I am very confused, please help!

Posted , 5 users are following.

Ok, i am very confused with what i actually have.

I got diagnosed with Herpes Simples Virus type 1 in February. I've tried researching it all, figuring out what the differences with type 2 are etc. But the thing is, I have never had any cold sores around my mouth or lips.

I definitely had a genital outbreak when i was first diagnosed. So it must have been passed on to me through oral sex.. so then does that mean that the virus reacted 'down there' and is now in my system but my genitals aren't really affected?  If that was the case surely I'd have oral cold sores? Or are my genitals really affected by it meaning i can pass it on from there to other people?

 Also I haven't had a genital outbreak as bad as since then, but have had occasional slight discomfort. Is that classed as an hsv outbreak or is it normal to sometimes have a bit of discomfort? And is discomfort hsv related or could that just be normal?

Any help would be much appreciated, as you must be able to tell, I am so so confused with all of this.  

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hey Alexa, 

    So basically, by the sounds of it and your test results, yes you have gental type 1 herpes (hsv1) and yes you can pass it onto other people.

    There are different parts of your body the virus can reside and just because yout body has it in one place, doesnt mean its infected in another. So you might not ever had it orally but got it genitally.

    I thought the same thing as you for myself, but then thought.. why didnt I get an outbreak on my lips if this was the first time I had been exposed to type 1? Since its unusual to have oral sex without some kissing.. Well maybe I had the virus in me orally but never had an outbreak. my immune system was able to keep on top of it or i had an outbreak so young I cant remember, and then it never showed itself again. I suspect this is what might have happened to you. Statistics are something like 80% of infected people dont show symptoms of type 1 herpes.

    Now to clear things up, there are two types of herpes virus' as you know, HSV1 and HSV2. You can get BOTH variations of the virus in any part of the body where an active sore touches an opening in the skin or mucous membrane. 

    I also find I get somw discomfort every now and then but not a full on outbreak. If I have a lot of or rough sex, or constant friction I might find I get discomfort but uaually calms down the next day. When it comes to that irritation that doesnt feel or seem like an outbreak, I find showering straight after any touching/sex helps stop irritation. From what ive read from others it seems that this might be the case with type 1 genital herpes and why websites and people often say the type 1 prefers the mouth and doesnt have a big of an effect as type 2 which prefers the genitals.

    Does that all make sense? sorry if its a bit long and windy. 

    Hope that helps!!

  • Posted

    I just wanted to mention im not 100% sure that the discomfort is in fact because of hsv, im yet to see a doctor to ask that specifically. But I didnt have that irritation previously, before I was diagnosed with hsv1 genitally so it just seems to add up, and even more so now that youve mentioned the same hapening to you.
  • Posted

    From what I understand you can get herpes type one in genital too. Apparently 90% of people have type one in mouth , but most people don't have any signs or symptoms.  I have just been DX with type 1&2, never really had any signs or symptoms until now in genital and still not sure if it's that. Herpes in my opinion is crazy and unpredictable at times. Most infected people don't have any signs or symptoms!
  • Posted

    I don't understand why the moderator is deleting information about Herpes.

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