Worst week ever

Posted , 10 users are following.

So I have recently been diagnosed with herpes. Something that to me used to be seen as something disgusting and dirty. I am clearly someone that suffers badly. For a week I couldn't move due to the pain of the blisters. Gave myself a urine infection from the fear of going to the toilet as it hurt so much to go. I couldn't walk. In fact I couldn't do anything. I had a fever and basically had never felt so ill in all my life. This was my first outbreak, and typical luck for me I didn't even get it from having sex. I have been with my partner for 2 years now and he has suffered from cold sores all his life. It turns out you don't have to have a visible cold sore for the virus to be there. I managed to get herpes from oral sex. The last 2 weeks since I have found out I have this I have thought my life is over. My partner thought I had cheated on him and all in all it was just a crappy couple of weeks for me. 

I have researched so much and I find it really reassuring to know that there are forums for things like this and people that are going through the same thing. Would love some feedback with remedies that people think help coping with the pain and the outbreaks

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Samantha,

    I have only found out this week myself and like you i was devastated because I always thought a certain type of person caught these things, I have had to quickly reassess my thoughts as it's not true, it really was bad luck rather than a disregard for my health.

    I am in agony too, sweats, shivers, tingling, shooting pains, aches and serious pain when walking, sitting, sleeping but I have started anti vitals today and the pain has greatly reduced after just 2 doses so I am hopeful things will start to settle down from now on.

    I found tonight a salty bath followed by a thick layer of savlon has seemed to help and I am alternaiting paracetamol and ibuprofen every 2 hrs.  I have also bought some l-lysine to take, I read about it on a forum and ecichinea as it is supposed to help your immune system....

    I really hope things will get better for you and me!

    • Posted

      Luckily my symptoms have now gone after taking the anti viral medication the doctor prescribed. I just worry that when it comes back it is going to be the same as it was the first time. I don't know how id cope with it again as it really was the worst pain I have ever experienced.

      I had contemplated a salty bath when I first got the symptoms but was worried it would sting the blisters too much. I will definitely try that next time if the symptoms are as bad as they were the first time. I will also look into getting those tablets as I want to make sure my immune system stays at it's best so I hopefully don't have to many episodes.

      I had to reassess my views on it too as I definitely thought it was something certain people caught when it really was just a case of bad luck. It is really reassuring to know that I'm not the only one as last week I thought my life was over! It's amazing to know there are people I can talk to that understand what I'm going through!

    • Posted

      I haven't hit the life over feeling yet, I am concentrating on trying to feel better just now but I'm sure it will come, I am trying so hard to stay afloat day to day I haven't really concidered my future, it's too big and scary to consider yet!
    • Posted

      It's admirable that you are thinking like that. I think that is the way forward. It is a scary thought. And the future is a scary thought but i think we all need to try and stay positive and not let it get us down. As we established it Is just abit of bad luck and a set back. But it doesn't change the people we are. Stay positive. That's what I have to keep telling myself
  • Posted

    Hey. Feel free to send me a message and we can talk. I was diagnosed last week. I felt just like you but I'm doing a lot better. talking to people really helps.  
    • Posted

      I was an absolute mess when I was diagnosed but knowing that there are other people in the same boat as me has definitely begun to make me feel more positive. It's a s**t thing to have to deal with but I think the way I need to look at it is that it's life. The way I felt last week I thought i was seriously ill and so did loved ones. I think that's the thing that is making me feel abit more positive. The fact that I know that it is just herpes and it isn't anything to serious. There are people in the world that are suffering a lot worse than this and although it's hard you just have to deal with it I guess
    • Posted

      Thanks bree, to be truthful I have told no one and have no intention of telling anyone anytime soon, my life is very complicated at the moment, I'm newly seperated and got it from a distant friend of a friend who was 'cheering me up', things could defo have gone better! I think it was bad karma catching up on me.....

      So I am relying on google and forums to get me up to speed but it's very confusing, so much conflicting advice...

    • Posted

      Kellie, send me a private message on here. I'll be happy to be a leaning post. I'll give you my story my tips and my advice. 
  • Posted

    Hey girls, I was diagnosed with hsv2 eight ago. From what I understand you have caught hsv1 which normally doesn't have as many recurrances. I know when you are first diagnosed it seems extremely scary. Like you I thought only certain people got this but trust me that is not the case. 80% of people show absolutely no symptoms so how do you know who has this and who doesn't? You can sleep with somebody with a condom and still catch this! It's life! Your not dirty at all. I take suppressive therapy coz unfortunately I suffer from a lot of outbreaks. The drug industry has made this virus to be so much worse then it actually is when really anybody that is sexually active can catch it. So many people have it but nobody talks about it. I would really advise you to look on the hva website and you will understand this is normal. When you get an sti check at your clinic they don't test you for herpes. So if it was soooo bad like everybody who is not educated about it makes out why would they not test you?  Don't worry ok seriously do not worry xxx
    • Posted

      From what I have researched it's hsv2 I have? Although it was caught from a cold sore it is still now genital herpes which is hsv2. However I could be wrong. I have taken so much information in since I have been diagnosed that it's sometimes hard to keep up. 

      I am beginning to realise that although this is really scary for me at the moment, it doesn't make you dirty or someone that sleeps around and I find it awful that that is what I thought about it before I was diagnosed.

      Since you have been diagnosed have your outbreaks been as severe as your first outbreak. I understand everyone suffers differently but I really do hope that my next outbreak is no where near as bad as the first!! 

      Thank you for your message. Really appreciate having people to talk too xxx

    • Posted

      50% of case of gential herpes is hsv1 which is mainly caused from cold sores. The doctors  will diagnose you. If it's hsv1 then on average too suffer from one outbreak every one to two years. I have hsv2 and unfortunately I was unlucky so I suffered from about a outbreak every three weeks. I am now on suppressive therapy and that has stopped my outbreaks. The first year is typically the worst. You might never get an outbreak again everybody is different. My first oitbreak wasn't painful at all

      I thought it was a shaving bump. What you need to realise is this is a very manageable

      Virus. There is so many horror stories online. I suggest you do not read them your only feel worse. Xz

    • Posted

      Wish my first outbreak wasn't painful! Poor you suffering every 3 weeks. Were the outbreaks after the first painful for you or were they manageable? That is the thing that worries me the most. I had to take a week off work as I couldn't even move from the pain. It made me so depressed and I don't think I can handle more outbreaks like that. It's good that your outbreaks have stopped now. I have read that it is normally worse in the first 2 years but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be lucky and not suffer too often with outbreaks.

      I have tried to stay away from any negative things online about herpes and just tried to read things that will make me feel positive. The last thing I need is to scare myself more x

  • Posted

    Hey Samantha- I found out about 8 months ago with a horrid outbreak- not quite as debilitating as yours sounds but moving and using the bathroom was horrible. I did manage to find a way to go to the bathroom without losing my breath from the pain every time. If you sit down on the toilet, lean your weight forward onto your toes and front part of your thighs pretty much lifting your bum off the seat. If you go in that position it can really help keep the amonia from the urine off of the sores. It can fall free rather than running down. 

    Also drink a ton more water. I know it sounds counter intuitive cause you will have to pee MORE but the water dilutes the amount of amonia in each "batch" and the pain is a lot less

    Try using flushable wipes instead of toilet paper, the moisture makes it not hurt as bad as dry. My doctor also told me I could put a little vaseline on the sores and that helped a bit as well. 

    Taking a bath in epsom salts feels amazing- it doesnt sting at all on the sores

    I was able to figure out that my outbreaks are triggered by stress so whenever I feel an outbreak coming on I make my self go relax- take a hot bath, read a book, whatever works for you. So far that has kept recurring outbreaks to a minimum. 

    Hope some of that helps

  • Posted

    Hello Samantha,

                             Sorry to hear you caught HSV, I've had it nearly 5 years now and I know at first I was devastated/disgusted just so emotional about it, it was horrible, I got it 6 years into my current relationship, still together, he doesn't have it, can't be certain how I got it but like you we think it was through oral, although the docs say either one of us could have had it before we met and it only just surfaced, who knows lol, I'm over having it now I just see it as a skin condition thats a pain, I'm not dirty its just unfortunate and bad luck for me, I consider myself lucky as things could always be worse.

    I suffer from a lot of outbreaks usually, I avoid wheat, nuts, chocolate lots of sugar and foods high in arginine but I'm prone to stress which triggers me, I'm currently taking antivirals because I'm due to give brith any day now and I can say they have really helped, usually when I feel an outbreak about to occur I put 100% natural tea tree oil on the area and apply as many times a day as I can, if I don't catch it in time and I have a blister I use the tea tree oil and break the blister and get it in the sore till it really stings, hold it there for about a minute and repeat a couple of times a day, it makes the blister scab over and go within a few days.

    If you like coconut oil try taking a few table spoons of organic coconut oil a day, that can also be applied to sores it stopped me from having outbreaks for months.

    I read alot of remedies on this website myhomeremedies and stories, it helped me get over it at first, chin up its not a life over virus, people with this virus still have normal lives, loves and children, its so common amoung the population but rarely talked about, don't let it get you down you will learn to manage and live with it.

    Mandy smile

  • Posted

    I used to get back to back outbreaks. I eat pineapple every day and my outbreaks have stopped. I have one large slice every day and if I feel an outbreak coming on I have an extra large slice which stops it in it tracks. I can't believe it. I have suffered for about 30 years and my outbreaks were getting worse. I read that it is the vitamin c in  Pineapple 

     However,  I used to take vitamin C tablets but did not help.

    Apparently pineapple has high C content and it is food based vitamin C.  Which is the difference.  Please try. Its cheap inexpensive and it WORKS.

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