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I love reading success stories :) thanks for sharing! And I wish you and what seems like a terrific guy all the best!

If you washed your hands you're safe - soap and water kill the virus on contact

@katidid I'm 26, I'm on birth control but I've been on that. I do however have a theory that a change in pills (and thus a change in hormones) is what triggered my outbreak. I had just finished the first pack of a new birth control when I had my outbreak. It's the only thing that changed in my life at the time this showed up. My IgG was positive (9.48) indicating it wasn't a new infection. That lab was drawn about 3 weeks after symptom onset

@hikinggirl @katidid thank you both! I'm hoping and praying so

Could you go to an urgent care center and be seen? That would be my best advice if your doctor is out of town. Also, how did you transfer it? Did you touch an open lesion and then rub your nose? In the absence of an open lesion it would be extremely unlikely to autoinnoculate anywhere else (autoinnoculation is rare even with a lesion once you build up antibodies, which if this is new for you you may not have many yet). Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water when you have an outbreak anytime you come into contact with a lesion. Did they swab your nose and tell you that it's herpes there? If not I'd maybe get that done before assuming that's what it is

@Katidid thank you, I'll give it some time. I did the same thing - straight from valtrex to acyclovir. I guess I've been worried because it seems the feelings have increased. The midwife thinks the feelings are all related to the virus and my body adjusting to it. She said she had one patient who had issues with weird feelings for about a year and now that patient may have an issue maybe once a year. I know that peoples bodies go haywire with their primary outbreak - I would hope since the virus has been in my body for a period of time, even though its never shown until now, that my body would have a handle on it. But I guess thats not the case, its just frustrating

@katidid @hikinggirl how long did it take for your prodrome to decrease when you switched to acyclovir? I switched Thursday but I feel like now I have more prodromes last night into this morning than I did on maintenance dose of valtrex :( I was hoping this would be my solution

As the above have said, your gyno is very wrong. I have genital hsv 1. It's amazing how undereducated even doctors are on these viruses. To address the previous comment, hsv 2 *can* be passed from genitals to oral. It's just unlikely and when it does happen it's extremely rare the person ever has recurrences (outbreaks) orally

Does anyone get achy legs and/or random pains in their leg/groin areas as symptoms? I've been having this for a few days now. I spoke with the midwife I'm seeing about all of my weird symptoms (see other posts for more info if you wish) and she thinks my body is just reacting and adjusting to the virus since my first outbreak was in the beginning of June, even though I've had the virus longer. Has anyone else experienced a period of "adjustment" with weird symptoms?

It is possible to pass the HSV2 to him. I've read that having one strain of the virus *may* provide *slight* protection, but since they're two different strains it is possible to be infected with both

@Katidid thank you for your reply! I'm going tomorrow to the midwife so I will tell her I want to trial switching my medication, even if she doesn't think that could be causing it. I've told myself if she won't do it then I'll just ask my gyn specialist I see (for other reasons) to switch me when I see her on August 9th. My gyn specialist has treated nerve pain for me before, totally unrelated to H (although now I wonder..), so I also hope that if I have residual discomfort that she can help with that.

Hi all! I've recently posted a few times. I'm still new to this, diagnosed with gHSV1 almost a month ago. I have a question for those who have had "atypical" symptoms other than skin lesions/blisters. So my outbreak, which we've determined I contracted the virus an unknown amount of time ago as my IgG was positive, consisted of four blisters near my left anal area. I had that and then randomly started with vulvar burning on only the right side that first week. It took 2 1/2 weeks from onset to proper diagnosis, at which point I was placed on valtrex. We did the high dose (1000mg BID for 10 days, as is typical for initial outbreak even though I was almost completely healed as far as the open areas go) and then 500 mg daily. On the high dose of valtrex I had prodromal symptoms I didn't have before - tingling, twinges, zings, etc. this almost all stopped when I decreased to 500mg per day. I had a slight one here or there but nothing compared to before. I have had residual discomforts to the right side of my vulva/clitoris still, like a line is drawn down the middle and the right side is effected. After reading posts about people who had weird symptoms after starting valtrex I thought maybe I should try to switch to acyclovir and see if that stops these weird symptoms. My doctor when I called said she thinks they're related to my outbreak and not the valtrex, to double the dose for 5 days and then make an appt if the symptoms persist. That was Friday. I doubled the dose and I've had some random prodromes along with the continued random right sided vulvar discomfort that comes and goes. I've also started today with achiness and random pain from my hip region through my thighs on both sides. Conincidentally I developed swollen lymph nodes in my neck Monday but that can be caused by so many things I've tried to just remind myself that herpes does not cause EVERYTHING. I had been outside Saturday and bitten by mosquitos multiples time so it could have been that. I have an appt with the midwife I've been seeing tomorrow to ask about changing meds and these weird symptoms. I figure it can't hurt to see if these weird things are related to the med by trialing another. I guess my question is, have any of you experienced these random symptoms related to H? Thoughts on any of it? Thanks!

I think that needing some time to think is totally understandable! In a reverse situation I would certainly want some time to think and do research and such. It's hard not to worry, I do know that. But try to enjoy it and live in the moment. Enjoy all of the time you spend together getting to really know each other before things get physical. In the end, what is meant to be will be :)

Hi there and welcome! You're in the right spot for information. I was diagnosed with genital hsv1 about a month ago and have been researching ever since. Everyone's body reacts different to the virus so while in general type 1 on the genitals tends to cause less frequent outbreaks and also shed less, everyone is different. Suppressive daily medication can reduce your viral shedding so that you lessen the chance or transmitting to your partner and can also help reduce the number of outbreaks for the same reason. As for touching your kids, don't be afraid! The norm is to wash ones hands after using the bathroom, as long as you practice that perfectly normal hygiene practice you're absolutely fine! If you had a cold sore, would you think that you couldn't touch them? It's the same exact virus. I know that it's hard to cope with at first and overwhelming, I still have my down days. But the more you research and know, and read on this forum, the better you will feel

I'm sorry that you're in so much pain :( have you tried a nice warm epsom salt bath?

Hi @Farmerclay and welcome! Kudos to you for doing research on your own and stumbling upon this forum! There is a category called "My partner/loved on has herpes" where people such as yourself have posted. Browse some of those responses for sure. It is possible to not contract it without using condoms. I've read that when having sex with a person without condoms and without antiviral therapy, and avoiding intercourse during an outbreak, the risk of contracting it in any given year is 4%. With the use of daily antiviral therapy on her part it is cut down to 2%. Daily antiviral therapy decreases the amount that the virus sheds thus decreasing the chances of transmitting to a partner. There is still a risk, but it is a small one. If she is established with the virus and knows her body, like the signs of impending outbreak, she will also be able to help keep you protected by avoiding intercourse during those times. The only time that HSV impacts a pregnancy are the following two situations: a. a woman NEWLY acquires an HSV infection while pregnant b. a woman has an outbreak at or near the time of delivery If b. happens, then they would do a C section to prevent the baby from contracting the virus during delivery. I've read that they typically put women on suppressive antivirals around 36 weeks of pregnancy up until delivery to prevent that from happening. As for other advice, just be open to it and what she has to say. Educate yourself, as you already are, and accept her unconditionally. Unconditional support from those we love is so important

Hi everyone, I was just wondering how you guys and gals manage to tell apart shave irritation from an outbreak? I have what I'm 98% sure is irritation from shaving yesterday, but I know that H symptoms can be deceiving. My first outbreak was a small cluster of blisters near my perirectal area which turned into open areas and this is totally different. This is an irritated feeling and a couple small red areas on both sides around where my legs meet my lady parts. I like to shave and am trying to figure out how to do so without causing irritation (wouldn't have freaked me out before) and how to tell apart irritation from an outbreak Thanks!

Let us know what happens! Sending positive vibes your way :)

Hi @Mygirl007 welcome to the community and I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I'm new to this as well and also a nurse, so we have those things in common. For me, I was so anxious I was constantly, and I mean constantly, sweating down there during my outbreak. Which made it impossible to let the open areas dry up. That and they were so close to my anal area that when I wiped after having a bowel movement I feel like I opened everything right back up. The open areas for me healed completely within two and a half weeks or so. There was a post on here about one of the moderators using alum ammonium powder on their open areas during outbreaks to help with healing. I have no personal experience with it but that particular moderator is a 35+ year veteran. When you pee, try pouring lukewarm water over the area simultaneously to dilute the urine. They don't commonly check for HSV unfortunately, which I was shocked to learn myself. They don't even educate health care providers properly on these viruses. And even if they did check him it takes a couple of months for the IgG anitbodies to be detectable in the blood so if he had a recent partner prior to the tests it may have not shown up. So many people have no symptoms or such mild symptoms (like what he thought was a pimple at the base of his penis) that they have no idea they carry the virus. I know how difficult this is, trust me I'm living it right now as well. You're in the right place and I'm sure others will chime in with some helpful hints!

@dancingqueen you're very welcome! I like your mantra :) It can eat you alive to not know when or how you contracted it. In the end, it doesn't matter, but that doesn't prevent you from wanting to know. I have no idea where/when I contracted the virus. I'm engaged and have been with my fiance for two years in a faithful and committed relationship as well. My IgG test was positive a few weeks after I had symptoms (I did this as a follow up after the swab was positive), which shows me that it is very unlikely its a new infection. I have HSV1, which is known very commonly as the virus that causes "cold sores". The rate of diagnoses for new genital infections with HSV1 is increasing, very likely from oral sex. Who thinks of using protection for oral sex?? A lot don't know that you can even transmit that to the genital region, a lot don't know a cold sore is in fact herpes, and those who do know the above don't think you can transmit in the absence of a cold sore when you totally can. My fiance has not been tested yet which I think is one of the key parts in my healing. If he is positive for this strain we won't know who gave it to who or even if we both had it prior to meeting, we also wouldn't know where he carries it. I'm hoping that he will be tested soon so that we know one way or another what his status is. Is your boyfriend getting tested? Did they do both a blood test and swab on you? These can help some to determine whether its new vs old in that IgG antibodies won't show up when you're very newly exposed to the virus. I too feel the need to alienate myself. I find myself not wanting to talk to friends because I feel like "how can I possibly be my cheerful self and act like everything is great when I have this going on?!". Talking to people on here has definitely been helpful to not feel so alone

There is a lot of conflicting information! You are in the right place for answers!! - You CAN pass on the virus when you're not having an outbreak. There is something called "asymptomatic shedding" which is where the virus is active in the absence of symptoms, hence "asymptomatic". There is no way to tell when this is happening. This right here is the reason for most transmissions, especially in those who never have symptoms or symptoms so mild that they're mistaken for another condition. The vast majority (upwards of 80% I believe it is) that have the virus have no idea that they do - Some people get prodromal feelings prior to an outbreak (itching, tingling, etc) which means that the virus is active and that it can be spread. Sometimes, an outbreak may not occur after these feelings, which just means your body got it in check prior to the lesions appearing - You are definitely the *most* contagious when you have active lesions. So unless a partner has HSV2 as well, abstain from any contact at that point. You can have other kinds of physical contact, just not with the area you have an outbreak There are some quick fact sheets that this site offers under the lifestyle guides (its the link that lets you get free info sent to you, without buying the guides). There are also some great links and great info embedded in past posts that you can find by browsing the forum. I browsed like crazy when I first found it and still do! I'm still new to this too so you are not alone That all being said, antivirals can *decrease* viral shedding when taken in a suppressive dose, which decreases risk of transmission. But they do not totally stop the shedding

That's amazing!! I'm so glad to hear that!

I'm glad that they tested you! Most providers don't order HSV without having a symptom they're seeing or without being asked. If they did, a lot more people would know their status. But that can also be misleading since it isn't location specific. Had I been tested for it previously, it probably would have been assumed I have it orally, as I have HSV1. And I would have thought oh okay, I could get a cold sore at some point in my life no big deal. But unfortunately that's not where the virus decided to reside in my body. I'm still newly diagnosed, three weeks ago, so trust me I understand your anguish right now. I have a lot of days where I'm mentally not in a good place, but I have days where I'm okay. This forum helps a lot along with some other online resources I've found. Hang in there

I hope you do start feeling better soon! I have to address one thing - you didn't *let* this happen, it really can happen to anyone. People with their first partner have contracted it as well as people with numerous partners. People who always use condoms also contract it, because condoms don't fully protect you from it as they cover a limited area. It doesn't discriminate in the least. There's no way to know, short of asking to see someones blood tests, whether they carry one or both strains of the virus. Many people unknowingly carry it due to being asymptomatic and many think that when they have a standard STD testing panel done that it includes everything, but unless specifically asked for it typically does not include HSV. This is a lot to process and talking does help. Talk to us, talk to a close friend or family member, or even talk to a counselor or therapist. Healing, both physically and mentally, takes time

@Katidid I am on valtrex right now. For the first couple of weeks, I had constant prodrome - tingling, zings, little stings, and all kinds of stuff. Now that has all pretty much went away. But I do have some residual issues with hypersensitivity to my clitoris (sorry if TMI) which will randomly be uncomfortable on one side, and if I try to inspect it to see if I see anything touching it makes it worse, its the strangest thing. And I will have random moments of feeling irritated around my rectal area without provocation, if I touch the areas that feel that way, they don't hurt to the touch. My outbreak was in the perineal area, closer to the anal region on the left side. When I had my outbreak, before I knew what it was, that first week I did have burning/irritated feelings to the right side of my vulva. This is the side with the left over hypersensitivity. I don't so much notice burning anymore. It all has my head spinning! I don't know if its all related to nerve damage, or the valtrex, or who knows what. The hypersensitivity I can't remember if it started before or after I started taking the med. I wonder at times if I should switch to acyclovir just to test the waters. But like I said the majority of the prodome feelings have stopped