PhillyChick

@KarleneNY i'm glad you found my post helpful! i'm still learning about all this myself, but as i learn, if i can help someone else, that's great. i dont mind answering your question either. the man i'm in a relationship with is also black. i'm happy to chat further. maybe we can support each other! feel free to PM me

it depends on that person. ive had 2 disclosures: the first person never spoke to me again, the second person was cool with it and we are still dating. all you can do is be confident in yourself, know your worth and know that you can't control other's actions or responses. if someone chooses not to proceed with you, that is their preference, just as i'm sure you have some deal-breaker preferences too. good luck to you!

@hikinggirl @guy84 @regularguy thanks for your responses. i will ask my doctor for a bit more clarification, but yes i'm inclined to just cut the pills in half

Hi everyone - I have HSV2 and I recently started a relationship with an H- partner. I asked my doctor to go on suppression therapy and the dosage she prescribed is to take 1g every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Is it me, or does that seem weird? I thought suppression works best with a consistent dose every day. I think I'm going to cut the pills in half and just take half a pill (500mg) every day, rather then mess around with trying to remember to take a 1g pill 3 days a week. Thoughts?

@secondchances i hadn't thought of that but i'm happy to share! the main points were as follows: * I'm really happy that we met, and I feel that we are getting closer, would you agree? * Part of being close with someone means being authentic and vulnerable, so i'd like to share something that's private to me * I have HSV2, the virus that causes genital herpes * There's alot of misinformation out there, but the truth is it's a skin condition that many people have. It hasn't stopped me from dating and I've never passed it to anyone * Even though the risk of passing it is small, I still want to be honest and disclose my status. There's things we can do to reduce the risk, and I am willing to go on suppression therapy to reduce the risk even further * Do you have any questions for me, or would you like time to yourself to think this over? He took the conversation very well. I think the key was that even though I was nervous, I spoke with confidence. I hope that this is helpful, and that others can have successful disclosure talks.

I've been a member here for awhile, lurking around in the shadows. But I am proud to have found this community, as it has helped me re-frame my perspective on what it means to live with HSV2. When I was first diagnosed, I just knew my life was over. As an over 40 black female with HSV2, i figured i should just throw in the towel. Dating as a 40+ black female is hard enough, but then add cooties on top of that....forget about it. But then a funny thing happened. I met someone. He seemed awesome, and checked all the boxes of what I'm looking for. We went on about 4 dates and everything was perfect. But then oh wait, I remembered that i'm one of the "infected" and he would never want me. I came back to the forums for support, plus i read all of Adrial's guidance on changing my perspective. Then I literally wrote out my disclosure talk and practiced it. This was my opportunity (see what I did, there? lol) to start this potential relationship in the spirit of open communication, honesty and vulnerability. If he decided not to proceed, then he was rejecting the herpes, not me. and that's his choice. I finally got the nerve to disclose, and it went better than I thought. He said he appreciated my honesty and that he'd call me in a few days. i figured oh well, i'll never hear from him again. he did call me a few days later, and we had small talk. while i was waiting for the shoe to drop, he says "so when will i see you again?". i said, well, what do you mean? I assumed after our talk you wouldnt want to see me anymore. he said what are you talking about? of course i want to see you again! I am besides myself! He is willing to take a chance on us, and I am so happy. We've gotten much closer because of this, and we're trying to make it work. I dont know what the future will hold, but i'm excited to find out!