Question:
I just want to say that the people who post their experiences on here are
about the coolest people ever. I had so many fatalistic notions when I
first got sick and felt so alone. From all I've read and heard prior, I
had no hope concerning living with H. However, many of the posters on
here seem to view having H as a challenge to be overcome, rather than as a defeat to catalogue amongst life's failures. All I know, is that I'm
going to do everything possible to find out how to beat, or at least
weaken, it most effectively.

Right now the toughest thing for me will be starting on a healthy
lifestyle. It's so hard because I've been using substances and escapism as a means to ease my worries. I've got to lay off the booze, the coffee, the late nights... I guess a lot of the things I enjoy in life. I'm young, and my friends like to party. So it going to be tough. How have other people shifted
their lifestyles to deal with herpes? What was your catalyst? I'm just
keeping my eyes on the prize of being outbreak free (or virtually so).

Another question: this may get me in trouble, as I'm not sure such talk
is allowed on here, but I was wondering if anyone on here is a regular
cannabis user. I haven't found that it actually causes outbreaks, but I'm
worried it could be weakening my immune system. However, it's properties
as a relaxer have been something I sorely need while initially coping with
this.

Another question: I've had two partners, and either could have conceivably given this to me, as I understand it can lie dormant for a while. However, my first noticable outbreak didn't occure until about a week after sex with my last boy (Boy2). I hadn't had sex with anyone else in over a year, and I've lost contact with that boy (Boy1) so I don't know if he has it. Boy2 had no visible symptoms either, and I find it hard to believe he gave me this as I loved him a lot. I don't know how to approach him. do I say that I possibly could have had asymptomatic herpes when we slept together? Do I tell him he probably gave it to me?

This ended up being mad long... sorry.



:wink:

Answer:
Hi! My boyfriend and I just recently found out that we both have it. We have been together for over a year then one day we wake up both feel like we have colds and three days later we both have our first outbreak. It has been a really crazy last month. We don't know who gave it to who. One of us could have had it for years we both have never had any symptoms. Were not placing any blame on eachother, and it would be virtually impossible to figure out who we got it from. Now it's just something we deal with we have checked out every book possible from the library and are trying to best educate ourselves because our doctors were not very helpful. I smoke herb and have found it to not bother me at all. but it does weaken the immune system I would assume. I also am young and like to drink and stay up late. I just cut back I don't drink as much and have tottaly quit smoking cigs. I started working out everyday and eating healthy and I feel awesome. I also try to get my 8 hours of sleep on the weekdays. I hope that helps ya.

Answer:
hi i am a cannabis user also! i read on the paper to not use DRUGS, ALCOHOL, SMOKE CIGGERETTES, CHOCOLATE, OR COFFEE. my life seriously revolves around these things. i dont know what to do. i totaslly nderstand your need to settle down and become outbreak free. im 22 and all my friends like to party also... but instead of my problem being what im going to wear that night, its going to be am i going to outbreak free? i just dont know what to do. This forum has helped me so mucha lready in the past 30 minutes. i cannot beleive there are so many people like me out there who are having the same feelings of pain. emotional and physical. None of my friends can relate to me.. so if eel so alone and lost. please give me some encouragement!!!

Answer:
It's sounds like we're in very similar if not identical boats. In the past year since I started getting outbreaks, I have noticed very little difference in regards to whether or not I was drinking a lot. Incredibley, I think stress plays a much more important role. But I almost never seem to be completely free of this shit. One guy on here said that it isn't the alcohol itself which activates the virus, which makes sense, but rather the dehydration caused by drinking. So, stay hydrated. It'll keep you from getting hangovers too.
Weed... can't and won't stop it. I honestly think it's keeping me sane. The most common sense thing I can think of in terms of supressing the virus is not letting things get on your nerves or agitate you. Remember that this shit is a disease of the nervous system, not the skin, so one factor has got to be not putting an undue toll on those nerves. Everyone on here seems to be suggesting meditation, yoga, deep breathing, etc. I've been going for long walks. We'll see...
In regards to all the vitamens and supplements, etc, and even increasing your fitness... They seem most important in terms of bolstering your immune system so it can defeat the virus once it starts to reactivate. I read in some paper on HSV that I found online that they think the immune system plays very little role in the virus remaining latent. The virus is practically invisible to the immune system at that time. However, if you're in good health, then your immune system can more efficiently attack it the next time it reactivates.
I have yet to try any actual medication for this because so many resources said that they decrease in frequency in severity with time. I've never had particularly bad outbreaks, but they're not getting any better or infrequent. I'm starting to think about suppressive therapy, maybe. It's too bad that I'm so scared of the medical establishment.
I've read a lot on here about oxygen related therapies, and most make little sense to me. I know that the virus can't survive in oxygen rich environments. Ozonated water and air doesn't sound bad for you or anything, but how is this oxygen transmitted to the ganglia at the base of you spine? Another little fact is that your body has a max rate at which it absorbs oxygen into your bloodstream, depending on what sort of shape your in. I don't know how or if this relates, but it's worth thinking about. The one little blip of hope on my horizon is hyperbaric oxygen treatments, like those administered for the bends. I've only come across maybe a couple stories from people who tried this, but they all seem to have at least weakened the virus or possibly even eliminated it from there bodies.

I honestly think if any sort of group conducted an informal study on the effects of hyperbaric treatments by going to get treated and comparing information, we might learn something about treating this bullshit.

Answer:
wow! you know so much about this stuff! i got diagnosed yesterday....and im trying to read up. i am definitly going to work out and stuff... but right about now i honestly cant do anything. this breakout is awful. i heard the first ones the worst... god damn i hope so! this is awful. im taking some pill, acycolvir. i take it every 4 hours for 7 to 10 days. what it consists of.... i dont know. i havnt researched that yet. so...when u diagnosed..did u have an actual outbreak? or no? i did...so my lab work hasnt even come in yet. The dr just knew. u havnt taken any meds? i wonder what valtrex does. i always see the commercial. i know its one a day to stop outbreaks. im willing to take that one a day pill to stop the outbreak! i dont ever ever want to see one again. i havnt gone to the bathroom normally in 2 days. i ve tried what the dr told me... sit in a tub and try. it hurts so bad! ive tried pouring water while i urinate and it hurts so so so bad. i know your supposed to drink alot of fluids to dilute ur urine... but it hurts to pee!! i dont know. this is just crazy/ ive told 3 of my best friends. they are all very supportive...but they dont really understand! i mean...this is a burden on my life. i feel as if i cannot even live life to the fullest now... and im only 22. how old r u if u dont mind me asking? this forum is absoolutley amazing. im glad i stumbled upon this. all of you guys are really supportive!!

Answer:
yeah,
I'm 24, and I haven't actually had an official diagnosis via either blood test or culture. The thing is that I really waited on going to the doctor, and when I went there were no open sores to culture. She didn't do a blood test because she wanted to try me on antibiotics first because my symptoms could have been a number of things. The antibiotics did nothing because I broke out right on the end of my prescription. So, all I know is that I've got definitely got something, and it won't go away. I just had a pap smear done, so we'll see if that shows any abnormalites, and then I guess I'll get a blood test.
It sucks being young and having something, anything really. I hear a lot from people about the way it effects their social life, but what about your physical well-being and your pocket book. Until two months ago I didn't even have insurance, and now that I do, it barely covers anything. Do I really want to let my insurer know that I have an incurable disease? I can't even get to the doctor in time to get accurately diagnosed because I have to be at work everyday. I don't drive, so a trip to the Doctors usually involves a day's worth of waiting for and riding around on buses.
So, I guess you can say I'm sort of self-diagnosed. I won't have any official "results" until my pap smear comes back. I've read that herpes can lead to an abnormal pap smear. The reason the gyno was reluctant to diagnose me with herpes is that I never had a terrible primary infection, and I've got blisters and rashes popping up in some rather atypical places. We'll see. If I haven't got herpes (not bloody likely) than I've got some other chronic blistering skin disease. :roll:

Answer:
what is this "shedding" that everyone is talking about? i dont really know any terms. unfortunatly i am going to have to learn them. this really suckd. i dont want to dwell and feel bad for myself...ill get over it... but at least until ig o back to work on friday i am going to take it easy and cry some more. i cannot beleive i have a life long disease...like aids or something. i mean.... i just thought it would never happen to me!! have u ever seen the movie "kids"? its a very good movie... i reccomend it... maybe i should have took a lesson from it....

Answer:
I've never seen Kids. Everyone has always told me it's disturbing. I tend to like disturbing stuff, so maybe I should see it. Shedding means that the virus is in any way active on your skin. You have the potential to transmit it when the virus is "shedding". You can shed the virus when no noticable symptoms are present, and I guess that's how most of us end up infected.
It's totally alright to feel sorry for yourself. Life isn't fair. That's for sure. I remember when my sister had her baby a couple of years ago, she was so thrilled to find out she hadn't contracted any std's (she's had A LOT of risky experiences). And here I am, debating over which two guys could have given this to me after waiting until I was how old to actually have sex? Two of my best friends have both slept with countless guys and gotten chlamydia, so why do I have something that lasts a life time? When I had my first outbreak, I had just started feeling like maybe I wasn't the hugest dork in the world, and then... whaaam. It hurt when I peed, and I knew something was wrong.
It's sounds sort of crazy, but I was so terrified to think that I had contracted an std that I started entertaining notions that I had HIV too (my outbreaks are pretty persistant). So, I went to get tested, and finding out I was HIV negative was honestly one of the best feelings in the world. We gambled, we lost, but we didn't lose as bad we could have. Think about what it would do to the people you loved if you died. Now think about having herpes in comparison. Pshhh... it ain't shit.
Try and laugh a little if you get the chance.

"Peace to the people who be losin' their heads"
-Michael Franti and Spearhead

Answer:
good post sundance. i would tell him as soon as possible. and just educated him to the virus, how it can be dormant...how important it is to have blood tests under the circumstances...
my situation was very similar. my first outbreak was a year ago. very mild...just a small little bump, but totally noticeable. i knew right away something was wrong. i noticed the bump two days after we had sex. we had been dating for eight months, and i dont suspect any infidelity on his part (but of course...one never really knows). i have had sexual partners in the past...ive had unprotected sex in longer term relationships...so it could have been dormant in me. on the other hand...he had unprotected sex alot in his life. maybe it was dormant in him...who knows.

i am recovering...almost sixteen years clean and sober. i exercise every day. i really believe that contributes to how my breakouts show up. i have had two. the second one was last week. it came on the heels of a very very stressful three weeks. my cat had surgery...and complications, so i was a mess. but...i took 1gram of valtrex for 3 days. it seems to have knocked it out in less than a week. i am so relieved.

the outbreak was at exactly the same location...and small, just a couple of small bumps...stinging and iching for about four days.

and yes...mj does affect the immune system. thats why i could never understand why people who have cancer would want to smoke it to help with the side effects of chemo. isnt that counterproductive?? oh well...i know alot of people like it. :wink: