Sil88

Anybody know how soon after starting Acyclovir suppressive treatment it's safe to have sex with a partner? Thanks

Hey, you remind me of myself. 4 years ago, I caught hsv2 from a girl who didn't tell me or didn't know. I had the exact feelings you are describing, which amplified the depression and anxiety I already had. We tried to develop the relationship, but this week I realised it was built on sand and it's fallen away. So now I'm sat with my dog in my room too.. it's funny how they know. You don't seem overdramatic - in fact, it seems like you've taken it in your stride (at least, more than I did). Let me tick off the things that did or did not help in my experience. I told a couple of friends, but it was quite soon.. so at the time, I was over-reacting and I probably described it in the worst way possible. Pros are - it's good to get it off your chest, and the occasional Walking Dead joke is appreciated. Cons are - at first, they're ignorant and check it's okay to share food and stuff (revise your facts first). And think twice if you may want them to set you up with one of their friends in future. Relaxation - it's probably good that you're already dealing with mental health stuff, since you may have practiced relaxation techniques, mindfulness, CBT etc. As you'll have read, the virus thrives on stress so it really makes a difference. Hot baths, an exercise routine, and actually giving some thought to eating healthily did the trick too. The feeling gross bit faded pretty quickly, I wouldn't worry about that. At first I was hyper-hygienic, but as outbreaks become much less common (hopefully), you tend to forget. I'm not sure what direction is right for you, but for the time being you just get to the end of each day/week until you're firmer on your feet. Finally, the symptoms can be weird..especially combined with generic anxiety ones.. so don't get too imaginative if you do notice any. Anyway, keep on top of it - I suspect you'll realise a lot of the questions you have were there before herpes, you just needed it to bring them into focus. There are actually some positives to catching this - I mean, even when dating (when you feel like it), it's an opportunity to prove your integrity, honesty, communication skills and show a little vulnerability. Outside of dating, it's a kick up the ass to fix things and you may grow more independent. Whatever doesn't kill you..

Hi - sorry, I'll leave the menstrual advice to the ladies.. but I've read it's almost impossible to catch oral hsv2 - is it noticeably worse than your average coldsore? Did you have a swab sample taken from your mouth? *Ignore me, I found your thread*

Woa, dodged a bullet..

Give yourself time to heal and relax. It becomes insignificant I promise. There's a billion people with this and most of them rightly couldnt care less. The beginning is manic because of the stigma - once you get past that point you'll realise. If you're really at the bottom, forget about you and your problems and think of others you can help in any little ways - shift the attention off the herpes thing for a while.

Don't act on anything during the shock phase. Come on - yes it's a shocker when you find out, but as time passes you get better and return to normal life. The chances of sharing the virus shrink from very low to extremely low. For now, just get to the end of each day, treat your body well and most importantly - chill! Settle your mind any way you can - hot baths, jogging, walk the dog through some woods, hell.. listen to storm or ocean loops on YouTube. It's strongest at the start, and it feeds on stress which you're clearly feeling.. so every day after this one will get better.

Ah this is the issue with HSV - it's tempting to go without disclosure, especially if you actively suppress it with the meds... but the stance on this forum is to always disclose. I live in the UK and most doctors and nurses told me I don't need to disclose - they won't even run tests for it unless you go to a private clinic or you have a blister to swab. I suppose the longer you leave it, the more difficult it becomes to address. So although I wouldn't condone your wife's decision to keep it secret, I can understand how it can happen. Sort've endearing that she said fever blisters out of shame - shows what an effect the stigma can have. HSV is blown way out of proportion, so I'm glad you've come to a forum to address it.

I didn't see or read anything suggestive of herpes, and I'd say you've dealt with it thoroughly enough to deserve a rest mentally. The single pimples, ingrown hairs or little rashes are so common.. and I know from personal experience that once you start examining your own body daily, you will find a lot of things that usually go under the radar. Lymph nodes were an obsession of mine, an album stuffed with photos of dots or scratches.. I realised that probably half of my symptoms were caused by the stress I was causing myself. Having said that, there's a chance you could have picked up a random insignificant virus that triggered allergic reactions. If you can live with it, and accept that it's not the dreaded herpes, I would hope that your body (or mind) will adjust and overcome them in time like it has for me. Btw, I'm not being dismissive by mentioning anxiety, just have a read of what people post on here: https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=29

Hey benzgtx - I had the same tingling in hands and feet, and like you I made a note of little changes that would normally go under the radar (like your dry patches and whitehead). I literally counted the barely-visible 'cherry angiomas' over my body every day - I didn't know what they were either. Things like this and the tingling used to send me into panic, and if you google the symptoms of anxiety they all match up. I can't say whether it was my mind or the virus, but it was about 4 years ago and I'm pretty much all good now. If life is too short, then so is herpes - just gotta get on with the good times.

Hang on - before you get to the big questions about a herpes future.. These two bumps - are they fluid filled blisters? You will need to swab them on Wednesday if you want a clear answer, but they may have healed by then. The other symptoms you described are really generic. There's no point worrying, but if you have to then at least wait for absolute proof. In the worst case, it's not that bad anyway.

Yes, for a couple of years - fine after that. Possibly as much to do eith anxiety around that time... One time I woke up and my whole leg was tingling and I couldnt move it. Everyone reacts differently to hsv!

Bossed it, well done! The rest is up to him, in the meantime I just wouldn't rush things. Manc as in someone from Manchester btw?

So herpes testing is quite shady. There's a chance it could be a false result, but after running 3 tests and being negative it's about time you hung up the gloves. You've acted overly responsibly, and now you should give yourself a break. What are you getting out of worrying about it anymore? I've been in a similar spot after I was positively diagnosed. I thought I'd developed some neuro disability or cancer and was about to die any moment, wasted a fair amount of professionals time. What a waste of time amd energy that whole thing was. Tingling/burning is one of the most common effects of health anxiety. And I imagine youre stretching that skin 100 times a day which could cause the tiny tears. This thread was handy for me: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?s=dde3f5dcdd13e008ab5f0e1caf38c41a&t=42556

Sorry about the news.. youll be fine though. Did they tell you if its type 1 or 2? Thats key. If its 2, youre pretty safe to give oral.. especially since his infection is unlikely to be recent. If its type 1, you might want to give it a few months until you build up antibodies to suppress that b. After a few months, youre very unlikely to catch it in another location. At least thats my understanding.

Give yourself a break - you're under a lot of stress and this isnt a big deal. Plus, there's nothing you can do. In fact it could be better that he gets it young, his immune system will have a long time to develop. As for sources, could also be aunties/grandmas/girls at daycare, but what does it matter? Like optimist said, 70% of adults get hsv1 - it's part of growing up for 7 in 10 people.

No, you dont need them unless you have continuous outbreaks or you want to half your chances of transmission.

Haha where'd you get Hank from? The plot thickens.. I meant to add, from someone who was in a pretty similar situation aa Stan, life is good again a couple of years later. We do blow it out of proportion at the time.

Hey, welcome to the forum. It's a common situation, I feel for you and Stan.. Recent infections are generally easier to pass on, so a lot of these events happen in a blur and you're left wondering wtf happened. So one positive to take from this is that you have clarity. I was kinda in Stan's position, and my giver supported me even though the diagnosis was new for her too - it did help, I also had thoughts of suicide (though I doubt I could've convinced myself to do it) I also had a lot of follow-up symptoms and issues which I later put down to anxiety from the whole episode. So anything you (and Stan) can do to relax is worth trying eg. hot baths, breathing exercises or being outside. Also make sure to remind yourself not to carry anger.. you for JR, and Stan for you and JR - it's done now, so keep moving forwards. Forget cures and remedies btw, most of the cures are bs or are decades away from release. As you said, the psychological impact is the bigger concern. I'm typing all this, but at the end of the day it's Stan's choice if he wants to accept your support or turn a new page.. it's understandable either way. One of Ghandi's quotes is: 'The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.' So you may get something out of it too.

Did you eat some buttered popcorn? Seriously, sometimes when youre checking your body all the time, you skip the obvious answer and assume the worst. Asparagus especially causes that smell.

Trying to delete..

Herpes isnt the issue here.. you know its much more unusual for someone NOT to have hsv-1 right? If you make out like its a huge deal and disclose it to people, then you're gonna seem crazy and that's what will put people off. You can't assume its travelled south.. it much prefers the oral area, and you really need to avoid assumptions when dealing with herpes. Sorry but your ex isnt an a-hole for the reason you gave. Put him in the rear view mirror, look up the hsv-1 ORAL rates to ground yourself, and move on. Even if he was an a-hole, anger's never worth carrying around.

15 years makes it a lot less likely to be passed on. I'm not from the US, but hsv blood tests are so flawed that the UK health service doesn't provide them. I'd imagine medical departments in jail would have the same stance. If they do, remember that 70% of people have hsv1 orally, so it needs to be type specific. Also, you cant fully trust the result. Do you know your type? As for things to say, I used up most of my gems in the last post. You really just have to speak from the heart, maybe start off like 'I know this news came out a lot later than it should, but I want to start building some trust with you. I was scared to tell anyone before, but I realise now that *insert feelings here*' I'm pretty sure you'll have had that conversation already though..

Man I did all this.. kept records of every little twitch or sore.. although my symptoms were much more obvious. I'd actually say that most of the symptoms are caused by anxiety, and some you admitted were in sweaty, chafing parts are probably due to that. You sweat more when youre anxious about something - it weighs on your mind and affects you whilst you sleep too. You will hold yourself more tightly, and since you do lifting with your job it just heightens the risk of muscle tweaks and sprains. I think Chlamydia and Gonnorhea are the main risks with oral.. easier to identify. HSV1 to a male from a 30s blowjob would be pretty low risk. Not to write off your symptoms at all, but have a read of this - might strike a chord: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?s=dde3f5dcdd13e008ab5f0e1caf38c41a&t=42556 It's a cycle.. you have a cause for concern (the bj) --> you worry, become hypersensitive and notice a minor physical change --> causes more worry --> causes another symptom --> worry --> more symptoms. You've gotta put your foot down and break the cycle. I eventually got bored of taking notes... was still alive a year later so started to ignore it all. Soon enough I was back to normal.

Well you've admitted it, and you cant change the past. So you could go on being a self-confessed asshole, or start anew today. Nobody's perfect, I guess he has made a few mistakes to find himself in jail at the moment - you should see if it's possible to patch each other up whilst moving forwards. Helping others is a great way to find yourself, so Ghandi says. Saying that, he's probably gonna be carrying some anger about it, especially since you're on the outside yet he's the one feeling like a victim. You've shown that you were afraid, and only felt secure enough to tell him after at least 8 months of building a relationship, when he's somewhere he will cool down. You need to understand each other to stand a chance, so start speaking openly. Btw, how can you be sure you've passed it on many times from one-night stands? Its statistically quite difficult and you'd need to be in touch with them at least a few weeks afterwards.

I didnt have leg pain per se, but I did get pins and needles all the time. Sometimes I'd wake up and panic because i couldnt make my leg move and there was severe pins and needles. Anyway, none of these issues any more (cleared up some time after the first year). If your leg problem is H related then I'd guess that its temporary.