Question:
Hi,
I just found this forum today. I'm relieved that I found you but not so relieved realizing now that all of you are going through what I have experienced recently.

I wanted to ask about recurrences. See, I went to two doctors a couple weeks ago because I thought I had a yeast infection. Never having one before and waking up at 1am with the itches and not so comfortable discharge made me go to the hospital to get a perscription for some relief. It didn't work so I went again to my doctor who gave me a cream treatment instead. It seemed to make my situation worse. A few hours after I put the cream on my nether-regions were throbbing so much i couldn't sit down on the couch... I had to lie down in attempt to get at least a little relief. I took 4 advils that night and tried to get some sleep. The following morning the symptoms came and the doctor did a swab and found genital HSV 1.

I've read a lot about it. I've been on Valtrex for about 7 days now. I have a 10 day perscription. My problem is can i get another outbreak right after this innitial one? My sores, most of them are completely gone and there are just a few places where the skin is a little red but it has already scabbed and everything so it's healing. Today, however, I was walking up the stairs and I felt a wave of a hot flash and I have increased dishcharge. I'm petrified that I'm going to have to pee in the bathtub for another week while I go through this hell again. I read that after the initial outbreak that people with genital HSV 1 don't seem to get it as badly as HSV 2 genital. I'm still taking Valtrex for another few days, shouldn't this help me to not get another outbreak until it's over?

Oh, another thing, I seem to have had some symptoms on my finger. I know there's a name for it but I got some cold sore topical cream from the drug store...and it seems to have helped for my finger to just be red and puffy for a few days but then go away.

I know this is long, bear with me I've always been long winded. Did anyone else have recurrent outbreaks that pretty much follow right after each other? Were they as bad??? Were you on medication while they came? Any suggestions for what I should do while I'm trying to sit in class next week to write a 4 hour exam (my last class I need to graduate with my Masters) when everything is throbbing so bad I can hardly think? Can the discharge come at the end of a breakout???

Thanks. Any advice will make me feel better.

Answer:
Not everyone has the same symptoms or experience.

Just remember it is a virus and it wants to thrive. Your body, if this is the first or initial ob, is working like crazy to create an antibody response to help you deal with it. This can take a while and it is not unusual to experience back to back symptoms.

If you tolerate the antivirals well they will help to reduce the virus but it doesn't always stop ob's completely.

You want to keep the infected area as clean and dry as possible. It helps to get any sores or lesions to dry up quickly. I found that by taking baths with Epsom Salts or Aveeno Active Naturals helped to not only dry the infected area but to soothe the itch.

Do not use anti-itch remedies that contain hydrocortisone or petroleum until the sores are completely gone. Try to apply as little topical stuff as possible to avoid the sores developing a secondary infection. Wear loose comfy clothes. This is when you break out the cotton granny panties that are hidden in the back of your drawer.

You can take otc pain meds such as Tylenol, Advil etc. Drink lots of water. Vitamin C is good to add to your daily vitamins regime and avoid foods that are high in arginine such as nuts and baked goods and if you tolerate dairy well it is high in Lysine which helps to fight the herpes virus.

Some people report getting relief from applying hydrogen peroxide to sores (use a clean q-tip) others find that applying Purell hand sanitizer to sores can help (it burns a bit at first).

My best to you.

Answer:
Hope you are feeling better...sorry to hear what you are going through..especially with school and finals...I can relate...I missed a couple of my classes recently when I found out bc I just didn't feel good. :(


Best of luck to you on your exam.

Answer:
Can other infections be mistaken for gh i mean i have never had the bumps or anything but i have had the itch and discharge and after useing the creams and taken the antibotics i was fine no swelling or side effects all went away and i was fine. Can you be told that you have gh and it really not be that, I've read that it can be. is there any one this has happen too.

Answer:
I'm pretty sure it's possible for the doctors to be wrong of an hsv diagnosis. WHen I was looked at during my initial ob the doctor told me it's PROBABLY hsv but that the culture tests would identify it for sure. I figure if it's possible to be diagnosed as a yeast infection when it's really hsv, it probably happens that sometimes it really is something else. But from what I've seen I really do think that once you see an ob of the blisters it's more often than not fairly easy for a dr. to make the diagnosis by looking. Honestly, I'm still having the yeast infection symptoms. I'm praying that it doens't go farther than that. I'd rather have a yeast infection.

Answer:
msthickness, no test is 100% reliable just due to the fact that human error can occur. Overall there are more false negatives than false positives.

How were you diagnosed? If you were not diagnosed by either a bloodtest or a lab culture it is possible that you do not have herpes.

Answer:
Hi, Caliope that is my thought I had a vaginal culture done she said that it came back hsv 2 BUT i have no lesions, blisters, bumps red spots nothing, i used vaginal creams and all was fine. no swelling burning durning urination nothing. I have asked for a second op which that app is next mth. thanks

Answer:
I just want to make sure that everyone knows that a culture for herpes is usually when the dr uses a swab and collects a sample by running it over the sore or the skin. This culture goes to the lab and is grown.

An obgyn will often perform a pap smear. This is a test whereby the dr takes a sample of the cells present on the cervix and is how cervical cancer is usually diagnosed this is however, not a reliable way of diagnosing herpes simplex. This procedure can register a false positive for hsv if there is the presence of another type of virus such as hpv.

If there are no signs or symptoms of an ob you can often be diagnosed by having a blood test completed. The gold standard blood test is the Western Blot. Another reliable test is the Herpeselect. Blood tests detect antibodies which only exist if you've been exposed to hsv. Antibodies are usually present in sufficient numbers by the 16th week after exposure to the virus.