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Continuous HSV 1 Genital Outbreaks?
Hello, I am a female trying to figure out if I have HSV-1 genitally and may be having continuous outbreaks. A few months ago, my partner kissed me for a long time then performed oral sex on me. The next day, I realized that I had a cold sore inside my nose. I had my first cold sore seven years ago on the underside of my nose and have had less than one per year since then inside my nose. Valtrex has worked to suppress them if I take it in time.
When I realized I had a cold sore inside my nose, I took the Valtrex. I panicked about the oral sex & started checking my genital area several times a day. A week later, I started having pain in the genital area & for a couple days, my discharge seemed thicker. I went to my Dr. He did not see any sign of herpes. He told me to take 500 mg Valtrex twice a day for five days to make sure the cold sore in my nose went away as he didn't think the dose I had taken was sufficient. I then went to three different gynecologists over a 3 week period. The first told me I had a bacterial infection and gave me flagyl. The pain/irritation lessened but did not go away. The 2nd Dr. swabbed a spot that may have been a cut from a cardboard tampon applicator & tested it for herpes. Negative result. The 3rd Dr didn't find anything.
After almost 4 weeks, I started to feel better and eventually back to normal. 3 weeks later, the pain came back. I was not going to take the Valtrex b/c I wanted to see if sores developed but after 36 hours, the pain was so bad that I assumed it was herpes and took the Valtrex to try and get relief. No sores but the tops of my inner vaginal lips were red/swollen. I had those areas swabbed & tested for herpes w/negative result. After 1.5 weeks, I started to feel better. I continued to take 500 mg a day of Valtrex as a suppression dose. I felt okay for barely a week, then the pain returned along with the swelling/redness of the tops of my inner vaginal lips.
When I realized I had a cold sore inside my nose, I took the Valtrex. I panicked about the oral sex & started checking my genital area several times a day. A week later, I started having pain in the genital area & for a couple days, my discharge seemed thicker. I went to my Dr. He did not see any sign of herpes. He told me to take 500 mg Valtrex twice a day for five days to make sure the cold sore in my nose went away as he didn't think the dose I had taken was sufficient. I then went to three different gynecologists over a 3 week period. The first told me I had a bacterial infection and gave me flagyl. The pain/irritation lessened but did not go away. The 2nd Dr. swabbed a spot that may have been a cut from a cardboard tampon applicator & tested it for herpes. Negative result. The 3rd Dr didn't find anything.
After almost 4 weeks, I started to feel better and eventually back to normal. 3 weeks later, the pain came back. I was not going to take the Valtrex b/c I wanted to see if sores developed but after 36 hours, the pain was so bad that I assumed it was herpes and took the Valtrex to try and get relief. No sores but the tops of my inner vaginal lips were red/swollen. I had those areas swabbed & tested for herpes w/negative result. After 1.5 weeks, I started to feel better. I continued to take 500 mg a day of Valtrex as a suppression dose. I felt okay for barely a week, then the pain returned along with the swelling/redness of the tops of my inner vaginal lips.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You could ask your provider to give you herpes swabs to take home and collect samples for yourself from areas that are irritated. Then you bring the swabs back to them to turn in to the lab. That's a consideration if you are still worried.
Terri
Terri
Terri,
Thank you for your response. Part of the reason I have been unable to make myself believe my health care providers is that they cannot explain why my symptoms are recurring. One possible explanation I've been given is vulvodynia which seems to be a catch all when there is no other diagnosis. Also, the fact that my symptoms started after the cold sore incident made me think it must be herpes. I've never had ongoing pain/irritation like this before. The latest episode has been going on for two weeks now.
Thank you again for your help. I appreciate the information.
Thank you for your response. Part of the reason I have been unable to make myself believe my health care providers is that they cannot explain why my symptoms are recurring. One possible explanation I've been given is vulvodynia which seems to be a catch all when there is no other diagnosis. Also, the fact that my symptoms started after the cold sore incident made me think it must be herpes. I've never had ongoing pain/irritation like this before. The latest episode has been going on for two weeks now.
Thank you again for your help. I appreciate the information.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It is very unusual for someone with HSV 1 in one location of their body to transfer it later to another part of their body. I have not seen, in 30 years of practice, this happening. The reason is that the immune system, on alert for HSV 1, keeps this from happening. I certainly don't think this happened to you either. You have further proof from a negative swab test done by one of your doctors. Also, HSV 1 genitally rarely recurs and certainly doesn't stick around for a month at a time without respite. The Valtrex isn't working for your genital area because that's not what is going on genitally. I don't think you are crazy, I think you are not informed about how herpes works, you are frightened, and you are, for some reason, choosing not to believe your health care providers, I'm not clear that you will believe me either, but at least I can give you accurate information and hope that you will believe it. If you have ever given your boyfriend oral sex, you've exposed him to HSV 1 infection, as is commonly the case with oral sex. He may well already have HSV 1. This certainly isn't a reason to abstain from intercourse with him.
Terri
Terri
Continued.....
I then stopped taking the Valtrex b/c it didn't seem to be helping with suppression or symptoms and it upsets my stomach. I am still in pain after 1.5 weeks, the area feels hot, prickly sometimes and my right groin lymph node seems enlarged. Still no sores. I should mention that since I initially realized I may have autoinnoculated myself, I have been depressed, stressed, crying all the time and often not eating.
My questions are these:
1) Is it normal for hsv-1 genital to cause this frequent of outbreaks in someone who had it orally for at least 7 years prior to getting it genitally?
2) Is there any way to prove/disprove I have it both orally and genitally at this point? I don't think there is. The doctors I've seen, my partner and my family all think I'm crazy and don't have it genitally but I am fairly certain I do based on my symptoms. My male partner has shown no genital symptoms but I refuse to have sex with him now because I don't want to expose him.
3) If I am having continuous genital herpes outbreaks, is there any hope it will become less frequent/severe? Right now it seems the more recent episodes have been even more painful than the first.
4) Why would the Valtrex work to suppress the cold sores in my nose but not the genital symptoms when it's the same strain of HSV-1 infecting both?
I then stopped taking the Valtrex b/c it didn't seem to be helping with suppression or symptoms and it upsets my stomach. I am still in pain after 1.5 weeks, the area feels hot, prickly sometimes and my right groin lymph node seems enlarged. Still no sores. I should mention that since I initially realized I may have autoinnoculated myself, I have been depressed, stressed, crying all the time and often not eating.
My questions are these:
1) Is it normal for hsv-1 genital to cause this frequent of outbreaks in someone who had it orally for at least 7 years prior to getting it genitally?
2) Is there any way to prove/disprove I have it both orally and genitally at this point? I don't think there is. The doctors I've seen, my partner and my family all think I'm crazy and don't have it genitally but I am fairly certain I do based on my symptoms. My male partner has shown no genital symptoms but I refuse to have sex with him now because I don't want to expose him.
3) If I am having continuous genital herpes outbreaks, is there any hope it will become less frequent/severe? Right now it seems the more recent episodes have been even more painful than the first.
4) Why would the Valtrex work to suppress the cold sores in my nose but not the genital symptoms when it's the same strain of HSV-1 infecting both?
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
