Can you believe two talk show radio hosts accused Magic Johnson of faking having AIDS? It’s been floating around on the internet and I believe Magic Johnson is ticked off about it. I don’t blame him because he has made it his life’s work to educate people about HIV and AIDS.
Hi, I’m a member of the pup group. I’ve had herpes for about 12 years, and in that time I’ve pretty much shy ed away from any relationship. I’m always reading the messages and get inspiration and strength and support from your website and pup.
I finally plucked up the courage to start dating, and I’ve fallen for someone who at this stage i will assume doesn’t have herpes. I’ve read all the telling stories to give me courage, but my problem is that I’m so petrified of having the talk.
When I read the westover heights, I feel a bit ok, but once I get onto wikepedia the info looks scary and I feel like that would scare him off if he ever looked at that. I also feel that the only way i would feel comfortable having the talk is writing it all down in a letter and having him read it while I’m there.
Could you please give me any tips and advice, it would be truly appreciated because right now, just thinking about it makes me feel sick. – Anonymous
Hi Anonymous,
I think it’s normal to feel this way. I don’t blame you for not wanting him to see the wikepedia herpes entry. It’s a bit over the top. In fact, I think the people that put that page together are looking at worse case OR text book scenarios that you might find in a medical school setting.
If it were me, I would take your time getting to know him. Give him a chance to get to know you. You don’t know if you are going to have sex with him or not. In fact, you could put sex on the back burner until you think that this is the right guy for you. When things start getting a bit more serious and you think that yoru relationship is headed in that direction, then you can sit down and have a talk with him.
You also have to remember that’s it’s not just about your status. It’s about his status too. So make a date and plan to get tested together so that you will both know what you are dealing with. If you want to share a resource with him then share our story. It was written from my partner’s perspective.
Good Luck! =]
Here’s the situation:
I do not know if Im having a OB no sore on my genital, my butt hurt some and between my legs, also feels like I have swollen lymph nodes in my armpits and near my chest. what can this be. I feel like this all the time almost. do you have OB every day if you dont take meds?
Here’s what I think:
I don’t know if you are having an outbreak either. The best thing you can do is to track your symptoms and stay in touch with your doctor who will be the best person you can count on to help you. You might even give your doctor a call and communication what’s happening to you so they will know what to do. After all, what if your symptoms are not herpes related?
I have had genital herpes for 13 years so no, I do not get outbreaks every single day. In fact, I hardly ever get outbreaks as compared to when I first contracted herpes. If I do get an outbreak I tend to take 500 mg of Valtrex twice daily and that seems to do the trick in about two or three days time.
Hope that helps!
Kelly Osbourne has admitted to routine STD testing at least 4 times a year. That’s a lot of STD testing! But is she being tested for all STD’s when she is being tested? I wonder if she knows not all STD’s are included in the routine STD testing process.
Hat Tip: I have four STD tests a year, admits Kelly Osbourne
Here’s the situation:
I have hsv-1 genitally. I contracted it from oral sex with my boyfriend. He had a cold sore and didnt think anything about it. We are still together but he says he wont have sex with me until we are married. I can understand that because he doesnt want to get it too. It also hurts because it feels like he is doubting if we will last. I want to be with him but I am not ready to get married, I am only 19.
Then again, to me it seems very selfish because I trusted him and he gave me this. I don’t know if we can make this work because we both see the situation differently. I don’t want to have to wait to have sex because it doesnt feel like he is even sexually attracted to me anymore. It might be because I am already insecure about myself, but do you know anything about our situation?
Since he already has cold sores wouldn’t he have some antibodies against type 1.? Can i still transmit it to him genitally or orally? I just don’t know how to make our relationship better, but I think that being able to have sex would help us intimately. I am still embarrassed about it and scared. I just need some help or support. I would really be grateful if you could email me back. Even if you could shed some relationship feedback. I just really need some help. I just cant stop thinking about this and want to get on with my life. Thank you for listening. – Anonymous
Here’s my response:
Ok, he says he won’t have sex with you until you are married. What does he think oral sex is?
He already have Herpes Type-1. You contracted it from him, remember? You might want to remind him that he already has it.
Having sex with him is not going to make the two of you connect better. The fact is, if you can’t connect before having sex then there isn’t much hope that it will get better by having sex. You can’t make somebody love you and I would hope that you wouldn’t want to.
I think deep down inside you probably know that he isn’t the right one for you. Don’t waste any more precious time with him. You have your entire life ahead of you and there are so many good men out there that would love and cherish you for who you are.
If you think that you have poor self esteem then maybe you need to be by yourself for awhile so you can figure out who you are. If you are happy with you then you will be even more happy when the right person does come along.
At 19 the last thing you should be thinking about is getting married. This is the time in your life to go to school, travel, have fun with your friends… be free!
Hope this helps – Angela
San Francisco, CA – San Francisco STD officials will unveil the City’s newest system to ensure that San Francisco residents have better access, greater convenience, and easier choices in personal STD testing for people at risk for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and herpes.
A confidential online testing resource, www.STDTest.org, is a collaboration between Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) and the San Francisco Department of Public Health – STD Prevention and Control. It will be presented Wed. Sept. 24, 11:30 a.m. at Gotham Tattoo Parlor (3991 17th St. at Market), one of seven participating lab testing locations.
Through STDTest.org, individuals print their own lab slips and locate a nearby testing site to provide their samples. Test results then arrive within three to five days, accessible online by a unique identifier (PIN). HIV test results are delivered on the phone by a trained counselor. The Department of Public Health will ensure all persons who test positive for an STD receive information on treatment options as soon as possible, whether through City Clinic or their own healthcare provider.
“STDTest.org demonstrates an effective partnership to match new technology and creative resources with local prevention, testing and treatment options, particularly for gay men and young adults,” said Deb Levine, ISIS Executive Director. “Providing accessible and free tools that empower people to take charge of their own sexual health is key in reducing disease in our community.”
After several years of declining syphilis rates in San Francisco, the number of reported cases of early syphilis for the first half of 2008 was 274, up nearly 35% compared to the same period in 2007. In 2007, 595 cases of rectal chlamydia and 494 cases of rectal gonorrhea were diagnosed among men who have sex with men in the city, while the rate of chlamydia among African-American adolescents was over 7 times that of white adolescents.
Through a safe, easy, and secure online payment mechanism, STDTest.org users can “Pay it Forward”– donating a test to family, friends, loved ones, or someone in need– allowing the entire community to benefit from information and services available.
“While frequent testing for individuals can ensure individual sexual health and disease prevention, we also recognize most testing services do not come without a price,” said Levine. “We remain committed to offering STDTest.org for free to any San Francisco resident in need of testing, especially those reluctant or unable to seek medical care for STDs, relying upon community generosity instead of usage fees.” In-kind services have already been donated by Paypal, and a starting “Pay it Forward” donation from an anonymous funder.
Everyone Can “Pay it Forward” While “Playing It Safe”
I came across a couple of YouTube clips where Fran Drescher is on promoting her CancerSchmancer.org site.
She was saying in the clips that it’s been seven years that she has been free and clear of cancer. She also thinks that everyone should have the HPV Vaccine. If everybody would have the HPV vaccine then we wouldn’t have to worry about the HPV virus turning into cancer.
Personally, I think it’s kinda cool that Fran Drescher is putting a famous face to the HPV virus as well as Cervical Cancer.
Here are the questions:
ok so my boyfriend and i both have HSV-1 but his is oral and mine is genital. is it possible to get it in more than one place? or for one place thats already infected to get even worse? I guess what im trying to get at is can i still get it on my face from making out w/ him or vise-versa? and also, since mine is genital is it still possible for me to transmit it through my saliva?
PS. your site has really helped me out a lot and has made me feel better about myself even with this problem.
Here’s what I think:
HSV-1 is usually oral OR genital. Very rarely is it both oral AND genital.
No, the location that you already have it in isn’t going to get worse. Outbreaks vary from person to person. The 1st time outbreak is usually the worst but then after you’ve had it for a great deal of time it can diminish.
Genital herpes doesn’t travel to other parts of the body. People with genital herpes tend to have viral activity below the belt line inside the boxer shorts area. Poeple with oral herpes tend to have viral activity in the oral facial area.
Read this when you get a chance: HSV-1 and HSV-2
I’m so glad you enjoyed the site and that it’s giving you hope. Kudos!
Today and for the entire month of October, Picking Up the Pieces will be celebrating 10 years of help people with HSV, HPV and other STD’s.
We are proud of the work that we have done over the years and look forward to many more!
Don’t be a stranger! Come and Celebrate with us!
October marks 10 years that we have had this online support group together, Picking Up the Pieces. Yes, we will be 10 years old this month! Can you believe it? (That’s Today!)
I’ve got some surprises in store. Not sure what yet but I can tell you that we are going to have fun this month! So if you have any friends that you think would benefit from being in the group please invite them to join!
