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I have a red mark on my penis that showed up a couple weeks after I had sex with a woman and the condom broke. I only had sex without it for 5-10 sec, and I tested negative for herpes before her. She doesn’t think she has any STDs, but I don’t think she’s been tested recently. What I have resembles a friction burn, but I am looking for somebody else’s opinion. I never had blisters, and the red area hardly has any pain at all. what do you guys think? I already got tested and am waiting for the results but I’m still nervous.

Who on here has infected other parts of their body???? Like their hands or face I have GHSV1 so I obviously touch myself when I shower and sometimes I masterbate. And lately I have these under skin bumps that I can't tell if they're an outbreak or just boils /cysts so i clearly touch and see if they're getting any better its like unavoidable to not touch my private parts! Am i suppose to wear gloves for the rest of my life wth! I wash my hands over 30 times a day because I just feel dirty and contagious. My hands have been peeling because of the over washing I got diagnosed in November. So it hasn't been more than 4 months that I've had this. ( I haven't been consistent with the acyclovir either its just hard to take everyday) I hate myself I feel like I'm a walking infection. I've been taking care of my baby nephew and I'm afraid to even touch him..And when I have touched him I soon remember i carry herpes and i start to overthink and beat myself up for touching him! this cant be life. I'm tired of everyone minimizing this when it clearly affects your physical & mental state I'M NOT OK!

I was diasgnosed with GHSV1 in november My 1st outbreak I had cluster of sores with clear liquid that went away about a week later with acyclovir 2 weeks later ( December) a under skin bump popped up on my groin area The bump got red and painful but i could only feel it if i touched it since its under the skin. I've asked on other forums if this could be herpes showing up differently and got mixed answers. Over the past month 3 under skin bumps have formed ( i kept wanting to believe these are some sort of boils) BUT the fact that ive got one right after the other makes me think differently. Ive ive never got so many back to back like this. ive had boils/ cysts atleast once a year but 3 in one month??? I've read that some herpes show up differently so which is why I keep doubting this could just be boils One of them has almost gone way (not red anymore or painful ) because I squeezed white dry puss out When I touch it my skin feels flat now. Today I poked a whole on with a needle on the 2nd bump and ALOT of yellow puss came out along with blood. The bump is still there to touch and still red and it hurts. I can feel a 3rd one forming on the other side of my vulva. I'm so drained what is this! i currently dont have insurance so i cant go to the Doctor right now. My question is can herpes produce YELLOW puss like this???? Or are these boils / cysts/ abscess??? If they are boils i don't understand how I've got 3 back to back. That's never happend to me before. I wonder if herpes has triggered something down there. ( I haven't shaved in months so it's not that either)

Hi, I'm still waiting for my swab result if I'm positive of Herpes, but as per the doctor he sound so certain that it is actually Herpes. I'm so sad and still crying about it. My boyfriend got tested negative to this, but I still got it. 😞 I have few questions and appreciate your answers or thoughts please. I went to the clinic after 5 days that the blisters turned into sores got really painful that I couldn't walk. My doctor gave me antiviral cream, Amox clav and Valacyclovir for 7 days. I'm on my 2nd day of taking it. How long should it take to heal the sores? I been crying because of pain when I move, pee and just walk. 😞 I also noticed that there are like white discharge and sores has white pus liquid that going out too which makes it extra painful. Based on your experience how long it usually takes to dry up the sores when taking antivirals medicine. Lastly, I'm scared because I noticed some people like bumps on my face which are starting to feel itchy right now. Could you pass the virus in the face? I'm so scared right now. Help and all your answers and advice will be much appreciated.

Hi there! I was diagnosed with anal herpes about 4 weeks ago when the first outbreak appeared, It was really painful and annoying but I took Zovirex and now I am fine. The blisters appeared only on the anus and not on the penis or anywhere else as a result of having anal sex without condom many weeks ago. I am not currently taking any medications because I am relatively new to this and have not talked to my doctor about the possibility of taking medications on a daily basis. I currently have a female partner and I would like to know if the risk of infecting her through sex that involves my penis is lower since my herpes is only in my anus. Thanks in advance.

Hey guys ! I am new here , but am so glad this exists. I have been struggling for a long time and my mental health is not good to begin with. Sooo.. since college I have had chronic vaginal problems. I had a fissure on my perineum that didn't heal for atleast 2 years , there every day , very irritating . I tried everything. I think I had it swabbed and came back negative for herpes, it finally healed but new problems arise.. Fast forward a couple years , I started having a lot of itching and irritation , when my inner labia are touched I get a burn sensation after . One morning i noticed my vulva were very itchy and covered in red bumps , these might have taken about a week to go away but can't fully remember. Irritation continues daily.. finally one day I feel like I'm getting a really bad bladder infection and I notice a tiny raw spot probably only 1 mm on my clitoris , I went to doc and he tested for bladder , nothing . Went home and broke out in a bunch of bumps .. went to doc , swabbed and came back negative again. The next day though they turned into blisters , then I knew I probably had herpes. So I self diagnosed. Every day now for 5 years I have had the same prodrome feelings i got before that outbreak . With the occasional actual visible outbreaks which are always different . Sometimes that one tiny raw spot shows up on my clit and seems to heal within like a day.. but that spot is always itchy every day of my life. Sometimes a red bump appears in a spot on my labia and opens to a tiny welt (only like 1 mm) , and now I have noticed the inner lower part of my vaginal hole becomes raw and open skin when I feel like I am having a severe outbreak . But lately that area is like always raw .. every day . I'm so confused !!! Why is my body so bad at controlling this , I have antivirals and they seem to kinda work but not totally .. so lost . So depressed . So anxious . Been tested for absolutely everything! STDs , BV, yeast .. changed diet .. no irritants whatsoever even stopped using toilet paper and wearing underwear . Help!!

Just a thought. I've had herpes for a long time. Since 6th April I've had non stop outbreaks after nothing for ages. I went back on the contraceptive pill near the end of march. Could this be contributing to these horrid outbreaks? Is there any evidence to suggest this?

I googled it and some said yes some said no. I also asked my doctor and she said no. multiple times. before I got my dx I shared a bath with my son. I don't know if I was having symptoms or not. But now I'm concerned. can you pass it through the water? it's not like I rubbed my nether regions on him. But Google is saying there is a dilution factor. also my doctor said it passes through SKIN TO SKIN contact. please help!

I had two blood test done. Each came back positive for hsv1. First test value was 51.80 two weeks after the second test value was 34.40 why is that?

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!

Hi all. I'm visiting the GUM clinic tomorrow for testing. I have what it seems like 1st outbreak genital herpes symptoms. Sex last Thursday - unprotected. Sunday - really bad itching, thought i had thrush. Painful area near vagina. Some bloody discharge. Monday - noticed 1 yellowish bump, very sore now. Still itchy. Whole area starting to burn. Feeling tired. More bloody discharge. Tuesday - bump very painful. Looks dented in middle. Whole area sore and itchy. Painful walking. Starting to feel ill in general. Hurts so bad when i pee. Wednesday - Went to Dr. She said its an infected cyst. Gave me antibiotics. Too painful to walk far by this stage, tingling pains running all over the genital area. Hurts so bad when i pee, i don't want to drink. Legs ache. Crying with the pain. Thursday - exact same as Wed, and I slept most of the day. Aching all over. Still crying with the pain. I have these waves of excruciating tingling that pass over my genital area. Takes my breath away its so sore. I'm struggling to find another cause for this other than herpes. I've written this so emotionless cause its the only way to proceed for me. I just want an answer for why I feel so bad yet I'm deep down terrified of what is next. Thanks for reading.

Hi so I have some questions , i went to the dr 1 day after seeing sores downthere , I got the doctor to swab it and she said she doesn’t think it’s herpes but it could be .. so she swabbed the area and did a blood and urine test for all STD , these were fresh , like very fresh flat ulcer looking sores they were also small, I thought there were from stretching after sex I had sex with condom and without maybe a week before. Anyways the doctor uploaded my test results online and they were all negative except chlamydia , she called me and let me know that one was positive and to tell all my past partners to get tested . Then days later I log onto my chart and see the HSV 1&2 were positive , she didn’t even call to tell me and I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t check... She told me it’s not necessary to tell past partners and there’s no way I can know who gave this to me even though I’m pretty sure the guy I’m dating gave it to me. I finished my 10 day antivirals and she told me I don’t need to go on antiviral therapy or anything because the swab was negative.. it’s been a month since I finished and I haven’t had an out break even with my period .... what does this mean? She’s not really giving me answers I also got a second opinion from a doctor who told me my levels were low and to come back to be tested again... this is all very confusing to me. Anyone have any advice or gone through similar ?

I went in yesterday, my vagina opening was a little red but did not hurt. He swabbed said idk 50/50 (nice hey) and said I had to wait a week. I literally died inside expesually not knowing. It doesn’t hurt and there is a little pink spot on the vagina lip hurts only a little when I touch it roughly. I went in today to get valtrex because if anything I don’t want to go through the horrific pain of a first outbreak. It was a different doctor. A female this time. She looked and said I don’t see anything and I’m 99% your test will come back negative. Has this happened to any of you ? What was your outbreak like? I’m not in any pain except emotionally

I needed to share my successful disclosure after weeks of reading forums, articles, blogs, watching videos and most importantly freaking our about disclosing. I am a single mom, in her very late 30s. I have been carrying the herpes virus for over 4 years now. I got the virus from my ex after one of our many attempts to reconcile. I never had to have "the talk" before, because after my ex and I separated (yet again) I wasn't ready to date and later decided to try a herpes dating site so I don't deal with the anxiety of having to deal with "the talk." While PS is a great site, it doesn't have that many members, and I decided to give it a try and signed up on a non-H dating site. After a few months and a few dates, I became interested in someone. We went on 4 dates and on date 5 he asked me if and when I was going to invite him over. We were sitting in a quiet cafe, in the corner, and it was the perfect timing to have the talk...only that I simply couldn't. Very disappointed of myself and my lack of courage, we departed that evening. I got home and started reading and watching videos of other people's stories. Couple of things really helped me find my courage. First, I stared disclosing to my closer friends. I think I told at least 10-15 people. I was surprised how many of my friends needed to be educated about herpes and the other thing that surprised me was how many of my friends actually had it (four of my really close girlfriends!). Being able to openly talk about it made me feel comfortable about who I was and normalized my experiences. Second, I practiced. I asked a few of my friends to practice with them. They pretended to be the guy I was disclosing to, giving me different scenarios and this helped me feel more comfortable about finding the right words when the moment came. I also spent a lot of time planning of where and when to disclose. It wasn't the perfect event (we were going to a concert), but I decided that this was going to be the evening (date #6), when I needed to tell him and I had to simply find a quiet place to have this difficult conversation. After the concert he wanted to drive me home and I told him I needed to talk with him about something. Luckily, there were seats at the valet parking lot of the hotel (he left his car there), where we could comfortably sit down and privately talk. He was nervous. I think he was convinced I was going to tell him that this is not working out for me (I was considering it, because having to have the talk seem too daunting for me). I started my memorized by now speech, in which I told him my personal story of how I learned I have the virus and when I was diagnosed. I told him that even with condoms there is still a risk for him to get the virus and that I needed him to think about it and do his own research so he can make the best possible decision for himself...Then I stopped and waited for his response. I was sure he will just walk away with the excuse that he needs to process the information and do his research (after all, I insisted that he do exactly that). To my surprise he thanked me and he acknowledged how difficult this talk might have been for me. I was shocked! I did not expect this kind of response. He also let me know that I am not the first woman to disclose this to him and he already knows and read quite a bit about herpes and the risks and this is not changing the way he felt about me. It was such a relief to have this kind of reaction and to be completely accepted. While I presented calm during the talk his acceptance was what made me emotional and I felt amazingly close to him. I am still dating the same man. I don't know where and how this relationship will go forward, but I know for sure that if it ends it won't be due to the virus. Good luck to any of you who are facing this similar situation. I hope my story gives you hope.

I had unprotected oral sex with a HSV1 positive individual last year, shortly after I had flu like symptoms but never any sores. For the past year I’ve been having burning pains in my lip and buttocks that i thought could be related but never any sores. In July I noticed some red marks on my penis, after washing these seem to reduce and disappear so I thought nothing of it, but over the past couple months these red spots have returned and I don’t know if it’s herpes or just dermitis or something. i have had several HSV type blood tests, all negative at 1, 3, 6, 12 months. Any ideas?

Hello everyone, I’ve been diagnosed with HSV-1 for almost a year now. I have had outbreaks once every 2 months I think. And they were all just as severe and felt as bad as the first one. Is this normal for the first year I have herpes? However, I’m currently having an outbreak with cold sores and blisters on lower right leg for the first time ever. I have attached an image of my leg for visual reference. Does that look like herpes to you guys? Or could it be sth else entirely? Thanks in advance for the support!

If having an outbreak does it usual form as one painless bump then heal and disappear then another one appears ? And keep continuing until it's gone

Hello and thank you for the help (M, 36). Im here today because I called out of work due to stress about herpes. This has been an emotional month. I want to share my story for support and feedback. Im very down and drained. Anxiety is killing me mentally and physically. On 8/7 I kissed and received oral from a woman who claims she is clean and has been tested in june. The weeks prior to this I had been having a lot of sex and masterbation. The months prior to this encounter I noticed I had trouble starting to urinate and it would take a while to start. I noticed my penis was soar and my sperm looked different (thick) 1.5 weeks prior to this encounter. Anyway about a week or so after this encounter I began to have a constant burning in my penis, my scrotum was red, and burning in my prostate area. I immediately implanted in my mind it was herpes and it was all i could think about. I was hoping it was a UTI and dealt with it for about 10 days before seeing the doctor. It burned every day all day and night.It seemed like my penis was shriveled and my libedo was zero. Small erections when i would first wake up. I went to the doctor and told her what happened. I showed her my penis and she couldn't see any soars. She took some blood and had me tested. I went home that day distraught. I noticed 3 small white bumps on the inside of my lip that same evening. That freaked me out too. The bumps did not tingle or burn and disappeared in 2 days. No blisters, soars, or scabbing. (Please let me know what you think of the bumps). That was odd and a real curveball. The lab work was done on a Thursday and the doctor was closed friday. It was labor day weekend and i was told i wouldn't find out the results until Tuesday. That weekend was hell. Every second of every day was a nightmare. I called the doctor on Tuesday and was told she had left for a personal issue and to call the next day. Doctor called me back and said IGG was negative but ImG was reactive. I panicked. She told me vaguely about the Img test how it doesn't say much but I have had a recent exposure. I told her about the constant burning in my privates still and she prescribed 1gram of Valtrex for 10 days. I was and am crushed as a person. I would go to work, barely make it through, and go straight home. I would anxiously await until 730pm when i would take the valtrex and tylenol PM. I would then sit in the shower with hot hot water pouring on me. Felt like the only relief i would get is in the shower. I started to noticed a tingling sensation shooting around my face and right eye. It felt weird and produced even more anxiety. My tongue was very dry and i noticed a irritated area on the side of my tongue that is oval in shape and red. This freaked me out as well. 6 days on valtrex and no relief. On the 6th day after diagnosis my doctor called my phone at 6:00pm. I missed the call and she left a message for me to call the office in the am. I thought that was odd as it was so late. Maybe she wanted to call to check in? I called the next day and spoke to the office. The woman i spoke to said this "We got new lab work back for your HSV test and the results are negative". I couldn't believe it and still don't. I asked if I should stop the valtrex and they said yes. I was emotional and I heard the doctor in background say "He has nothing to worry about". This still did not provide comfort as i have researched this virus. I told them about the burning and they want me to go to a urologist. I'm so confused and broken. I was told i have herpes and was given valtrex. What test did they get back six days later? Im so lost and depressed. Staring at my body waiting for soars or blisters to come that never do or haven't yet. The tongue thing, the tingling in my face, the racing consuming thoughts of having this condition then being told you don't. I deep down don't believe them. Thank you in advance as i really need help from the H community on this forum. This forum is probably one of the only things keeping me from complete shut down and loss of life as i knew it i.e job, friends, interests....Thank you.

I was postivite then negative Once infected with herpes will you always test POSITIVE ??? Doctora: said positive Blood work with with symptoms Doctorb: negative Blood work and culture with symptoms Can someone please explain?

Hello everyone let me start of by saying thank you for your answers as this is a confusing and difficult time for me. well I was on holiday and met a nice girl (random) we enjoyed each other’s company and had a fun night. Later when I got back home I noticed my lips getting dry and tingling I immediately thought the worst just to let you know used a condom but also performed oral sex, thus the doubt .... anyways once this thought creeped in as it does I started to read a lot and actually got quite confused with all the information out there, so finally after about 2 weeks I went to a doctor and got checked and also got all the testing for stds. Well actaully since i was not convinced and my mind racing with negative thoughts I went and consulted another doctor again he said all is fine but this time I also insisted on pcr herpes test (still awaiting the results) by the way all the other test results are fine no problems there . finally since I was still paranoid I thought too visit another doctor, now keep in mind that the first two doctors gave me a clean bill of health and both throughly checked me. When I visit the 3rd doctor ( I live in a country where I’m still learning dont speak the language fluently) he asked me a few questions and I explained I had visited two other doctors but still wanted a 3rd opinion ... so he asked what I was worried about and I said herpes ... he looked at me looked in my mouth for less then a few seconds and said I have herpes in my throat ... I could not believe it. He then prescribed me valaciclovir and said I’ll be fine. When I asked him is he sure he said he had experience in this field and knew for sure, on top of that he charge me extra for the consultation saying I can not be recovered by my health insurance for his visit. So now since you my story I have a few questions 1) should I take his word seriously ? ( I’m still gonna wait for the pcr results which should come in a few days ) 2) has anyone suffered from oral heroes in the throat ? 3 ) how long will it take in case I actually do have it for things to clear up ? 4) since the 3rd doctors diagnosis I feel a bit of irritation in my throat (perhaps a placebo effect) what do you’ll think? 5) should I begin the medication of valaciclovir right now or wait for the pcr test result ? 6) as I’ve been on homeopathy medicine all my life I’m not used to such strong dosages ... so really not sure if to start and how many times to take it per day? 7)are there any other home remedies besides this strong dosage ? 8)even if I do have herpes (if the pcr test confirms) is it possible to let it just heal on its own if it will not hurt me too much ? Finally besides the early tingling and dry lips I have not had any other symptoms (except this little irritation in my throat now) . Been 17 days so far since my episode with the girl im sorry for such a long post but I really do not know who else to turn to and this is affect my mental health with all these different diagnosis by the doctors. thanks again for reading and hope for you can help me out.

I was diagnosed with herpes but didn't received/ prescribed any medication why is that? If I apparently had a break out. I went for a bump that was located in the pubis mons*pubic hair area.. It was just there no itching no burning no tingling or any of that.. so after being diagnosed I decided to Burst the bump. It bleed then disappear in the next hour or so.. like it never existed. I could've been misdiagnosed

I just found out that I have HSV1 and I'm having my first outbreak. Me and my husband recently separated and i engaged in oral sex with a new partner for the first time in 4 years. I noticed the first symptoms it about a week afterward. I did not know the guy had HSV1 and the next day he broke out with a cold sore in his lip. I didn't think anything of it and had no idea that it was possible to get genital herpes that way. Just a couple of days after the encounter I started feeling a little sore down there, but I thought it could just be raw and swollen from sex. At the same time I noticed a sore inside of my mouth that I passed off as a canker sore. Within a week there were so many sores in my mouth it was impossible to eat and even sucking through a straw was extremely painful. I started feeling flu like and achey, and lymph nodes in my neck and one in my groin swelled up. I still didn't have any idea that I had herpes. I assumed it must be strep throat or mono... And I still hadn't made the connection with the sore spot on my vagina... But within a day or two i noticed the spot was very very sore and it burned soooo bad when I peed. I decided to finally take a look down there with a mirror and I was shocked when I saw a white blister looking sore right where I had been feeling pain. It all pretty much came together right then that I had herpes. I started panicking and researching it and found out that I was experiencing all of the symptoms, and I immediately went to the emergency room to get checked. They took swabs of the sores in my mouth and vagina and broke the news to me that I had hsv1 both orally and genitally. I also had a bladder infection from the virus. I got a 7 day prescription for Valacyclovir, and started taking it immediately. Even after I started the medication two more sores appeared down there. I have one more day left and the sores in my mouth are completely healed and the 3 genital sores are almost healed as well. I've read that because I have type one and not type two the outbreaks happen a lot less frequently and are a lot less severe, and I hope that's true. I don't have medical insurance so it is not easy for me to see a doctor and pay for prescriptions on a regular basis.. i want to know if I have future outbreaks is it likely that it will not be genital and only oral? Because the outbreak in my mouth was much worse than the one down there. Is there anyone else here that's experienced an initial oral and genital outbreak at the same time?

Ever since i got the hsv2 my skin is SO itchy most of the time and i get wheals like welts. I diagnosed myself with urticaria and the demertogist found no allergies linked to the itching. It can be subsided with allergy medicine and cortisone , but i hate taking that everyday 🙄 i read somewhere people with herpes developed urticaria, but im not sure how true that is? If you struggle with this too, what are your remedies?

I struggle with knowing whether or not im having an outbreak or if something else is going on. I dont have any sores or blisters. I just get slightly itchy around my vaginal opening and slight rash irritation along my butt crack. For the most part i think these are indicators. The medicine im taking is valtrex i guess it helps. I feel like im always taking it. By the time im done with the 10 days, i feel slight reflief for a week or two and then I feel like having another outbreak soon after? Maybe its not working properly. Ugh idk. Bottom line Its so difficult to know when im having an outbreak bc symptoms are so suttle.

It's been exactly a month since I last slept with someone. And I may have contracted herpes of other std from the other partner. I'm having some weird sensation on specifc parts of lips and genitals. Is it a sign? My appointment is in a week and I'm really freaking out right now.