Herpes

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A month ago I broke up with my boyfriend. I had noticed he had a rash near his junk and I questioned him about it however he said he was tested clean( I somehow don't believe him) and that it was just athletes foot. However the rash never went away and after we broke up I slept with a guy I have been talking to online for almost two years. The very next day I had a rash in the crease of my leg and vaginal area. It didn't hurt but it itched like no tomorrow. I thought maybe it was crabs so I did a little research. After I freaked out a little I looked up std testing near me. I found a place online that I pay and they order the tests for me and all I had to do was go to the lab and get blood and urine. Mean time I talked to my mom and she advised me it is probably just a sweat rash and to use powder to dry it up. One week later I went online to check my test results. Everything was normal but I tested positive for herpes type one. I instantly began to cry and felt my life just sink through the cracks. Before I went into work I called my mom to tell her what was going on. Of course she as my mother began to lecture me on the obvious. During work I called my gyn doctor and they wanted to get me in right away. They confirmed it is herpes but type apparently doesn't matter. I started treatment today but still have that sense of feeling that my life is over. I'm addicted to sex ( which is why I'm here in the first place) and will probably never be able to have it again, at least not the way I was. I feel unattractive and constantly sick to my stomach and suicidal. I find myself wishing I had the problems that my coworkers talk about with deciding if they should stay with their boyfriend or not. I'm incredibly mad at the world that I have this and the future I had for my self has just shattered. When I notice a guy checking me out I forget for a sec. But then I remember I have herpes and suddenly I'm not interested in anything, not even living. I have so many questions like can I still kiss people n share drinks with friends without having to tell them my dark painful secrect? Can I spread through my sheets or towels or toilet seats or when I go swimming? I'm a very emotional girl thanks to having to take hormones my entire life so how will that affect me with herpes? Will I ever be able to have sex without worrying I will spread the virus to my partner? And can it be spread trough blood contact?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Everything will be okay as time goes on I promise.

    You are just feeling like this because it's all new and fresh .

    Your life isn't over all herpes is .. Is a skin condition that comes and goes . And 80 percent of people have herpes that just don't know !!

    You can spread herpes by drinking off people or kissing or anything (unless you have oral herpes) I don't know anything about that tho .

    Genitally wise NO sheets , towels , swimming none of it .

    You can still give blood if you want to because herpes is a virus dealing with the skin .

    You shouldn't tell anyone unless you feel comfortable doing it .

    You told your mama ..

    I haven't told anyone besides the person who Infected me and my boyfriend ..

    And I don't want anyone else to know because they have a habit of holding things against you I can't deal with that ..

    It gets better as time goes on .

    Don't beat yourself up about it .

    Have you talked to your ex boyfriend since?

    Did you tell him what is going on ?

    What about the dude you just had Sex with did you tell him what's Going on ??

    • Posted

      I had told both guys and they both said they were clean before me. I still think my ex bf is the one with herpes I know him and I doubt he got a blood test to confirm. Are u saying I can or can not kiss and share drinks? And no I can't spread through sheets and towels and water?
  • Posted

    Herpes type does matter *a lot*, so that's rubbish what they told you, and you should have had it swab tested. If you tested positive for Type 1 by blood already, then it is an older infection, not new, and probably oral (can be asymptomatic), not what was going on down below. Depends on which test that said you're positive (blood, urine?) and the type of test that was done (IgG, IgM?). Need more info, and if you break out again, get it swabbed immediately. Fyi, Type 1 is nothing much to worry about compared to Type 2, even if you do have it genitally.
    • Posted

      The results doesn't specify which test it came back positive on. It says herpes AB type 1 IGG greater than 5.00. I'm going to go ahead and assume it is blood test. And I went to get swabbed but the rash is too dried up to test so next time I break out I need to go and I will go immediately. How will the swab help me tho?
    • Posted

      IgG is a blood test for antibodies, so you had the correct blood test done at least, which is good (the IgM test is unreliable for herpes and not recommended). However, since you tested positive at the time of your genital symptoms, and over 5, it means you already had the virus from before, quite possibly for some time, so it could well be an oral infection acquired in childhood (extremely common and often without symptoms). The benefit of a swab test is that it confirms infection *and* location. A blood test only confirms infection, not location. Based on this and the above, it cannot be concluded that what you experienced was necessarily herpes.
    • Posted

      So I might not have herpes? I thought the blood test confirmed I do? Can I still kiss my niece and share drinks with my family?
    • Posted

      You definitely have HSV-1 and it's not a new infection. However, you don't know where this infection is in your body. Could well be oral from long ago and asymptomatic. All you know is that you were already infected for some time when you presented with a genital rash, which may or may not have been due to herpes. Next time, if there is a next time, get it swabbed early.
    • Posted

      Nope. Just read up extensively on herpes since my own diagnosis, so know the ins and outs of herpes testing, etc., and happy to explain things to others, as herpes testing can be "confusing", even to some doctors!
    • Posted

      OK. So my questions now are the same as before. Can I kiss my niece and share drinks with my family? And do I spread through toilet seats and sheets and water and towels?
    • Posted

      Even if you have it genitally, you cannot spread it via toilet seats, clothing, towels, sheets, etc. A *slim* possibility exists where a person uses a towel on an actual lesion then shares the still damp towel immediately with another person, but that would be gross to do anyway. Kissing et al. is fine.

      If you have it orally, don't kiss or share drinks, etc., whenever you have a lesion or tingling. In the absence of symptoms, I wouldn't worry, but always a good idea to avoid kissing babies and young kids on the lips regardless. Cheeks are fine.

    • Posted

      Will you look at my question please ? You are very educated and I know you can help me out

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