Genital Herpes & Constipation?
Posted , 50 users are following.
Hi all!
I contracted genital herpes earlier this year(March). To make a long story short.. during my initial outbreak I not only had a few bumps down there, painful urination, etc. but I also had a very strange pain in my tailbone and lower spinal area. It was almost a jolting sensation going off down there. I had done a little reading afterwards and it seems as though the virus may attack that area in certain individuals. With that said.. here's where it gets strange.
About a week and a half or so after my initial outbreak, I started noticing a slight change in my GI system and bowel movements. They slowly started becoming less frequent and I found myself unable to fully "empty" my bowels. I was bloated and constipated more frequently. I wasn't sure what was going on and explained the situation to my local doctor. I thought I had eaten some bad food. He had prescribed laxatives, increased water intake, additional fiber, etc. The laxatives were a bandaid solution at best just providing temporary relief.
Fast forward a few weeks after that and still no relief. I'm finding myself taking laxatives daily - sometimes double the dosage with barely any relief. At that point, I decided to go to a GI specialist. He ran numerous blood tests, took stool samples, checked for an obstruction, etc. You name it, they did it. Unfortunately, everything came back 'just fine'.
At this point.. I'm more or less losing my mind here. I've always been healthy, monitred what I ate(for the most part), drank plenty of water, took fiber, etc. And now I can't remember the last time I had a solid bowel movement. There isn't really any pain - I'm just severly constipated and backed up. The doctors that I've spoken to(very few) have stated that herpes should not affect the GI system. Then I came upon this study(for those of you who haven't seen it):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27281569
Yale research team believes that herpes virus may kill off colonic nerves causing constipation.
I guess the questions I have are.. who else has experienced this? And can it really be related? Any insight, advice, tips would be amazing! This has been a nightmare for me.
Thank you!
1 like, 100 replies
FelizCastus triton
Edited
elizabeth283 FelizCastus
Posted
FelizCastus elizabeth283
Posted
That's all I noticed and both the ache and twitches disappeared after a couple of weeks or so. Not had either since.
elizabeth283 FelizCastus
Posted
My spasms have continued in my legs and are in my face also... >.< was hoping it was related to this but I do not think so, Ive had hsv2 for awhile now spasms have become more severe this last year. Ill figure it out! Thanks FelisCatus
FelizCastus elizabeth283
Posted
The ones in your legs *could* be related, or not (can't say for sure), but not the ones in your face, as that is a different nerve group altogether.
triton FelizCastus
Edited
I was confirmed Type 2 initially by swab. Ran some blood work a few months after and it was realized I had 1 and 2. Suprisingly, outside of the initial outbreak, I haven't had any others. Lol. Just this awful, awful GI issue.
triton FelizCastus
Posted
And this terror has been going on for almost 7 months
No real signs that it's gotten better unfortunately.
jim71551 triton
Posted
How is your GI issue??
triton jim71551
Edited
Much better now than when I posted the original posting.
I'll have good days/bad days depending on what I eat. Decreased red meat consumption and I've noticed a positive difference.
d98889 triton
Posted
I got hsv2 in May 2022. i had severe constipation for several months afterwards, then back to normal. The outbreaks after that were mild and went away quickly with 3 days of valacyclovir.
a couple weeks ago i got an outbreak that i didn't notice until it was really painful. i took valacyclovir for about 10 days. Then i started having really bad constipation. I've got it controlled right now by eating oatmeal, 8 prunes, 8 dried apricots, 1 cup of artichoke hearts, 1 tbsp psyllium per day, plus 1 - 2 oranges if needed. i hope it will go back to normal soon.
ali1995 triton
Edited
Hi,
Not sure how similar when I get outbreaks I get pain mainly nerve pain in lower back/hips/legs to the point where some of these areas feel numb.
Without being disgusting I use the bathroom once a day/every other day at least and since my first outbreak I've noticed that my bowel movements are less frequent twice a week max worse around my outbreak as well, also harder to actually go even when I need to go.
Not saying there is a link but in my case I think there may be. Don't stress about it try some natural remedys and increase your water intake like the doctor said, do you have a good diet? X
triton ali1995
Edited
Yeah I think the virus definitely affects the colon. My only fear is that it's irreparable damage.
I've increased my water intake, fiber intake, and also use 'Smooth Move' tea. We have it at a Whole Foods nearby. I try not to be too dependent on it, but every other night I'll drink it before bed. Wake up in the morning and I'm able to do. It works.. but not the way I want to live.
No nerve pain for me though. Sorry to hear you have it..
silvia03624 triton
Posted
Hello
My doctor told me i can experience many different out break. My first out was a couple of weeks ago. I started w very small pimples on my chin and i also experience flu like symptoms this week I started experience some constipation more than usual and then 2 days ago I started getting bruises all over my body I went to the doctor he did all the tests and blood work everything came out normal they still don't know where is coming has anyone experience. this the wierd part about this all my test normal can anyone relate to this
triton silvia03624
Posted
Is your constipation still lasting? I would see if you can find a doctor that specializes in GI and talk to them about whether or not there's a connection. That's what I'm doing.
sean97310 triton
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triton sean97310
Posted
Hey! I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing the same issue.
I'm about 10 months in.. still experiencing the same issue of constipation. I've gone to a few GI doctors and done blood tests, stool samples, and a barrium enema - everything came back OK. I've tried upping my Acvyclovir dosage for 3 weeks, all to no avail.
I'm set to visit a GI Motility expert in a April(the wait is ridiculous here to see one). Hopefully I can get better results/diagnosis.
What I've found works is Smooth Move tea. I try to take it every other night right before bed while it's still relatively hot - don't burn yourself, though. It's a natural herbal laxative and does help. On the nights I don't take it, I drink a glass of prune juice - works well too. Both of these preferably on a non-full or empty stomach.
Not ideal whatsoever, but you'd at least be saving yourself from the use of actual laxatives which are worse. Feel free to send me a PM and we can keep in touch..
sean97310 triton
Edited
Sorry to hear no change. I had a colonoscopy and endiscopy today all show nothing. I told the docs about the Yale study and they are skeptical. They have never seen this reaction before. The other issue I have is a burning or nerve pain where the skin was affected and now cleared up. I'm going to try another round of valtrex. In two months since first episode I have lost 20 pounds and just frustrated. I was never regular but now take colace in evening ( softener not laxative ) and started probiotic. It has helped but cramping and stomach ache is daily from the constipation. I'm at wits end. Thanks for reply. Please keep in touch.