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Genital Herpes & Constipation?

Posted , 50 users are following.

triton
triton

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

100 Replies

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  • kathe75363
    kathe75363 triton

    Edited

    Hi everyone, I'm surprised how many are suffering from this illness. In my case Ive been treated for HSV-2 with a supresive daily dosage of Valtrex, which seems to be not enough as I am having outbreaks every 2 or 3 months, which comes along with horrible headaches, and constipation. I also have a lower back problem that has not improved after many osteo therapies, and Ive suspected it  could be related with the virus. After suggesting to my doctor about the possibility that my CNS could be compromised, he thinks my symptoms are not so bad to believe it, because I haven't had any seizures fever or neurological problems.  However I have read that some chronic Viral diseases can have long incubation periods with a slow but progressive evolution. Therefore  I'd like to ask if anyone have had a lumbar puncture to discard the virus affecting the Central Nervous System, and what could be the signs that can tell you if the infection is going far to that stage. Appreciate your comments.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 kathe75363

      Posted

      Hi, I have horrible lower back pain and hip pain because of genital HSV 1. Many people have similar symptoms and are often misdiagnosed as back and sciatica issue. My pain is almost constant - sometimes better, sometimes worse. I also have almost constant constipation. It is because hsv attacks nerves, so the general idea it presents itself just with lesions is wrong. Unfortunately, medical community is very ignorant and uneducated in this matter...
    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 kathe75363

      Edited

      http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/795486

      Print it for your doctor.

      I have fevers quite often, so I believe the virus travel through the spine to brain.

      I wish medical community learn finally that hsv is not just innocent virus and there would be big pressure on vaccine development. The problem is, there is such stigma, so people suffer in silence or their symptoms are simply misdiagnosed.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 kathe75363

      Posted

      I really recommend you to see honeycomb herpes support site. I check it daily because I am hoping for research which can help end our suffering. The website is good overall, very nice and helpful people, but my favorite section is research. There'll be something coming in few years, as I hope. I wish it's earlier as there was no improvement in treatment in 20y!

    • Darana
      Darana monique_19779

      Posted

      I have similar symptoms and I have HSV2. I had sciatica before, so this is just another nuisance.
    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 Darana

      Posted

      I believe the type of Hsv doesn't matter as much as you body reaction. Some people are fine, some suffer a lot.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 Darana

      Posted

      I believe the type of HSV doesn't really matter. What matters is how your body reacts to the virus. I had sciatica before, so I know the difference. I wish there's a cure one day for us.

    • Darana
      Darana monique_19779

      Posted

      I completely understand. I know that everything effects people differently and also every has different pain tolerance.
  • jenny93411
    jenny93411 triton

    Edited

    Did the constipation go away in the end? Am having identical trouble
    • jz44lt
      jz44lt jenny93411

      Posted

      I'm still dealing with my constipation. The impact HSV2 has on me is severe. I'm having issues with blood flow and veins showing now as well. I'm wondering if a level of anxiety and stress is exacerbating it all as well. I'm taking 500mg of Valtrex daily for suppression of the herpes and 20mg of Lexapro for the general anxiety. Doea anyone have any other suggestions for action(s) to take?

  • m7997
    m7997 triton

    Posted

    Hello. I've read all of your comments and find that we have similar suspicions and experiences, although I've been experiencing them on a much more long term level. 15 years ago I began dating my now husband. I got HSV around the same time I started taking birth control. I also started experiencing severe stomach pain and constipation. I didn't think about it being connected to the HSV; I assumed it was the birth control. I began seeing doctors about it, claiming it must have been the birth control. Doctors said they didn't think that was it, but I knew that was when my body started to change.

    Fast forward 15 years and many GI doctors, colonoscopies, food allergy tests, pelvic floor dysfunction, and physical therapy attempts later, I saw a GI motility specialist. It took forever to get an appointment with her but I did get to see her in June. The appointment was discouragingly brief, but she ordered the same test you mentioned where I swallowed the pills and had an Xray. That was 3 weeks ago. The Xray technician said all 120 markers were still in my colon, which means my colon isn't working correctly. The motility doctor has yet to call me about the results and we don't have another appointment until October. The slow response time has made me delve more into my own research which had led me to find research connecting HSV and colonic inertia/ severe constipation. It suddenly occurred to me that it was likely not the birth control, but the HSV!

    At any rate, I don't have any answers but I'm going to discuss it with the motility doctor when I get to speak with her. It's so frustrating but I'm encouraged to know I'm not alone or crazy!

    • jz44lt
      jz44lt m7997

      Posted

      How did you find a motility specialist? I'm in the Atlanta area and this seems to be handled by a GI doctor. But I need one that will believe I have this problem as they don't seem to believe patients. Also, what are you doing to help with the constipation? Thank you!

    • molly59937
      molly59937 jz44lt

      Posted

      Hi all thought I'd my own story to this!

      Contracted the virus back in September last year. I have constipation on and off and have no idea if this is related. So I was constipated for two days and now seem to get back to normal. I was constipated last in November for a day and have had no issues until now.

      I don't know if it is a nerve thing or just general constipation.

      Also read that's it very common for people with brand new herpes to have problems pooping and weeing as the nerves are affected, and it takes the body time to adjust.

      Hope this is of some help!

  • grace32362
    grace32362 triton

    Posted

    I had my first outbreak about two weeks ago and have been experiencing constipation and weird nerve sensations on my back upper things, right below my butt. I am so scared reading all these posts about not really ever returning to normal pooping...I used to be fine, one to two times a day no problem. I am devastated. I really hope it starts to get better soon. I don't know if I should go to the doctor or not.

    Anyways, I immediately looked up natural remedies to herpes and found that song doses of olive leaf can cure herpes. I know that is hard to believe, whether or not it is true though, it is supposed to help as well as help with constipation. I have been taking it for a week now and haven't seen any improvement though. Has anybody else tried olive leaf? If so, have you seen any improvement? I can't deal with this forever!

  • JuliaAnna
    JuliaAnna triton

    Posted

    Triton, you are not alone.  I've had pretty much perfect bowel movements and a very healthy diet all my life.  Didn't know I had herpes either, after 6 years of marriage to someone who has no signs of it.  Then the constipation started, then painful urination & a hemorrhoid.  The doctor didn't understand all my symptoms, but did diagnose a herpes outbreak.  My body can't handle constipation.  I have reason to believe I've got fissures or a small fistula affecting the vaginal wall.  Pain.   I believe in natural healing, so I'm getting some relief by following the advice on "ListenToYourGut[/b].com[/b]."  Their Aloe Vera calms my painful colon, and using Marshmallow powder with water makes a healing drink.  I'm using their Oregano oil.  It prevents the infection I had in the vagina from the fistula.  The homemade suppositories with coconut butter and "fissure heal" or oregano oil, or potassium iodide seem to have a healing effect.  Haven't tried their "healing enema" yet.  Unfortunately the "ListenToYourGut" website doesn't specifically mention how to kill the herpes virus or deal with dead nerves in the colon.  I know Oregano Oil and Grapefruit are supposed to help kill herpes.  Oh, I'm also starting the "Elemental Diet" as a last resort, so I will have soft bowel movements and have a chance to heal.  But, will the constipation come back???   I'd like to hear more about what is helping people here.  Thanks for sharing!

    • Nitelite007
      Nitelite007 JuliaAnna

      Posted

      JuliaAnna,

      I forgot one more thing that the GI specialists recommended. Probiotics. They prefer Align.

      Nitelite007

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