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Questions about frequency

Posted , 3 users are following.

Nicki.J
Nicki.J

Mainly I want to hear from people who have had this for longer than a year. I know that everyone is differnt but I am trying to prepare myself for what to expect, worse case senario.

So i was jus diagnosed a few days ago after having it (noticable symptoms) for almost 2 weeks. A very mild case of it as it was not really bothersom or painful or anything that i've read about. So my doctor calls me to tell me the results and at this point, the lesions i had, are just going away on their own. She did not suggest taking mediciation for it but did prescribe me something in case of future outbreaks.

My question is, for anyone who have had this for awhile now, how often did you get outbreaks when you first found out you had it? I was always told the first outbreak is the worst, and if this was in fact my first outbreak, it was really almost no big deal. should i expect them to be around the same or could they get worse? I have read that they get better with time so i am hoping i dont get many outbreaks and they arent bothersom.

Any advise will be helpful! thanks!

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • noelle2212
    noelle2212 Nicki.J

    Posted

    I had this for almost 3 years now. Up until about 3 months ago I only had a rash, no sores no nothing. End of July I had my first real looking outbreak which was mild. Didn't hurt or anything. I think it happened bc I just had surgery so my immune system was low. Ever since then I've experienced nothing. You can't really compare yourself to anyone else bc everyone is different. I know people who have it bad, and others who don't. Good luck
  • FelizCastus
    FelizCastus Nicki.J

    Posted

    Textbook answer is 0-1 outbreaks per year for genital HSV-1, and 4-6 outbreaks per year for genital HSV-2. These are generalisations, however, and many exceptions exist. Noelle is a good example!

    Frequency thus largely depends on HSV type, and also when you acquired it (recurrences are supposed to be worst in the first year, decreasing over time), prior exposure to an HSV type, your general immune system and genetics (healthy individuals with frequent outbreaks can possibly blame their genes, according to research).

    Unfortunately, frequency cannot be predicted based on the mildness/severity of the primary outbreak, but subsequent ones are supposed to be less severe and eventually less. As always the case with HSV, however, exceptions exist!!

    • Nicki.J
      Nicki.J FelizCastus

      Posted

      Thanks so much for all your knowledge about this. I'm not stressing as much as I thought I would about having it surprisingly. I think cause I've been on this site and have been reading so many stories and how common it is. I'm even starting to think I may have had this for awhile and never realized it. I'm not too worried about more outbreaks. I'm just worried about the severity of them. I'm assuming it won't be so bad though
    • FelizCastus
      FelizCastus Nicki.J

      Posted

      You're most welcome! smile I have been coping very well, too, despite my GH definitely being a recent acquisition. Reading other people's stories on forums like this one was a huge help, I agree, as was learning everything I possibly could about GH!!

      I am not currently working, so have had loads of free time to Google, read articles/studies and answer forum posts all day, lol. Though consumed by GH research, I am not stressed about having it. Perhaps knowledge is power - or perhaps reality still hasn't fully hit me yet? Haha :p

    • Nicki.J
      Nicki.J FelizCastus

      Posted

      Was your first outbreak mild too? Maybe that's why we aren't so stressed out about it.. my sisters first outbreak a few years ago was hell for her. I felt so bad!
    • FelizCastus
      FelizCastus Nicki.J

      Posted

      Mild to moderate, I would say. And, yes, that definitely plays a role in the level of stress one feels. I have read some true horror outbreak stories on here and I honestly don't know how I would have handled that! I guess we should count ourselves lucky, all things considered, and hope for the best but be prepared for possibly worse!!
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