Newly diagnosed & have some questions

[Glittereyes22]

Hello all! I'm obviously new here since I was just diagnosed a couple of days ago.

So, I've been dealing with my 1st OB for almost 2wks now. I felt as though yesterday it was

finally getting better but extremely itchy. Then in the middle of the night I experienced some

tingling through my legs then pain down there again. Is this normal during a OB or is another one coming on??

I have read that another one could come on immediately following the first initial OB. I'm so scared because I've

been in absolute agony the past 2wks and finally just started getting some relief yesterday. I seriously was starting to

think this would never end! And if I have to go through this another 2wks, I'm chopping my vagina off! Lol

Any insight would be great! Thanks!

[kaytea3]

It can be very frustrating in the beginning. I had a second outbreak about a week after my first started to heal. But it didn't last as long as the first. Are you taking any antivirals (valtrex/acyclovir)?

 

I've read that as time goes on they an get less symptomatic, less frequent, and if the outbreak does appear faster disappearing. Whenever I have an outbreak I do my best to manage my symptoms, i.e. loose fitting clothes, hair dryer, ice, etc.

 

Hope you're feeling better!

[Glittereyes22]

Hi Kaytea, yes it has been such a confusing time! My SO & I have been in an monogamous relationship for over 8yrs with 3 kids. We've never experienced any symptoms, not even a cold sore then BAM! Outta the blue was diagnosed w/this! So they did prescribe me acyclovir, I haven't taken it yet because so far I had just read it was supposed to clear up the symptoms quicker. Well, since they didn't give me my official diagnosis until almost 2wks after I've been experiencing an outbreak, I wasn't sure if there was any point to even getting it filled yet. Especially since I didn't know how much the script was going to cost me. It's only for a 7 day treatment. Should I just take it incase I end up w/another outbreak soon after this one?? Thanks for your help!

[RegularGuy]

It might be a good thing to go ahead and take your meds. If the symptoms are bothering you and it is causing you trouble getting comfortable or enjoying things, it might be worth the cost.

If you have insurance, you might find that it is suprisingly affordable compared to the effects.

I have noticed that medicine helped clear my first out break in a matter of days. I went from feeling miserable to clinging to the meds like a security blanket.

[Dumfounded]

@glittereyes22, boy can I ever relate!! I've been in a monogamous relationship for 15 years with two kids and one day out of nowhere I notice an outbreak. I was dumfounded (see my name?). I freaked out and asked my husband if he cheated. He didn't and was just as confused as me. After some googling we realized this scenario is not that uncommon (obviously). I went to the doctor and got a visual diagnosis. Doctor drew blood and my IgG came back negative which, in the absence of a false negative, would mean my exposure was recent. So the assumption is that my husband is an asymptomatic carrier (like most folks with HSV). My doctor said she sees couples come in relatively often in our situation and is always surprised that they had no idea HSV could show up out of nowhere. I blame crappy sex education and an uptight attitude about sex.

 

Anyway, to answer your question about your meds. I took mine but it was already a couple weeks into my outbreak so I don't think it did anything. One argument for taking the antivirals, even if you are deep into an outbreak, is that often times a second crop of blisters can show up during a primary outbreak and the meds can help with that. I have chosen not to take daily antivirals because I want to see how my body is going to manage this on it's own. Many people never have a subsequent outbreak.

 

How is your SO handling all of this? My husband hasn't cared much about it. To him it's a non-issue. Initially I was devastated. Now I don't care too much... although I am checking my lady parts quite often as I anticipate a second outbreak.

[Glittereyes22]

@Dumbfounded Yes! It's so crazy because I had no clue this could ever be an issue while in a monogamous relationship! He swears I'm the only one he's been with since we started dating. But it's been really fucking with my head! I'm finally all cleared up, so I'm VERY thankful for that but so nervous another one might come on. I have my antiviral script filled finally but since I'm better now I figure just keep it on hand just in case. I figure just like you, I want to see how my body handles this shit. I've started taking a daily dose of L-Lysine & upped my Vit C intake. I hope to prevent by supplementing. So my SO & I were finally intimate for the 1st time since all this and we had a conversation prior to make sure we were on the same page. And we figure there's no point in him getting tested until he ends up having an OB & needs some antivirals. Yea, he doesn't seem to phased by it now. I'm still trying to get over it.

[Dumfounded]

Yeah, it's been business as usual for us as well. Also since we figure it's something we both have there's no sex restrictions.

 

At first it totally fucked with my head too. As for my husband he's handled like a champ, I can't imagine how it must feel when your wife comes to you and says, "I think I have herpes did you cheat on me," but he took it well and understood I had to at least ask. At one point we put the kids to bed, shut ourselves in our room with a flashlight, and inspected my vagina. AWKWARD! But he was curious what was going on and I needed help getting a closer look to see if it was what I thought it was. Haha! This whole thing has actually brought us even closer together than we already we're.

[Glittereyes22]

Lol! That's great! I think we'll be able overcome this & be closer as well. I originally thought I had a UTI and yeast infection but then all sorts of craziness started happening & I was like wtf?! I've never experience any kinda this before! I told him, "I'm a hot mess down there, you just need to stay away until I figure out wth is going on!" And I was googling b/4 I was able to see a Doc cuz it was literally Christmas and I'm like shit, can we really have herpes?!? I just had a baby 9mos ago & they test for that! And I had a baby the year before so I've had all sorts of blood tests and waving my vagina everywhere at medical staff since that's basically what you do when you're pregnant for like 2yrs in a row! Lol And my best friend is a L&D nurse (who delivered my 1st) and it didn't even dawn on her when I was describing my symptoms (cuz I run to her for anything & everything under the sun!) lol But at any rate, I just figure take it one day at a time until it's our new normal and I guess just figure it out as things get thrown at us..?? Such is life, right?