NolaMama

By access I mean, holding, caring for, etc. I'm just repeating what my ob/GYN said, which was dependent upon having an active outbreak at the time. I've been on acyclovir for a week now, with 8 more refills to get me through the next 6 months, so I'm not terribly worried. As for me, I'm assuming that since my first symptoms were in April its too late to tell who had it first unless his test is negative, in which case it would me. He finally agreed to testing, so we will be doing that shortly. Thank you for all your help, and the useful materials this site offers.

Reading back over these conversations, I noticed you said it was possible I had been asymptomatic and having sex with him prompted activity, the only thing that confuses me about that possibility is that while HE may not have had a partner in years, I have not been as celibate. From December 2014 to February 2015 I had a constant partner. We always used condoms, but I know that won't necessarily prevent hsv if one is shedding. In March of 2015 I slept with another person (not a stranger, but not a permanent partner either) approximately 3 times, again with condoms. R***** is the first I've had unprotected sex with. That occurred at the end of April 2015, so more than a month after the March partner. Obviously I'm not saying I didn't have it, just that I'm not sure if the timeline is not coincidental. It could be the lack of protection that spurred it for all I know. As for him being tested, I plan to sit down once more and go over what my dr said about active outbreaks, because if *I* have the possibility of not being allowed access to my baby, I'd feel better knowing if *he* has that possibility as well. The reasoning is that a newborn to six months of age is susceptible to so many things, and to contract hsv could harm them more than it would an adult, same as if they contracted chicken pox at that age could kill them. Thanks again for all the information, though. I'll look into testing after he and I have that talk.

His reasoning is that he has no symptoms, so why bother, and since there's just no possible way he could have been the instigator, clearly I gave it to him, despite the fact that even if it was me, why would I be asymptomatic for so long then suddenly have so many outbreaks, and messed up periods, etc right after sleeping with him, and not anyone else? It irritates me, his attitude, regardless of who it was. When I told him what my dr said about the baby, that I have to have a c section if I'm in active OB at time of labor, and I won't be allowed to hold or touch my baby until the active OB is clear, he just shrugged and said its a good thing he was around. That I think pissed me off the most. I am on acyclovir, so hopefully that dire outcome does not come to pass. As for fatigue, well, at the time of the first OB I worked third shift, so fatigue was a normal part of my life, not sure I'd notice anything more so...and both previous babies to this one were natural birth as well lol, and in my opinion it really didn't hurt, probably that pain tolerance thing. What was more uncomfortable was the itching and the fact that my clothes rubbed the blisters, unless I walked like I'd been riding a horse for a week without stopping (bow legged).

Not that I recall (concerning semen on the chest), but very good possibility of having scratched, or yes, kissed. Yes, he has mentioned cold sores, as well as areas on the groin he insisted were ingrown hairs and minor jock itch. To my knowledge, he has never been tested and refuses to do so now. As for the blister, it had been just above my left Brest, closer to the center of my chest. A regular women's v-neck t shirt would have shown it, had I worn one. As for pain, I can't say. I have a high pain tolerance, so what for someone else would be like a 8 or 9 on a pain scale for me would be a 3 or 4. The first OB was the one I had all the weird periods, discharge, blisters and everything, and yeah, walking made it a bit tender as it all rubbed, but sick as in nausea or something? Not that I can recall. The second OB (right before the chest swab) was in the same genital area as the first OB, was itchy and again walking made it tender, but by then I was pregnant and therefore cannot say as to whether it would have caused odd periods or not like it did the first time. After the random blister on the chest, just recently, I had another genital OB, same area as before, but mostly just itchy, was preceded by tingling...since getting pregnant and gaining a baby belly my hips constantly hurt anyway lol, so any extra tenderness wouldn't really be noticeable. Then Sunday morning the arm blister randomly showed up. If its still there next Tuesday, I'll have it swabbed, otherwise I'll just let my OB/GYN know of it. Thanks for putting up with my crazy questions BTW.

@2Legit2Quit thanks, I responded there as well.

Lol no, no titty fucking. I'm a big girl and cursing doesn't bother me, I actually work on the infamous Bourbon Street. As for first symptoms, that was the end of April 2015, approximately 8 days after he and I slept together. He is the first person I've had unprotected sex with in about 6 years. As my story explains, I am currently 7 months pregnant with my 3rd baby, the last being in 2010. I've never in 31 years had the tingling, itching, blistering, etc that I suddenly appeared with in April. I trusted Doc Google a bit too much, instead of a real OB/GYN, and attributed the symptoms to having recently changed feminine products. During the following six weeks I had the blisters, a disturbing amount of discharge, and 3 full periods. Then it all cleared up, and I didn't think anything else of it. About a month after finding out I was pregnant -so two months along- in September of 2015 the day after I had a pap smear I had more of the itchy blistering, in the same area. By the time I told my OB/GYN it had cleared up, and he said if I had any other blisters, come in immediately. A few days later, the one on my chest appeared, I went in as instructed, and he swabbed it. Results were HSV 2. I've been asymptomatic until last week when the tingling began and I blistered up again, and then Sunday morning the one on my arm showed up just out of the blue, but it looks exactly like the one that was on my chest, and itches like it too. I go in to the doctor next Tuesday and will mention it. And yeah, I generally use bandaids, but would gauze or an ace bandage be better? I also make sure to wash my hands after changing the bandaids, or inadvertantly touching the area.

I've always been super careful about tracking things like my periods, genital discomfort, et cetera, as well as keeping a close eye on my partners (not that I've ever been sexually prolific). Well, April of 2015 I began dating a new person, and I kid you not within a week of first sleeping together I started having this extreme discharge, very liquidy and constant, though not overly smelly, just lots of it, as if I was constantly peeing myself. Since I'd recently changed the brand of panty liner and pads I used, and everything I tried googling came back with things concerning that, even asking those online Dr people, I didn't think too much of it. I stopped using liners, I went back to my original pad brand, and whatever it was that made me discharge and itch cleared up. I foolishly attributed it to the liners. I was fine for months after. Shortly after I got pregnant (July) I had extreme itchiness and a few sores, right after I'd had a pap smear. Again, I didn't think anything of it, only mentioned it in passing to my OB/GYN as I'd thought it was shingles (thanks Dr Google...) But then a few days later a funky, itchy blister showed up on my chest of all places. Now, to me, that was weird. And when I saw my OB/GYN I showed him, and he swabbed it. Diagnosis: hsv 2. I had herpes. Me, the ever careful one....but clearly not careful enough. Clearly wearing rose colored glasses and trusting Google far more than I should have. What disturbed me most was when I told my boyfriend and he stared at me in shock. Immediately said it wasn't *him*, he'd not had sex in 2 years. And yet, I'd never had a problem until he and I slept together? He shrugged, insisted it wasn't him, that the only genital problems he had ever had were ingrown hairs and occasional jock itch. Honestly, we still haven't resolved that argument. From things I've read, here and elsewhere, its totally possible to shed without symptoms. He still refuses to get checked. This is my 3rd baby, and certainly far from the most stressful time in my recent life. For 3 years I was a single mom, working 3rd shift, barely ekeing out a life for me and my daughter, I worked when sick, when hurt, during holidays....and despite living paycheck to paycheck, despite being severely stressed, and depressed, for all that time, I never had vaginal problems. Not even late periods. I'm sure this sounds more like a rant at this point....I suppose I'm still trying to come to grips. I think there will always be a part of me that will think it was my boyfriend that gave it to me. His personal hygiene certainly doesn't help that idea, but this is not the place to complain about that. It irritates me, and freaks me out, about having sex again. I know that this doesn't necessarily mean I have to be celibate, but it scares me that I'll pass it on to someone. What freaks me out more is the random blisters, that one on my chest that was swabbed, and this time one on my left forearm. The blisters on my hoohah are expected, as that's where the itchiness and tingling always begin. I'm so afraid of intimacy, especially when I get those random blisters. I can't bring myself to even hug my daughter when I see one for fear I will give it to her. How exactly does one begin to come to terms? I'm not at the point yet of having to tell a prospective partner, I still need to understand it myself before I can ever think about that, but I'm not sure how. My OB/GYN didn't help by telling me all the things that could happen when I give birth. A few key people in my life know of my dx, and as supporting as they are, I still feel isolated. Any and all advice is welcome. But I'm not sure if I'll ever trust my boyfriend, either. Especially since he's so adamant and refuses to get tested.

I was recently dx with hsv 2 during what I believe was either part of my 2nd or start of my 3rd OB. I had mentioned to my OB/gyn that I thought I'd recently had a shingles episode, and he told me if I four d any more blisters to come in for a swab. Now, both times I experienced any blistering was always around my genitals, but when a blister popped up randomly on my chest I did as told and had it swabbed -thus the dx- but he didn't say, and I didn't think to ask, why it was on my chest not my hoohah. Well, I am in the middle of another OB, and yes, it is on my genitals, but this morning a blister randomly popped up on my left forearm. I stumbled on this site while googling queries on whether this was normal and figured I'd ask if anyone else had ever experienced random blisters. I do have a Dr appt on the 16th, and will be sure to ask my Dr, but didn't think it'd hurt to ask here. I'm 7 months pregnant, BTW, and taking acyclovir. I see my OB/GYN every 2 weeks.