Abitoverwhelmed

Update: Oh. I guess this is sciatic nerve pain? Ugh...

I seriously can't believe how amazing this website/forum has been as a resource. I'm pretty sure I'm coming out of my first outbreak (able to pee without a sitz bath, woohoo!!!), and now the major source of discomfort, other than some mild chafing when wearing clothes and some itching, is this constant ache in my thigh muscles and butt. Did other people experience this? The doc prescribed oxycodone but I tried to stick with 600mg of Ibuprofen every 8 hours or so. Today was the first day I decided to just try to ride through the pain, mostly because I ran out of Ibuprofen, but I gave up and had to go out to purchase some. I'm wondering what to expect in terms of how long this will last. I also bought Monolaurin and Lysine and am on Day 3 of taking them, alongside a multi-vitamin with 100% daily value of Zinc and Vitamin C (among other stuff). Can anyone comment on whether they've taken supplements and whether or not they feel they've actually been useful? I'm going to the doctor this week sometime and will probably request a suppressive script as well. Is that overkill? Am I just freaking out? :p I missed two weeks of classes and can't afford to miss even one more at this point. [Trigger warning: depression/relationships] My boyfriend, who I mentioned in other posts, and who most likely passed H on to me, struggles with depression. He especially struggles with self esteem issues--mostly stemming from growing up abandoned by his dad, in poverty, that sort of thing. Every once in a while he'll withdraw from me, and I'm sort of learning to pick up patterns and notice his triggers and just allow him his space. Well... Since the day he came over to help me I've barely heard from him (approx. a week ago). I called and texted for a few days but got no or very little response, so finally I told him I'd respect his silence. The day he came over he told me he felt like giving me H was just one more in a string of recent "failures," to use his word. I know from experience that he'll come out of this and things will return to the way they were, but it's been lonely managing this by myself. Every once in a while a voice in my head will whisper that maybe this is an indication that he really doesn't care about me, or maybe even that he finds me gross now :p I also wonder sometimes how to encourage him and be there for him. He is going through some tough times right now and has a lot of major life decisions he needs to make within the next few months. I don't think withdrawing is always the most helpful thing for him to do, but I know that it's the coping mechanism that will allow him best to heal and emerge ready to push again. I guess all I can do is take care of myself, and try not to worry about him, which I do tend to do. I think that it would probably be smart not to assume that he has H just because I do, and that he should get a blood test done. I've read conflicting accounts about whether H can lie dormant for up to years, so who knows? Better to play it smart and abstain from sex til we know. Part of me hopes that what I have is HSV-1 contracted via oral sex, because somehow I feel like that would make him feel better. I wasn't really sexually active before he and I got together, whereas he's been sexually active since he was a teenager, and I get the feeling he's self-conscious about that disparity. That's all been bouncing around in my head and it feels good to have put it out there. My apologies if it's muddled at all.

Two doctors came in and looked at it and said 100% it's herpes. They did a culture and I'm still waiting to hear back. I'm actually not sure if they'll tell me what type I have, but the main attending physician said I need to go see an ob-gyn ASAP to follow up about the yeast infection I've also got inside the vagina (lucky me) and the extent of the irritation caused by the OB. My bf came over all day yesterday and we were able to have some good talks about it. I showed him your post and some other ones here and it was soooooooooo helpful. So THANK YOU. He was on the verge of crying all day yesterday, but was so sweet, helping me get in and out of the sitz bath and washing my dishes. He bought me the cutest loose pants and nice shirt as well :) He wants to go see a doctor himself, and he's wondering if a test could say how long he's had the herpes. His comment was that he feels like he's a stranger to his own body now. :( I've been really helped by the perspective provided by this website. I realized that, in terms of sex with my bf, H is about as potentially disruptive as my yeast infections have been. We talked about the "ick" factor and he said it's not a problem. Right now what I'm realizing is that I need to really take care of my personal health. Diet and stress are long-term personal projects, of course. For now, I think I need to make some changes to my routine (yes personal groomer, no Summer's Eve). As for having babies... That is down the road for me but a girl can dream :)

Hi @Darein77! I've only just now going through my initial OB, so I'm not necessarily speaking from a position of knowledge regarding H. However, since your concern about hyperpigmentation is about the more cosmetic side of it, I can tell you what's worked for my hyperpigmentation on my face (from long term sun damage). I use a Vitamin C serum that improves cell turnover by encouraging collagen production. This is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/20-Vitamin-Ferulic-Acid-Serum/dp/B0036BI56G I imagine that since it's safe enough to use on my face it's safe for "down there" as well ;D Some people use Vitamin A (Retinol) for a similar function, only more effective for long-term change, but it makes your skin very sensitive. I'd talk to a doctor about that.

THANK YOU ALL!!! I did a sitz bath yesterday (well, three, to be exact) and it was a game-changer! I've never felt so grateful to be peeing in my whole life :p A lot of my pain was coming from my skin and hair sticking together and then ripping whenever I moved even the tiniest bit, so today I'm even feeling SO much more comfortable. Still going to be flat on my back with my knees up and spread for a few days more, but I'm using that time to research feminine health. I'm realizing that my Summer's Eve was probably too irritating and maybe contributing to my recurring yeast infections. Has anyone heard of the brand Healthy Hoohoo? I think I might get that and then do a periodic rinse/soak with witch hazel and tea tree oil :) if having H helps motivate me to get my act together regarding my yeast infections, I'm almost leaning towards it being worth it... ALMOST. I'm definitely going to meet with a gynecologist on Tuesday and get on daily Acyclovir for now, though, and possibly birth control. I just don't think I can handle another heavy outbreak just yet. Eventually I'll come off Acyclovir so I can build up antibodies, of course :)

Thank you SO much everyone! All this information is SO helpful. I really appreciate the support. This is a really hard time :\ @libragirl43 @serendipity515 @WCSDancer2010

I really didn't think I had an STD. About 3-4 days ago I got a strange burning sensation down there but I thought it was a mild yeast infection, as I'm prone to get every once in a while. I put Monistat on it. When it got worse and I realized my vulva was swollen I freaked out but after some internet "research" thought it might have been the semi-rough sex my bf and I had had a few days prior. I knew that he'd had a full blood work exam done before he and I started dating, and that he'd been given a full bill of health. He was my first sexual partner; he'd had maybe 5-6. (He's 31; I'm 28; we've been dating, off and on, 3 years.) I got chills/sweats two nights in a row, so much pain I could barely walk to the bathroom, and I realized that I had what I thought were "bumps" down there. Finally yesterday I pulled out an old mirror the previous tenant had left in the bathroom vanity and looked at my vagina, and immediately knew I had to go to see a doctor. My bf was at work and I had to go by myself. Each step was so painful and I was so afraid I'd run into someone I knew who would ask me what was wrong. The first thing the doctor said was, "Wow, that looks painful." I'm okay with having H. I'm worried because my bf freaked out about it. He tends to be a sensitive guy, and he feels embarrassed and angry at the doctors who told him his tests were negative. I'm worried about telling him more details about what it's like or how I feel because I don't want him to approach my vagina differently. (I want him to continue seeing it as beautiful.) He assures me that's not gonna happen. I'm worried about further painful outbreaks and their frequency. I'm worried about the fact that I already struggle with yeast infections, and adding something like this to the mix exacerbating my health. I'm a graduate student at an Ivy, which is extremely stressful. I'm about to begin the process of applying to PhD programs (in social ethics/philosophy/religious studies) but now I'm afraid about the amount of stress both the applications and PhD itself entail. I was already worried about PhD programs and getting pregnant/childbirth down the road, and this just made that more complicated. I'm fortunate that I have a partner to share this experience with, even if he is freaking out and feeling guilty/horrible for causing me pain. I know that it'll probably get better. It just all feels like so much right now.

Hi all! I just was diagnosed yesterday (I'll make a separate post about that). I'm in a lot of pain as the blisters have entered weeping stage. Some are bleeding now too, I discovered as of five minutes ago. It's so hard to keep that area, especially the "deep" spots right around my vagina, dry. I've been using a little spray bottle to rinse clean as best I can every time I pee, but using toilet paper to pat dry is just too painful to do regularly, plus I feel like I rip the tops off ten blisters in one go if I do that. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm just trying to avoid any secondary infection if at all possible. The doctor did diagnose me with an inner yeast infection as well and gave me a one-time oral dose for that. :(