ash2018

Hi everyone! I joined last year after being diagnosed with gHSV1. I was diagnosed last June and was absolutely devastated. At that point I was freshly engaged and wondered how my fiance could want to be with me after that, I felt gross, I felt dirty, and I felt alone. I had pretty severe depression and anxiety which I had never experienced before and did end up going to a few therapy sessions through a confidential program that my employer offers through a third party company. It took quite a while for me to accept and be okay with things but I wanted to pop back on here and let you know that everything will be okay! This truly does not impact anything in your life unless you let it. I think one of the most validating things for me and the thing that has helped me with acceptance and just living my life is the acceptance that I have received from my now husband (we got married in June!), the friend I met through these forums who ended up being H-, and the two friends that I have confided in that have treated me absolutely no differently than they did before. Acceptance is a great feeling. And so is having those who accept you realize it isn't a big deal. While no one wants to be in the situation all of us are in, it really is not different than those who get 'cold sores'. We just have the chance of getting them in a totally different area on the body. I did elect to take suppressive therapy which of course is totally individual decision and there's nothing wrong with either choice. At this point though I am happily married and currently waiting on a decision from the graduate school I just applied to :) I hope that my post can inspire some of those struggling to accept their diagnosis. I have been there. And while it can be difficult and nerve wracking to disclose, even to friends, the acceptance you can gain from doing so can be such an important part of healing and accepting yourself <3

Hi everyone, I hope that this post finds you doing well or on the way to healing! I'm posting to start a discussion of what symptoms every one has had that are related to HSV. I'm curious because people experience it so differently. So if you could please post about your symptoms/outbreaks I would appreciate it! Thanks! Personally I've had one outbreak with 4 blisters and a swollen lymph node in my groin, the open areas took 3-4 weeks to totally heal. I've been left with weird residual feelings that come up at times. I had some irritated/burning feelings to one side of my vulva (opposite side and far away from where the outbreak was) but with my history of vulvodynia figured it could be nerve pain so I saw my specialist and went back on cymbalta which mostly took that feeling away. What's plaguing me now is one sided clitoral discomfort, nothing visibly wrong in the area. Sometimes I'm just aware that it's hypersensitive and other times it aches. I have no idea if this is HSV related but needless to say it is frustrating!

I don't think they always do, the reason being that my first outbreak was in the beginning of June which my swab came back positive for HSV1. My blood IgG for HSV1 was over 9, I forget the exact number. Meaning it wasn't a new infection, just the first outbreak, but I had a swollen lymph node in my groin. That's what really put in my mind that it could be HSV. I'm engaged and have been in the relationship for over two years so it was quite a shock. But, those are pretty classic initial outbreak symptoms so its hard to say. These viruses are so complicated

Your IgG was positive which *typically* points to an infection that isn't so new, HOWEVER some people do start to produce antibodies to the virus more quickly than others and since your blood work was 2 weeks after the encounter you describe it is *possible* that this is a brand new infection. You could have also acquired it during a time when you had protected sex as condoms don't protect form HSV 100%. Your partner could very well carry the virus asymptomatically and have no idea that he has it. Most typical STI panels don't include HSV so even if he was tested he may not have know HSV wasn't included and assumed he was tested for everything. But as HikingGirl said, IgM is not a test to pay much attention to as it isn't reliable, which most doctors aren't well educated about when it comes to testing for HSV

It's hard to say whether the bumps are herpes for certain. I know when I had my first outbreak my mind was constantly on it and I was so worked up and anxious ALL the time which led to constantly sweating in that area and my entire crack (no such thing as TMI on here!) was red and raw from the constant moisture. One thought I have is maybe trying a different antiviral. For some reason some people have varying success with different ones. I'm on suppressive therapy and thankfully haven't had another outbreak but had all kinds of weird symptoms for a while and still randomly do have weird feelings like an itch in one spot that was super sensitive from the beginning, but totally separate from the spot I had an outbreak. To make things more difficult to discern, I have a history of vulvodynia for which my symptoms involved irritated/burny/itchy feelings... I had come off of meds for that successfully after a few years but went back on and they've helped tremendously with the strange sensations so who really knows! This virus is quite frustrating! It's hard not to let it run your life but I'm determined not to

I can't say whether you have it of course, but I would recommend retesting at 16 weeks with an IgG blood test. If for nothing else then your peace of mind!

I totally understand the wave of emotions. I had my first outbreak at the beginning of June however my IgG was also a definite positive so who knows how long I've been carrying the virus. I've been with my fiance for over two years now so it was quite the shock to say the least. I highly recommend looking up Ella, she's awesome. In the first month or two I watched her videos pretty much daily to lift my spirits

That's awesome @Ashh, I'm so happy to hear that! :)

I think that, like for most things HSV related, the answer isn't clear cut. It is probably something that everyone's body reacts to differently. I think that it has the *potential* to because its something that causes an immune response in your body. This can liken it to being sick, in a way, which can be a trigger for some people. I'm getting my flu shot (required by my job) soon, it'll be my first since being diagnosed and I'm nervous about it but its one of those things I have to face and just see how my body reacts

I just wanted to jump in and say that IgG tests miss up to 30% up existing HSV1 infections, so while you *probably* recently contracted it, there's a chance that you're one of the people int hat 30%. Ella Dawson, whom is internet famous for being open about having genital HSV1, is in that 30%. I heard her on a podcast speaking about how one doctor tried to insist she didn't have it because her level was not conclusive and she was like no bro, I really do.. You certainly can't deny a positive culture which she had when diagnosed. Also in reply to your most recent post, everyone's body reacts differently so you never know until you try! What triggers OBs for some, doesn't for others. And since genital HSV1 *tends* to recur less often, these things may not trigger you at all. Especially being on Valtrex

Blood tests are good but remember that they need up to 16 weeks to become positive as your body builds antibodies to the virus as that is what the IgG detects - antibodies to the virus, not the virus itself

Whats really important is to learn *your* body and learn what symptoms look like for you. You can't go through life assuming every slight itch/irritation/shave bump is herpes. As I've adjusted to the diagnosis I have come to start learning my body and realize what is/isn't HSV related for me. If I regarded every one of the above occurrences as a symptom I would be symptomatic the vast majority of the time. I've had one outbreak and it was four blisters in one cluster, I have GHSV1. I have learned to regard a slight itch/irritation that goes away quickly as just that. I have also learned that what a shave bump looked like for me before, is what a shave bump looks like for me now. This has helped to reduce my stress and anxiety over things. It does help that I'm engaged and while he doesn't want it if he doesn't have it, he doesn't see it as a huge deal. We also don't know if he already has it because we haven't gotten him tested and he doesn't care either way. The point is not to freak out over every slight thing that is off, but to take the time to learn *your* body. This will help you prevent transmission with future partners without living on edge 24/7

Your symptoms are so vague it's really hard to say unfortunately. I would see if you can convince your PCP to do a PCR (these are more sensitive than cultures) swab of the red areas and see if anything results. It could really just be a rash or random red areas that coincidentally occurred at the same time as you not feeling well. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry until you know for sure. Focus on yourself, be kind to yourself, pamper yourself (in whatever way you would normally treat yourself!). Even if it is HSV, as you've probably seen from many posts on this site, it is NOT the end of the world and it doesn't inhibit a normal life anymore than any other health condition does. I'm only 3 months in and it still kind of gets me down sometimes but I've made leaps and bounds from where I was in the first few weeks

Hi there, symptoms are not always blisters. Besidea those who are asymptomatic, many living with herpes that have no idea get more mild symptoms mistaken for something else. For women I've heard it can be mistaken for a yeast infection. It can also be mistaken for ingrown hairs. Some people have itching or irritation only. That's one thing that makes these viruses so tricky! They can indeed swab your red areas even in the absence of fluid. They've done studies on asymptomatic shedding by doing exactly that - swabbing asymptomatic people to try to detect the virus in the absence of symptoms. Just be careful, many PCPs and even GYNs for women I'm finding don't know a ton about HSV. It took me three medically providers for someone to even suggest swabbing my first outbreak to test for HSV

I also wanted to mention and totally forgot last night that for some reason with the IgG blood test, up to 30% of HSV1 infections *don't show up*. So, to make things more complicated, "negative" IgG doesn't always mean negative for HSV1.