Diagnosed with herpes yesterday

[jumpingjacks]

I was diagnosed with herpes yesterday. I don’t know what to do with myself, I wasn’t really given any information by the nurse she kinda just said “you have herpes” and sent me on my way. She said she’s 99% sure it’s herpes and did a swap and sent me for a blood test. I’m just praying that it’s not it but I don’t think it could be much else, she said the dean could come back negative but the bloods will confirm it. I had to do my own research and I think it’s just scared the life out of me. I’m only 19 and I feel like I’ve messed my life up MAJORLY. I’ve been put on aciclovir for 5 days. My partner is supportive about it, baring in mind I got it from him he kinda has to be. But it’s very normalised to it cause most of his mates have it, but I just don’t want to accept it like I dont want to be in this situation. I’m in so much pain, I can’t pee without extreme pain and I’m having about 5 showers a day cause it’s the only thing that eases the pain and I feel so dirty and disgusted with myself. I don’t really know what I’m doing with myself, I just keep crying.

[marty420]

Go to YouTube and look up "jamesdestroyesdiseases" you will be okay just need alot of strong will power. Trust me it works

[jumpingjacks in reply to marty420]

Had a look, there is no cure for herpes.

[marty420 in reply to jumpingjacks]

Okay keep telling your self that.

[selonuk]

Don't feel dirty or disgusted with yourself, Herpes is an STI which is very easily caught regardless of condom use. Of course doing some research is a good thing but you need to make sure that it is a trusted source. What I can say is that while there is no cure your own body fights it and the outbreaks become less and the outbreaks themselves get weaker and last for less. Research is yet to find what causes an outbreak or any pattern to the length of time between outbreaks other than they can be affected by eating habits and stress.

It is important to note that Herpes is infectious but only from approximately 5 days before an outbreak till approximately 5 days following an outbreak and that you should refrain from sex during this period even if the other person already has Herpes as it is possible that it could then cause an outbreak for them, also as it is infectious for a few days before an outbreak and it is very difficult to determine until the outbreak happens it is vital that you inform any sexual partner beforehand so many obviously don't because of the embarrassment and because they might not get sex! But until people are open about it then the risk of it spreading increases as does the stigma of it. You may want to point out that it is actually no different from a cold sore just that it's down there! (I maybe wrong but I believe it has been known for someone with a cold sore to actually infect themselves with Herpes and vice-versa so always make sure you wash hands or toys etc before transferring between them).

As for treatment of the outbreak itself you can speak to your GP or GUM clinic for medication which can ease the symptoms but you will also find many helpful suggestions on things that can help such as avoiding certain foods or using particular creams etc.

[jumpingjacks in reply to selonuk]

I just don’t want it! I’m in so much pain and I’m on day two of anti viral medication and it doesn’t seem to be making a difference. got a cream but I read that cream is good for the pain but however can slow the healing process cause it’s thick over the sores.

[Hidden]

What symptoms did you have

[jumpingjacks in reply to Hidden]

I was very ill, like body aches and pains everywhere like I’d ran a marathon, I felt generally under the weather but no sore throat or cold then one day I was feeling so rubbish that when I stood up off the sofa I fainted. Then the itching started which I thought was thrush then sores began to appear, a bit TMI but it was like they look like acne which you would find on your face. The doctor explained that generally when you get the herpes virus you can become very ill before symptoms.

[selonuk]

You can get anti-viral creams which may not only make it feel better but help slightly with the outbreak. You can also take pain killers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol which can also help. Take a look at other Herpes threads where other sufferers have shared what worked best for them.

[Hidden]

It def sounds like herpes. I'm sorry hun. Don't be sad. Lots of ppl have it and some don't even know. The first ob is the worst but if you ever have any more, it won't be like this. It doesn't affect your life at all, except for a few days a year if it happens or if you have to tell someone new. Many are accepting. Like someone else mentioned, it's like cold sores (same virus) but below and when you have obs in future, they don't usually even look like sores or as bad as cold sores.

For the pain and itching, I find Lanacane cream works wonders! To speed up recovery, apply 3% Propolis on them.

Also, the blood test may come back negative at first bc it takes 2 months to show up in your bloodstream if it's the first time the virus has entered your body. If you had the virus for over 2 months but never showed symptoms, it'll be positive. My first blood test was negative and second one two months later was positive :(.

Please don't cry! I swear so many ppl have this and you won't die from it. There will be a lot of times you even forget you have it. You'll see. xxxxx