chikitta13

Soooo there was a lack of clarity about what the discount would actually be without pricing it. Ended up going with Costco fo $48. Not bad but bit I sure am glad I have health insurance.

You're the best. Thanks!!! It's only $35 at Wal-Mart.

Soooo I messed up. I ran out of meds and I just enrolled in New insurance. I'm not yet in the system so I have no coverage for now. And I can't afford the $200 to fill my script. I have 1.5 pills. My plan is to double my lysine intake and half the valtrex to get through the weekend. Any other suggestions? I'm worried because I feel off and was already concerned about a potential outbreak. I tried going sans meds this summer and spent six weeks getting my body back in line. I just moved and started a new job so I'm doing my best to minimize stress. But there's only so much I can do. On a separate note I have a success story to post. I just need to find fine to process it fully before sharing :) Thanks!

I've been dealing with this (although not as extreme) - twice this month I had back to back outbreaks. Sometimes life is just stressful, despite all of our best self-care. As I am preparing to move across the country (packing, travelling to find a new home, saying farewell, wrapping up projects at work), my grandmother is about to pass any moment. I haven't been able to care for myself the way I typically do because I am spending time with her and my mom, and helping my aunt care for her. But I'm just trying not to worry about the outbreaks. I don't feel my best, but it's really not the worst. I have reached a point where I just have to accept that it's there, and know that when life settles to a new normal, I will be able to pick up on my better habits and move forward.

The virus definitely makes me tired. I've never been so tired in my life as I have this past year. Which is honestly the worst part for me. And I'm very easily affected by schedule disruptions and minor colds. Neither of which were ever an issue before. I don't find the meds to be as helpful with this. I actually find that they make me more tired. But I'm super stressed right now and my attempt at easing off of them was less than successful.

Awesome! Thanks :)

Hi Everyone - I am preparing to move to Boise, ID. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a doctor in the area? My doctor has been decent, and generally trusts my judgement on treatment for HSV. I would like to find another doctor similar to this. Or a doctor who is knowledgeable about HSV. Thanks for any input!

I contracted hsv from someone who was unaware of his status. I accepted responsibility for my roll. We talked about safety and STIs but more generally. Given what I already knew about STIs, I would have pushed for more comprehensive testing on his end had I really understood the extent of his STI screening. So I accept responsibility for not having a better conversation. I do sometimes get irritated that he wasn't more aware of his body. After I had my first ob and received my test results he went to his doctor. She found a small paper cut lesion on him using a black light. She noted that she would be really surprised if this was his first outbreak. Which makes me wonder if he didn't ignore prior symptoms. I also has some irritation with his attitude post diagnosis. Despite my negative blood test and his positive blood test, he insinuated several times that I was the one who transmitted to him. Because be never had any problems before. And neither did any prior partner. His general attitude about things indicated a lack of knowledge or desire to really learn about it. And that really upset me. Enough that we don't really talk anymore. In short, I was understanding about the transmission. But not the desire to place blame elsewhere.

Fatigue is a chicken/egg thing for me. I get really fatigued during outbreaks. But I also am often fatigued beforehand. And I think it's the fatigue sometimes that triggers the outbreak.

The igg test sensitivity varies by the type of blood test but it's pretty good at this point. In the 90% accurate rate for most of the tests. Have you considered boils? I have a friend that gets boils in the groin area regularly. Also I had a roommate who had MRSA and it started out looking like boils. I'd say your best bet is to see a doctor and get them swabbed to be sure.

Great, so now herpes isn't just ending my sex life, it also makes me creepy. Thanks NOVA!!!

Just wondering what people's experience is with going off of the Valtrex? I would like to get off the medication. I tried before, but got prodrome pretty quickly and freaked out and went back on a full dose. I've been at about half a dose for close to a week and am already noticing little twinges here and there. Is this normal? I am also cutting out some other triggers, one at a time. This month is chocolate :( I have had just a little bit when I was baking a gift for someone, but have otherwise stayed away. Next month is processed sugars. I have also cut back on my coffee and alcohol. Should I expect some mild prodrome over the next few weeks? What have others experienced when decreasing medication? Thanks for your input!

Something I've noticed is that my nails peel and break very easily now. This us definitely new for me.

So, I met this guy on vacation a few months ago. We hit it off - flirted, made out, and I promptly kicked him out of my hotel room. But not before giving him my phone number. We've chatted of and on. We have similar social circles, just in different areas of the country. Sometimes, they overlap. As summer approaches, I know I am going to see him in several settings. And he is interested in meeting up, hooking up really. Pre H, I wouldn't hesitate. Shit, pre H, I wouldn't have kicked him out of my hotel room. There's definitely a strong attraction. But I don't know him well. I have no gauge on how he will react to a disclosure. I also want to give him space around processing the information if I do choose to disclose. Which would mean disclosing via text (not a phone call type of situation). I guess I am processing two things here. First, disclosing in a purely casual arrangement. I've read some past posts on this, and I am comfortable in the how. But there's a lot of trust in disclosure. I am not fully "out" about HSV, but I am not shy about it either. I guess I am just weirded out by the idea that once I put it out there, I no longer control it, including who else knows. The second is disclosing via text. I do not want to wait to do it in person because we will only be together a short period of time, and I would prefer to give him time to think about it if possible. Has anyone experienced this? I'm not in a spot for a relationship right now, and would prefer something like this. Someone I see occasionally, and little stress or expectation.

Oh my god I am so angry reading this!!! How unbelievably unprofessional and cruel! I am sorry you both had to experience this - but do not listen to those asshats! You do not deserve that kind of treatment. I don't care if you slept with 1 person or 100 people. Clearly these doctors are uneducated about the issue. I would change doctors immediately (if you can).

They really weren't quite sure what to say. I think it surprised them that I said anything. I thanked them for being there as I wouldn't want people not to be involved. I like the idea of contacting the organizers. I don't know who it is but i can easily find out.

So April is apparently std awareness month. At the gym at my school there's an info table set out with candy and condoms. Awesome. And information. Even better. So I look over the CDC developed signage on the most common stds: chlamydia, gonorrhea, hpv, and one other (I'm drawing a blank in my seething anger). Guess what's missing??? Yeah big surprise. No mention of herpes. Wtf???? I mentioned to the young women that the info was missing the second most common std. They had no clue. which is in and of itself wired to me. If you're running an info table you should probably know this. But mostly I was just pissed at the cdc for again failing to acknowledge the issue.

I had pain during sex after I first got it. Lube helped some but not entirely. I think for me a lot of it was psychological. I actually decided to take a break from sex for a while (my partner was not my boy friend). I would suggest adding lube and maybe drawing out the foreplay a bit to allow you more time to relax. I'm a big fan of sliquid brand water based lube. I've generally been sensitive to lubes and this one has been great.

I use stiz baths to help dry them out. And slather on coconut oil (pure organic) with tea tree in it. It's soothing and the coconut oil is actually an antiviral. If you haven't yet take some ibuprofen. Those meds should start kicking in soon and help your body heal. Hope you feel better soon!

I really loved this article - and it gave me a lot of ideas about how to be open about my status. I don't really buy into the idea that it needs to be some big, bad secret. And have been thinking about how to be more open. This was super helpful! Thanks :)

Ha ha. The pilot with herpes. Made me chuckle for som reason. I'm glad no one seems to care too much where you are. We sure could take some lessons over here. $300 per week is insanity!!! I'm blessed with good health insurance and pay $10 for a month supply of generic valtrex. I hope it helps you - it sounds like you've had a lot of frustration with this lately. I Will say that as much as I dislike taking meds daily, it sure beats an outbreak! Good luck :)

Wow.... you don't want to have super sterile sex where you barely touch? Jeez. I don't know. Maybe it was his initial reaction but that seems more than a bit extreme to me. Have you talked more about it since this initial conversation?

Thanks @YogaJ12. I'm feeling a bit better today, physically and mentally. For now a casual relationship will have to do. I wish it were otherwise, but sometimes that's the way life works. I am considering going back on supressive therapy though.

Right - and I just tried talking to my roommate about the way that I am feeling, and she actually compared it to the cough that she has had for a week. Seriously?? I mean I get that in the grand scheme of things, herpes isn't the end of the world and that it is generally just a nuisance, but a cough? Come on. You're kidding me, right?!

Hey - I feel you! This is where I am at today as well. I've been titrating off the antivirals and for the most part, doing really well (8 months into the virus)! Last weekend I had a pretty fun make out session with a guy I'm really into and we spent the night together. Nothing serious because I haven't told him about the H yet. I like him, but our life paths just aren't heading in the same direction. Anyway, I had an outbreak last week. Same deal - took the pills, slathered it with coconut oil and tea tree, and it was gone pretty much instantly. No biggie. Chatted with a close male friend of mine about the situation this past weekend, and decided to tell my make out buddy about H, and see what he says. I have a great disclosure speech ready to go. And I was pretty excited about it. Then, bam! Another outbreak today! That's two in a week and a half. What gives?? It's tough. You start thinking you have a handle on things, then one of those buggers pops up and reminds you that this will always be a part of you! It was such a downer. And it made me start to question whether I should tell this guy or not. I just worry so much about passing it along. And question whether or not I want someone to take on that risk, especially for something casual. Anyway, I hope you feel better soon. I guess the upside is that the tea tree and antivirals make the physical symptoms go away quickly. It's just one of those days where I wish I had never heard the word herpes.