Question:
Hello all, I'm new to this forum and I'm just trying to get a better understanding of my condition (Ghsv1), which i've had for about 2 years. I get outbreaks about every 3 months, but nothing serious other than a few red bumps which heal in about a week. I have spent a fair amount of time reading questions here and it seems as if a lot of people have very serious outbreaks where they are unable to walk, valtrex does not work, debilatating neuropathic pain, etc. I'm terribly sorry to hear this for so many people and wish them the best. I guess my question, or curiosity, is to whether most of the people on the forum are out seeking answers to better help themselves, or is herpes just that much more serious than most websites tend to describe. For instance, the saying that most people with GHSV1 only have one or two ob's and then are done and that most HSV2 ob's improve with time as immunity builds. I'd be glad to hear any personal experience with either condition and how it has affected you personally. My wife and I have decided not to use condoms in the last few months, but after hearing how so many people are affected it is making me think twice regarding our decision! Thanks for any help in advance, best of luck!

Answer:
As you know, everyone's experience is different depending on the following: type (1 or 2), location, strain (many, many strains), amount of virions that made it to latency (latent load), sex, how well your body supresses reoccurences (nk function), and treatment used.

As for me, I have gshv1 on my genitals. More specifically it was only on the top of my genitals, the clitoris and around the clitoris only. I obviously got this through oral sex. I think I was exposed to a lot of the virus because I had just recovered from a yeast infection and therefore my skin was raw, allowing the virions to enter. :( My initial outbreak was very minor. It reoccured 10 month later much worse. I think this was due to lots of sun, lots of antibiotics, lots of sex, and lots of nuts. I obviously was not thinking! :) After the bad reoccurence, it just kind of hung on for a while- on and off.

To me, it is not that bad. I only had one point where it was bad and that was the first 2 days after my first reoccurence. I hope it never gets like that again.

As for treatment, i started on lauricidine and I take lysine and valtrex only when an outbreak is going to occur/occurs.

I've personally talked online to 2 people with gshv1 and they both did very well several years after being infected but struggled more in teh beginning. I think it sucks to have this but that it is manageable and hopefully in time will lessen and lessen. One woman I spoke to had it bad at first then didnt have an ob for 7 years. Another, a man, didn't have one for 10 years. They both had gshv1. So hopefully you will be lucky and in several years will be ok.