Waiting on results

[Edt720]

I woke up over the weekend to a painful urethra and 2 bumps on my labia that were kind of itchy. It progressed to 6 bumps and a very very painful urethra by Tuesday when I went to see my OB. She took a look and I asked if it was herpes and she said it looks like it. So she swabbed a sore and took some blood and now I wait.

I truly have no idea how this is happening right now. I just had a baby 6 weeks ago. I have been with my SO for 2.5 years and I know he didn't cheat and give it to me. Before him I was with someone for 7 years and I know I didn't get it from him either. So could this have really layed dormant in me for over 8 years with not even a clue.

I really don't get it. Im in complete denial and think the hospital gave it to me when I had my son. It just doesn't make since.

[optimist]

@Edt70 If it is herpes, there are so many possibilities here. If you have been recently sexually active, whether having intercourse or receiving oral sex, you could have a new infection. Or it could be an established infection that never caused noticeable symptoms but is currently reacting to the extreme hormonal changes that occur after pregnancy or the lack of sleep and stress that usually accompany caring for a newborn.

 

Whoever passed it along to you, whether through intercourse or oral sex, there is a greater than 80% chance they have no idea they are infected and do not display the type of symptoms that would alert a partner to the fact that they may have oral or genital herpes. Keep in mind that the majority of adults have oral herpes (almost always HSV1) and can transmit it to a partner's genitals through oral sex, even in the absence of a cold sore. About half of new genital herpes cases are a result of HSV1.

 

Also, genital HSV2 is quite common, though not as common as HSV1. If you contracted HSV2 recently, it does not mean your partner contracted it recently from someone else. It could just mean it took a while before you were infected. That would not be unusual. Some partners become infected very early in a relationship, some not for years into a relationship, and some never become infected, even in decades long relationships.

 

You could *not* have contracted it from the hospital. The virus only remains active outside the body for something like 10 seconds, so it is not passed around through inanimate objects in that way.

[Edt720]

I know, I know the facts of herpes. I just really don't want this to be true. It's so painful right now I can't even pee without sobbing. I'm pissed at the world I guess. I'm upset that I won't be able to ever shave again. I'm upset that this is going to rule my sex life with my SO, who is being amazing right now. Ive always been a very healthy person I can't remember the last time I got sick and I hate taking medications that are unnatural and now I'll have to for the rest of my life. And then that makes me upset at the thought of being an old woman and having to deal with this. I'm upset that this is stuff that I have to think about. I don't want to have to deal with this. And Im majorly upset with how I think i got this. I was messed up back in my teen years and taken advantage of. There was a rumor that the guy had herpes, I got an STD test done but everything came back negative. I asked for them to test for herpes. But it wasn't 4 months after the incident.

I'm just upset..,,, if you can't tell

 

[optimist]

@Edt720 I understand. I'm sorry you're going through this. If you do test positive for HSV, I know it's hard to imagine at this point, but it won't always feel devastating like this. I think pretty much everyone feels devastated at first. I've heard a couple doctors say they've never had a single patient who took the news well. But for most people, those feelings subside considerably with time.

 

It's possible this is not herpes. If it is herpes, it's possible you'll never have another outbreak. That would not be uncommon at all. If it's caused by HSV1 or if your partner is already infected with whichever type you may have, you may not even want to consider antivirals unless you get frequent recurring outbreaks.

 

It's possible you contracted genital herpes in your teens from someone who took advantage of you. It's also possible you contracted it from your loving partner who is very likely to have oral HSV1 as most adults do and/or may have HSV2 as many adults do.