Trying to learn my body again

[RL2014]

I won't lie, I was devastated by my diagnosis. I'd been married for a decade before I entered back in the dating world. I was under no impression I had contracted anything from my ex-husband but still went to my dr before engaging in any physical relationship and asked to be tested for "everything." I repeated the request before I began dating the man I've been with for the last 14 months. If course, now I know I wasn't tested for herpes. I know you all understand that frustration.

 

I had sex with bf on a Monday. By Thursday I was itchy, not too bad then but it became unbearable over that weekend. Sunday I scheduled myself an appt for the next day with a dr I'd never seen before but I knew I needed to get in. By the time I went in I had unilateral swelling and one small lesion but didn't know if I'd caused both by itching the sh*t out of myself. He took a swab said I had bv, wrote a prescription and sent me on my way. Wednesday I had 2 more lesions and an email that read "your recent test for herpes is positive, I will send a prescription to the pharmacy for you." That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'll spare you the details of my breakdown. By the Monday after my initial swab I had an appointment with my normal obgyn. She more than made up for the horrible bedside manner of the first dr. I know now I have HSV2 and I have no dectectable antibodies. I transitioned immediately from treating the OB to suppression meds and my bf, who is being supremely supportive, is going to get tested.

 

The good dr said before the bloodwork came back she suspected that both bf and I would test positive for low levels of antibodies Which would explain my very mild symptoms (on day 7 she was able to find no visible symptoms, not even late healing lesions). Now she's thinking that bf is the carrier and the bv made me more suseptible to contracting it. I guess I can see that making sense logically Honestly, where it came from is a moot point, I have it and knowing won't change it.

 

I've been on the acyclovir for suppression for one week. I am "feeling" the area where I had my last lesion daily. I'm also getting the tingle/achy skin feeling from my low back down my rear. These are prodrime symptoms as I understand it. From what I've read, this will likely happen a lot during the first 6-12 months of exposure while my body adjusts and builds antibodies. During this time I'm likely shedding, correct? At what point do you determine your prodrome symptoms have been gone long enough to engage is sexual relations? I know that the discussion with my bf could be different based on what his results are. If you are with a positive partner does that change how/when you chose to engage in sexual activity when experiencing prodrome but not OB symptoms? I understand logically how it's passed but for sake of easing my mind, IF he tests positive and we engage in sex and the next morning I feel the tingles, I don't have to worry about having passed it to him or possibly causing him the possibility of having an OB correct? Bc if he already has HSV2 his potential OBs aren't/can't be caused to occur by mine. I feel dumb asking such questions honestly, I just already have OCD issues and this is making it worse while I'm learning to cope. I had a panic attack when he kissed me after I told him bc even though my research/reading/educating has told me otherwise, I was terrified Id just given it to him...

 

 

[WCSDancer2010]

@RL2014

 

Hello and Welcome!

 

I agree with the last Dr - sounds like you got it from your current BF ... the timing and symptoms all fit the "normal" timeline of a recent exposure.

 

If you both have it, you can't give each other *more* of it ONCE you have had it for about 4-6 months. So for the next few months, proceed with caution so YOU don't get it in other areas. Once you are past that point, you should be safe ... and honestly, who wants to have sex during an OB??? BUT, the good news is that OB's give you the opportunity to find other ways to be intimate ... ;)

 

(((HUGS)))