chikitta13

A few days. But it happened a few weeks ago too. Guess it's possible it's another yeast infection? Don't want to over treat things.

Nope. And if I do shave, I either use coconut oil or I use the electric shave with no cream or soap. I generally try to avoid getting anything around that area. It seems a bit better. Looks less irritated. But still consistent itching - Just milder.

So I recently upped my suppressive meds to try to get my body under control. I've also cut refined sugar from my diet and started additional stress relieving techniques. My typical outbreak seems to have cleared up, but I have general irritation. I've been tested for all stds, treated for a mild yeast infection, and changed my detergent to a dye and fragrance free formal formula. Is the irritation possibly just a mild outbreak? Should I be concerned about anything else? For the record, I generally go commando, and only wear leggings occasionally. Thanks for the input!

Ah stigma. Here is a synopsis of some of the shifts in belief around hsv and stigma. http://projectaccept.org/herpes-stigma-the-origin/

I would argue that full responsibility for getting hsv includes your behavior moving forward. And not just reducing risk through condoms and meds, but providing partners with a fully informed choice.

Colds seem to come with out breaks. And since the end of June, I've had seven outbreaks despite using meds. I'm guessing it's stress related, but I never would have guessed my immune system would have such a hard time keeping this shit under control.

It's not a black and white issue. It's a spectrum. For most people, they never even know they have it. Or their symptoms are so mild, they don't know what's going on or if they do it's not a big deal. For some people their system's take a while to settle, but it's generally a Shitty nuisance (I fall into this category). A small number of people have more serious issues. How many, Isn't really known for this category. What we do know from NHANES studies is that only about 20% of people who have hsv2 are symptomatic in a noticeable way. The problem is that there's no definite way to know where someone will be on the spectrum. I am pretty healthy gal. Barely ever got sick before this. Not even colds. I eat well, exercise, and limit drinking. BUT for some reason my immune system is struggling to get a handle on this. It's just a crap shoot. And I would have preferred to be able to make the choice about this gamble. My partner was asymptomatic and didn't know he had it. And thought he had been fully tested. You are certainly right that the stigma is bs. And that the way we treat hsv 1 & 2 differently is bs. But I don't think that changes our responsibility to be open with prospective partners. I agree that it is a shared responsibility, but just because someone didn't ask doesn't absolve me from my responsibility. I think it's really about just being a good person. Good luck with your decision.

Apologies. It's 2.5% when avoiding an outbreak, using condoms, and taking meds.

No. With condoms and meds. No outbreaks. Women are way more susceptible. I need to double check that though. I'll look later when I get home from work.

Here is the actual article. That summary isn't accurate. Transmission rate among those using both meds and condoms was 1.5% it reduced by .4%, not to.4%. And that didn't account for gender.The likelihood you would transmit to a women is higher. I believe it's closer to 4%. I have to dig to find that one though. Not trying to be nit picky but it's pretty important to get this right of your using it to make this decision. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa035144#discussion

I'm not sure where the .04% comes from. I've read through thus article a few times, and it pretty clearly states that 1.9% of all participants taking meds transmitted the virus. The rate of transmission to a female partner from a male partner was higher, at 3.3% And transmission among people who had the virus less than two years was 3.1%. How long have you had the virus? Because if it's less than two years, that's a double whammy. Certainly, adding condoms reduced transmission. But they did not reduced it to .04%. The closest statistic to that is that .5% became symptomatic. And this is just one study. Unfortunately there are not a lot of studies that really get into this. And use caution when using one research study to make any decision. Especially a decision that is not yours alone.

https://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/70/herpes-disclosure-and-casual-sex#latest

There's a whole thread on hsv and casual sex. It's worth taking a look at. Generally speaking, the risk is minimal but it's still there. Just some food for thought, what happens if you do transmit the virus. Are you comfortable with that? And comfortable with saying to that person yeah I knew, but telling people was preventing me from getting laid? Idk but really it is about integrity. And that's your decision. For the record, I disclosed in a casual sex situation, and my partner wasn't particularly concerned. As long as protection was used.

Thanks everyone. Really hoping my body will settle down soon. But I fly three more times in the next five weeks, so . . .

All they're just inside the labia minora. I worry about what will cause vaginal irritation, as I tend to be sensitive to soap. And now laundry detergent as well. I take 500 mg of valacycloir daily. I have since about two months after my diagnosis. I went off fur a bit and did ok, but hit a lot if stressors. Haven't been able to get it under wraps since.

Quick question. Can you put bactine on internal sores?

Thanks! I opted for a dress and commando. I'm not too keen on underwear anyway so that helps! Thanks for the other tips. I'm flying two more times in the next month, so this really helps. Hoping to get a handle on thus soon!

I'm over a year and my outbreaks are worse now than when I first contacted it. Not sure what to do about it. Wish the meds would take care of it.

Air travel seems to be a trigger for me. Lately, everything seems to be a trigger. But today, I'm getting on a plane, with nearly 13 hours of travel. And a nasty outbreak from the flight in. Any words of advice?

@Bambina3 when I was first diagnosed (culturally) I had to fight tooth and nail to get the blood test. And I'm glad I did, because it was negative, indicating a new infection. Since I had not been sexually active with anyone other than my partner at the time in over six months, I was able to safely assume it was him who transmitted the virus (he had positive blood test results). This helped me to know which partners I needed to contact. I would suggest finding a clinic in the area that will provide it. You may have to pay if your doctor doesn't recommend it, but if it brings you piece of mind to know, that it's worth while. Although blood tests are not entirely accurate, they are much better than they used to be.

I'm considering disclosing to someone long distance as well. I've opted for phone, because I do not want him flying here without knowing. Especially because the tenor of the visit is sexual. Not necessarily looking to date . . .It's hard to know how to do it, but I got tired of avoiding the conversation so I prompted it. Not sure when it will happen, but I did say we needed to talk about sex before he came here. I'm just going for what makes the most sense to me, right now. I think that's the best we can ever do.

This is it. Thanks!

I remember seeing a link a while ago about the different disclosures people bring to dating. Having a general disclosure conversation with a friend who deals with a different type of dating disclosure and would like to share it. It addressed hsv, depression, and bankruptcy. Does anyone have this link? Thanks!

I had an outbreak each week for about six weeks straight this summer. Stress .... And travel. Particularly air travel. But it's so frustrating. Just passed one year and it's almost like it's getting worse not better :(

Had my first disclosure ever the other week with a friend who I head not seen in some time, but had previously been intimate with. It was a success in that I was able to talk about it simply and freely, and did it while totally sober, despite going out in the evenings. I simply said "I have herpes." I offered to answer any questions he had, and he just asked what I felt was important to share. Although we didn't have sex, etc. (Just some fun making out), it was successful in that I shared with a person in an intimate setting. And we talked openly about it. I will say that one of the reasons I was able to talk so easily with him is that I see him as a kind individual. And I chose to be open with him because of this. It reaffirms the notion that you should trust your gut. And that hsv doesn't have to be a big deal.