gns3224

Thanks for the feedback..it really helps. No I don't have autoimmune issues as far as I know. I was very healthy before I picked up this virus. I've been told by a couple of gp's that I should see a dermatologist. I have an appointment with a derm but in my small town I won't be able to see her until September. Not sure what she's going to tell me anyway. I might talk to my gp about LDN, sounds intriguing. It's actually cheaper than valtrex, but apparently not covered by a lot of insurance policies. I would need to look into that. I might wait another 6 months to see if there's any improvement, then bring up the LDN therapy.

Just an update..it's been a few weeks since I've been on here. As background, I'm a 48 y/o male with mild genital herpes symptoms (mild pain in my urethra) and unrelenting oral symptoms for close to a year now (mainly insane itching and tingling around mouth and nose along with itchy bumps around the mouth , nose, and eyes.) I had the HSV2 ELISA test done at around the 8 month mark (my insurance would not pay for HSV1 ELISA). It came back negative. Consequently, I'm assuming I have HSV1 oral and genital. I'm taking 1000mg of valocyclovir per day and it's barely keeping the discomfort in check. I thought as I approached the 1 year mark the symptoms would subside, but they continue non-stop. My quality of life is not very good these days. Just not motivated to do anything except go to work and come home and watch tv. Sometimes I think I'm the only one in the world experiencing these weird symptoms. I keep hoping that one day I'll wake up and feel somewhat normal. My biggest fear is that my doctor will think I'm 'imagining' my symptoms and will refuse to renew my antiviral prescription. That would be bad. I've tried to wean myself off the antivirals several times already. However, I feel absolutely lousy if I stop taking the pills. I don't know what else to do except try to make it through each day.

Thanks again@2Legit2Quit, @whitedaisies, and @WCSDancer2010..the worst part for me is not any genital symptoms (there really are none..I sometimes wonder if I even have genital HSV1..if it weren't for the mild whitlow symptoms I had earlier this year which I think I got from holding my penis while going to the bathroom like guys tend to do.) the worst part is the infernal facial itching and tingling which gets really bad in the evenings (the valocyclovir helps a lot). I've been taking a lot of zinc which seems to help. The L-Lysine really didn't help, btw. I keep thinking that I just need to wait it out and it will get better. The year mark will be next March, at which point I may need to go on acyclovir ( I don't think my GP will renew my valocyclovir prescription after a year (he thinks it has negative side effects long term.) I keep you all updated.

Got some good news today (sort of). Just to review, I'm a 48 y/o male who contracted HSV through oral and vaginal sex with a gal I dated earlier this year. She claimed she was "clean" and that I must have gotten it from "someone else" (even though I hadn't had sex for years prior to that). Well, the result of my HSV2 ELISA test came back today and it was negative (8+ months post-diagnosis). In my view, this means that the symptoms I've been experiencing (mild genital pain, no genital lesions and constant facial tingling, itching, red itchy rash/bumps around my mouth, nose, eyes, forehead combined with feverish feeling which only goes away with 500mg dose of valocyclovir) are due to HSV1. Not sure how to feel about this. On one hand I'm glad I don't have HSV2..while on the other, I'm pissed that I have been feeling like crap for 8+ months due to a virus which most people view as a simple nuisance. Has any one out there experienced anything similar. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world who is experiencing this. I'm sure my doctor thinks it's " all in my head". Any ideas would be appreciated.

I tried to start working out after about a month. I felt pretty good afterwards and it's supposed to help boost your immune system. It's been just over 6 months post-exposure, and I still don't feel great, but I'm forcing myself to stay active. Like you, I'm taking lysine, B-complex..not sure if it's making a difference though. Just taking it one day at a time, focusing on the babysteps of progress. I'm convinced my body will eventually get this thing under control..

@WCSDancer2010-thanks for the info..right now I'm just resigned to my situation and trying to make the best of it. No I'm not in New Zealand, I live in the U.S. The NZ website was just very informative on a topic where there is precious little information (other than this forum and a few others). Quick question..I've read where you talk about your ex-husband's symptoms as being "flu-like"..can you say how long those lasted? I'm hoping the crappy, feverish feeling will eventually fade (within a year?) @aquamarine-thanks so much for the positive support!

Well, after 6 months post-diagnosis (via IgM blood test), and symptoms (itchy, tingly face and genitals, as well as crap-feeling/malaise), I thought enough time had passed to do the IgG test to figure whether I had H1 or 2. I got my results today- negative for both 1 and 2..WTF? I've heard of false positives...but false negatives? Is it possible I need to wait more for my body to produce antibodies?..I'm confused...

I've been prescribed 1g x day, but I'm still dealing with the primary outbreak (6 mos on). I've tried taking the whole pill once a day in the morning and also 500mg morning and after dinner. Twice a day is a little more inconvenient but it seems to spread the antiviral coverage a lot better.

Thanks a bunch @Peggy and @fitgirl! I guess one of the positives of this condition has been finding this community of truly kind, compassionate people! You've made my situation so much more bearable, thank you...I guess another positive would be how emotional and physical suffering give you a laser-like focus and appreciation of who and what are truly important in your life. For that I am grateful.

Thanks again..no she did not get tested..she was adamant that she was clean. I didn't want to argue because it actually didn't matter where I got it. It's just something I need to live with now.

thanks Legit..no I haven't got typed..I had vaginal sex and then I gave her oral so I was assuming it was hsv2. Although based on what I've read it's almost impossible to transmit hsv2 from genitals to mouth/face..so maybe I will get typed...the other thing I'm dealing with is the doctors in my small town have no clue about H..my current doctor was really reluctant to prescribe 6 mos of valtrex..b/c he says it's "not good" for me and that typically you're only supposed to take it for 5 days!!? I actually had him get on this New Zealand gov't website so he could be better informed: http://www.herpes.org.nz/patient-info/all-facts/.... the weird thing about this virus is that for the most part nobody knows anything about it and care even less..even though it seems to cause so much mental anguish

Hi, I'm a 48 y/o male almost 6 months post-diagnosis for both oral and genital H. Recently divorced, I contracted H from the first gal I slept with after an 8 year generally loveless, sexless marriage. I don't think my gf knew she had it. At any rate she claims she didn't give it to me, and that I must have gotten it "from somebody else" (no chance of that..hadn't had sex for years before that). We're no longer seeing each other. This has been extremely difficult for me physically and psychologically. The symptoms have been atypical. It's been 6 mos of continuous itching/ tingling around my mouth, nose, and eyes, but no sores, per se. I've also had mild pain in my genitals, not too bad though. The worst part has been just a general crappy malaise, a sick feeling which only gets a little better when I take valtrex. I was terrified that I would pass it on to my 6 y/o daughter but that fear has slowly faded, as I've educated myself on how it's transmitted. Now I'm just wondering when I will start feeling better (if ever), and when can I wean myself off the anti-virals. Any thoughts?