HikingGirl

I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years, eating vegan more often than not. My diagnosis was pretty recent--just 11 months ago--so I am still figuring out my triggers. So far, I haven't noticed any definitive food triggers. Stress and my cycle seem to be the biggest triggers so far!

@Tyedye99 I can relate to some of what you've said. I enjoyed casual sex at a young age--it was new and pleasurable and I was curious! Sometimes I get mad at myself for it now, because it was one of those casual encounters (all of which included condom use) that gave me herpes. I have to remind myself that I just didn't know condom use wouldn't completely prevent me from getting herpes. And I'm trying to accept that the only thing I can do about my past is to learn from it and move forward. In one of Adrial's recent e-mails, his video talks about how our reactions and feelings are never really about herpes. It's just that herpes brings all of our shit to the surface. When I divorced two years ago from a highly critical man, and then a year later when I found out I have herpes, I subsequently realized I had been seeking a lot of validation from other people throughout my life. Nearly all of my self worth came from the attention I received from others. I'm now learning to love myself enough to put myself first, set boundaries, speak up for myself, and really believe I'm worthy of love in spite of my imperfections. In fact, I once asked my therapist how to avoid getting involved with men like my ex in the future. She said, "Really notice how they react when they find out you're not perfect." I can also relate to being surrrounded by people and still feeling lonely. Herpes can be so isolating! And so often we're not willing to really be with that loneliness and instead move immediately to another relationship. If there's one thing my marriage taught me, it's that being alone is far, far better than being with someone who doesn't truly love and accept me. I felt like shit about myself being married to him, and I am never going back to that place. When I find myself wishing I had never gotten tested, I think of three things: 1) Having herpes makes me 5 times more likely to acquire HIV. That alone makes it worth knowing so I can protect myself. 2) I'm going to be able to weed out men who can't handle my imperfections pretty early. And 3) Without herpes, I would not be learning to really love myself. This makes me pretty excited for the next forty-something years off my life.

I had a low IgG value for HSV2 and a higher value for HSV1, like you. The Western Blot confirmed I do have HSV2. It's expensive, but in my mind, it's worth the hassle to be sure. The six weeks between my initial diagnosis and the Western Blot made me a nervous wreck! At least now I can move forward.

I get random tingles. More so when I'm close to an outbreak, but not always.

@optimist Absolutely--all of the above! The first year post-divorce was a dream--so happy to not have the tension. The second year was filled with a herpes diagnosis, figuring out who I am and what on earth I want to do with the rest of my life, my awesome and wonderful boss of 10 years moving away, dealing with the aging of my nearly-15 year-old golden retriever on my own, and since I'm 43, very likely some degree of perimenopause. I've started and kept up with a number of positive habits this year (eating better, more sleep, more time in nature, regular exercise, journaling, meditation, etc.), so I'm not going down without a fight! Thanks for your comments. Sometimes what we're blind to is really obvious to others! :-)

Hi all....I'm new to posting, but I have been reading posts since February when I was diagnosed. Since my ex-husband tested negative, I know I've had herpes for at least 20 years and just didn't know it. Since my diagnosis, I've really been paying attention to my body and figuring out what the prodrome symptoms (like the tingling zingers) feel like and what my outbreaks are like. I started on Valtrex soon after the diagnosis even though I wasn't seeing anyone. I stopped six months later because the prodrome symptoms were so ridiculously frequent. Now that I've stopped Valtrex, I rarely feel the zingers anymore. Has anyone else experienced this with Valtrex? Is it possible acyclovir would be better? I may actually re-enter the dating world this next year and would like to have an anti-viral option I can tolerate. Going back on Valtrex would drive me crazy!!

I was diagnosed almost a year ago, and after my ex-husband of 15 years tested negative (we didn't use condoms), I realized I must have picked up herpes around 20 years ago (before I met my ex). I had no idea I had it. I just thought I was cursed with itchy genitals and recurring yeast infections. Ever since my diagnosis though, I've had regular outbreaks every 4-6 weeks. I can only guess it's been at least partially due to the high levels of stress I've had this past year. It'll be interesting to see if those outbreaks decrease as I continue to come to terms (emotionally) with having herpes and learn to decrease stress. Meanwhile, I'm an example of someone who has had it for a very long time and still has regular outbreaks. If the new guy in your life runs, consider it a blessing. I haven't re-entered the dating scene since my diagnosis, but I stayed way too long in a bad marriage with a highly critical spouse because I was afraid no one else would love me. Now that I'm two years post-divorce, I can say with confidence his leaving was a huge blessing and I'm much happier alone than I ever would have been with him. Hold out for someone who will love all of you.