as meds go, it comes down to personal choice. If you are having frequent outbreaks it might be good to take them for a while. If your infection is recent it may help your immune system to get up to speed. If your partner is negative you can take the meds to help cut down on the asymptomatic shedding. If he is positive with the same strain then the meds are not so important. You cant give each other more of the virus.
If you are both positive condoms don't matter. From what you said earlier birth control is no longer an issue, and at this point that's the only reason they would be needed anyways. You'll want to abstain from sex during an outbreak. Herpes and friction do not make good bedfellows. In WCSDancer2010's blog there is some info on what you can do during these periods.
Hope this helps...
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I've never had Valtrex. Had very good results with acyclovir when I used it. Was prescribed Famvir once but did not find it as effective.
Acyclovir has been around long enough that generics are available and should be cheaper if that is an issue.
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I remember when you posted about the screenshot incident. I also remember your excellent videos. Sorry you're having a rough time of late. Been there a few times myself. I just tried to keep one foot in front of the other. Wish I had something more inspirational to say. My impression from watching your videos was that you are one smart young woman. It's been my experience that a lot of the good things that happen in life happen when you least expect it. Good luck to you...I hope something great is waiting just around the corner.
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Not sure from what you wrote what type of H you and your husband have. Assuming you both have the same type, once you have it you can't give each other more of it. As far as not having sex during an outbreak, for me its about the friction. You can make the sores worse and prolong the healing time by engaging in intercourse.
As far as triggers go its different for everyone. The ones you mentioned are common triggers but they may have no effect one you. After about six months or so you should have a fairly good idea what your triggers may be. Have you been prescribed antivirals? They can be helpful if you are having frequent outbreaks.
Not sure about the chicken pox vaccine. Had it over 40 years ago now so I figure its a little late in my case.
Check out WCSDancer2010's blog http://supporttruthanddialog.com/. Its an excellent resource of herpes information and tips on how to handle it physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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In case you have not seen it, here is a video Adrial made with Dr. Leone.
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As I understand it, once you have antibodies built up the chance of it spreading to other parts of your body are very slim. If you have a partner who also has HSV1 you are safe. You can't give each other more herpes. You are right about HSV2. HSV1 doesn't seem to give you the same protection from HSV2 as HSV2 gives you from HSV1.
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Had an umbilical hernia repaired. No complications.
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Is using my Facebook the most optimal way to come out of the herpes closet?
in The herpes talk: disclosing
Posted
Hello @Trumpeter2017,
@WCSDancer2010 did. She wrote about it at this link http://supporttruthanddialog.com/dating-online-my-personal-experience-with-being-out-and-proud/