dilemmagirl

I was diagnosed a little over 2 years ago..I just need someone to talk to about it..or even about other stuff..just to have someone who understands the things that go through my head on a daily basis..who would shake me and tell me that it's not the end of the world..someone who would want my opinion about her/his situation..in short..a friend is what I need! I live in the NW suburbs of Chicago..anybody who wants to be my friend here? I'm 31, female..any age and gender would be perfect! :)

It's gone now but I still feel shooting pains every once in a while.

Thank you Adrial! I guess it really gets easier in time :)

I never thought that I will be able to tell a potential partner that I have herpes. But I did! And I was successful! He still wanted me..well we didn't have sex because he is at the other half of the world. But he is coming over! If he will be able to get a visa haha! Anyway, it felt so good to finally let it out. It wasn't bad telling him at all. I mean, he was really understanding and didn't judge me. He told me that I am still me. So I guess, the stigma is there but not everyone thinks that way. There are people who will understand. And I will keep those people in my life. :)

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." -- Michael Jordan

Don't waste your time looking back at what you've lost. Move on, life is not meant to be traveled backwards.

HCTS I love the quote! :)

I still don't have health insurance..but I'll start work next week..hopefully medical insurance kicks in at once :(

is there anyone here who had an outbreak but didn't take medication (zovirax, etc)?

I am working on this everyday :) hopefully i will get over it soon haha :)

Aaawww..i feel like a have a boil :( it is sooooo painful :(

Hi herpes, I will not let myself be defeated by you. I am stronger than you think. I may be sad and mad once in a while but it doesn't mean I have lost the battle. I will conquer the loneliness that you would like me to have. I am still the same person as I was before you. Yes, it is definitely uncomfortable when you are around, but you only stay a few days so I will just have to learn to live with you. One day, I will be able to look you in the face, smile and say "hi herpes, I have you and I am not ashamed of it."

Is it normal to feel a pricking/stinging sensation when you have an outbreak of genital hsv? It feels like I have cut myself :(

I am having an outbreak now..waaahh! Not taking any meds..just abreva and anti itch cream..lysine too and my regular vitamins..i can still walk hahaha! I know it will clear up on its own..but I hope it will happen before Monday haha! I guess I will have to talk to a doctor for prescription..well, when I have medical insurance already hahaha :)

WHY ME? This probably is the most asked question by people with herpes. Having a virus that manifests as an uncomfortable skin irritation and blisters isn't the dream of many people. Being put inside a box and thought of as "dirty" is everyone's worst nightmare. WHY ME? This was the first question I asked when I was diagnosed 2 years ago. I was little miss cautious. I never did anything spontaneous. I always had a schedule to follow. I was devastated that I didn't go home and slept at a friend's house. I was too ashamed to face my mom and my younger sister. What kind of a role model am I? I was convinced that I was a disappointment to my family. WHY ME? I asked my mom. And her answer was a simple "it was given to you as a wake up call." A wake up call for what? I thought hard what she meant by that..and I realized that I was not doing anything in my life. I was contented with my job, despite the fact that I want to do something else. I fell in love with boys (yes, I don't think they are men, at least not at the time we were together) who didn't treat me right. I dated them just because I wasn't dating anybody. I slept with people that I normally wouldn't. It was my excuse for being heartbroken (my bf got someone pregnant). I was stuck and refused to move. Herpes was a very big wake up call. It made me realize that it is time to move. That I had to stop dating guys who don't give a damn about me (sorry for the term). That I had to respect and love myself again. Two years after being diagnosed, I can say that I love myself above anything else in this world (aside from God). Before I do anything, I would ask myself if it's good for me. I eat healthier. I exercise. I learned to laugh my problems and worries away. Herpes may be a very uncomfortable skin condition but it's not fatal most of the time. Yes, there is a stigma. But it is something that I can live with. My family and closest friends accept me with it. I had a physical exam and I told the doctor that I have HSV when she asked me if I have been diagnosed with STD. She wrote NO on the paper. So I guess, having herpes is not that big of a deal. It is mostly inside my head. That little voice telling me that I am worthless..dirty..unlovable..different..is just me running away from it. I found comfort in letting myself be swallowed by negativity. I realized that I had a choice between being miserable and being happy. I am choosing to be happy. Yes, I still feel lonely especially when I have an outbreak but I am choosing not to dwell on it for a long time. It is hard to see the silver lining for having herpes..maybe there isn't one..but I am choosing to treat it as my wake up call. WHY ME? Because I had to wake up from the nightmare of what my life used to be. Having herpes may not have been my dream but it made me move and get my dream. My bestfriend told me "it's not the end of the world..someone will accept you for what you are and what you have..if he can't see you beyond your herpes, then he's not worth it. For the meantime, do not only accept what you have..embrace it and you will find happiness." And now I ask, WHY YOU?

Waaahhhh!!! I am having an outbreak..I think..I have a small wound that is so itchy so I am assuming that it is an outbreak..not taking any medications..I don't have a doctor yet here in the US..just bought abreva and and anti-itch cream with 1% hydrocortisone..I am taking Lysine 2x a day..also taking vit B complex and vit C. I am not devastated but I am still sad that it's happening again. I guess I have to get used to this..which is really hard..it is so uncomfortable! One day when I become very very very rich, I will fund a research on how to eliminate herpes! $-) I hope it goes away by the weekend! :(

Hi Jessi..herpes won't change your cycle..stress does..whenever I am stressed my period comes late..and I have very bad PMS..I am assuming you are not thinking you might be pregnant since you didn't mention it..if you are still irregular even when you are not stressed out, you have to go to your doctor to have it checked out :)

Adrial, I read the article about the medications for herpes..there is a recipe for some kind of an ointment..do I mix everything in and just keep the rest? :)

I think I am having an outbreak now..there are blisters that are itchy but I am not taking any medications..I don't have medical insurance yet..I'm just taking L-Lysine, vit C, and vit B complex. This is okay, right? My doctor back in the Philippines said it's okay not to take any medications because it will just go away.

My GYN back in the Philippines didn't want me to take meds all the time. She said just take it when it's really bothersome. She says hsv resolves on its own. I think I am having an OB now..well I though I also had it last month..but I am not sure because I haven't seen the doctor. Well, I will see the doctor if it still persists. To be honest, I don't even know how hsv looks like haha! I just assume it is if it's itchy and painful. Talking to someone will be very wonderful! It is really hard especially when I get lonely and start thinking I will be alone forever! :(

Thank you Adrial! :)

I am wondering when the herpes stigma started. Yes, it is a virus. But it's not as easily spread to other people like the flu virus, right? So how come, we have a stigma for herpes? You get a sore every now and then..but it goes away on its own even without medication. So what if you get it from having sex or kissing? You can get it if you drink from someone's glass who has the virus. I mean, what happened that people started to think of it as something so dreadful? People with STIs are seen as dirty, sluts, less of a person, and the list goes on. It is just so sad that some people judge other people with herpes without even finding out what that person went through. I hope someday the stigma will be gone.

One needs a prescription to buy Acyclovir, right?

It's herpe anniversary to me too! Well in a week haha! This is such a beautiful post. After reading it, I realized that there are far more bigger problems than having an itch down there every once in a while. Yes it is uncomfortable but it hasn't killed me so it is livable. Herpe anniversary Essiel! ;-)

I read this quote and I thought this is how we should think all the time. "I think it's an amazing quality to be able to roll with the punches and not be totally ruined as a person because life's been rough for you. That's a really admirable way to go through your life."