Sexual Health Buzz

I can’t say “thank-you” enough for your website. I have read a lot about herpes and most of it is written in medical terms. Its great to hear someone’s personal story.

A little over a year ago I had my first Herpes outbreak and needless to say I freaked out! I had been with my boyfriend, now fiance, for 4 months and words could not express my anger/regret at what had happened to me.

He was shocked and told me he had never had an outbreak on his genitals of any kind. I cried and cried and he did his best to console me. Once the results came back the doctor told me that the outbreaks were due to HSV 1 and that I had contracted it from having had oral sex. Bummer.

I was stressed and depressed and had another outbreak about 2 months later. And then in August of 2008 I became pregnant. We were both so happy and my outbreaks stopped all together.

I was outbreak free for 6 1/2 months and then had another outbreak in January of this year. I was getting used to not having any. Right now I am 34 weeks pregnant and will begin suppressive therapy in week 36.

I have faith in the good lord that he will protect my child and myself and that everything will go well during the birth and afterward. Its been a year since my first outbreak and I pray everyday that one day Herpes wont be on my mind constantly.

This personal story was sent in my Rebecca with the hope that it would help somebody out there cope. Thank you so much Rebecca!

Read more about herpes and pregnancy

Pregnant and Worried about STDS? – Come chat w/us!

I was diagnosed with Herpes about 14 years ago. I have allowed it to limit and control me for most of that time. In many ways it has helped me to not get involved with people who did not deserve my energy. But in many other ways it has stopped me from living my life.

On November 4, 2008 I was diagnosed with Invasive Breast Cancer, Stage II. I’ve had a modified radical mastectomy, and just last week finished chemo. My current journey of learning how to cope with this particular diagnosis has finally in many ways put my herpes diagnosis into some perspective. Thinking about herpes now, I realize it can always be worse. Herpes won’t kill you, and it only limits you if you choose to let it. I chose to let it for many years. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not standing at my door shouting to the world I have herpes, but I do realize that it is not the worst thing life can deal you.

To everyone facing any devastating diagnosis, please remember, there are always things that are worse. Choose to live a full and happy life, whatever you define that to be. I’m finally working on making that my choice.

God Bless,
Mzlittlebird

“Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

Mzlittlebird shared this with all of us on Picking Up the Pieces and she encouraged me to share it with you here on my blog. I hope it will give all of you some perspective and hope.

In recognition of STD Awareness Month in April, ASHA is offering 10% OFF all products in our catalog, all month long! Want to order in advance? Just enter coupon code STDA0309 at checkout to get 10% off orders placed in March.

All health education materials are NOT the same! See our full line of affordable, high quality and award-winning publications at www.ashastd.org.

While ASHA no longer distributes a print catalog, you can download a printable version of our product catalog at our online store.

I’ve had HSV for about 6 months or so. I caught it from a new partner who says she had no idea she was infected. I was so annoyed and hurt that I ended the relationship but we have recently become friends again. She is still adamant that she has no outbreaks and I now believe her. Just goes to show how easy it is to pick up this bloody virus!

My initial episode was pretty bad and my Dr gave me Valtrex for it. I was then o/b free for about 5 weeks but a sexual encounter kicked it off again. My Dr then gave me Acyclovir which also worked. This cycle continued for a few months and I noticed that the medication seemed to work on the initial o/b BUT that it also seemed to merely postpone a more severe o/b until the medication had finished. At this point the o/b came back worse than ever so I decided to stop with the medication and look for another solution.

I tried Herpeset which did nothing for me except lighten my wallet considerably. I then tried Dynamiclear and have found as follows:

The 1st time I used it it cleared up a very minor o/b overnight and I was initially very happy. The next o/b was a lot harsher and I used Dynamiclear again. It cleared the ulcers quickly but I noticed that another o/b developed immediately in a new location that I’ve never had an o/b on before (I usually get o/b in two places). I treated this o/b with Dynamiclear and another o/b broke out in a new area again! This one was treated and another o/b broke out in the original place BUT this o/b is so small that I almost didn’t notice it. It consists of 2 tiny scratches and no blisters or ulcers. I have just treated this latest o/b so will have to see how this one pans out. All this has taken just 5 days which is pretty quick to have 4 separate o/bs.

I have read other reviews stating that there can be an initial game of ‘chase the virus around the penis’ but that it settles down sooner or later. I hope it’s sooner in my case because I’m bored of the game now but it could all be worth it.

This product review was sent in by Al.

I wanted to share my story with everyone… I wrote you when I first found out I was HSV positive but before the actual results came in. People who has posted their stories have really helped me so I wanted to help as well.

It was well… the beginning of 09, what a way to bring in the new year. I was so scared. I am 23 years old, in the midst if finally finding that amazing someone after quite a few heart aches. I had sore in my genital area and I knew it was not right… I was thinking Herpes but then I thought no way.

The sores where there for a couple days and I couldn’t take it anymore, they were getting worse. I called the doctors to get in right away because I had no idea what was going on.

I then proceeded to call my boyfriend whom I ended up waking up since he works all night at the hospital. He is a med student and a very busy guy. I felt bad for waking him up and he asked if he could call me later and I said yes. But he could hear just in my tone that something was wrong so he asked if I was okay and I just broke out into tears.

He tried to calm me down and reassured me that if it was herpes it wasn’t from him, he had been tested for everything just a couple months back so he said he would go get tested again and to let him know what the outcome was and we would work around it. He was the one telling me about herpes and the different strains and how I could have gotten it a long time ago and had never had an outbreak. I guess being a med student has its benefits. I was still very upset.

I went to the doctors several hours later… the day was dragging on, I felt like i sat in that waiting room for hours and when she examined me and just by looking at it she said she was pretty sure it was the HSV virus, I felt my heart sink. All the worry, am I going to lose this amazing guy I had met just three months prior, where did I get this, will he stay with me? I felt so incredibly dirty.

After I left the office, I called him… no answer. Waiting for him to call me back was horrible. When he finally did, I saw it was him calling and just broke out in tears. How was I going to tell him that its more than likely this horrible virus. I told him straight out that she was pretty sure it was and that she put me on Valtrex. I cried even harder when I asked him if he was sure he wasn’t going to leave me. He said “babe, I told you that I like you and that we can work around this. I am not going to leave you because of this.”

When the doctor called me to tell me I was positive with HSV 1 I was a bit more relieved that it was the lesser of the two “evils” and my boyfriend was also glad to hear this news, it was the strain he thought I had too. When I told him, he asked me how I was and just hugged me. He kept asking me showing that he cared.

Months went by and our sexual relationship slowed down a lot because of his busy schedule. Then being all paranoid I got myself thinking that maybe he was just making up excuses not to come over, not to make love with me because I was HSV positive.

That all changed when he finally had time to come spend some time with me in his busy schedule. We were making out and it got to the point where we stopped and looked at each other, he told me he was debating whether or not to just go for it like we had in the past without a condom or to just put one on. I told him it was up to him, that I know he is clean and that he knows I’m not. He is well aware of the chances and we ended up not using one. Later he told me that he didn’t care, that he plans on being with me for a long time anyways. I just hugged him and smiled.

Here I was worried that he had been staying away because of it but here he is not caring and willing to take the chances. If he isn’t the most amazing guy I have ever met, I don’t think one exists.

~ Kristen

Do you have a story you would like to share?

If you do, send it to me and I will be more than happy to post it for you.

Dear Angela,

My story is about my herpes that I have genitally and on my right hand. I’m 50 now and contracted both when I was about 18. I suspect that I auto-inoculated my hand or received the hand herpes from the man I was seeing. I remember going to a community clinic and getting the diagnosis of genital herpes. I was shocked by its permanence. I believe it was soon after that that I had an outbreak on my hand.

Through my 20’s I had outbreaks about every few months – both genitally and on my hand. Each time I treated with Acyclovir, but did not use it suppressively. Frankly, I don’t know whether I have 1 or 2. If I actually had a test way back when, I do not remember the results.

From about my 30’s on, the outbreaks have been very rare, every few years or less often. During my 40’s I had only a few.

I managed a 20 year relationship with my now ex-husband without him developing any outbreaks. I think it was our care. Of course, I cannot be sure he didn’t have asymptomatic H, because he was never tested.

Also, I had 2 children. My son was born vaginally, my daughter by C section due to other problems. I realize that I’m very lucky there were no problems due to herpes because even though my providers knew my condition, there did not seem to be much concern about it.

Just last week I had a very bad outbreak on my hand and it brings back to me how disabling Herpes Whitlow is. It is very painful with all of the prodrome symptoms. There are 7 – 8 blisters on my palm near the “lifeline”, so that it becomes irritated every time I use my hand or thumb. I refrain from touching anyone, my kids, friends, or patients (I’m a healthcare provider). I wear a band aid to cover it because it is so unsightly and because I think it will prevent shedding on surfaces. I worry about this even though I read that the virus does not live long on surfaces.I worry about food preparation and use mostly my left hand. I worry, too, that the band aid itself traps moisture and warmth, prolonging the outbreak. I wash my hands often and keep the right hand away from my left hand, my face and actually any other body part. I don’t shake anyone’s hand but do not explain why. Next week I go to a big conference and will continue to refrain from contact – hand shaking – because I know the blisters will not be completely cleared by then.

I would really love to hear from others who deal with Herpes on more prominent body parts such as their hands. I would also love to read studies that have more information about herpes on the hand and any risks of spreading it via contact with surfaces. I’d also like to know how far away from the outbreak site the shedding can take place. For example, can shedding occur at other areas of the dermatome?

Thank you for your helpful site. Even though I have very rare outbreaks it is important for me to remember that I am a person with herpes and need to take great care in any relationships. Right now I am between relationships and since my 20’s have been honest about my condition. Each time it is still so difficult to tell, however I agree with all your writers that say it is the absolute right thing to do. All my best to you for your good work.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

It was really good to come across your site. I got hsv1 just three months ago both oral and genital. My boyfriend was having an oral outbreak that neither of us noticed and he spread it to me. For a week I had no idea what on earth was wrong with me. It hurt like omg awful.

No one connected his oral herpes to my genital and oral. About a week went by before visiting planned parenthood. The nurse practically finished my sentences. They gave my acyclovir and one receptionist told me tea tree oil would dry the blisters fast.

My initial ob was cleared with acyclovir. I have had two more oral ob. This one right now is not going away with acyclovir. I went to walgeeens and bought tea tree oil.

I have been dabbing the oil on my lip with a q tip every 15 minutes or so. It’s been an hour and a half and that huge yellowish blister is now reduced to a round reddish spot. I am absolutely amazed and thought I should take the time to share this with you.

Hi, Is Herpes 1 and 2 contagious if a condom is not used when having intercourse?

Here’s more information on HSV-1 and HSV-2

It’s always a good idea to protect yourself if you are going to have sex. Condoms are good to use but you have to remember that they are not 100% effective in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Why is that? Because a condom does not cover the entire genital area and they are not always used correctly by the people having sex.

With that in mind, is it possible to contract herpes even if you use a condom? Sure it is! In fact, I’ve known people that have admitted to contracting herpes even with religious use of condoms.

Hope that helps to answer your question. If you have more questions feel free to send them in. You can find a listing of frequently asked questions here OR on our message board here.

There is a lot of talk lately about how horrible we are because we have herpes and how we should be all poor me because we have to discuss our herpes status with someone prior to having sex with them.

Tonight I was looking through some old movies and found a copy of some Winnie the Pooh shows I had forgotten I taped for my nephew. My two favorite characters on Winnie the Pooh are Eeyore and Tigger. Two extremes in life.

Eeyore. “Thanks for noticing” Monotone voice and just a slow outlook on life. Eeyore is how I see some of you. Just plodding through life. Sad. Forgetting the joys of life.

Tigger. He’s bouncy bouncy fun fun fun fun. But the wonderful thing about Tigger is I’m the only one. The most wonderful thing about ALL OF US is that we are the only one. Every one of us is the unique person we were meant to be by which ever God we believe in.

We have a choice in life, STD or not. Herpes or not. HPV or not. We can choose to live life as an Eeyore or a Tigger or somewhere in between. While Eeyore is fun to watch for a short period of time, do you really want to life your life walking around thinking poor me.

I choose to live my life as Tigger. Embracing my uniqueness in life. I choose not to allow a stupid little bug or 2 to control my life.

Written by Mo

Mistakes

A poison runs through my veins

After all the dirt and anguish

Of the days aftermath is washed away

After I step into that warm steady stream

And scrub away the filth … still an infection

Runs through my blood

No matter the vaccine or energy wasted

On trying it stays although it does not kill

Me … I wish it would.

To not have to deal with

The stigma or discomfort of this toxin

To fear another’s love or touch of my skin

In fear I might spread this venom I keep searching

For the antidote to help what wears on my spirit

Tampering with my soul.

Looking at the past when I was

So free and healthy now I’m shackled by this poison that

Follows me through my years … trapped in this whole new world

Turned upside down.

To think you’re invisible until it finds you.

To not have a care in the world and think your untouchable

And then your touched … you cannot change what you’ve done

And it cannot be undone but now all to do is to just move forward and

Lessen the pain that this brings and learn to live with it.

Written by dealwitat18

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