Severe HSV1 genital outbreaks

[msclea08]

Hi.  I've had severe genital outbreaks for 2 years from HSV1, usually starting after my period.  I wanted to know if I were to become infected with HSV2 genitally would my outbreaks become worse?

[Mistakeguy789]

It would be best for you to start your own question thread and not attach to ones already made.  

The short answer here is that you can't find the tigger.  Though start your own question here and update it with your valtrex dosage.

[trousersdoyle]

hey I have severe genital outbreaks of hsv-1, I have been put on valtrex for 3 months an I'm in my second month now an I am still having severe outbreaks. Is there anyway I could find out what is triggering these outbreaks?  

[gracefromHHP]

there's no such thing as just being exposed to herpes and testing + for it on the blood tests.  You have hsv1 and hsv2. Either the lesion culture you had that was hsv1+ was typed wrong or you have them both in the genital area. Only about 5% of folks have them both genitally but it does happen.  Hsv2 is the cause of most recurrences in cases like that but both can reoccur.

At this point I still stick with my prior recommendations. Take suppressive therapy to keep the herpes out of things and if you are still having symptoms, make sure you are going back to the gyn regularly for testing for yeast and bacterial infections and such as well as other causes of genital issues.  Since you are having symptoms so often, your valtrex dose should be the 1gm daily dose for suppressive therapy.

grace

[msclea08]

Hi Grace,
Thank you for all your help.  I received my blood test as per Herpes Select 1&2:
HSV1 = 4.65
HSV2 = 7.10
My Doctor states that the culture she took tested only positive for HSV1.  She said that I am not positive for HSV2 but she believes I was exposed to it at one point in my life.  Based on the information she provided me I had many questions.
She said that I should not expose myself to a positive HSV 2 person because my outbreaks will become more severe and that I should tell potential mates that I am only positive for genital HSV1.  Is this a correct and fair assessment of what is going on?  Should I have more testing done? Thank you.

[gracefromHHP]

I encourage you to pick one gyn  and start going there monthly when you have symptoms until you find out what is going on.  Get tested for yeast and bacterial infections each time you go and also ask for your next symptoms to be cultured again for herpes regardless of the blood test results. Just because you know you have genital herpes, doesn't mean that everything that goes on is due to herpes.  You can start on suppressive therapy if you want to take the herpes part out of it. If you are still having symptoms all the time on suppressive therapy then one more sign that there's more than just herpes going on. sometimes it just suck s to be female :(

Yeast creams can be very irritating. Give them a call and ask them to phone in a prescription for oral yeast treatment ( diflucan ).  If your skin is irritated and sensitive, putting medication on it can sometimes make things worse :(  

I can help you with your blood test results too when you get them. All I need is the actual results posted - ie hsv1 igg 4.3 and hsv2 igg .45 or whatever they are.

typically hsv1 genitally doesn't reoccur very often. typically hsv2 genitally does. If you contracted hsv2, odds are you'd have more ob's.  

grace

[msclea08]

I was diagnosed 5 years ago with HSV2 genitally.  I thought the outbreaks were a little extreme and looked into yeasat infections, etc. but came up with nothing.  Got second and third opinions and they scraped it to test and said it was HSV 1 and that I never had HSV2.  I am so confused.  I went for a blood test (waiting for results) and hope that will clear up some of the confusion.  I am going back on Valtrex but am a little worried about how long that will help me.  So my original question of "will my outbreaks get worse if I contract HSV2?" is still a concern to me.  It is difficult to find people who are nonH to date and have started up with some H groups.  However I know many of the people have HSV2 and I don't want to turn away a  potential new mate because I am fearful of worsening my outbreaks.
Also, my doc said I had yeast infections however the topical medicine really made my outbreak worse is there something else I should be taking and why didn't she offer it to me.  I am very unhappy with the gynecologists I have been to in the past and feel they aren't very helpful.

[gracefromHHP]

How were you originally diagnosed as having hsv1 genitally?

What other sort of work up h ave you had done?

Typically hsv1 genitally doesn't reoccur this often.  Since symptoms are occuring after your period, you need to confirm that this is all hsv1 going on and not something else like yeast infections, allergic reactions to feminine protection products etc too.  

grace