Outbreak questions

[janedoe]

Hi,

 

I have diagnosed hsv2 almost a month ago. My initial OB was on the outer part of my vagina, right side. I am on the antivirals (acyclovir 800 mg a day). I still get the weird tingling sensations on my original site and have a NEW outbreak in the left part near my anus. It doesn't bother me much, it just feels itchy and dry. So my question is will I get outbreaks in the new areas everytime? I thought that the original OB site will be it. Will it be localized after sometime? Will I shed the virus in the boxer shorts area or just the OB sites in the future?

 

I got the free ebook and pdf regarding the transmission rates. It says that 1% rate of transmission with condoms+no OBs and antivirals. Is this 1% per sexual act or assumming 2x a week over a year? If it is over a year chance what is the transmission rate per sexual act?

 

Lastly, I have been reading the threads and it says that after building some antibodies to the virus (roughly 6 months to a year), my body will get a better control over the virus. Does it mean that I will shed less virus and get less outbreaks say 5 years from now?

 

Sorry for the a lot of questions but the more I read, I got more confused. I am a bit of a control freak and I'd feel better if I know what happens in the future. Thanks.

[mr_hopp]

Hey janedoe!

 

You won't necessarily get new outbreaks in different locations every time. And getting outbreaks in different places doesn't necessarily mean autoinoculation. How the virus behaves is when it "wakes up" and travels from the base of your spine through your nerve ganglia, it normally takes the path of least resistance, which is the original path it took for the first outbreak, but sometimes it does branch out to another path. Think branches of a tree. And you're right that initially in the first 6 months to a year, your body is getting more control of the virus, so it shouldn't be sprouting up in new locations as your body gets a better handle on it. And to answer your other question, yes, over time as your body gets a better handle on it, the majority of people shed less, which also means less outbreaks.

 

Here's our friend Dr. Leone's explanation around the "per sexual act" question that does come up a lot:

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/5255/from-dr-peter-leone-herpes-transmission-risk-per-sex-act-explained

[janedoe]

Thanks.

 

 

[mr_hopp]

You got it! Much love to you. :)

[janedoe]

So, I inspected the "area", and it looks just fine. I guess stressing about it makes it worse. I read and understood that the stress is usually the cause of outbreaks but until now I didn't realize that it is such a huge part of this. I feel fine now and itching and tingling is gone. I was making myself sick by thinking about it! It is amazing.

[mr_hopp]

There's quite the self-fulfilling prophecy that comes with worry, isn't there? Worry begets more worry begets more worry ... It's a vicious cycle.

[janedoe]

Definitely :) Thanks so much for the support!