Positive Feedback ROCKS
It’s so nice to get positive feedback from people. I recently received a note from a young lady that had this to say to me:
The page is great, one of the ones or the best that I have seen, very easy to travel, easy to read, and with a lot of help, topics, stories, and the Shut Up and Post is great! Thank you for all your work, and help… definitely God is with you, blessings to you, your husband, and the girls. ~ Glenda
If it wasn’t for people like Glenda encouraging me and letting me know the site is working I probably would have given up a very long time ago. Thanks so much for being so outspoken and positive!
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Ongoing study in Sarasota Florida
We are looking for Positive Hsv-1, Hsv-2, And Zoster patients for a study on a patented protocol. The process does not involve drugs or pharmaceuticals.
We are examining the ability to diminish out breaks or alleviate them all together. The process has already gone through trails for expedited healing and will alleviate the symptoms at first visit in most cases.
The study is going on in Sarasota FL and the facility can be reached at (941) 706-3833 we have just been sponsor for a limited number of new patients so we are in active recruitment.
The study will include Md visits, treatment, labs, and follow up. We can be reached at Applied Medical Therapies (941) 706-3833. We will treat patients from out side areas but they may not qualify for the study if they cannot return on a regular basis.
We now have several patients with over 12 months and no out breaks. Although this info is only anecdotal. Any interested individuals can call for info.
Our mailing address is:
Applied Medical Therapies
1217 East Ave South
Sarasota Fl 34239
Midtown Medical Park
Necdet Orhon MD
Medical Director e-mail address:
appliedmedical1 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Just Ask Ang :)
Anonymous asked…
HI, I’ve had Herpes for 3 years now and lately I’ve wanted to have a baby but i cant seem to get pregnant, is the HSV2 interfering with me having a baby??
The HSV-2 has never kept me from getting pregnant and I am fertile myrtle who’s had genital herpes for 12 years now. Have you discussed any of this with your doctor? It might be that you need to see a specialist that will help you figure out why you are not getting pregnant. If you want to check out my pregnancy stuff I have information posted on my Herpes Biography and my Herpes Pregnancy pages.
Eman Cipate asked…
Have you heard of BHT and how it can be used to cure herpes? here is a book called “Wipe Out Herpes With BHT” by John A. Mann and Steven Wm. Fowkes. copyright 1983
Yes, I have heard of BHT. I have a BHT Feedback page set up just for people that are wondering about it like you. Don’t fall for the hype surrounding BHT. It’s all snake oil. As for that book, it’s hogwash. There is NO WAY to wipe out the herpes virus from your body.
Filed under Yoshi2me's Buzz | Comment (0)She Sits in the Chair
I can tell she is trying to act as if being here at the std clinic isn’t a big deal.
As usual, I tell my patient that I will be good to her, take care to attempt to stick her only once to draw her blood and get her out of the chair as soon as possible with as little pain as possible.
She doesn’t respond. She is trying not to look at the needle, as do most of my patients. She is concentrating on the pictures and papers I have put on the wall to inspire my patients or to give them something “nice” to read while I am drawing their blood. For some of them it may be the only nice word they get all day. Who knows?
I make sure my words and touches are gentle and therapeutic for my patients. It may be the only “good” touch or word they get all day and I want to inspire them to give that good karma to someone else because they remember how reassuring it felt when they were uneasy and afraid. Still all of the goodness, reassurance and trust that I am attempting to pass on to this gal is hitting a brick wall. Her eyes are empty and I can tell she is asking herself all of the questions that we all ask ourselves when we are in trouble…. especially this sort of trouble…”What have I done now?, Why did I do that? Why didn’t he/she tell me?” and the all encompassing, mind boggling, “What now?”.
I ask her if she would like for me to count or just go for it? She doesn’t respond again.
She is still looking at the wall. I am hoping something has made some sense to her and she is feeling better by absorbing it a bit. I prepare the arm and begin to draw the blood. The moment the needle is inside the vein, the tears begin. Maybe the small pinch of the needle was simply the permission she needed to let go.
“May I have a tissue please?” she asks, embarrassed and sad faced, tears on their journey down her cheeks. I finish the draw, ask her to press on the cotton and reach for the paper towel dispenser telling her, “These aren’t exactly sandpaper but they also are not Puffs.” She buries her face. I do not want her to be embarrassed.
My compassion button has been pushed and activated. This is why I do this job, it is not glamorous, it does not use every skill I learned in school but having walked at least 5 miles in the shoes of every broken hearted person who sits in my chair I feel it does use the lessons - the very hard lessons - that life has taught me. One of those hard lessons is herpes. I work here for a reason. So I tell her, “I have sat in this very chair, please do not feel bad. Illness is not selective - if it is gonna get us - it is gonna get us. Illness does not care how much money we make or where we go to school or church or even what sort of car we drive.”
No response - only the constant flow of tears.
I know my patient is not going to leave the chair. She is curling up in a ball towards the wall. I grab more tissues and gently hand them to her. I push the door shut a bit.
I ask a difficult question. “Did someone hurt you? Do you need help?”
She erupts.
“YES!! He could have told me. He been my man for months and he couldn’t even tell me! His baby momma had to go and call me at 4 in the morning! I tried not to care about him having another girl; I cared about him…. he say he don’t love her but why he over there at 4 am? I tell you why….cause he already went and done this to her!
She already dead and now I’m gonna die too….he killed what I had left. Now I never gone have a baby, now no man gone want me! I’m messed up now.”
And more tears, more and more tears. I hand her more sandpaper Puffs.
I ask her “Why do you think you are messed up Boo? What did he not tell you?”
(I would like to thank whoEVER made the word “Boo” for friend. It is multi-purpose, comes off the end of your tongue, is recognized by most and sits well with my patients.)
She looks me straight in the eye for the first time since she has been in the room.
“His baby momma tol’ me! She tol’ me he has herpes and he give it to her and now she got to be careful when she has dis baby, maybe the baby will get it. I dunno if I care. I don’t wanna be hateful - I don’t want God to hate me cause I hate him but I hurt, an maybe dis isn’t all he give me. Di’we check me for hiv? Oh God! What if he gimme that too?” She is quietly breaking down in the chair. Her tears are racking her and still she tries to hold it together through this revolution - this sudden burst of painful “what ifs’.
I tell her that we have done an hiv test and it will be back before she leaves the clinic.
She is crying less now. She is trying to be big and brave again with little success.
I take her hand and look her straight in the eyes and tell her, “IF you really do have herpes - IF this is what is really happening - there is help for you. I have herpes. I am married. I have a wonderful life. This is not the end, maam; life begins over again so many times in our lives. We lose something and we gain something else.”
She looks at me as if I just told her the sky has fallen. “How do you gone stand there and tell me you have dis? You don’t act like it!” Not wanting to bring up that even a person with herpes doesn’t act a certain way, I remind her that I had told her I had sat in the same chair, felt the same way and admitted I had probably acted worse.
My patient takes her hand from mine, she stands up, I think she is going to leave the room. Have I upset her? She puts down her sandpaper Puffs - and she hugs me.
And cries a bit more. I tell her as she is hugging me that this is NOT the end and we really don’t even know if that is what it is yet. I tell her that I will be waiting when she comes out of the room with her clinician and I hope she will be smiling. In fact,
I am counting on it. I tell her if it is what the baby’s mother has told her it is - I will help her. But we will cross that bridge when we get there. I help her dry her eyes, give her one more little hug and tell her that after she gets her exam, I want her to come back and see me so I can know how she is.
There is a small light in her eyes that was not there before. She is just a tiny bit more alive than when I first saw her, a bit more hopeful perhaps. Again, she looks me straight in the eye and tells me “We gone figure dis out.” I tell her “Yes, we are.”
I believe she gave me the only small bit of a grin she had left in her. I gave her a wink and told her I would be here when her exam is done.
I am busy drawing more blood but I hear her called into a room. Her samples are taken and given to the lab. The patient is back in the waiting room nervously watching some television. In my heart I am praying the TV hasn’t been turned to Springer or some other nonsense show that might upset her. I try not to allow those types of shows in the clinic waiting room for a good reason. At the clinic we handle tough situations and on sensationalizing-type talk show, those tough situations are used as entertainment.
But she seems fine and is watching some old movie. Her Practitioner calls the patient back in. This is when they receive the results of their visit.
I am waiting.
I am stocking my room and sense someone is there, I look up, it is her…..and she is smiling! I put down my Sharps containers and she is coming into the room and she gives me another hug. NOT like the first one - no, this is so much different.
She has grabbed me and is holding me in a bear hug and patting me saying (nearly chanting!) “It izin’t herpes! It izin’t herpes! The doc say if dis is herpes he will eat his hat!” She is laughing, jovial and maybe a bit overly euphoric but hey! 20 minutes ago she said she was dead. The dead have suddenly come back to life with this bit of good news. I am elated for her.
She pulls back from our hug and pulls up her shirtsleeve, revealing a tattoo. It is a tattoo of a heart and it is made of bricks, only it is not finished. She says to me “I started this tattoo 3 years ago when my first ol’ man beat me and I ran away from him. When I get mad an’ sometime when I get hurts I go to the tattoo place and have another brick or two put in. This morning I told myself if I have the herpes I am filling it all in, ev’ry brick, and I am neva gone trust no one again, now I’m not gone do that today. I don’t have that herpes and I am happy. I am also happy not to have to go to the tattoo place cause it hurt when he does it.”
I am also very happy for my patient. She has been spared a life’s tragedy 1 in 4 of us live with every day. Many of us who are now reading this do have herpes and hopefully are making the most out of every day - despite this.
I tell her “I want you to think about not EVER having another brick tattooed onto that heart, not only because I hate to think that your young heart would be that hardened, but also because - doesn’t that mean they win? The person who hurt you and put another brink in your heart will be engraved on you and you cannot be rid of them. You will continue to carry them around with you brick by brick. Do not reward them with a permanent place on your body so that every time you see your tattoo - you remember they hurt you. Does that make any sense? Just think about it.”
I can tell that she is thinking about this. But I can also tell her little head is so full she will need time to digest all of this. She gives me a last little hug, says she has got to catch a bus, thanks me again and is gone. I think about how just 30 minutes ago she was thinking of being dead, of never trusting anyone again and of “marking herself” by her own sorrow.
I think of how much more damage she could have done to herself by possibly having a positive diagnosis of herpes - many have not survived well and did not even have a stranger to help them. These are the one’s that I worry about because that was once me. I was inconsolable when I received my diagnosis of herpes, I felt I had no one to turn to and if my furniture could talk, it would cuss me out for kicking it when I got home from the Dr’s. Appointment where I learned I have herpes. I may have damaged my furniture but I didn’t damage myself - not permanently anyway.
But I felt as if I had the word “Herpes” tattooed on my forehead. I felt as if anyone who looked at me would instantly know I have herpes. I felt “marked” by my life’s circumstance. I could not, in good conscience let this gal think that carving something so permanent and negative onto her skin was a good or productive thing. Life scars us as it is. We all have little battle scars just from living, life is hard sometimes and I felt in her case there was no extra need to advertise further.
I do not like to leave a job unfinished, but in this case, I would make an exception and not finish this heart tattoo made of bricks.
I am hoping she feels the same. I think she did when she left.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Rachael’s Journey with Herpes
OK, here’s the skinny. I am turning 38 years old this year. I was diagnosed with herpes when I was just 20 years old. I remember the day vividly. I came from the doctor and went back to work hysterical. I remember my bosses wife telling me nothing could be that bad, and that 10 years from now whatever it was wouldn’t even matter. “Yeah, right,” I thought. “You have no idea that 100 years from now it will still matter.”I had been dating a guy that had what I know now was a cold sore. I had never had one in my life, or even knew what it was. Certainly had no idea it was herpes or even contagious. I asked him what was on his lip and he responded “I was hit in the lip with a football”. I was young and naive, in love (or infatuation) and had no reason to question his answer. Little did I know that his lie would change my life forever.
Three days later my lip was swollen like a huge football. It was blister upon blister. To make matters worse about 3 weeks later I had the common “burning” sensation downtown. I immediately went to Planned Parenthood who confirmed I now had genital herpes as well. It seemed somehow, I had spread the oral outbreak to myself genitally, or perhaps through oral sex, I will never really know for sure.
For years I was in denial. Perhaps they made a mistake. It was likely an ingrown hair….I wished. All though there after, I always did use protection when having sex, just in case, I never disclosed to anyone that I had been diagnosed. Years ago it was thought you could only spread herpes through unprotected sex, or when you had an outbreak. I just made excuses for not having sex if I had any suspicion of an outbreak and thought that was enough to insure my partners safety and I would save myself the embarrassment (or rejection) of telling them. Don’t judge me, being older and wiser, I do feel a lot of guilt about that now.
I finally met someone that I instantly knew was going to be a significant person in my life. Despite the fact I wanted to be in denial I knew I had to tell him. I did, I had to cowardly write it in a letter, and was shocked that he still wanted to be with me once he read it (hey I was only 25!). We ended up having a child together and have been together for 12 years.
We are now dissolving our relationship (herpes never really had a whole lot to do with our relationship). Not because of herpes, but because we just grew out of each other.
The thought of dating again and having to reveal my secret petrifies me. I ran across this website in hopes of finding some inspiration since even though I have faced that I have it, I am still not completely comfortable sharing it with others openly, especially not new prospective partners. I have been reading on how to tell someone and what to expect their reaction to be.
I have been a little shocked at some of the stories I have read on this website. I am so sad at all the young women who feel they are doomed, or have to reach for strength to go forward, or even feel suicidal. I remember feeling that way. I found myself wondering about these women’s relationships. Part of why I stayed with my partner for years longer than it was working out, was that the idea having to disclose to a new potential partner my aliment was far to hurtful to imagine rejection. I myself have realized that having herpes doesn’t make it OK to stay with someone just because they accept that small inconvenience of your being. That is what I want to voice.
On the bright side, I can testify that I have encountered numerous people that have confided in me that they as well have herpes, not even knowing that I myself have it. I am speaking of beautiful, gorgeous people, inside and out. People should really know they are not alone. Of course that is what we are searching to verify on this website.
The irony of my finding this site for inspiration is that I didn’t find inspiration through your stories. For the most part I was saddened by the lack of self esteem of many and wanted to scream “Hey, this sucks, but it is not the end of the world!”. I didn’t even know I felt this way until reading the logs. I felt compelled to shout inspiration from my own story and am willing to share with you my experience (something I have never been open about) and hope that it will inspire others to feel less alone and less ashamed.
From what I have read 1 out of 4 people have genital herpes. 80% of America has oral herpes. We are not alone, just a lot of other sexually active people in denial. Chances are your new potential partner, knowingly or not has all ready slept with someone with herpes. You dodge the bullet, or you don’t. Non the less every sexual active person in the world has played Russian roulette.
I am still hoping to find the log that details someone’s experiences divulging the big “H” to new romantic interests. However, I have concluded that this is not the end of the world, not the biggest deal ever and we should feel beautiful, happy and proud of who we are. Having herpes does not define who we are, it is just a minor sexual inconvenience. In fact it may be a blessing in disguise. It can only eliminate who just sees our superficial self. Anyone who can view our soul will want and appreciate us.
In an ironic twist, it may lead us to the true love we never knew we deserved, or would have found without allowing someone to love us despite a minor inconvenience.
In closing..
You can’t love someone else until you love yourself!
Rachael
Read more herpes stories herpes
Read more telling stories here
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)My story on herpes and my infant with neonatal herpes
This story was sent to me so that I could repost it to share with you on my herpes stories pages… I thought it would be nice to switch things up a bit and post a few true stories on my herpes blog so my readers could find them this way too. If you would like me to post your story please send them to me as I would be more than happy to. You are more than welcome to share a photo and if you prefer to remain anonymous that is fine too… we can just go by your first name only. Ok, this next story now begins…
I have had the herpes simplex virus type 1 cold sore since 2002. Being that type 2 is genital herpes I thought that was the only type of herpes that could be contracted from sex including oral..I was wrong. My ex boyfriend had cold sores on his mouth and without knowing he had them at the time, we had oral sex and that is how I got the disease. I didn’t know it at first. It was a few years ago so I can’t remember all of the symptoms. I just remember a burning and itching feeling down there as well as very bad chills and a fever. I went in to see the gyno and she diagnosed me with herpes type 1, vaginally.
I was devastated and depressed but I got over it quickly because I realized just how common this virus is! Then a year later I met my now husband and we got engaged a year after meeting. We planned our wedding for exactly a year from when he proposed. We then got pregnant and I was ecstatic. This was our first little bundle of joy and we were sooo happy!
Well being the worry wart that I am, that led me to think about neonatal herpes. I was aware of it from doing research on the Internet. I told my gyno. at every visit how worried I was and expressed my concerns. They blew off my concerns with “Oh don’t worry, neonatal herpes is very rare” and that was that. Even though I stated time and time again I wanted a C-section because I heard the baby would have a very very low chance of acquiring the disease if I had the baby via cesarean.
Well about a month before I delivered, the gyno prescribed Valtrex. I thought she prescribed Acyclovir which is a more mild form of the anti-viral med. So I went back a couple weeks later and she gave me an Acyclovir prescription. I took that medicine for 12 days up until the baby was born. I delivered vaginally per doctor’s advice, going against my gut instinct. Well I had NO SYMPTOMS of any herpes outbreak coming on. Truthfully, I even forgot about my whole worrying about the baby getting herpes when I was in labor. I remember the doctor telling me she was putting a fetal scalp monitor in me to monitor the baby’s heart rate I believe. But later on I read that if you have herpes DO NOT let the doctor use a fetal scalp monitor, because that punctures a little skin of the baby and the herpes virus could seep in.
Well, a week after we had our beautiful baby home I noticed a red bump on his leg that later turned into a blister. I honestly still didn’t think anything of it and took him to the doctor for his normal check up and I pointed out the blister and the doctor mentioned to me that she thought it was herpes. My heart sank at that point. All of the worrying before I had the baby came flooding back. It was like an ocean of worry that I had built up all 9 months of my pregnancy flooding me and knocking me down, when I heard those words: “I think it’s herpes”.
Without even having the blood work or any of the testing done I knew in my heart my baby had contracted the cold sore virus from me. We took him to the hospital and they did spinal taps on him and hooked him up to an IV. It was a nightmare I was living. To see my beautiful baby in a hospital, potentially dying or severe brain damage because of a disgusting disease picked up during sex. The thought of that just made me so sick- I felt the world was coming to an end for me..
My husband stood by me the whole time and was there standing strong for both me and him. Luckily he knew I had the cold sore virus and he knew how I always went to my gyno during my pregnancy scared shit. So although we were both scared and horrified, it wasn’t a guessing game as to how he got it. We stayed with our baby for 2 days before we got the results. They came back that he had HSV 1 skin eye mouth disease. So far the spinal taps came back negative- Thank God, I thank God every day. But at the same time he is now almost 5 months old and doctors say he could STILL get encephalitis or the herpes virus can come out and attack his organs. I am very angry at the gynecologists for not listening to my concerns. She should have never used a fetal scalp monitor on me, knowing that I had herpes. She was very careless with my baby and my body- I truly hate this person. To walk around with hatred is no good, but I have to worry every day about my baby’s disease..that could have been prevented provided I had good doctors looking after me.
This is a warning to all women who have herpes and want to or are pregnant. I don’t want other babies out there getting this virus. Please make sure if you choose to have a vaginal birth that the doctors don’t use a device called a fetal scalp monitor. Make sure you request herpes cultures to be taken during your last month of pregnancy to make sure that there is no viral shedding. The virus could be present with no symptoms, known as asymptomatic shedding. I think that is what I had at the time of delivery. It scares me to know that you can have the virus present at the time of delivery and not know it. The doctor can’t do a culture test at the time of delivery because it takes a few days to get the results back.
They say it’s rare for a baby to acquire the disease but it DOES happen. It happened to my baby. If you personally feel it is worth having a C-Section, because that reduces the risk of giving your baby neonatal herpes (There is still a change the baby can get the virus while he/she is in the womb..that is called in utero , meaning they acquired it in the uterus) please get the c- section. I know I will with my next. Although it is a very rare disease, it does happen. 1 in 3000 doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you are the 1 like I am out of the 3000, that ain’t nothing but a damn number. I think because neonatal herpes is so rare, doctors take a pregnant women having herpes lightly… and the consequences to that child are deadly.
Note from Angela:
Obviously I don’t agree that women with herpes should be forced to have C-sections. C-sections are major surgery and should only be used (in my opinion) as a last resort. Furthermore, a baby can not contract herpes while inside of Mom. A mother who has had herpes prior to becoming pregnant shares her antibodies with her unborn child. For those who have yet to read my herpes pregnancy story you can do so here…
I’m sure Laura shared her story as best she could but I’m also suspecting that there might be parts of her story she doesn’t understand. Even so… I went ahead and decided to go ahead and post it because after all… it’s her story to share. If you have read this story and would like to share your opinion as well, feel free to leave a comment.
Having herpes when you’re pregnant
Pregnant and worried about STDS
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)I won’t settle because I’m more than that and so are you!
I’ve been diagnosed just for 4 months. My “donor” knew he had it and chose not to disclose. So, from the betrayal and my new dx, I have done the crying, feeling undateable, unlovable, angry and betrayed phase.
But, kept my faith in God. It was trying at times, but still there.
I know that rejection is hard. But, I feel as I’ve been told by Angela and Libby that not everyone will respond that way. You don’t have to settle. And, so, I haven’t. I was told that I would be laughing at what I had felt originally next year. I think, I will be coming close to that assumption.
I’ve met guys that have had “H” and those who haven’t. I didn’t want to go into a relationship with someone who had it because my choices were “now” limited. Then you are just wasting their time and yours. It has the be the real deal. In other words, don’t just be with someone because you share the same “skin condition”. Have the same beliefs, value system, interests, compatibility, etc.
I have told five guys that didn’t have it. One said, “That’s common, I always see those Valtrex commercials at night. I didn’t end up having a relationship with him. He said, “but, I’m willing to accept you”. But, I told him that I wasn’t willing to accept him.
Another guy, said “he was scared of it”. But, has since changed his mind and called me to ask me out. I didn’t call him back.
Another guy said, it’s all about balance. And that I had a lot of other things to offer.
Another guy said, he has friends that have it and he dated a girl in college that had it. He chuckled. He thought I was going to tell him something “serious”.
And, I just told someone I had went out with just once. He told me he didn’t care and still wanted to see me. He said that a guy that would care was just looking for casual sex and not love or anything long term. . And, they weren’t worth my time. He also offered to go to my local herpes help meeting to tell others the same. He wants to let my group know that those that reject aren’t worth your time. I told him and he said he doesn’t care and doesn’t change his opinion of me at all. He told me that he respected me telling him and that it must have been hard.
Now, I don’t know where I will end with this. Or, even, if any relationships will evolve from what I have so far experienced. I still won’t settle for someone just because they will accept me or that we have the same dx. I’m more than that and so are you…..
So, thanks Angela & Libby and everyone else for being their for support.
Part of the serenity prayer…. It’s what keeps me going…
God, grant the serenity for the things that I cannot change (Can’t change the fact that I have herpes and that some people will prejudge me)
The courage to change the things I can (my attitude, and how I CHOOSE to react to it. How I choose to come to peace with it. I can only control my reactions and my journey to having peace with it and how it will or will not define me. No one else can.. And choosing to forgive those that have harmed you. Its not for them, its for you. This was the HARDEST for me. But, it is possible, even without an apology.)
And the wisdom to know the difference….
~ F
* You can also find Angela and Libby hanging out over on Picking Up the Pieces & Shut Up N Post!
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Heartland Clinical Research, Inc. is here in Omaha
Heartland Clinical Research, Inc. is conducting a clinical research trial to evaluate an investigational medication for the treatment of genital herpes. You must be 19 or older and have had at least 4 outbreaks in the past year.
At no cost to you, the trial is completely confidential and you will be compensated for your time and travel. Please call 402-502-9364 to schedule an appt. Heartland Clinical Research, Inc. is located on 90th and Blondo, Omaha, NE.
When you call or meet with them face-to-face please let them know that Angela Stevens referred you. I am getting credit for the referral and just want to make sure that they know you found this information via Me! 
I am 17 and I have Genital Herpes
Hi my name is Sara, I am 17 and I have genital herpes. I began reading everyone’s stories and I really haven’t been able to talk to anyone about the pain and suffering you go through with this type of STD so I decided to tell my story.
I was born and raised in a strict apostolic church and wasn’t really exposed to the outside world until I stopped attending at the age of sixteen. I wasn’t as experienced as the rest of the kids my age so I did as much partying and drugs as I could to catch up with them.
I had a few drunken one night stands and started to get a bad reputation so I quit having casual sex. I found myself a boyfriend and we were together for two years.
We broke up about 4 months ago and I started looking for someone to fill that void. I met a guy at a party I attended and we hit it off great. He was a perfect gentleman and never rushed a thing. In fact I had to kiss him first.
We started dating and started an intimate relationship as well. About a month ago I found out he had given me genital herpes.But he had not and to this day does not have any signs or symptoms.
I began having an itching sensation in my groin area. My first initial thought was a yeast infection so I ignored it and went to on with my day. When night came around the itching became extremely intense and it was burning incredibly bad.
I tried lying in bed that night but I was so incredibly uncomfortable and I was crying hysterically from pain. The only position I could bare was sitting slightly slanted backwards so I slept sitting up.
I told my mom to schedule me an appointment to figure out what was wrong. When we went to the clinic they asked me to urinate into a cup for some tests.
When I went to the bathroom I was in so much pain from the burning I vomited and I couldn’t walk without intense pain. When the doctor told me the news I shrunk way down into my chair and began weeping uncontrollably.
I was so mad because I wasn’t supposed to get something as disgusting as this. I was in a healthy, natural, all American, monogamous relationship. Whenever I thought of someone with herpes I thought of someone who had slept around.
I just couldn’t help but feeling like the biggest whore on earth. I was angry because there are prostitutes and whores out there and they are cleaner then a whistle.
I was disgusting, who the hell would want me now, I kept saying to myself. Then people began to talk because a few “close friends” my boyfriend told weren’t such good of friends after all.
That more than anything was one of the worst experiences out of the whole ordeal because they didn’t understand that it wasn’t because I was sleeping with lots of people. People who don’t know are quick to judge and I hated my good name being smeared all over the town.
But things got a little better and I am slowly coping with my disease. I am still with my boyfriend, whom is now my fiancé and life is looking up. Now I just keep telling myself that it is not that big of a deal and that I can go on living. So I try to go on living everyday.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)You know a lot about breast cancer, but what do you know about cervical cancer?
You know a lot about breast cancer, but what do you know about cervical cancer? Everyone knows about the “one less” ads promoting the Gardasil vaccine, but what do they really know about Human Papamillovirus?
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. You can get it from skin-to-skin contact, even if you have protection.
Men can carry the disease but there is no test for them. Most people don’t even show any symptoms of the disease.
A new campaign called Tune In HPV has risen around this issue and has provided a safe space for people to share stories. Our Web site, www.tuneinhpv.com, provides a place to share your story about HPV. It doesn’t matter whether you had the disease, knew someone who had it, or wanted to share something distantly related. We are open to anything that promotes HPV awareness.
We plan on making videos from the submitted stories and posting them on the Web site as well. These videos are short, off beat, humorous at times, and always informational. We hope that visitors will gain knowledge while being entertained by watching our videos. We are not in any way trying to give our medical advice to people, please seek your doctor for that. We are simply here to provide a place for people’s stories.
Our information is supported by the Washington D.C. Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control. Tune in HPV is a grass roots campaign built through the School of Communication at American University by a Communication and Social Change course.
We want to encourage you to “tune in” to the knowledge within you and to protect yourself from HPV. We want to hear what you know, what you’ve experienced, and we want to make you laugh and think.
Be sure and let Giovanna Chesler, our executive producer, know what you think of tuneinhpv.com at chesler@american.edu
Another place to share your HPV story
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