altjc

Thank you! I have found tea tree oil has worked pretty well so far. The bumps aren't completely gone and some new ones have popped up but the oil has helped make them go away much faster than when I'm not using anything. I just got my period again so I'm in another vicious hormone cycle but I'm more optimistic than last month! I'm very interested to try bactine. Is the scent less overwhelming than tea tree oil? I love the tea tree oil but I haven't been using it at work because of how strong it can smell. Do you have any tips on how to determine if a bump or red mark is just a regular old bump or if it's an actual outbreak? I know that clusters can be a big indicator but part of the reason why it took me so long to go to the doctor with this initial outbreak was because I honestly just thought it was razor burn. Thanks again for your help, everyone!

Hello! I was diagnosed a year ago with hsv2 and am having my first (noticeable) outbreak. Considering myself very lucky that so far it has been contained to my upper thigh region and, in general, hasn't been much worse than occasionally itchy. Having said that, I'm a bit restless over the fact that it hasn't gone away in a month. My doctor said she thought it was clearing up about two weeks ago and I have been on 500mg a day of Valacylovir since but I know this is a suppressive dose and probably will only help contain future outbreaks. I have been using tea tree oil which has been soothing and hasn't affected my skin negatively, which is great. Stress is likely the factor here--my job is super stressful and I'm learning ways to deal with but it's difficult at the moment. I know primary outbreaks affect everyone differently and I probably won't be able to get any advice on how long this may last but is there anything else I can do? Should I see my doctor and ask for a different treatment? If anything, I'll take some words of encouragement and run with the hope that this outbreak won't last forever :D Thanks!

@seeker, I know it's confusing. I'll try to break it down in the easiest possible way: Dec: ended long-term relationship. End of Feb: IgG test negative. Had asked to be screened for everything to get the clean slate and my doctor included the Herpes test in that panel. June-Jul: Summer fling with a girl. End of August: IgG Type 2 test came back at 6.4 End of Sept: Asked my doctor to test again. IgG came back at 7.2. IgM came back negative. Also in the end of September, both my ex girlfriend and summer fling have said their tests were negative. I'm very confident that my ex girlfriend wouldn't lie to me about this. Summer fling could have but I also doubt it. I'm confused because my doctor made it seem like if the IgM came back positive it would indicate a new exposure. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself very lucky that I have not yet had any symptoms. But at the same time, being asymptomatic along with this super weird testing time frame is making it all the more confusing to me.

Update! I had a chat with my ex and asked her to get tested. Her test came back negative! I'm happy for her. I'm glad she doesn't have to deal with it and I appreciate the fact that she wasn't mean or judgmental during our conversation. So, is it possible that the other girl I was with (who said her test came back negative) just hasn't developed the antibodies yet even though I already have? Perhaps my doctor was wrong when she said that the other girl should have developed antibodies if I have. This is all quite confusing to me!

@WCSDancer2010 thank you for your response! And thank you for taking the time to respond to so many people on this forum. Can't even tell you how much the time you have put into helping people means to me! To answer your question, my IgG test in August came back at 6.4. I asked my doctor to test me again (she kind of rolled her eyes but I made her do it for my own sanity) a couple weeks later, and that came back at 7.2. Do these higher numbers mean it is something I have had for a while? That's another thing I'm unsure about...especially since I have been asymptomatic so far. I'm not too worried about the discussion with the ex. While we are not on the best terms ever, it could be a lot worse. I'm lucky enough to be starting a new relationship with a lovely woman who has been overwhelmingly supportive and caring during this time, so I'm feeling pretty lucky about that at the moment. Also, another question: I asked my doctor if I should go on antiviral meds. She said she thought it would be "overkill" because I have been asymptomatic. I really just don't want to put anyone else at risk though, so I'm not sure. Thanks everyone!

Let me begin by saying I have never found a community more helpful and supportive than this one. From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you all enough for the endless support and advice that you have offered without asking for anything in return. I have been browsing this forum quietly for several weeks and the information you all have shared has been so, so important to me. And after having several lackadaisical conversations with my doctor I feel like it's time to speak up and ask for some advice. Can someone explain to me the difference between an IgG test and an IgM test? From my research, it seems like IgM tests are mostly garbage and end up giving people more false negatives than not. My IgG test came back positive and my IgM test negative. My doctor said the IgM test might help us figure out if I was exposed in the last six months or not. Long story short: I broke up with my exgf in December. Tested negative for both HSV1 and HSV2 in Feb. Had a summer fling a handful of times in June/July. Tested positive for HSV 2 at the end of August. My doctor seems to think my exgirlfriend passed it to me and my test in February was a false negative due to the infamous HSV dormant period. Plus, summer fling got tested after I told her of my status and her tests came back negative. So basically, I am trying to decide if I should ask my ex to get tested. I am a little afraid of being vulnerable to her but, at the end of the day, if this helps protect other people...it's worth it. Would love everyone's two cents on this! Thank you for taking the time to read this and if there's anything I can clarify, please let me know! <3 (oh, ps, if it helps: I am a lady who looooves ladies)