Anyone have a really bad first year?

[Feelingblue]

Hi all, looking for some hope really. Starting to come to terms with this but my first 6 months have been very unpleasant. I was getting almost constant itches tingles and what I now realise were mild outbreaks. It's not the severity but the frequency that bothers me. Still have 1 or 2 a month on suppressive therapy. Did anyone else have a really bad first year? Did it improve significantly after an amount of time? Or gradually over the years? I am doomed for the next few years at least?

[As89]

Hey! Im in the same boat but I've had bad painful outbreaks while on suppressive therapy too :/ im in about 7 months now and starting to feel better. They say after a year it seems to get better.. Hopefully that's true for the both of us :/

[mr_hopp]

Yeah, my first year was super rough, getting outbreaks on the regular. It's a double whammy, too. The first whammy is the physical part. The second whammy is the emotional one.

 

Upon first getting herpes, our bodies work overtime to build up antibodies to help get this new viral guest under control. Then the emotional stresses of the shame and stigma tends to lower the immune system and makes us more likely to have outbreaks. So the "take care of yourself" in this first 6 months to a year is two-fold: Take care of your physical body (rest, drink lots of water, eat healthy, suppressive meds) and your emotional body, too (look at your thoughts and beliefs, work towards accepting this in your life and accepting yourself). Because what we put in our heads is just as important as what we put in our bodies as far as overall health and wellness goes.

 

You're doing great. Hang in there! You got this. :)

[Feelingblue]

Well I read somewhere that you lose about half an outbreak a year. If that's true I'll be getting frequent outbreaks for the rest of my life. What did your doctor say about the suppression not working?

[mr_hopp]

The frequency, severity and longevity of outbreaks are dependent on so many factors, such as immune system, general health, what foods you eat, your stress levels ... so it's hard to pinpoint exactly how it'll be for you based on how it is for the average person. But you can minimize outbreaks by maximizing your general wellbeing.

[Feelingblue]

Thanks Adrial. I am super healthy. A health freak always have been. That's why it also upsets me. How was it for you after the first year? Was improvement slow or did it suddenly start getting less? I understand it's different for everyone, but just trying to gauge the most likely

[ihaveittoo]

What are you using for a suppression? If it's acyclovir, talk to your doctor about famvir. Some have reported success with the switch. Personally I found acyclovir worked for me, Famvir not so much. It can be very different from person to person. The first year can consist of alot of trial and error to find what works best for you.

[mr_hopp]

Great! You have a rockstar foundation to work from then. Bravo. :)

 

For me, it was a gradual dropoff over time. Patience was the best medicine I took. And I know that's not the easiest thing to hear when you're in the midst of it now! Trust that it'll get better and be patient with yourself in the meantime. It sounds like you're doing everything so well.

 

Know that this is a test. It's only a test.

[As89]

Just kind of have to hang in there. I tried different amounts of meds.. Maybe try upping or lowering your dose.