aquamarine

We're like best friends, so I naturally shared with him when I got diagnosed. His response was sympathetic and supportive. It's complicated, why we decide to stay in situations... there are many factors involved. I've certainly asked myself those same questions.

thank you for the encouragement! :)

Nope, I was just diagnosed on September 1st....

No I'm not having an OB, the sores healed up very quickly thank goodness (primary OB started on 9/1/15 and started the 2 grams the next day, sores were gone within a few days of that). I'm just still feeling run down, like I'm coming down with something. Achey, my skin is very sensitive, occasional chills, etc. I'm a little reluctant to stop taking the 2grams until I meet with the doc and discuss it more. I'm still trying to process all this....

@2Legit2Quit that's amazing, you have 6 gfs with it. I haven't told any of my friends about this yet, it's still brand new, but if and when I do it will be interesting to see how many "me too" responses I get! Thank you for the encouragement, it means so much to me, you're so kind to take the time to write.

@2Legit2Quit I'm taking 1000 mg twice a day, morning and night. I'm only on day 11 of taking it. The dose I'm on is for the primary OB, but the dose for suppression would be lower from what I've read. It'll be interesting to hear what the doc says when I see him next week. What dosage are you taking?

@2Legit2Quit I'm still taking Valtrex, I just refilled the first 10 day prescription. When I meet the doctor next week I'm gonna see what he says, if he recommends I stay on it indefinitely. I'm sorry to hear of your debilitating fatigue and setback with working out, I know it's a bummer. Maybe it's another opportunity to love yourself unconditionally. Please don't hate yourself doll, you're too great of a person! Jeanne :)

@WCSDancer2010 it's GHSV1, and thanks for the info. You're awesome! I so appreciate you sharing your wisdom with us 'newbies' lol. @2Legit2Quit thanks for the positive support.... think I'll try a walk today. I'm bummed though because I was really starting to see results from my workouts, firm muscles are nice to have and I don't wanna lose them! @gns3224 that's good to hear that you started working out again and felt good afterwards. I think we have to do what 2Legit said and be patient while our bodies deal with this foreign invader. Let's go with the flow and trust that everything's gonna be fine. I'm glad we met and we can support each other!

I'm having the same issue and I'm wondering the same thing.... at the onset (10 days ago) there was heavy discharge, slightly yellowish, I'd go through several liners every day. It's been decreasing little by little though. I was on antibiotics for a UTI, which may have helped. I've been on Valtrex for about 9 or 10 days now, and the sores are long gone. I may get my rx refilled so I can take it another 10 days, I'm hoping it will help normalize things. I have a follow up appt. with my gynecologist next week and will discuss all this with him. So much to sort out now... I'm so glad I found this community!

...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. Oh boy, is that ever true! I just have to chime in and offer my support.... I'm newly diagnosed too, similar story to yours, 49 years old, 17 years in a sexless marriage and caught GHSV1 from the first guy I slept with..... sigh... I'm in the thick of dealing with the emotions and questions and fears too. I'm so grateful to have found this community. I think we're gonna be fine. We'll stand shoulder to shoulder and figure a way through this thing. Peace to you friend :)

WCS Dancer, you're awesome! So grateful to have your perspective and wisdom.... you're a light in the fog :)

Oh sweetheart.... I'm new here too, and I just wanna offer my emotional support. You're so not alone, and what Anna says is so true! Breathe.... you're gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay...... Sending you a big psychic {{{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}}

So I started feeling sick/achy/run down about 12 days ago and my primary OB started 9 days ago. I started Valtrex the very next day and the sores healed up fairly quickly. I'm getting plenty of rest, taking vitamins and supplements, really taking it easy on myself. However, I still feel a little run down. I haven't been to the gym since this started and I want to get back to working out as soon as possible. I just don't feel quite up to it yet. Is this normal? Any thoughts on how long it might take to get back to full form? Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond.

Thank you ladies so very much for responding. I appreciate your kindness and support soooooo much! Yes humor is my go-to method for everything. I do believe laughter is the best medicine. I devoured all the vids on this site and many more on Youtube. I've been educating myself big time since this happened. When I told the first guy, it was a quick phone conversation and I emailed the handout to him right after. It's hard to say how he sounded, maybe a bit taken aback? I haven't spoken the the second guy yet but I will, he's away on business right now. It'll be interesting to see how he responds. And thank you for the suggestion to give my hubs the handouts, I haven't done that yet. I know he's doing his own research and I explained things to him as best I could, he's not at any risk living the way we've been living, but he's still being weird. It's an area of my life I seriously need to address. I want and need a lover in my life. I've decided I will NOT let H kill that dream. It's just a new wrinkle, right? But I do feel sad at the same time, I feel a loss. Those sneaky little voices that wonder who'd want to take the risk for me. It's good to know I'm not alone. You can bet I'll be much more careful going forward, full disclosure, calculated risks.... sage advice. Thank you again, so much. With much appreciation, J (aquamarine)

I don't know what I used to believe about herpes.... that it was something only careless teenagers get? Or porn stars? Or very promiscuous people? I honestly never thought about it that much. I mean, I'm intelligent enough, I know STD's are a reality, but the subject of herpes just wasn't on my radar. I'm 49 years old and I've been married for 17 years. In a sexless marriage, mind you. That's right, basically celibate for 17 years. So how did this happen? Well just this past year, after much thought and couples therapy and tearful conversations, my husband and I agreed on an open marriage. The decision was driven by me, as I was becoming increasingly unhappy living in a marriage with no physical intimacy. The reasons for that are many and varied, too many to get into here. Thankfully my husband was agreeable to the idea. Not that he was thrilled about it, but he wasn't going to prevent it, and there would be no deception involved. In April went to my OB GYN and asked to be tested for all the STD's, and the tests came back negative. I'd never experienced any troubling symptoms, so this was expected. So happily I go skipping off into the world of online dating, tra-la-la-la-la! A few weeks ago I went out with a guy, and it led to a wild night of uninhibited, unprotected sex. Everything, oral, intercourse, everything. He had a vasectomy so I wasn't worried about pregnancy. As for STD's, he said he was clean, he didn't have any visible signs of anything, so I rolled with it. Of course the few glasses of wine and the fact that I was extremely horny made it almost impossible we wouldn't end up in bed together. I mean, really, what did I think was going to happen? I've wanted and needed to get properly laid for so damn long now, nothing was going to stop me! lol The next day I could tell I had a UTI, so I went to have it checked out. They ran a urinalysis and also did a swab test for STI's due to the risky encounter and increased vaginal discharge. The UTI was confirmed and treated with oral antibiotics. To be safe, they gave me an injection to prevent gonorrhea. I've since learned that first swab test came back negative. I'm not sure what they tested for exactly. I don't think they tested for H because I didn't have any visible signs. I'm going to pick up a copy of the lab results so I know for sure. Two days later, the UTI seemed to be clearing, I was feeling good. I had another date with a 2nd guy. We really hit it off, big time, on every level. The UTI was clearing up, no weird rashes or bumps had appeared yet. All was good I thought. Things got physical again, this time it was him going down on me, then we had intercourse using a condom. The next day I started feeling sick, achy, feverish, run down. I stayed in bed all weekend. Meanwhile a burning sensation was building, and not just when I would go to the bathroom. And a few days later (7 days after the first encounter), the dreaded blisters appeared. I almost passed out when I saw them. I prayed maybe it was an allergic reaction to the Vagisil cream I put on earlier, but I knew. Next day I went to the OB GYN and had a swab test and a blood test. They started me on Valtrex 1000 mg twice a day. The swab test confirmed HSV1 positive, but no HSV2. The blood tests were all normal - no antibodies to HSV1 or HSV2. So this is a new infection? Yes ma'am this is a brand new infection. Congratulations!!!! You're our very first customer and you win herpes for LIFE!!! ! YAAAAY!!! Yes I have a warped sense of humor. I've since learned a lot more about H, how common it is, how easily it's spread even without symptoms. My eyes have been opened. I just got off the phone with the first guy. I've been assuming it was him who gave me the H, but now I wonder? Could it have been the 2nd guy and the blisters showed up just a few days later? Or was it the first guy, and could I have unknowingly passed HSV1 along to the 2nd guy? The two encounters were just a few days apart, it was a very busy week! I'm going to disclose everything to the 2nd guy too, and I have another doctor appointment next week to get more details, but it's been nagging at me. I hate the thought that I unwittingly put someone else at risk. Sooo.... it's feast or famine I guess. 17 years of no action (with a partner that is, thank god for porn and vibrators!) and now THIS??? I would welcome any ideas, insights, advice, wisdom, comfort.... I know I'm trying to be all lighthearted about it, but I have had some low moments. I told my husband everything and he's afraid to even give me a peck on the lips now. That's really hard to take. Thank you for listening.