BlueBerry08

Hi Elle27, Thanks for your reply. The thing I'm most worried about is that if we do become intimate and he catches HSV1 from me, that because of his weaker immune system it will affect him really badly. I guess what I'm asking is if it is too dangerous for him to be with me because of my GHSV1. I know herpes isn't usually more than an annoying rash but I just worry I will make him really unwell if he catches it.

I've started dating someone who I really like, but they have told me that they have a condition called Crohn's Disease which is a disease that affects your intensines. From what I've researched, people with this condition can have weaker immune systems due to the disease/medication they take. I was always planning to disclose but I feel that it's even more important now as he has this condition. I have had GHSV1 for just over a year now, and I worry that this will put him at risk. I was hoping someone on here might have some advice/experience with this? Or perhaps an idea of someone specialist I could reach out to for some answers? Thanks in advance!

It's definitely important to be able to make a judgement of someone's character, I agree with you there. Herpes has definitely made me more cautious and think a lot harder about who I get involved with, and I recently ended things with someone before it got to the disclosure part because I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to handle it (they were quite negative about life in general so that was a red flag anyway). I think right now I am struggling to imagine that anyone my age (mid 20s) will be able to handle my diagnosis, so I keep thinking up worst case scenario situations in my head about what might happen if I disclose. I just assume from the start that anyone I date will turn on me if I disclose to them, but I'm trying to re-wire my brain to not think like that. There are decent and understanding people out there, I just need to remember that (we all do).

Dating outside my circle is definitely preferable right now. I have anxieties that I will meet someone either through work or through my friends (pretty common ways to meet someone!), and end up having to disclose. I'm not scared of disclosing really, but I do worry that perhaps the person I disclose to would react badly, and then go on to tell friends/colleagues about my condition and be nasty about it. It's tricky because this virus is so stigmatised and misunderstood.

I was diagnosed with GHSV1 in November 2017, and have just been getting on with life since really, learning how to manage this virus and still going through the adjustment period. I have my down days but overall I'm feeling positive, embracing life and succeeding in my career (My job is super important to me). One thing playing on my mind though is the possibility of having to disclose to someone related to my work. I work in a creative industry where many people know eachother, and realistically I am likely to meet someone via my work. I keep going through scenarios in my head of people in my industry finding out about my diagnosis and using it against me. I know I'm being paranoid, but just wondering if anyone else has also felt like this? To be honest, if anyone tried to use it against me in work or general life, I'd tell them where to go..but still the thought of that situation makes me uncomfortable!

Hey all, hope everyone is doing ok. Just back on here this evening as I've been feeling like things are getting better recently, I've been more careful/infrequent with shaving down below and also been wearing a lot of loose clothing which seems to help. It sounds like a lot of my issues are nerve pain related which my doc says can be a side effect of a herpes OB, so I'm hoping it all kind of calms down during my 1st year of having it (I'll be 1 year this November). Last night though I went out clubbing, had quite a few drinks (I am not a big drinker and rarely drink), and then this morning the itching down there was really bad and it woke me up, and my ladyparts are pink and swollen, and the itching is bad again around my anus. I'm thinking that the excess alcohol has caused this, which is interesting but also annoying! Will have to keep an eye on symptoms after I've had a drink to see if a pattern emerges... Feeling stressed out at the moment, had a pretty bad week a couple weeks ago as I'm just so confused as to whether my symptoms are an active OB (my docs insist they are not), but to be honest I'm just scared of passing this onto anyone else. I've been close to disclosing recently and it's been making me pretty anxious.

I had my first OB and was diagnosed with genital hsv1 in November 2017. Since then I've had constant itching/aching in the boxer shorts area but no new blisters, sometimes just a few little red dots on my buttocks. Symptoms are getting better as I'm shaving less down there and using tea tree and some days now I feel almost normal. Yet again though I've started my period and feeling itchy, fluey and I seem to also get a swollen anal fissure that is very itchy as well around this time. DR says it's not a herpes OB but I think it is...therefore pretty sure I'm contagious. Wondering if anyone else has experienced similar/has any advice? One moment I feel like I have this under control and the next I'm itching and aching and feeling run down again.

My first OB was also around my anus, and since then I've had no more blisters but seem to have a tear that itches and sometimes bleeds. My Dr says it's just a fissure and not herpes related but I'm not convinced. Anyway any bleeding from that area should be looked into just to rule out anything serious.

Hello again! Just wanted to share an update on here of how things are going with this period OB situation. So I'm coming up to 5 months since my first OB, and it looks like things definitely flare up the most just after my period ends (no blisters, just itchy red raised skin around my anus). It's itchy and a bit red all the time but worse as my period ends. I took Aciclovir for 3 weeks but stopped about 4 days ago as I saw no improvement and they were making me feel sick and tired (I had severe stomach cramping one night which freaked me out - I lost my vision and could hardly move!). So instead, I'm taking oregano oil once a day with lysine, and topically applying coconut oil mixed with oregano and lemon balm oil. This gives me some relief as it prevents friction irritation but I'll have to give it some time to see if there's any real improvement. I actually went to see a Naturopath a couple of days ago, so have been prescribed a bunch of other herbs and vitamins to boost my immune system and gut health, which I'm hoping will help. I'm also planning to get a hormone test to see if there's anything weird going on there that might help explain why irritation happens more when I finish my period (I know I have hormonal imbalances due to irregular periods and acne). Will post an update on how I go with all of that. I also wanted to quickly vent as I was a bit taken a back and slightly disheartened during my naturopath appointment. While talking about my symptoms, we came onto the story of how I got HSV1, and my Naturo made a comment about how I'll "never not use condoms again". When I corrected her and said I did use a condom, she looked baffled and asked how could I have contracted HSV1 then? Just goes to show how uneducated even "smart" people can be when it comes to HSV, and to be honest I felt kind of like I was being judged for having it. Just wanted to write that down here as it kind of upset me but hey, that kind of reaction isn't going to be uncommon I guess! Hope everyone on this thread is doing well :)

@UnexpectedSunshine97 Thanks for your post! I have been taking Aciclovir for almost two weeks but so far not much relief from the itching - how long did it take for you to start feeling some relief? @PresentMoment Thanks for the diet advice - To be honest my bad itching started when I posted this and I had had some wine on a couple of nights out (about 2 glasses on each outing) and I also drink about two coffees per day which I think probably made things worse, so I've totally cut out coffee this past week and won't be drinking alcohol anytime soon either to see if that helps. The itching has been getting me down the past couple of weeks as I'm finding it hard to imagine it ever going away, it's been almost 4 months of irritation now with very slow progress of getting any better. I took thrush medicine earlier this week to see if that would help, but I don't think it has, so I'm going to the clinic again next week to ask for tests for other bacterial/fungal infections. I'm wondering if I could have caught another bacterial infection such as strep down there, as I caught HSV1 via oral sex with someone who had no symptoms and was unaware they had it at all. Feeling a bit down at the moment which isn't normal for me as I'm very positive and never give up, and when I was first diagnosed I just got on with my life as normal. But the last 2/3 weeks the herpes has taken over my mind - I'm hoping I can get back to normal self soon!

Great stuff, thanks for sharing :)

@PresentMoment My primary OB was pretty nasty too - I got the flu sweats and then after a few itchy days got the full blisters. All healed in about 2 weeks but since I've just been itchy pretty much all the time, with red sore skin down there. Mine isn't in or around my vagina, just around my anus (I reckon I had a slight shaving cut round that area which let the HSV get in and run riot - my theory anyway). I'm also taking 2000mg lysine per day, and I also take vitamin D3 and zinc. My diet is healthy and has been diary free/refined sugar free 95% of the time for the last 5 years or so, and I rarely get ill either since eating this way which is why im surprised my body has had such a reaction to HSV. I'm generally feeling run down/fluey and headachey this week which I think is a combo of work stress and HSV stress (I managed to get upset the other day overthinking everything, and worrying that I will be itchy and contagious all the time forever). I've been good at managing this though and it's not the end of the world - I just want to not be itchy and feel normal again! Any diet tips would be great as well, I have been doing some research and even though I eat healthy I think some of my foods are potential triggers (I love dark chocolate, coffee, soy milk, chickpeas/beans). Hope you are feeling better and not so angry now either - it sucks to know someone may have given it to you without disclosing it, but at least we can be safe and sensible partners now and help educate others out there that this is such a common virus.

Thanks everyone for your comments and stories on this thread! My irritation since posting this thread hasn't really gone away, so this is definitely the worst OB I've had since the initial. I'm feeling kind of run down as well itching/red skin, but no blisters. Managed to get a private prescription for a 3 month supply of Aciclovir which I was going to use only when having a bad OB, but I think I'm going to try taking it for the full 3 months and see if it helps relieve the constant itch/I can't afford to be feeling ill like this too often...feeling sorry for myself today haha. @PresentMoment I had been thinking about laser before my diagnosis, now I wish I had! I can't seem to win at the moment with shaving...If I shave it irritates the skin, but if I don't the hairs also irritate my skin as it's so sensitive right now. Laser might be something I look into in the future once my symptoms calm down. How are your symptoms since being diagnosed?

I was diagnosed with genital HSV1 3 months ago - I had a one night drunken fling, and about 10 days later started getting itching, redness and then full blisters - I also had a day of flu/fever like symptoms (which a lot of people get so don't know why your doc said it wasn't related). Prodrome symptoms for me include itching and redness in the area - however not everyone that gets HSV will get the full blisters, and may have less severe symptoms (a lot of people contract HSV and have such mild symptoms they don't even notice they have it). So even if you don't have the painful blisters, it's still worth getting checked out. Try not to panic about it - HSV is super common but it is the stigma of it that is the tough bit to deal with. This forum is great though and has a lot of supportive members, keep us posted on how you get on.

BlueBerry08 - what's even more hilarious is that I too ordered new antivirals yesterday and got into it with docs on delay on getting back with me on options. Happy Valetines to Us! lol.... And I agree - time. Just 4 months in and on drugs... just tired of this discomfort and missing my once almost daily O's! Yup I get it - 3 months down and I'm still tingling most of the time and then feeling itchy and unwell every so often as well. The doc made it sound like I'd have one OB, then would be back to my old self right after with no symptoms... Time, patience and self care is the way forward! Keep us posted on how you get on :)