ways of dealing with the symptoms

I think I have herpes I went to the doctor yesterday and told him my symptoms because all it was, was pain when peeing and painful to touch so he said it was thrush and gave me treatment for it but since yesterday about 5 open sore like spots have appeared on my vagina thorough my own examination it looks like there are some inside.

I'm going to my doctor tomorrow to get it checked out again but has anyone got any advice on how to help control the pain I have tried paracetamol, drinking a lot and bending right forward when peeing but nothing is helping I'm always quite busy so I need some on the go advice

I need to go in to be diagnosed but I'm certain this is what I have. How could something be so painful. It's awful. I will have to talk to my husband and show him some info on contraction and symptoms. I have never had anything like this happen. I read somewhere to put cornstarch starch on it to keep it dry and soothed, so I did. Works better than the cream or using water. I enjoy the bath until I shift and it feels like acid on me. My question is, can it be dealt with not using medication? How? How long?

I have yet to be diagnosed, but I have all the symptoms. I'm so angry. Physically, I've never been in more excruciating pain in my life. I went to the emergency room the other night, before the sores arrived, and they diagnosed me with a severe UTI. Now that I believe it's herpes (my bf confirmed that he has it), I'm not sure the cipro they prescribed me will help. Going to the doctor tomorrow morning. Until then, I'll be urinating bent over in the shower. 😒😒😒

ice cold water, sit in it and u feel almost nothing when u pee. I can't find words to explain how happy I am to have found this solution, the pain is worse than anything I've ever felt in my life but I finally found relief an i want other women out there to find relief too. I am 25 an this pain had me acting like a baby an I'm a strong woman. Find your relief ladies an hang in there.

Hi Everyone. I am 21 and just found out that I have herpes 3 days ago. My girlfriend had/has a coldsore which is how I ended up with the STI. This is the first time I have caught the infection. I am very scared as I have cronic pain when I pee so try to do it as little as possible and find it unbearable to walk. I have also very swollen glands so have not been eating since I was diagnosed. Any tips about safe sex for the future so we can prevent this happening again I would be so grateful as there is not much information about the lgbt community practising safe sex! Thank you for all the great tips.

I had oral sex on friday morning last month and next wednesday i got my first blister in my lip and then blisters continued throughout the mouth and even in my tonsils area. Initially i dont know it is herpes. My doctor gave some antibiotic and finally diagonised its a "herpes". She said its a viral infection and gave acyclovir and all blisters went away in next 3 days . After 2 weeks i had difficulty in urinating. It's like burning sensation when ever i urine. When i sit and urine its good however i couldn't tolerate pain when i stand and urine. When first outburst i didn't had any burning sensation when i urinate. It just blisters in my entire mouth . However after two weeks blisters are completely gone and i got problem when i urinate. Anyone face similar problem or any suggestion ? i am bit worried

Hello. I got diagnosed with a primary HSV-1 infection 2 weeks ago and am going on 3 weeks of symptoms. Its been AWFUL and nightmare to say the least. However, after 11 days of intense suffering during urination I finally found something that helps that i want to share in hopes that it helps others experiencing painful urination. I pee through the small end of a funnel (its 27mm to be exact but im sure other sizes work fine. Its actually a part from the breast pump supplier Medela called a breast pump funnel and you can buy it on amazon)! I literally use a mirror to make sure its over my urethra and push it in as hard as I can tolerate to make sure NO urine touches my lady parts at all. Make sure the funnel is positioned inside your inner labia with your lips outside. This has been a life savior and key to my surivial as I had an extreme outbreak covering my entire inner labia. Also Alleve is stronger than advil and helps with inflammation so I would reccomend that. Lastly watch out for an infection. I eneded up getting a secondary skin infection over the blisters which looked like flat white skin eveyerwhere and needed anti-biotics to clear it up which in 24 hours it did. I am so sorry to anyone who is going through this and get better soon.

This forum has really helped me emotionally whilst I've been going through what can only be described as torture. I'd been having soreness for a while but kept putting off seeing a doctor: 'oh it will go soon'. Please please go to your doctor ASAP. The pain started to worsen to the point where I was sobbing on the toilet. I saw my doctor who firstly percribed a cream for thrush. Not being able to deal with the pain I returned the next day. She said to me she thought I had herpes, gave me antibiotics and told me to visit my sexual health clinic that same day, which i did. She said exactly the same thing. Herpes. I was in denial, questioning my partners faithfulness and feeling extremely sad and low. The pain became so excruciating I actually went to A&E. I told them that it couldn't be herpes, but he took one look at it and said it was too. I'm now day 3 into my course of antibiotics and I really really empathise with anyone who has been through this pain. You really do take for granted the small things in life like doing a wee and being comfortable. To be honest I am dreading needing a poop! My partner has been extremely supportive and helping me wee in the shower and in the bath. I really appreciate reading these replies as it made me be brave and know I'm not experiencing anything different to anyone else. I am trying to eat and drink but psychologically it is hard, because I know 'what goes in must come out'.

I have just been diagnosed and am in exrushiating pain. I tried to put a cold compress on it but my sores stick to the towel and it just hurts more. I have to pee in the bath, and that still hurts. Can I ask some awkward questions that I've not been able to yet?? When you guys get the discharge what do you use to catch it cuz obviously if u just have pants on they will get covered in it. I've tried using a thin comfy panty liner and put vasiline on it to keep it comfy. I can't go out anywhere incase I have to pee. What pain relief are people using??? Nothing seems to touch it for me. I'm on anclovier or what ever it's called and panadol and ibuprofen I've tried it all :'( I've got some cream with 2.5% licrodine. I'm in so much pain.. and how do you tell you bloody boss you can't come into work cuz you've got herpes. I don't know what to do :'(

A good tip for peeing but also can be a major pain in the ass to keep doing...yet in some cases necessary...draw yourself a hot bath to pee in. It sounds gross but it doesn't hurt as much. The water soothes the pain. I also have vaginal HSV-1. When the guy I got it from did the deed, he didn't even have a cold sore! But I saw him about 2 weeks later to discuss the situation and one was healing. He contracted it before it even popped up.

Thank you for this - I'm currently in the midst of my first ever occurrence, caught the same way as you. And it really helps to read things like this to know that I'm not going mad!

The pain I'm suffering really is unbearable, and like you say it's hard to walk, sit or do anything except lie down and not move! Which is also not an option for me at the moment.

Good to know you got over it within 2 weeks and I'm trying my best to keep positive also! I see your post was 10 years ago and I wondered if you've had many occurrences since, if any? I know they say the first is the worst but I just don't think I could go through this again! Who would have thought it was be so terribly painful!

I need to go on a hunt for some anaesthetic cream, unfortunately I'm abroad at present and it's hard to get things like that here but I'm just praying this clears up asap with the anti virals.

I'm also concerned just as it looks like it's starting to heal, I now have some new red bumps appearing and I'm hoping they do not turn into open lesions also as I just can't cope with another lot of them!

I too suffer from this. I just found out 5 days ago and I was so embarrassed, I couldn't walk normally or go to work because the pain was unbearable. My sister who is a nurse has been super helpful throughout this whole process. I find it very painful when going pee so I find myself holding it in a lot (which isn't good for you), ways I've found to cope with this painful burning sensation is filling a bath with cool water and just going pee in there. Another thing I've been doing to help this uncomfortable pain is taking baths and putting: Epsom salts, baking soda, and tea tree oil.

I hope you're over the worst of it now Sandy! I had my first outbreak (caught from a cold sore) a couple of months ago and it was absolutely excrutiating. As well as the sores, I had cold and flu / throat infection symptoms and sciatic nerve pain all round my lower back and bum. I ended up closing my curtains and walking around my apartment (or just lying in pain!) with no underwear on as the pain was agony and sores kept sticking to my underwear. After day 5 I had a meltdown and called a friend sobbing, and she kept saying "you have to remember this is temporary", and sure enough a couple of days later it all started to heal. Although the area remained very swollen for a further week or so. But honestly the worst week of my life I had no idea herpes was so bad!

I found the following helped:

- warm tea bags on the sores seemed to sooth.

- baths in salt water and bicarbonate of soda

- once they start to heal a bit, wet cotton wool pad with bicarbonate of soda directly on the sores (burns like hell for a few minutes, but really helped them dry out and heal quicker)

- numbing gel (lidocaine). This was a god send and I only wish I'd had it sooner. I managed to get this on day 5 as I had a 10 hour flight! Try not to use it too often as the sores need to dry and heal.

- baby wipes after peeing as toilet paper was too painful. I found ones with aloe vera seemed to help.

- try to squat over the toilet facing forward instead (depending on where your sores are), I found this avoiding the wee stream going directly on them.

- cold hair dryer on the area after peeing and showering to keep them dry to aid healing.

- lots of paracetamol and ibuprofen.

- sleeping tablets if you can get them as rest is vital, and I found I couldn't sleep with the pain.

- sleep with no underwear on and avoid anything touching the sores as much as possible. They need to scab over so need to try not to let anything knock the scabs off.

I spent days googling as I didn't know what to do with myself and found the above all aided the healing process. So I hope it's helpful. And above all just try to remember this is temporary! It will get better so stay positive. A girl I know who has it also tells me IF you get a second outbreak, the symptoms are less and less each time, and some people never have another outbreak so fingers crossed! Plus herpes is so common - literally most people have it but some don't get symptoms, and apparently 1 in 3 do. So you are not alone.

Oh and above all get the antivirals (Aciclovir) ASAP when you first notice symptoms - I think when I took them, it was too late for my first lot of sores, but I had some new ones pop up (red bumps) and they went away in a day or 2 and never turned into open sores.