Outbreaks all the time... does it end?

[Mc1359]

Hello,

I had my first outbreak 3 months ago. It was horrible but went away quickly once I started taking antivirals. Since then I have had multiple near-outbreaks. Each time I feel one coming on I start taking antivirals and don't develop sores, so it hasn't been nearly as bad as the first experience. I felt an outbreak coming on 2 weeks ago (starts as a yeast infection-type itchiness coupled with soreness in my vagina) so I started taking antivirals and felt better after a few days. A few days ago I noticed a sore on my outer labia, still no sores near my vaginal opening where I usually get them. No other symptoms like I normally have. I have no idea if this is related to what I thought went away over a week ago or it's a new outbreak altogether. I feel like it's just an endless cycle.

The worst thing to come out of this for me has been the discharge. Since my first outbreak started I have had an excessive amount of yellowish-green discharge. Constantly. I went to the gyno when it didn't go away after my first outbreak thinking it must be caused by something else, but everything looked fine and nothing came up with the tests they did. It took over a month after the first outbreak before I finally felt like everything was returning to normal, and then as soon as it was nearly gone I started having symptoms of a second outbreak and it started up again. I've had 3 since then so the discharge hasn't gone away. I had to wear tampons constantly for the first month otherwise it would soak through my underwear and pants. I haven't read about anyone else experiencing this symptom. 

My boyfriend and I both developed symptoms and discovered we had the virus at the same time. He hasn't had any issues since his first outbreak, but we have barely been intimate since we discovered we had this in September because I am constantly dealing with these issues. I feel like I can never catch a break and I'm just so tired. When will it get better??

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello!

I hope you are well.

I am so sorry to hear about all of the struggles you've been facing as you get used to HSV! It sounds like your body is working hard to build up antibodies and get used to the virus, too. 

It is great that you are aware of your prodrome symptoms, since you can take antivirals and help stop an outbreak in its tracks. The sore you noticed a few days ago could be a herpes sore, or if it looks like something else, it could be an ingrown hair. If it is a herpes sore, then it could be a new little outbreak. It is is normal for sores to appear anywhere in the general region where you have your HSV. For genital HSV it is normal to have outbreaks on the thighs, buttocks, or genitals, since all those are directly connected to the lower ganglia (ball of nerves herpes lives in at the base of the spine).

In regards to the discharge, there are many people who have discharge changes when they have outbreaks, however I have never heard of someone having such large amounts of discharge that it soaks through their pants. It sounds like you could have sores/outbreaks internally, which is causing the excessive discharge. It is common for people to have internal outbreaks, and sadly they can be pretty painful. For my first outbreak, I had many internal sores inside the vaginal cavity, which made it hard to walk and sit. If you also had internal sores, or suspect you do now, this could be what's causing the discharge. 

I did some research, and I found some medical articles on herpes discharge and excessive discharge:

https://www.healthline.com/health/herpes-discharge#types-of-discharge

I also read that excessive discharge is a symptom of cervicitis, which is an infection of the cervix. If your sores became infected or you have a bacterial infection, it can cause this. 

There is a condition called herpes cervicitis, which you can read about here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5345432/ The article talks about how the risks of this are higher in people who use an internal birth control method, but it talks about how HSV can shed internally and cause excessive discharge, however it is often unnoticed and unsymptomatic, so it gets diagnosed during pap smears. Maybe you could be tested for this or have an internal exam to see if there's something going on inside the vgainal canal and cervix that is causing the excesive discharge.

I hope this helps! Hang in there. It will get better! ❤️ 

Blessings,

grace

 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hi! I wanted to clarify-- the second study link speaks about the connection between GHSV-1 and cervicitis and having an internal birth control method. I would think it is possible to have cervicitis with either type, with or without an internal birth control method. I hope you are doing okay!