HELP! Is this an initial herpes outbreak or recurrent outbreak?

[TryingtoCope]

About 1 year ago, I discovered a large bottle of Zovirax in the bedroom of the guy I was sleeping with. He had told me he was STD free. I then found out he was sleeping with many different women at the time. I stopped seeing him but about 2 weeks later I noticed unusual discharge and had a fever, fatigue, sore throat, and general weakness. I went to Urgent Care and they said I had HSV2. I was very scared. I told no one. I still have told no one. I started on Valtrex for a few days at that time and NEVER developed sores/blisters/ulcers.

 

As time went on, I basically forgot (or maybe chose to forget.. because I didnt know how to cope with it) that I had HSV2. It's been one year now with NO OBs, no signs of it, and suddenly this past weekend I noticed an itchy sore spot (which I thought was a yeast infection)... well it turned into blisters and is now a full on open shallow painful ulcer!!! HELP! Is this considered a primary outbreak since I never had sores/ulcers the first time I was diagnosed?! I know the first time can be the worst... Or is this a recurrent OB? I thought recurrent OBs were not supposed to get worse than the first time?! If this IS recurrent, is it a good sign then that it happened a full year after i was diagnosed? Does that mean maybe it will come even less often from now on? Or should I be worried that now that i've had ulcers, i'll continue to get them.. I'm dealing with this pain/fear/loneliness all over again with these sores....How long will they take to go away? it has already been 5 days since I first noticed pain in the area and the ulcers are still not scabbing over....

 

Also, I know that for initial OBs you should take Valtrex for 10 days and for recurrent only 3 days. Which dosage should I follow here??

[WCSDancer2010]

@TryingtoCope

 

Hello and Welcome!

 

First - BREATHE! In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter if you are having a primary or recurrent OB - however, this sounds like a recurrent given your other symptoms when you were first diagnosed. Each OB can be different and sometimes they will be worse than others depending on your immune system at the time and your stress levels. There's no "rules" for Herpes..... you just take each OB/prodrome as they come.

 

I would start the Valtrex and if it's not cleared in 3 days, keep taking it for the 10 and see where you are. It's it's not quite cleared, take it till your body seems to have it under control. There's no way to tell you how long your OB will last .... but you can do some things to help your body along... check out the tips on my blog here:

 

http://supporttruthanddialog.com/easy-simple-self-help-tips-for-relief-from-herpes-outbreaks/

 

and these discussions where folks shared their tips and tricks:

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-treatment/#more-2122

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/1802/going-the-natural-route

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/1496/bathroom-time-

 

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/2576/i-need-personal-storieshelpadvice-from-women-on-the-itching

 

Hope this helps a bit

 

(((HUGS)))