Aa
Looking for support
Hi all.
I was diagnosed with hsv2 over a year ago. I've been on daily suppressive therapy since. I work in a high stress occupation & each time I've attempted to stop therapy I get an outbreak. My GP says that it is fine to be taking daily suppressives long term. Any thoughts on this?
I've had a tough time coming to terms with my diagnosis as I've only ever had 1 sexual partner (my husband of 15 years). He contracted the virus from a one night stand - the fact that he cheated makes it even harder for me to deal with.
My husband is non symptomatic, so it seems I am the one who is ultimately dealing with his indiscretion.
We are still together and are working on our relationship, but it's been tough.
I was diagnosed with hsv2 over a year ago. I've been on daily suppressive therapy since. I work in a high stress occupation & each time I've attempted to stop therapy I get an outbreak. My GP says that it is fine to be taking daily suppressives long term. Any thoughts on this?
I've had a tough time coming to terms with my diagnosis as I've only ever had 1 sexual partner (my husband of 15 years). He contracted the virus from a one night stand - the fact that he cheated makes it even harder for me to deal with.
My husband is non symptomatic, so it seems I am the one who is ultimately dealing with his indiscretion.
We are still together and are working on our relationship, but it's been tough.
Thanks so much for the feedback. As I 'embark' on yet another outbreak I really needed to hear that it will get better with time.
Wow, thanks for your fantastic input! I wish I had gotten this kind of support when I got my diagnosis. I was devasteted back then, and it took me years to accept the fact, that I have to live with herpes fot the rest of my life. It's been a bumpy road for sure. My situation was also similar, as I was the one who suffered from continous outbreaks. It litterally drove me mad, and poisoned my relationship. I wish the best for Biddi97. Don't fear suppressives as they are safe to use, and really makes a difference. It gets better with time.
Have you read Terri Warren's book "the good news about the bad news" yet? If not, I highly recommend it. I think it will really help you deal with the psychological part of being diagnosed with genital herpes. Having obvious recurrences when your spouse who contracted the virus and gave it to you doesn't, just makes it harder to deal with too I am sure.
So is it ok to stay on daily suppressive therapy? Of course it is and I highly recommend it for awhile! I myself was on daily suppressive therapy for over 20 years. There are no long term side effects and why have more recurrences than you have to? I think learning to wrap your head around the idea of having genital herpes is also easier when you aren't having annoying recurrences reminding you that you have it.
Are you and your spouse in counseling together? It can be really hard to put the pieces back together without an unbiased third party helping you work through your issues. Also did he have full std testing done at the proper times? He needs to be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia anytime after 1 week post encounter. Syphilis after 6 weeks. Hiv and hepatitis after 3 months. I assume he too had herpes igg blood testing done and you aren't just assuming he has hsv2 and gave it to you? Also there are not any commercially available tests for hpv to cover that base. Have you had your hpv vaccinations?
In the big picture, herpes is just a pain in the butt, literally even sometimes. It's not a long term health risk and it can be controlled for minimal recurrences for most people with just 1 or 2 pills a day. It's far more common than most people realize but it just isn't something people talk about openly. I think it does make it harder to cope with initially when it's associated with an unpleasant event in our lives but in time, you should be able to keep the virus controlled and work past the negative associations with the infection. Hang in there!!! It will get better :)
Keep asking any questions you have!
So is it ok to stay on daily suppressive therapy? Of course it is and I highly recommend it for awhile! I myself was on daily suppressive therapy for over 20 years. There are no long term side effects and why have more recurrences than you have to? I think learning to wrap your head around the idea of having genital herpes is also easier when you aren't having annoying recurrences reminding you that you have it.
Are you and your spouse in counseling together? It can be really hard to put the pieces back together without an unbiased third party helping you work through your issues. Also did he have full std testing done at the proper times? He needs to be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia anytime after 1 week post encounter. Syphilis after 6 weeks. Hiv and hepatitis after 3 months. I assume he too had herpes igg blood testing done and you aren't just assuming he has hsv2 and gave it to you? Also there are not any commercially available tests for hpv to cover that base. Have you had your hpv vaccinations?
In the big picture, herpes is just a pain in the butt, literally even sometimes. It's not a long term health risk and it can be controlled for minimal recurrences for most people with just 1 or 2 pills a day. It's far more common than most people realize but it just isn't something people talk about openly. I think it does make it harder to cope with initially when it's associated with an unpleasant event in our lives but in time, you should be able to keep the virus controlled and work past the negative associations with the infection. Hang in there!!! It will get better :)
Keep asking any questions you have!
Initially I had an outbreak, swabs taken and tested revealed hsv2. A blood test confirmed it.
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
