lost250

It's been a long time since I've been on here! It's been about a year since I had an outbreak and I was getting a bit cocky thinking I might not have another one. Jokes! It's currently the middle of the night and I'm laying in an Epsom salt bath because the itchiness means I havnt had a good nights sleep for 3 nights. Does anyone else try anything specifically for the itch? It hasn't been this bothersome before now. Thanks!

If your Australian good old fashioned tea tree oil does the trick :)

I've been reading up recently on what changes should be made to your diet with Hsv. I get the basics of lysine vs arginine but there is a lot of conflicting stuff out there. For example some people say drink green tea because its good for your immune system but some say avoid it because it has caffeine which is high in arginine ect. I'm already taking lysine supplements and echinacea on top of diet too Is there anything that people swear by in the form of supplements? And in terms of diet is just avoiding processed foods and eating well enough or should I really be paying close attention the the lysine levels and avoiding normally healthy foods such as nuts Thanks!

Thanks for your help! I've started them again at a double dose while I have the outbreak. I'll taper off this time instead of cold turkey!

I havnt been around these parts for along time but I remember how helpful you all were in the beginning so I thought I'd try again! After I very long time I've stopped valtrex. I took it for the recommended 6 months and in that time met a new partner so decided to take it for the first year of our relationship. So I've been on valtrex for 15 months! Not only was it expensive but long term use was playing havoc with my stomach. One week since stopping valtrex I think I'm getting an outbreak. Great. Should I doible my dose for the duration and stop? Or just see if my body can power through and avoid a full one on its own? Thanks :)

Hey, I have genital hsv 1, not orally. I'm fairly sure I have tonsilitis, I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to double check but I know that herpes can cause tonsilitis. Does this mean that I would be shedding in my mouth? Or do I not need to worry because ii don't have it orally . and is this likely since I only have it genitally???? Thanks

I got it genital to genital from a guy, The conversation i was having was with a female friend, different people :)

Hey everyone I know that condoms only lower the risk of transmission by 50% because you shed where the outbreak is, and its not always covered However where i get my outbreaks will be protected by the condom, so does this means that it won't transmit? I know you can't give a 100% answer to this, but will it at least improve the chances it won't? Thanks

I got HSV 1 genital to genital... Ive since told friends who get coldsores that by giving oral they can give someone genital herpes... they had no idea! Its made me think how many guys she has accidentally given it to and will never know.... People should definitely know about it!

I get laser hair removal and I haven't had any issues with OB from it yet :)

Just an update guys :) We've just become official and he is my boyfriend :D He has continued to be amazing about everything, and I've slowly been explaining herpes to him bit by bit cause I didn't want to overwhelm him. Still havnt been able to scare him off :) He also has had coldsores which i was way too excited about haha We haven't slept together yet, because i've had some issues with outbreaks recently, but he has no issues with waiting until I'm ready and has agreed to get an STD test for me as well. I'm still in shock, and i have to keep pinching myself and don't worry, I won't be letting this peach go anywhere anytime soon :D

I agree with you here, I'm also too scared to say the word herpes, like its "voldemort" or something (Pretend I'm harry potter for a minute). Its gets caught in my throat and I just can't bring myself to say it. I even avoid typing it. I realise this is only making it worse for myself. If Harry Potter can sort is stuff out and say voldemort, i'm sure I can sort my stuff out and say HERPES

I agree with seeker re the Epsom salt bath. This weekend I had an outbreak and had an epsom salt bath for the first time and i feel like it really helped. I also added some tea tree oil to the bath water too. its nice and relaxing too, so helps bring down the stress levels

Hey everyone! I'm pretty sure my PMS/ periods are triggering outbreaks. They are very very mild and hardly visible but I can still feel them. I know this is a common thing but I'm still getting this even though I'm taking anti-virals, which concerns me :| I'm not on the pill because it makes me crazy and I've tried the bar too but that didn't work. Has anyone found that being on the pill has stopped this happening? or is there something else you have tried?

Mandymoon I completely get why your saying about some "veterans" being such an inspiration, and others scaring me because they have struggled with it for so long. I've thought about that a lot and I've decided that i'm not going to LET this get the best of me and let this control me for the rest of my life. After all life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it. Yeh some days i just want to stay in bed, but i don't let myself. as for your concerns about not doing "skin to skin", new mothers are so hard on themselves. You are definitely your own biggest critic! I don't have my own kids, and i'm sure i'll be exactly the same, but I've worked in Family Support work and you're not alone!

Sorry this is a long one! I've only had GHSV1 for about 3 months, and after a very bad first outbreak I thought my life was over. I reacted much like everyone else on this forum, my psychologist (who I started seeing after multiple breakdowns) explains that my reaction is one of trauma in that my brain hasn't been able to process the information properly and consequently I get easily triggered... which leads to me crying a lot over silly little things, like a friend introducing me to a guy at a bar ect... A couple of weeks ago I was a bridesmaid in a wedding. My friend who was getting married has a brother who I have had a thing with in the past, so I extremely nervous about the wedding and if he would hit on me and how I would react to that. As i knew we would, we picked up exactly where we had left off and he kissed me... and surprise surprise I reacted badly, crying and just being a general mess (champagne didn't help here!). I had told my friend about my diagnosis trusting her to keep my secret, but she had told her mum. When her mum saw me upset she then told the brother! But somehow he thought i had HIV, not HSV! (I'm beyond angry at the chinese whispers about my private issues but thats another issue!) But thinking i had HIV he confessed he really liked me, and that he wants to start seeing me again, and that he will always be there for me. I quickly rectified that it wasn't HIV, that it was intact HSV and he honestly doesn't seem to have a problem with it! I havn't had the chance to get into the nitty gritty of what having HSV means, but i've told him about the chance of transmission and strongly stressed that he SHOULDN'T google it. I'm hoping to have the bigger chat about it soon. But he has been so incredibly supportive and amazing so far... a guy who until recently i thought was immature and was only after one thing! In terms of dating we have a lot of other hurdles to get over, and i'm still terrified that he will run and decide that i'm not worth it. But i'm holding out hope that he will continue to be as amazing as he has been. Please everybody keep your fingers crossed for me, and that when I talk about it further with him it doesn't freak him out! Also hoping this gives people hope, as these kind of stories really help me when I'm having a bad day...

Hey guys, I was wondering what the rule is in regards to touching genitals and washing hands. If a partner (or myself) was to touch me when I wasn't having an outbreak is it important for them to make sure they don't touch their own genitals/mouth/eye until they have washed their hands or does this really only apply if you are having an outbreak? Also with spooning/cuddling I've read that its a good idea to have at least undies on. Is undies enough or is pants a good idea too? LASTLY! When I have an outbreak I get what feel like ulcers on the inside of my mouth. Could they be coldsores on the inside of my mouth or is it more likely ulcers caused by the same stress that cause my HSV?

haha its a little expensive but i figure if it means i don't have to pay for waxing or shaving ever again its worth it in the long run? although i havent finished up yet so I suppose it depends how good the results are at the end...

Excuse the swearing, but "H" is for Holy shit that was awesome :D

Hey guys, bit of a girly question here but I usually get my bikini area treated with laser hair removal but i've been too scared to since my first outbreak. The outbreak area isn't treated anyway but i'm still concerned about triggering it in a different spot because i think its pretty harsh on the skin or passing it on (even though i know its skin to skin) has anyone continued laser treatment before???? or know if any of this would be a problem? Thanks

Awesome, thats definitely not too bad. Pretty much the same price as 3 months of valtrex here. Thanks for your help!

So you can just buy it with our prescription then?

I was planning on moving to the UK (from australia), but this post is making me very nervous about it. I'm on suppressive valtrex and i'm not sure how I would feel not being able to get my hands on it, especially in terms of transmission to a partner. How pricey Acyclovir from super drug and is it readily available without prescription???

Hey, I'm a 23 year year old female and I was diagnosed with HSV1 genitally 1 month ago. I live in Brisbane, Australia but anyone just to message or email about everything would be great :)

I'll my eye on when I take it, but I think I feel the worst when I take them on an empty stomach. So I'll avoid that and see if that helps. I think i'll stay on the suppressive therapy for a bit because i'm still feeling some tingling and I'm going travelling soon, and the last thing I want is an outbreak. I've been getting back into yoga and that has really been helping me bring the stress levels down which I know is the most important thing. Thanks for your help guys :D