Genital Herpes: Useful info for those looking for answers like me!

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Ever since I suspected genital herpes (GH) and was recently confirmed to be going through a primary outbreak of HSV-2 (ugh, the "bad" one), I have been researching the topic like crazy! Guess that's a pretty normal thing to do, lol, and I'm sure many others here have done the same.

Anyway, I thought it would be helpful to share everything that I have learnt thus far, and I will continue to add to this thread as I come across more useful, interesting and/or relevant info.

Genital HSV symptoms https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776485

Testing for HSV https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776488

Does having one HSV type protect you against the other? https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776489

Autoinnoculation (self-contagion to other areas) https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776492

When is genital HSV most contagious? https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776494

Genital HSV transmission risk https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776497

Antiviral meds for genital HSV https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776501

Natural treatments for genital HSV https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776503

Genital HSV and increased risk of HIV https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1776505

Transmission risk via inanimate objects, swimming and blood https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1778698

Genital herpes and menstruation https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1778703

Genital herpes and BV and yeast infections https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1778708

Is there a vaccine for HSV-1/2? https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1778714

Possible complications of genital herpes https://patient.info/forums/discuss/comment?discussionid=482438&commentid=1782789

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  • Posted

    Hi,

    Thank you so much FelisCatus for all your research and valuable information. It's really helpful for all of us who are recently trying to come to terms with this. I recently went through my first outbreak and had all the classic symptoms...it started three weeks ago and now my second round of blisters is starting to heal. The only thing that still worries me is that the general malaise I had since day one won't go away. After three weeks I still find myself tired, nauseous and with a general feeling of being unwell. I haven't taken any meds because I still don't have insurance...so I guess that and the general stress of my first outbreak can be the reason why I don't feel well. I was wondering though if this prolonged malaise is normal and when will it go away. Thank you soooo much

    • Posted

      You're welcome, and thank you for saying. smile

      The general malaise should not linger too long, but then you are only at the 3-week mark, so your first outbreak is still pretty recent. Many people don't fully heal until around 3 weeks, so I would not be concerned just yet. Give it a little more time and it should resolve. In the meantime, stay healthy, eat a balanced diet, take vitamin C, etc.

  • Posted

    please help thisguy i likewe had sex with a condom but he was rubbing himsself on the outside of my vagina but didnt insert it and he had a sore on the side of his mouth whcih he tought and said was a cold sore i dont think he is on any meds or any tretment for it i looked and didnt see any breakout things on his genitial area will i catch it? im so youn and nervous i dont want to get it over a drunken sex thuing iwant to be safe and clean even tho i really like him its not worth oit to me please get back to me asap its pnly been a few days i dont know how long ujntil  a sore would start to come but im so scaredd
    • Posted

      omg i just read some of the comments i have been feeling nauseas and tired too please help i am so scared i kno nothing aout this stuff omg
    • Posted

      First outbreaks usually occur within the first week of infection. Feeling nauseous and tired are not key symptoms (more like flu and malaise than nausea, anyway, and not everyone gets that), so I would not worry too much at this point. You could even be a potential existing carrier yourself, just without symptoms. It's pretty common orally, often without symptoms.

    • Posted

      Hey feliz!!

      Just wanted to thank you for your time, effort and research! You have provided us all with such great and up to date info and personally reassured me on so many things. I’m new to the club and I know this is an old post but would you happen to know if shaving down there would cause outbreaks?/know of anyone’s experiences?? First step is getting someone to accept the burden, can’t ‘bare’ it if I then have to be au natural as well!! Pun intended 

      Thanks xxxxxxx

  • Posted

    Hi there,

    im still a bit confused about shedding. Okay so lets say the only area i get outbreaks/blisters is between the head and shaft of my penis. Now, its that where the shedding occurs?? Or can i shed from other places like my inner thighs, scrotum, based of the penis, abdomon area? Or is shedding localized where the blisters are? 

    • Posted

      With respect to genital herpes, shedding occurs via lesions on normal/regular skin (like the skin on your thighs and buttocks) and via mucosal skin in the anogenital region (lesions not required). Such mucosal skin on a man includes parts of the penis, perineum and anus.
  • Posted

    I had my first ob around 3 months ago. At first i was a little in denial. I "googled" my symptoms and just wrote it off as a bad case of thrush. It wasnt painful and I barely noticed the 2 small blisters were there until I peed and it stung a little. After about a week they cleared up and I thought no more about it. Then around a month later i got my second outbreak and It was the most horrific pain and discomfort id had in my life. I had around 4 blistered areas only on one side that became very swollen and weepy. I went to my GP who immediately diagnosed me with GH and prescribed me with aciclavor. They cleared up within about 5 days thankfully. After crying an awful lot about it i confided in a work colleague who told me she also suffers from GH after her husband cheated on her. Ive found its always good to have someone to talk too. I had been absolutely fine until my boyfriend and i broke up then got back together. After around 5 months of being back together i got my first outbreak. He absolutely is adamant he didnt slerp with anyone but i do have just cause to believd he did. I got my 3rd outbreak on Christmas day. Its just like the first one really i hardly notice its there but its very tingly and itchy. Im back on anti viral meds again. Really hoping that they calm down soon and i stop getting them so much. Im thinking about asking my gp to place me on anti virals daily as im so worried about it. I also keep reading about how they increase your risk of hiv and im absolutely petrefied!

  • Posted

    I thought I scratched myself in my vagina while wiping but after I had my husband look and take a picture I realized that it may be something else and I have been upset  making myself sick since.  Called the dr office today and they weren't going to see me until next week but I couldn't control emotions and started crying, seems like that's  all I have been doing.  I am just really confused, I have always gotten cold sore since I was a kid and sometimes the outbreaks were horrible but as I got older they aren't as frequent but I have never had anything in my vagina area. I have been with my husband for 24 years and he has never caught a cold sore from me and we are both faithful to each other.. Could I have somehow infected myself and why now, I haven' t had a cold sore for well over a year.  

  • Posted

    Hi and thank you so much for all of your time and research! This has been such a relief to find!

    I was just diagnosed with GH last Wednesday (yes Merry christmas to me!). I have always had HSV1...my ob are rare, typically if I get too much sun, or stressed out, etc. But, I always knew to up my l L-lysine.

    Well, last Tuesday I thought I had the flu...body aches, chills, fever, all of it. Wednesday I noticed I had some bumps down there and thought I had razor burn. Then Thursday I noticed they were turning into blisters. I was baffled. I have been with my husband for 7 years, we are very monogamous and always have been. But something wasn't siting right, I had a feeling it was herpes but I couldn't understand how!! I ended up getting worse so on Christmas Eve (Saturday) I went to CareSpot urgent care. She took one took at it and said that is GH, I'm 1000% sure. She said they could do lab work but I had been there for 2 hours already on Christmas Eve so I said no...we knew what it was. I didn't realize what the difference between the swab and the blood test was and hind sight I should have. She gave me Valtrex and Ibuprofen for the pain. I got the script filled Sunday and started them immediately. I have been in excruciating pain trying to urinate. I have been doing epsom salt baths, cleaning with cetaphil and I have been soothing with coconut oil. I can't leave them dry it hurts SO bad. The swelling has gone down for the most part. But I have also started using Ambesol on my urethra and the sores on the inner part to block the pain of the urine and I use gloves to spread it all apart and block the other sores. It's been such an amazing relief. I tried the bath and it still made me feel like passing out.

    My question is, I have gotten this thick white/greyish coating that looks like a there's a little blood in it almost like a scab but white and that coats the blister area after they broke open. Now they are coming off. What is that? Is that the scab? They have left a hole in each spot. Little holes have already closed, but some bigger ones seem a little goopy on top again or it's just goop from the others that are inside and still on the inside there.

    Also, since I wasn't swabbed, are the chances more likely to be HSV1 since I already have it? I had read that your chance of getting HSV2 in the genitals is less of you already carry HSV1.

    I can say this has been horrific and I still feel exhausted and not much of an appetite. Is this about where most are at 8 days in? I'm worried about getting another round of these again. I just want this to be over!!

    • Posted

      Apologies for not replying sooner. Having HSV1 orally should make you immune to acquiring it elsewhere. Of course, exceptions exist, but it would be unusual if it were HSV1. Having HSV1 orally does not afford much protection against HSV2, but it does have a tendency to mitigate symptoms of HSV2. Since you already have HSV1 and had obvious symptoms genitally, you are either an exception and it is HSV1 down below, or it's HSV2 and you were unfortunate to have symptoms...or it's something else altogether. Pity you didn't get swabbed, as that would have sorted it out then and there. You can do the IgG antibody test for herpes at 3 months, but that will only tell you which type you have, not where (although HSV2 can be assumed to be genital). You would expect a positive IgG for HSV1 due to your oral infection, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's what you also had genitally.

    • Posted

      Thank you so much for the response. I wish I got swabbed too, but, didn't realize the difference. I go for my annual exam in February. Does the 3 months count starting after the primary ob? Or from when you think you became effected? I have read that it can stay dormant for a long time. This year has been very stressful. As I mentioned my husband and I have been together 7 years and have always been monogamous. So either it's been dormant for all these years, maybe he has it and never had a primary ob down there or during oral sex and mixing it with intercourse, I transferred it down there? I guess my question is if I get tested at my annual is there a chance it will show negative? As you mentioned I obviously will be positive for 1. Sorry it's so confusing and a bit overwhelming!!!

    • Posted

      3 months from your first outbreak is sufficient, as most people get their first outbreak soon after infection, otherwise 3 months from the encounter you're worried about (not applicable in your case). regarding self-infection via sex, you should be immune to getting HSV1 genitally, but could be an exception. If your IgG test is negative for HSV2 and positive for HSV1, as expected, you can only conclude that it may have been HSV1 you experienced genitally, or something other than herpes.

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