how long can an outbreak last and how long can the virus lay dormant.

[hurting135]

I’m 43 and was told when I was 18 that I’d been exposed to herpes. It was just recently confirmed by my md. I had an outbreak in January (didnt know at the time that thats what it was) but thought I was having an allergic reaction to panty liners so I treated myself with vagisil and the symptoms went away (after about 6 weeks). I'm now having another outbreak (since the beginning of April).  It's now going on three months with this very severe outbreak. My dr prescribed acyclovir 200 mg one capsule five times a day and fluconazole 100 mg one a day for seven days. Nothing has subsided. I use a tube of vagisil a day to help with the itching which is severe. I need other options. This is getting expensive and it’s very, very painful. I've been to my md twice and both times she's confirmed I have the virus (blood test/visual) but im wondering if something else may be going on that wont allow me to heal and does this virus lay dormant for all these years?

[gracefromHHP]

I'll gladly take a look at your blood test results to make sure you were tested properly if you want to post them here - e.g. hsv1 igg 5.9 and hsv2 igg 3.3 is all I need to see.  


bv is known to make genital herpes more active. Not unusual at all to be having a recurrence due to having bv.  once the bv has been adequately treated, everything else will get better too.   how long ago did they diagnose you as having bv?

the risk of transmitting genital herpes to a child during delivery is less than 1% if obvious lesions aren't present. not surprising at all that you didn't transmit it to your children!  

odds are you've never been tested for herpes before this either. It's not a part of routine std testing and  it's typically not tested for during pregnancy either.  do you have a regular partner? if so , have they been tested yet to know their own status?

[hurting135]

thanks for your response! ive had both the visual confirmation and blood test. i did not ask for my numericial data but was told "its very high".i need to know what to use for the itching. vagisil is the only thing that gives me immediate relief. ive read some previous q/a that have been posted and used the epsom salt today, twice, but it hurt so bad afterward. the salts also burned really really bad but i continued to sit through it. i agree that the vagisil may be making this last longer since i read that the area should stay dry but my md said it was ok to use but i may be using way too much. can this really be my 2nd outbreak although i was told over 25 yrs ago (by my boyfriend who contracted it from a woman) that i was exposed? i have never, ever experienced anything like this before and am not accepting this very well. ive been told that its "impossible" for it to lay dormant for that long (which indicates new exposure). ive given birth (vaginial) to 3 kids (22 and 2 teens) and none of them were born with this virus. iv been in very stressful situations in the past w/no outbreaks. im not sick so my immune system is not compromised. im just having a really hard time processing the timing of these two horrendous outbreaks. i will increase my dosage and pray that my healing process begins soon. three months is way to long to be in this anguish!

[gracefromHHP]

put down the vagasil!!!!  it can make things worse, especially when using as much of it as you are!

what testing have you had done so far for herpes?

it's far easier to take acyclovir 400mg 3x/day for 5 days. if indeed you did contract herpes prior to this, this is just a recurrence.  Unfortunately having bv on top of it, just makes it more annoying :(

meanwhile you hurt down yonder  - try soaking in the tubby once or twice a day with either a packet of aveeno bath ( generic is ok ) or epsom salts thrown in ( even cheaper ).  It will help soothe irritated skin no matter what the reason.  

keep asking questions!

grace