Entries tagged with herpes

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herpes

Herpes Scare

So an ex of mine informed me today that he may have genital herpes. He had bumps on his penis and took a blood test that came out positive for antibodies. He is retaking the test since there is the possibility that it is a false positive. The bumps didn't hurt or seem like the typical herpes outbreak. He has never experienced anything like this before. He has only had 3 partners and I was the middle of the 3. He has been with his wife now for 8 years and she has not had any symptoms.

We were together for a year back in 2004. We used a condom every single time we had sex and to be honest we were kind of incompatible sexually so our sex life was very minimal. I have never had any symptoms of herpes in these 10 years. I have been in a 4 year relationship since our breakup and am currently in a 3 year relationship and neither partner has exhibited any symptoms either. I was tested for various stds between each relationship at my gynecologist but am not sure if herpes was included. Now I am feeling all worried about this.

Do you think this should be a serious concern? I have my annual visit with my gyno in a few weeks so I'm going to ask her about it. Could herpes actually lie dormant for so many years without symptoms?

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herpes

a little freaked out

My co-worker had an active cold sore out outbreak a week and a half ago and took Valtrax. The lesion was gone when I saw her Monday. Both of us sit at the same nurses station and we were each drinking tea. I drink unsweetened tea so when I drank hers accidentally I knew immediately that it wasn't mine. I washed my mouth out with soap and rubbing alcohol (extreme I know) including all over my lips. I wouldn't worry about it normally except I had a tiny cut in my mouth where I had bitten the inside of it a day or two prior. Am I going to catch it? The doctor I work for didn't seem too worried about it but he gave me a prescription for an anti-viral just in case. I also called the STD hotline and they told me that I would be considered low risk. I love giving my husband blow jobs and now I'm afraid to give him head. Am I being ridiculous?

Edit: as of last year neither of us were asymptomatic carriers, we were blood tested and pee tested for everything under the sun, herpes simplex included.

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herpes

Anonymous Post: HSV questions

Greetings, fellow Superstars! As you probably know, from time to time the VP Team makes posts on behalf of people who wish to remain anonymous or who do not have LJ accounts. This is one such post. Thanks in advance for your helpful comments. :)

P.S. For more info on anonymous posts, see our instructions on how to make them!

-- Popples
for the VP Team

contact_vp

I was diagnosed with genital herpes when I was 16. Since my very first outbreak, I always experience the following: One or two small sores in the *exact* same spot on my right outer labia, very swollen lymph nodes on the right side of my groin, and a moderate to severe headache, as well as itchiness and pain in the sores.

However, a couple days ago I developed an ouchy-spot, but I can't tell if it is a herpes outbreak. I need to be sure because I'm trying to keep my partner herpes-free. I unfortunately cannot afford my medicine (It's $300 a pop!), so I only take it when I have an actual outbreak (so this way it doesn't help prevent spreading it or prevent outbreaks, but it *does* make an outbreak disappear in only a few days if I take it when one starts)

The thing is, it's in a completely different spot on the left side of my vulva, and I have no headache or swollen lymph nodes. Looking at it, I really can not determine if this is an ingrown hair, a sore from chaffing, or what. The lack of other symptoms in the fact it is in a different spot for the first time ever leads me to believe that it might not be HSV at all.

So, I guess my question is: what are the chances of my symptoms changing so drastically? Should I assume that this is not an outbreak, or should we play it safe? [Well, I'm definitely going to play it safe with Partner, but I would dread wasting my expensive medicine!]

Thank you Superstars!

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Fox Fordyce Disease/Syndrome Awareness

You can read all about Fox Fordyce Disease here: (https://member.ghc.org/kbase/topic.jhtml?docId=nord941&print=true). The following post is my own personal account and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or health condition, but rather, it is intended as a guide to help anyone who is looking for answers. Please consult a doctor if you are experiencing any abnormal symptoms.

( Read more... )

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herpes

Diagnosed with Genital Herpes..

Earlier today I was told I have Genital Herpes.
It caught me as a huge surprise, and I am still in shock. I was in a relationship for 5 years, about six months ago we broke up. I began dating someone who I have very strong feelings for, and I am pretty positive he gave me herpes.
I don't know how to tell him, especially considering not all who have herpes know they have it. I don't think if he knew he had herpes he would have had unprotected sex with me.
But now I don't know how to tell him, and let him know that he is the one who gave me it.
I'm terrified he will break up with me, and I'm especially terrified of no one else, for the rest of my life, wanting to be with me because of this. The negative stigma attached to genital herpes is way too strong.
I've been devastated all day, with only one friend to talk to about this, but she doesn't fully understand because she isn't going through this.
I'm just looking for some advice/peace of mind.

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herpes

Sex with someone with HSV-1...

So my boyfriend has recently been undergoing some very stressful times. A few days ago, he started feeling sick and noticed a red bump on his lip, which began to flake slightly. Went to the doctor, she confirmed as a cold sore, prescribed two doses of Valtrex and sent us on our way.

He took the drugs, has been using Abreva as well as drinking lots of fluids. We have been trying to keep physical contact to a minimum, NO KISSING, and tonnes of hand washing. It's BARELY visible anymore (just a small, small red mark that can only be seen with a magnifying glass).

My question is this: I struggle with anxiety, and so have been very worried about catching a cold sore (or worse in my mind, genital herpes) from him. I've tried googling how long they're contagious for, but most sites just say that essentially they're always contagious (although MOST contagious when there's an outbreak).

And yes, I know that the virus that causes genital herpes is TYPICALLY HSV-2 and not HSV-1, but I also know that there's a possibility of HSV-1 showing up on the genitals, which is what worries me.

But if that's the case, why doesn't everyone on the planet have genital herpes or cold sores? And will I ever be able to kiss my boyfriend again, or have oral sex with him, without worrying about getting it myself?

I realize cold sores really aren't all that bad and that they're super common, but herpes has always been one of my anxiety "triggers," for lack of a better word, so needless to say I am finding this quite stressful.

Help me please! Does my SO need to be on Valtrex forever? Can he go down on me after this thing is gone? And how long should we wait to kiss again? :(

Any help is much appreciated!

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herpes

Curiosity about herpes & oral sex

Okay, so I know that:

* there's a ~5% chance of passing on herpes (HSV) without an outbreak, because viral load can be high enough to cause shedding without causing an outbreak
* people with one form of HSV orally are somewhat protected against contracting the other form genitally
* herpes can spread within the body - e.g. mouth herpes --> eye herpes or brain herpes, plus you're supposed to be extra-careful about washing your hands during outbreaks (though I'm not 100% clear on the reasoning)

... but! A couple exists. Both have oral herpes (cold sores). Neither contracted oral herpes sexually, so let's say for the sake of argument that they've both got HSV1 orally (because as far as I'm aware that's still most likely).

Does anyone know of any stats on how likely they are to contract HSV1 genitally from each other via oral sex if neither has an outbreak, or by touching their own genitals after touching an active sore?

Disclaimers: I have oral herpes and I know a couple in the situation described above, and suddenly realised I should know the answer - this isn't me deciding that it's fun to play hypothetical games.

Thank you! <3

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herpes

Anonymous post: Safer sex for people with mixed herpes statuses

contact_vp

-----

I am a 71 year old male HSV negative and my 70 year old girlfriend is HSV - 2 positive. We have been talking about getting more intimate. She does not want to share her problem with me, so we have been researching and talking about condoms, non intercourse sex, mutual masturbation, and other forms of sex. Any ideas?

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Anonymous Post - Herpes Questions

Hello, fellow VPers! As you probably know, from time to time the VP Team makes posts on behalf of people who wish to remain anonymous or who do not have LJ accounts. This is one such post. Thank you in advance for your helpful and awesome comments. :)

Jocey
For the VP Team

contact_vp

P.S. For more info on anonymous posts, see this link

So, I'm in the middle of herpes scare and am not sure what to do.

It all started two nights ago when my vagina felt a bit more warm and uncomfortable than its usual, so I looked down there with a mirror and prodded around a bit to see if there was anything weird going on. I thought I saw two small, pretty symmetrical dots / indents on each side of the area of my hymen right below my vagina that I wasn't sure I'd seen before. Neither were raised or inflamed-looking. I pressed at one and nothing came out, I pressed at the other and milky white-fluid came out, after which I flipped out and assumed I had herpes. (I've had oral sex with one guy without protection, but have no experience with penetrative sex. The one guy I've been with started rubbing his penis around my general genital area without protection, but when I noticed he wasn't wearing a condom, I asked him to put one on.)

I went to the university health services and asked the doctor if I could get tested and if she could take a look to see if I had anything unusual going on down there. She looked and said everything was completely normal; I asked again if there were any abscesses and she said no. I got tested for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, both of which came back negative, but when I asked about the herpes test, the nurse said that they needed an open sore and that blood tests often gave back false positives.

This was kind of a relief, but I still didn't know what had happened the night before with the white fluid and was too scared to ask about it (which I now feel incredibly stupid and guilty about), especially since she'd said that everything looked completely fine. Since then, I've inspecting my vaginal area a few times a day, trying to figure out if I should believe my doctor or not. I did some googling and found out the Bartholin duct gland openings would actually be in the exact same general spots I'm worried about, but even then, why does more white liquid come out of one than the other, and is it even supposed to be white? I'm also currently feeling tender again, along with a barely noticeable bit of itchness now, although I don't know how much I can contribute that to a) the high volume of anxious and panicked prodding I've done over the past 48 hours and b) pyschosomatic symptoms, cause I've really been obsessing over this. The actual spots themselves are not painful, nor does pressing the area so that the white fluid come out hurt.

So--long story over--do I just ignore this, or go back to the doctor? Is it possible she just didn't look well enough? How would I know if this was really herpes? Wouldn't I have noticed having a breakout in the first week after contacting it? It's been months since I've been sexually active. Is it possible that my Bartholin glands are just irritated?

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No blood test for HSV-2...

So, I have read about the different blood tests that are available for detecting antibodies to the oral and genital herpes viruses. From my understanding, the more widely available tests don't give the most conclusive results and can sometimes give false positives/negatives, and then there are other less available tests that are more highly accurate.

A week or so ago, a situation came up where I felt it would be necessary for me to get tested for the virus, though I have never experienced an outbreak (and I would like to know my status either way).

So, I went to the doctor - and mentioned that I wanted to be tested for HSV-2. She looked at me strangely and asked "why", I told her the situation, and she said:

"Well, we need to take a sample from a present sore in order to test for the virus. There is no such thing as a blood tests that tests for the HSV-2 virus."

I was baffled. I had seen countless entires in this community, and other information on the web that documented this blood test in detail. So I persisted. "It's my understand from doing personal research and through other people who have told me about it that XYZ"

And she said, very rudely I might add, "Whoever gave you that information was lying. There is no such thing as a blood test that tests for antibodies to HSV-1 or HSV-2"

So I said "Oh, do you mean that this test isn't available in Canada or...?"

"No, there is no such thing as that test, I have no idea what you are talking about"

Assuming I was wrong, I came home feeling a little confused and irritated, and decided to get back on the internet and do some more research. And I found PLENTY of information about this test. Am I crazy? Why did this doctor tell me that the test doesn't exist? I called Health Services the next day and complained to the director about my experience because I was rather offended by her in general. The director said she would do some research and inform all of the campus physicians of the issue.

Basically what I want to know is...why did this doctor lie to me? Is it really possible that she has never heard of the test? I feel like it's her job to be informed and not to be rude in situations where she is clearly ill-informed. Or am I crazy; are all of these resources that I've found "fake"?

I am ultra confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated <3

Current Mood: confused
Current Location: plainsboro nj
Current Music: vampire weekend

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herpes

dealing with herpes - sex, relationships, and stigma

Hi, my name is Renee. I'm 25, just diagnosed with Herpes simplex 2 as of yesterday, and full of fear, embarassment, and confusion.

( my herpetic story )

Thanks in advance,

Renee

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herpes

Herpes disclosure

The recent post about herpes brought up some questions for me.

My question is: Is it always necessary for an infected person to tell a potential partner?

From a theoretical standpoint, YES! Yes, yes, yes! But consider a few scenarios:

You haven't had an outbreak since your first one--15 years ago. As most of us know, herpes is transmittable even when the infected person doesn't have a sore. However, plenty of us infected people just avoid sex/kissing when we have a sore, and the other partner is fine. Do you still let your partner know about an outbreak you had at 20, when you are now 35? Do you risk ruining the whole relationship (because people generally freak out when the word "herpes" in involved) over a nearly negligible risk?

You have oral herpes. Studies show that 80% of us have herpes antibodies, and might be carriers of the disease without even knowing it. Yet I've never, ever heard of someone fessing up before a liplock. Do you let everyone you are about to kiss know that you have oral herpes? I personally feel like everyone is aware of--or should be aware of--a certain risk that's involved with intimate behavior like kissing or sex. You could catch mono, a cold, the flu, herpes, et cetera. You do what you can to prevent it, but it's still there.

For that matter, is there a difference between disclosing about oral herpes (which you can write off under the more innocuous name of cold sores) and genital herpes? Do you have more of a responsibility to tell a partner about genital herpes? And why?

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herpes

Herpes

Hello Ladies! I have a couple of questions about herpes because I recently found myself in an unexpected situation! Here are the facts:

I have been dating a guy for a couple of weeks now and we get along GREAT. Yesterday we were sitting around spending more time getting to know eachother and he dropped the bomb that he has Genital Herpes. He says he has had it for 6 years, that his first breakout was terrible (got the bad flu like symptoms and broke out on the shaft of his penis). He had a few additional breakouts that lessened in severity and it has now been two years since he has had any sign of a breakout. He was in a 4 year relationship since he has been infected and did not pass it to her or any other partners over the last 6 years (using condoms consistently). He is not taking any medication for it, as he feels it is not needed at this point.

Needless to say, I'm VERY confused! I have never had an STD and have had very few partners. I guess my question is, should I be running in the oposite direction? We are getting to that point where we would be having sex, and obviously it would be protected, but can't you still contract herpes even with a condom? I really don't think that I should be risking my health for someone I am not in a long term relationship with yet. Can anyone speak from experience or with greater knowledge than I have?

Thank you in advance!!!

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herpes

Herpes in Gay couples

This doesn't actually apply to me but I was curious. Last night, I was watching the commercial for Valtrex. At the bottom of the screen, a disclaimer flashed saying that Valtrex has only been tested in heterosexual couples. Honestly, I can't see a difference. It's not like a virus such as Herpes is going to care if you're male or female, right?
I was just curious what any potential difference would be.

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herpes

Herpes question I can't find a straight answer to:

Can some one with herpes still have sex??

It may sound silly, but no one has given me a straight answer on this one. And I didn't find it anywhere else on the community. I don't know which type of herpes I have (when I asked the nurse she looked at me all confused and asked "why does it matter? It's herpes"). I'm on a twice-a-day anti-viral. I've never had a sore in my mouth (or eye or nose etc.). I switched birth control so I only have my period 4 times a year with the hope that fewer hormone changes would mean fewer outbreaks. I'm not at all opposed to using a condom. And I haven't had an outbreak in months.

So what's the scoop? Valtrex ads on tv would have me think they're the only way I may not spread herpes, but it's still going to happen eventually (and I'm allergiv to Valtrex, damn them!). The "INTERNETSS!!!11" would have me think that I should just kill myself now because I'll never find someone to have sex with me. And I've already had one great guy stop dating me when I told him.

Thanks in advance!

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herpes

Herpes question

Hey, I'm new. Apologies in advance if a similar question to this has been asked recently.

I need some help, as this isn't something I'm comfortable discussing with my doctor.

I'm a little worried as my boyfriend, who has recently been getting over a flu virus that led to a cold sore outbreak on his lip, gave me oral sex last week. (We both already have Herpes 1). He told me he was feeling better, and that the sore had already scabbed and therefore wasn't contagious, and it looked like it had gone down in size, so I let him give me oral sex believing it was all safe. Now it's been a couple days but I have a small red bump that sort of looks like a pimple in the genital area, a couple inches up above the labia where the pubic hair grows. It's a little bit sore, and could possibly be an ingrown hair from shaving, but I need to be sure. I looked it up just now to see if Herpes 1 can be spread to the genital area and found out that it can through oral sex (which I didn't know was 30% of the cause of cases of genital herpes.) I've also just read that genital herpes outbreaks generally occur on the labia or close to the vagina.

How likely is it that he could have spread herpes to my area from an already scabbed over coldsore on his mouth from oral sex?

Is it true that it is not active/contagious once it's scabbed? (-edit- I looked that up on the vaginapagina website and found no answer)

How worried should I be about this lil red bump?

Your feedback is much appreciated.

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herpes

Herpes simplex I & II

Hi guys, quick question about my favorite topic and yours, Herpes.
So I obviously have simplex I because I get cold sores once in a blue moon. I had one a while ago and my boyfriend was very uncomfortable with the idea of getting it from me. I know I can transmit it to him by kissing and by oral sex, but would he get the sores on his genitals? Some people have said it travels to where people most often get them, but if you can get them in your nose and stuff...can't you get simplex I sores on your genitals? Or is that strictly limited to simplex II? I'm so very perplexed. Thanks gals (and guys)!

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herpes

herpes culture possibley wrong?

Hello everyone. Some of you may remember my earlier posts dealing with herpes type1 on my genitals. Sorry for the repeated posts!

Well! When i went to the hospital, during my "outbreak" they did a culture test and it came back positive for herpes type 1. However, 2 weeks after that i had my blood drawn to double check if i had type1, type2, or both. Also, the blood test was supposed to tell me how long i had herpes antibodies in my system (years, months). It took 3 weeks to get those test results back...and it came back negitive for everything.

Has anyone ever had test results for something come back positive that was then later proven to be wrong? ?

I've heard that it's possible to have a false-positive on a culture, but that it's rare. Has this happened to anyone?

As always, thanks so much ladies for your comments.

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herpes

passing genital herpes

I have a quick question.

Does anyone on this community have genital herpes (either type1 or type2) and have condomless sex with their partner anyway? If so, has your partner been tested and has he/she gotten it?

I've been reading and it seems that "everyone" who has the herpes virus, either type on either location (oral or genital) can spread it to anyone at any time. But i've been reading stuff online about people who have type1 genital herpes and still have condomless sex and for some reason, their partner hasn't gotten it. (even after years of sex) ...Seems odd? So some people are more contagious than others i guess?

I saw a gyno last week because i was told i had gential herpes, type1. I went there to ask her questions and have her explain to me how i got it. She kinda dismissed it and told me herpes was a "can of worms." She told me she doesn't know if i'll pass it to someone or not. However, she didn't preach safer sex or anything like that. She made it seem like it wasn't too much of a big deal. Which made me feel better...but everything i read online makes it seem like it's a huge deal.

If you have it, or know someone who has it, how much of a deal is it to you?

(It's weird. People who get herpes type1 on their mouths aren't told they can never kiss anyone again. But people who have type1 on their genitals are told (via the web) to never have condomless sex again.)

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herpes

Rape/Herpes

( ::follow up rape/STD issue:: )