I’m scared..

i looked up my symptoms and everytime it pops up yeast infection. ive been using monistat 7, and it leaks back out. i used AZO pills to have relief, it works for a couple of hours but wears off..

Herpes mimics yeast infection. i was originally misdiagnosed with a yeast infection.

The sores are what point towards HSV.

im 17. im just scared to go and find out it is something serious..

what about genital herpes!

It's the same thing for genital herpes. So many people have it and are completely unaware of it because most don't symptoms severe enough for them to notice or become aware of it. It's awful that some people do get severe symptoms, but remember there is medication to keep outbreaks at bay. Eating and living as healthy as possible will also help to greatly reduce both the frequency of outbreaks and limit their severity. But it's absolutely not as bad as it seems. Don't get down on yourself or think that you're damaged goods or something, because if that were true then so are most people in the world for merely for having a virus which is merely much more of a nuisance than anything, and not at all life threatening. I know it's hard at first. But please trust we know what we're talking about. Stay positive and try not to catastrophize or make a bigger deal than it is, because those of us that did look back and greatly regret it. Learn from our mistakes. This will only affect your future happiness if you let it. Please don't let that happen.

Im talking about genital herpes!(:

And this is coming from someone who has genital HSV2.

I have an amazing relationship, the guy who gave it to me is my current boyfriend, he had no idea he was a carrier!

Im successful and have a child.

Herpes is not a death sentence. Its more annoying than anything, but when im not having an outbreak, i completely forget I have it!!

I'm really glad you were able to get past that with your BF, continue your relationship and have a child. He's honestly lucky to have a woman who seems to love him a lot and is going to stick with him through issues. That's not really so common these days.

But yeah, there's absolutely life after herpes. It an seem like a catastrophe with the first outbreak if it happens to be pretty severe, but for most people after that, it's just a nuisance from time to time. We all constantly have many, many types of bacteria and viruses in our body and in our skin our entire lives -- a lot more than I think most people would imagine. This virus happens to be more of a pain in the butt than others, but it is quite manageable in many ways in all but the rarest cases.

what about chronic yeast infection?

This is so true!

I was diagnosed around 4 years ago and you really do forget about it most of the time.

Can remember feeling so down in so much pain and so depressed about it all. And then one day suddenly realising I'd felt completely normal for days and hadn't even noticed that I wasn't in pain any more because I was just back to how I was before

Yep. It's hard at first, and we tend to make these things a bigger deal than they actually are, then regret we did so later on. While it can still suck, it's not a death sentence, and it will only affect your future happiness if you let it. Don't give it that power over you.

tell us about your stigma pls,i hope that this forum doesnt became like the poistive gay forums gloryfing hiv and talking about none existing stigma

oh joseph,

i have read on another post that you are a medical student? is that right. give us all a reminder when you or if you qualify so we can stay clear of you.

you would want to educate yourself on the stigma of stis/stds like herpes or anything that is out of the "norm" in society. the stigma is worse then the actual virus.the mental struggle of dealing with it is worse the then virus.

but sure how would you know this you dont deal with it daily! you have no experience with it other then text books and research articles!

and also not all gay people have hiv. people dont glorify the illness they glorify the people living and surviving with them; most if which didnt ask for what they have.

i hope one day you are never put in a situation like half of us or half any if us!

you still did not answer my question,would you please point out the stigma ?,feeling pain is not "stigma".i never said all gays have hiv,but i can provide many video and articles of gays trying to make hiv sounds like diabetes . what stigma are you suffering from?

Having a cold sore (oral herpes) is fine. no one bats an eye.

but the moment you say genital herpes, everyone stops. Its this taboo thing.

Genital herpes does not affect your life any. Besides the breakouts (which some people have once and never again), its not actually a big deal. no more of a deal than cold sores.

I suffer from frequent outbreaks (ive had 3 in under 2 months) and i still feel like the stigma is worse.

i could go and ask my mom groups what they do to help heal cold sores, but i wouldn't dare ask about a genital outbreak. THATS the stigma.

Genital herpes doesnt mean you'll die younger or cant have kids or have to live in a bubble.

It literally just means you have a bit of discomfort on the genitals here and there.

With suppressive therapy, usually less frequent outbreaks and reduces the chance of transmission a huge amount.

If herpes was tested for regularly (which its not unless you have symptoms or specifically request an IGG type blood test), the stigma would drop.

Unless you've specially asked for an IGG type blood test, you honestly could be a part of the 80% of the people with genital herpes who dont even know.

Even the CDC agrees that the stigma herpes carries causes far worse emotional trauma than the physical aspects the virus causes, which is why its not tested for on routine STD tests.

how that impact your life? simply stop asking old women about home remedies (the medical advice and internet would help more). for me the only real stigma happened during the 80s with hiv where a person can lose his job. but i need to admit that the case you mentionned is different than others which i always basically" i got rejected from my tinder date because of having hsv or hiv" and for me this is not stigma

im here to learn from people and help as i can,im not here to judge but words like " herpes is just a skin rash"will missguide teenagers who would read our comments,hsv,hiv,hpv...are viruses that we should extremly avoid getting and never talk about of any with positive words.

where was i asking anyone about remedies?

Genital and oral herpes should both be avoided, but the reality is, the misinformation and lack of education around herpes as a whole is whats causing the virus to be spread to rapidly and aggressively.

With 80% of the population having HSV, and 80% not knowing, its inevitable that it be spread.

The stigma needs to end in order to educate.

We should be able to talk about genital herpes, its effects and how it's transmitted and not tested for on routine STD tests, on ANY forum.

Obviously the sexual education in schools fails.

Herpes is promoted as this terrifying, life ending disease, when it really isnt.

Would we all like to have not contracted it? of course.

But its also not the end of the world. And quality of life isnt negatively affected by it, besides the outbreaks when and if they happen.

Just because the stigma may not be as extreme as with HIV, it doesn't mean there isnt a pretty big one, i guess its hard to see if you weren't diagnosed.

i dont think anyone with HSV is going to talk about it positively or encourage anyone to get herpes... We share the facts, thats its really not life altering, and once you get over the emotional effects of a diagnosis, youre literally just as healthy as you were before.

yeah videos and articles you have no first hand experience.

why dont you go talk to people face to face and see what their experience is!

herpes comes with physical pain and mental. not all pain is something that id physically felt. but once again you have no first hand experience.

stigma of people finding you dirty/promiscuious -have you ever tried getting hair removal or a massage with herpes?

-how people dont want to touch your hand when they are handing your prescription to you?

-the general abuse you read when uneducated fools get a bit of free time- the whole coachella herpes issues

anyways i dont need to explain to you anything. you come on here with no first hand experience.

best of luck

Ok Joseph so if you're a medical student using support forums like this to understand conditions and diseases more and research that's great and fair enough.

But in my opinion, and where you seem to be completely failing in a very important quality of a good medic is compassion...you have chosen a post by a scared young woman desperately asking for advice to voice your own opinions on how society views herpes.

Do you really think that those are the sort of comments that a scared 17 year old needs to see at a time where she is terrified of what she might have?

a 17 years old should know the medical facts about it with no political correct opinions.i know people with herpes in real life,i even talked with a person which herpes attacked his eye,this is why im saying that we shouldnt say "its just a skin rash"

since you mentionned it let me start by saying that i have a very close person with herpes.

-we have an instinct of avoiding viruses and bacterias and its reduced the more we learn about a specific condition

-people would also refuse to shake the hand or kiss a person with eczema rash

we cannot blame humans for not talking the risk of an infection just to make us feel better

i personally disccourage hand shaking and any kind of touching between strangers

would you sleep in the same room with a person with tuberculosis ?

would you shake hands with a person who have a wart on his hand?

Yes but you're preaching to a group pf people who have herpes 'in real life'.

I personally haven't seen anyone saying its just a skin rash which it obviously isn't, but of course people with first hand experience of herpes are going to be supportive and say actually it isn't that bad for most people.

Painful as hell at the time yes, embarrassing to admit but not the life changing thing you think when you first get the diagnosis

well did you ever ask them how they feel? did you opinion of them change when you found out they had it?

you are making herpes out to be some crazy contagious thing! maybe we should all banish ourselves like lepers.

somethings cant be avoided we are humans we crave personal contact.. even with condoms you are not fully protected from it. even with someone you think you can trust 100% you are not protected from it.

unfortunately things happen in life.. i didnt have a choice but i give others ones. i am open and honest about my diagnosis and havent had one person have a problem with me or turn me away.. because herpes isnt a big deal. just like shingles/chicken poxs its something that happens!

im a nurse. ive been in room with people with tb that have yet to be diagnosed?

and yes i shake hands with people, ive held hands with people in the last hours of their lives no matter what the social,medical or personal situations are. my niece has a wart on her hand shes 6 and honestly i could not care!!

i was so carefree before i got my diagnosis. after i spiraled in to the darkest time of my life. attempt self harm to cutting the people i love the most out of my life. NOTHING and i mean nothing is worth this.

i come on here to help people. the thought of someone feeling the loneliness that i felt, the hurt, the anger, very emotion. this is something personally you cant do. you know someone with it but dont have it. you dont know what its like. if can help one person understand that this honestly isnt the worst thing that can happen in their life then i'll be happy.

you are contradicting yourself,blaming me for saying its very contagious and then saying "it cannot be avoided and it pass even with a condom so WE ALL AGREE THAT HERPES IS A VERY CONTAGIOUS VIRUS.

you are working in the medical filed and yet declaring that sleeping in the same room with people with tb is safe (no oral masks of course)? is touching a wart without gloves is safe?...this is careless (because you know about pathogens),i hope that you dont spread those kind of ideas to people around you.

im not giving my own opinion here,im a med student,very intressted in virology,and for me no doctor should fake the scientific facts just to make a patient feel better.

"herpes isnt a big deal" those kind of declaration is what made us start this whole talk,here what experienced doctors taught us in university :" herpes is a very infectious incurable virus " so its a big deal that we all need to work to eradicate.

Enough now...you have your opinions great.

But you have jumped on a post on a support forum for people living with or scared about this virus. We do not need your views when people are seeking support and advice!

You can talk about the spread of disease but frankly we are living with this virus...some of us have slept around, others have been raped, others have had normal loving sex...but regardless of circumstance we have the virus. And it can be painful and it can make you feel like s**t.

But who are you to swan in with your opinions on 'controlling contagions'...it has happened to us so how exactly do you think you are helping? If you dont have anything helpful or supportive to say then dont say anything at all...and work on your bedside manner before you qualify

hello,it's not my "opinions",its the scientific fact,we eradicated polio (except in 3 countries) and trump recently went along with the program of hiv eradication and i hope we eradicate every harmful virus

"how exactly do you think you are helping?" by calling things with it scientific names,if a teen who read those "herpes is not a big deal" they wouldnt care about pretecting themselves from it,people should be scared of contracting hsv just as hiv.

my closest friend was diagnosed with hpv (strain 16) and herpes and what did she knew about those 2? "its just a wart and a skin rash". i do have manners and im here to help, look at my previous comments,my manners simply would force me to comment the missinformation you are making.

Im not even going to get into this any more with you your twisting words just dont get it what so ever. We have gone completely off the point.

I have been to multiple specialist in infection diseases and sexual health were i am from ive got the information i need. your not a doctor yet, there may be some time for you to learn a bit of cop on and compassion.

i have so far not spread the virus while still having relationships and sex.

i havent got tb, have spread it. havent got warts havent spread it!

all i can say is good luck in your career cause patients wont take kindly when your dealing with them the way your coming across!

yeah lets eradicate, there is a cure out there! but there is too much money to be made by big pharma companies! it isnt a big deal for me, compared to how i felt when i first got it, its not a big deal.

cancer thats a big deal, TBIs are a big deal, necrotising fasciitis is a horrible deal, ending my life thats a big deal, compared to these herpes is nothing! oral or genital.

please stop now we are taking away from the fact that there is a scared 17 year old looking for help.

Let's just agree to disagree, it's not helping.

I happen to be a biomedical scientist, I did my specialism in virology although I currently work in histopathology. I could go into the scientific detail of herpes but I don't feel it would help and would much rather give my support and personal experience in a forum like this. I'll keep the science chat for work where people will actually appreciate it.