Question:
Hello everyone. Thanks for reading,

I believe I do have gential herpes though it has never been confirmed. I have about 4 outbreaks (leasions on the shaft) a year over the past 5 years and when cultures were taken (twice) they have come back negative (and one fo the cultures was taken the first day I noticed so it hadn't crusted over). It has been very frustrating and I have tried to do all I can to live with whatver I have, including taking lysine everyday and eating less sugar and foods high in arginine. Still I have problems. I know other people who have it and they seem to eat whatever they want and are fine or they have had very few outbreaks in their life and after a first couple haven't had any since. Also frustrating are the sensations in my body usually before an outbreak, tingling and pain like a rash in the arms, shoulder blades and legs. By the symptoms I describe I wonder if you could likely confirm that I indeed have it. I have had sporadic insurance over the years and could not afford the herpes blood test. I do now have a low income insurance and was tested for herpes but the insurance won't pay for breaking down the sample to see if it is only the cold sore strain or number two.

I am desperately wanting to speak to someone who has experience with the disease and would very much appreciate any advice or answers you could give me. Thank you for much for your time.

Answer:
Im not a doctor but a test said you have it, then you have it. .....and it doesnt matter if it is HSV1 or HSV2 because either type..you still have genital herpes. Your outbreaks are on your penis and that means its genital herpes either way. Both types can occur in the genital area or on the face but HSV2 is more commonly on the genital area. Anyway, you need to tell all your potential partners and let them know, (maybe you already do that....I dont know) also, judging by how frequent you get the outbreaks my best guess would be that it is type 2 because that is known to usually have outbreaks more frequently. The pain you describe is definitely indicative of prodomal signs of outbreaks and where you get the pain is common for people with genital herpes to get. You referred to "just the cold type" or herpes simplex2.........both are non curable, highly contagious diseases......so try and not to discredit having one or the other.......both are herpes viruses and thats the bottom line. For your pain I recommend just taking tylenol, trying to relax,.......not sure if you would ever be interested in taking yoga or maybe just buying a beginners tape and doing at home...but that helps me, emotionally and physically. It makes me feel better and seems to help my symptoms. I get outbreaks all the time.....very frequently...sometimes 2 times a month so it sucks. I do not take suppressive therapy by choice because I feel the long term effects are not known well enough and I dont like to take medicine that harsh.......couldnt tolerate the pills even when taking only before and during outbreaks. I would not recommed anything recommended about DMSO..have tried it and got a severe chemical burn on my skin and it did not help the outbreak. I have also tried lemon balm oils and H-balm.......both without much success. It is soothing but expensive and you go thru the tiny bottles very quickly. About your diet: everyones body is different and therefore you will not have the same results as others by tyring to follow the diet you explained. I tried it to and had no luck. Food seems to affect me sometimes too......red wine for example. But I just try to eat healthy, low intake of sugar, and I try and exercise a little each day. Stretching also helps my muscles and body feel better...I do it daily. There are many kinds of natural therapies out there but individual results vary as with anything else. Dont feel like you are all alone because many people experience symptoms just like yours and some many more frequent outbreaks such as myself. I have not figured out any special thing that works but I hope my post is at least somewhat helpful to you.