First herpes outbreak was rough, just ending, and I feel a second one coming on...need support <3

[lm44]

Hi Everyone,

 

This is my first post. I had my first outbreak exactly two weeks ago. The first week was pretty rough but as it healed it got better of course. It's essentially healed but I think I feel a second outbreak coming on, which I was worried about because I am getting my period. I've been taking Valtrex twice a day as my doctor told me and also have been taking Lysine and Echinacea for my immune system. I haven't been eating well and because I was healing I began drinking coffee/alcohol again which I am now starting to think was a bad idea. This whole thing has really crushed me. I broke up with my boyfriend of four years back in April and threw myself into dating too soon. I started seeing an older guy and the whole time I knew something was off about him but I put my trust into him. After two months of seeing/sleeping together I had my first signs/symptoms two weeks ago today. I was proud of myself for seeing my gyno right away and he confirmed it to be herpes. My gyno was great, he told me people make this out to be much more than it is which is a skin condition in a sensitive area. He made me feel normal almost and was very kind even disclosing that he has oral herpes. When I confronted this older guy he made me feel awful, even trying to blame me for what happened. I went through the timeline with my doctor though and my doctor is very certain, as I am, that I contracted it from this guy given the severity of my outbreak. I haven't talked to that guy since. I did reach out to my ex boyfriend and he has been my rock through this whole thing. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to make it through yet another outbreak, is this even possible to have two back-to-back? I'm scared and really struggling to keep my positive mindset going. I know it's not the end of the world but I can't help but feel like I'm drowning. I'm trying so hard to keep it together. I'm sorry for the negativity of this post but I appreciate having this space so much right now. If anyone can give me a silver lining I would greatly appreciate it <3 Thank you for listening!

[whitedaisies]

Never apologize for negativity. It's so normal...especially in the beginning....especially during an outbreak. You won't drown, it feels like it sometimes, but you will get through it. You will and you will be stronger for it.

 

It is normal in the first little while to have back to back outbreaks, even on Valtrex as your body is getting used to the infection and you start building antibodies. Don't worry, this too shall pass.

 

Wonderful you had a great gyno, so much more than most people on this site have had.

 

Look through Dancer's posts, she gives great advice:

 

1. Go commando as much as you can

2. Keep area dry

3. Do an epsom salt bath

4. pee in hte shower to help with pain if you are having any

 

It's a struggle when you are dealing with a diagnosis and deceit; wonderful that your ex-boyfriend could help you through this. There are a lot of wonderful people on this site who are experiencing the same things you are; glad you are here. Feel free to vent anytime on here.

 

Good luck!

[WCSDancer2010]

@lm44

 

Hello and Welcome!

 

Glad you found us.... we try to look at Herpes as an Opportunity to re-evaluate things in our lives ... to learn more about ourselves ... and crazy as it sounds right now, you CAN have a wonderful life and find amazing love with H. I'm a 35 yr veteran, have 2 beautiful H- daughters, had a great 20yr marriage and to post-marriage relationships that lasted 3 yrs with H- men that ended for other reasons. Herpes has never stopped me from doing the things I love.

 

When things feel "off" - especially to us women - we need to learn to listen to our gut. I recently dated a guy and while he was a perfect gentleman and let me set the pace (which I set a reealll slooow because my gut told me to hold back) he suddenly disappeared and with a bit of detective work I found out he had been arrested for Bank robbery last Fall. This was the first time I totally followed my gut 100% and I'm glad I did... I kept my heart AND my gut open and my gut was right ... But it took a lot of these "life lessons" to get me to a place where I totally trust my gut now. ;)

 

Glad your Dr was so supportive and helpful. We need him to train others how to deal with their new H patients :(

 

Regarding back-to-back OB's - sorry but this is normal - the good news is that your first OB healed pretty quickly. So odds are this second will heal even faster. The issue here is that your body has no antibodies to the virus so it may take a few OB's for your body to get enough antibodies to give you a break between OB's.

 

Do you know which type you have? HSV1 or 2? Not to defend the guy but it's entirely possible he didn't know he had one or the other.... you could have got H1 from oral sex (and many people have no idea that they can pass it on that way even if they know they have it, and 80% don't know they have it)... and even 80% of H2 carriers don't know they have it. Our society is horrendously ignorant about STD;s and Herpes in general .... :(

 

There are tons of great discussions on here about everything from how to manage the symptoms to dating (TONS of success stories!) to dealing with the emotions.... read all you can on here .... and vent when you need to. We're here for you!

 

Quick help for the symptoms:

 

Go Commando as much as possible - getting air to the area can help to dry it out more quickly

 

Reduce stress as much as possible - Herpes feeds off stress!!! It can become a good barometer for you that your body needs attention in some form or other

 

Look up Trigger Foods/triggers on here in the FAQ and search bar - lots of topics on them ... the main foods are chocolate and nuts but you want to learn about the Lysine/Argenine balance that can help keep Herpes under control

 

Epsom Salts baths can do wonders for some. Sit in the bath and dump a few handfuls of the salts right between your legs. Relax and let the salts do their thing then get out and dry off, finishing with a blow drier set on low heat to really get the area dry.

 

These 4 things seem to do the most help for the most people. Aloe Vera CREAM (make sure ALOE is one of the first ingredients and there isn't a bunch of other crap like petroleum and if it has glycerine, it's AFTER the Aloe in the ingredients .. go to a Health food store for your best chance of getting a good product) or Zinc cream may help during the day to keep it from sticking and help relieve the pain ..

 

Also: Gold Bond Spray powder - right after exercising/hot showers/etc. Supposedly really cools the area ;)

 

(((HUGS)))

[lm44]

Thank you both for responding, it means a lot! I went to my gyno for a two week check up today and he said everything is all healed up well and that it doesn't look like another outbreak is occurring. He said my skin could just be feeling sensitive because I'm still showing little pink/red dots where the sores where. I've decided to go with daily suppressive therapy of Valtrex. We also took blood samples to test for HIV, Hep C, and Syphilis. My urine test from my last visit came back negative for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea (YAY!). Again, my doctor is awesome and today feels like a much better day. Thanks again <3 Lots of love!

[whitedaisies]

Wonderful to hear!!!!

 

Glad u have such a supportive doctor.

 

Take good care