Continual Faint Nerve pain in leg - shedding?

This is frustrating.  I don't know how to inform my partner with confidence regarding virus transmission with such varying opinions.  She's relying on me for information as the info she gathered online only made her more confused.

SW12345 - I'm curious if when you got the virus (with no symptoms present) were you having unprotected sex?  

I too got it from someone w no symptoms. It is just as contagious shedding w no symptoms as it is w sores. I had severe neuropathy for 3 weeks after I caught it.. I've had it for over 4 months and I feel like I'm always active or shedding, even w no sores because I feel twitchy sensations under my skin or a tiny itch.. I too worry how I can protect someone in the future, if I can't be sure that it's just because my nerves had been severely irritated w some damage and are healing or what.. I've had nerve damage before and kt resulted in severe burning pain down my leg and I had strange sensations for sometime, no itching though months after the injury. Doctrine dictates that if we have any signs like that, we should abstain from sexual intercourse. If you must, it would be safest to wear a condom and boxerbriefs on. This leaves only a very small amount of skin exposed to your partner.

The trouble is that there are such varying 'opinions' because it is so highly contagious, so most likely many of these opinions are true. However, during shedding it is by far the most contagious and therefore it is recommended to avoid all sexual contact during this time. You can go on prophylactic long-term anti-virals to continually reduce the risk. Condom use probably will reduce the risk further but as I said, it is still possible to catch despite condom use because it is not transmitted via bodily fluids, but by contact (the virus is stored in the nerves).

I did get it from unrpotected sex with a long-term partner, but it is still transmissable with condom use so most likely in the longrun I would have got it anyway. My boyfriend has still to this day never had symptoms but I have regular aggressive outbreaks, but I know i got it from him. Sorry to sound so bleak. THre are deferinitely steps you can take to reduce the risk, but there will always be some risk. however the MAIN most important thing is to avoid sex during shedding. Hope this helps

Thanks for writing. I can't say how much I appreciate this forum.  The feedback is crucial to me.  

I guess my biggest challenge at this point is differentiating between ongoing tingling nerve 'presence' in my leg that is just standard  VS that same 'presence' that is the onset indicator of a full outbreak - which to me is an indicator of actual shedding.  

So did your partner know he had it before you got it? So he's never experienced any signs or symptoms? Wish I could have been one of those lucky ones. I used to want to be an ob/GYN, so i have done extensive research on herpes and I'm not talking just the medical websites; I'm talking medical literature, case studies, pdfs you have to download or pay for. The other thing they don't tell us along w not including herpes testing when you ask for a full workup, leads me to believe the government purposely leaves this information out and the testing out, so big pharma makes more money selling antivirals. There are substrains of hsv2. I believe like 12-16 in the states and like 27 in Japan having the highest. Obviously some are Kore aggressive than others and some are drug resistant. It was previously thought that you couldn't contract another substrain if you already had the simplex 2 & only immunesupressed individuals, such as those w HIV could catch more than one. But a study done has proved that not to be true and most of the patients in the study had at least two different substrains of hsv2 and one had 3. They had them seab daily for 18 months everyday so they could test shedding and validate the genome of the virus strain. They found the one that was the last infection tends to be the most active and makes the other one/s more quiet, but they still come up once or twice in shedding a yr. Sometimes I hate that I know all this, but I'm also angry that the public is not educated on it. They could careless that it's an epidemic. 

Has anyone on this thread had to share w someone they were dating their status? I'd be interested in hearing, as my status is relatively new and the thought of having to tell someone one day, makes me sick to my stomach. 

Shedding and having an ob are two separate occurrences. The virus isn't technically active while shedding and is supposed to be symptom free. The shedding of the virus just means enough virus particles are at the surface of the skin to be contagious, while the virus sheds and no signs or symptoms of having an active ob occur. 

I like yourself questioned if any of my sensations meant I was active or shedding, or maybe due to a new infection and my nerves still being irritated by it. Honestly, most days out of a month I have some sort of symptom, but can go about a week ot less w out feeling anything. But I usually have some little twitch feeling randomly some place. This does make me feel like I'm active or shedding all the time, however I have sores during obs. This weekend, because I took my med before I went out and not at 3 or 4 in the morning after drinking all night, I did not have an ob... Ob being itchy or sores.. But usually sores will appear immediately w no itching and then I itch for a week almost doubling up on my meds, to get the ob to subside, but at least I don't experience pain anymore like my first ob.. Hard to say.. You just gotta do the best you can w what you think your body is telling you.

How much medicine are you taking and are you taking it religiously everyday around the same time? Do you drink a lot or eat lots of sweets or nuts?

There's a lot to digest from your two posts.  For one, I'm a guy and yes my girlfriend at the time knew she had oral HSV1 but had not told me.  We were together having unprotected sex for a year.  I only developed my gHSV1 symptoms and had my first outbreak at the end of our relationship.   I have a seriously repressed immune system from chronic Lyme and am not surprised that my body was susceptible.  

I told my first new partner about having HSV1 the other day and it did not go great but also did not completely blow up in flames.  She is a self described germaphobe, hates dr's and medicine and so the news was hard for her to digest... especially right before we were about to have sex.  Subsequent 'research' on the internet did not help.  She did put a high value on my ability to disclose and be honest.  We did eventually have sex with a condom but she's been struggling mentally w/ the idea of being contaminated and emotionally with liking me as much as she does but not being able to 'get over it.'  The only hope I have for us (I believe) is for her to be tested and if she is found to be HSV1 positive, to then pursue a healthy, no fear sexual relationship.  Otherwise I don't have a lot of hope. 

As a guy, dealing with this is a struggle to my identity, my ego and my perceived 'strength.'  As mentioned I already have one chronic disease (Lyme) that has been a devastating battle for over 10 years.  I am sensitive to enduring the fight and have NO interest in passing a chronic illness (HSV1 or anything else) to anyone.  I have difficulty having a sexual 'connection' with a women when wearing a condom and hate to think of not receiving an unprotected BJ ever again (just being honest).  

I found out that my aggressive Lyme antibiotic protocol is known to trigger HSV outbreaks.  This was a big breakthrough for me.  My Lyme doc moved me from acyclovir to valtrex.  I take valtrex every day with our without symptoms as well as L-Lysine, Oregano Oil and Olive Leaf supplements.  

This post started with the concern about the ongoing faint nerve pain that I have that is not leading to outbreaks.   My concern was that perhaps I am in a constant state of shedding and thus should abstain from contact.  I've come to conclude from these posts that this is not the case and that I am OK to proceed.  

I can't say this experience has been easy for me but I have solid conditioning from already dealt with life destruction as a result of neuropathic Lyme.  

My first disclosure to a new sexually hungry partner that I have HSV1 was like a kick in the balls.. especially going out afterwards and acting like there wasn't a giant 400 lb gorilla in the room next to us.  I'm confident that in time this will be easier and a solid partner will surface.. ideally one who herself is already HSV1 positive.  There is always my old girfriend .. haha.  At least with her there are no issues and we can go back to worry free love .