looking for a little more information

[childnumber4]

To start out with, I'd like to share a brief version of my story...

My long-distance boyfriend and I have been dating for about 4 months now and scheduled a romantic rendezvous for the two days following Christmas.  I came home with a urinary tract infection, which is not uncommon.  After taking Septra DS for 3 days, I noticed the burning sensation I was experiencing had not gone away.  The next day, my labia started swelling and I started having a constant burning sensation.  A couple days later, it had gotten so bad that I could barely move and definitely couldn't sleep.  My gyno finally fit me in, and without so much as a second glance, told me I had herpes.  This was a huge shock since my current boyfriend is only my second sexual partner, and since he's assured me that he's been very careful about STDs.  Because I trust him completely, I made sure to ask my gyno if there was any way he could have transmitted it to me without knowing he had it - she said no.  

So a few days, countless hours of research online, and the worst migraine of my life later, I'm still so confused.  I need to know if what he says is true - that he had no idea he had it and had never had an outbreak.  I'm also finding that a lot of my questions are just being half-answered by what I find online.  For instance...

- How common is the spread of herpes to the fingers, mouth, or eyes?  
- How can I prevent that?
- Is there any way that my future children could contract herpes if I were to deliver them by c-section?
- My insurance company wouldn't cover Valtrex, only Acyclovir.  Is there any way I can get them to pay for Valtrex so I won't have to take a pill every 4 hours?
- Is oral sex completely out of the question now that we know about this?
- Is there anything that I maybe haven't thought of but should after having been diagnosed?

Any info you've got would be greatly appreciated.

[waringblender]

I can't believe an ObG would come out and tell a patient they have herpes without blood testing or at least a lesion culture, both of which would have been clinically more appropriate than "so much as a second glance."

Yes, he could have transmitted it to you without knowing he had it. Conversely,  you could have had herpes without knowing it and passed it to him.

But isn't this jumping the gun a little bit? You need formal herpes testing before moving forward with questions about medications, transmission, etc. Your partner needs it too so you both know what you have. Go from there.

For the record, acyclovir is a 12-hour dose, not a 4-hour dose. Oral sex is not only not out of the question, it's very low risk for transmission. But you are just getting ahead of yourself with your questions. Find out first if you and your boyfriend actually have herpes and what types you have.

[childnumber4]

My gyno did swabs, but the results from those obviously won't be back until sometime this coming week.  I know that I shouldn't jump the gun and assume that I've got herpes, but considering the physical pain that I've been in and the fact that every single one of my symptoms fit, I think it's safer to assume that I do than to assume that I don't and be devastated later on.  Also, I've been taking the Acyclovir for a couple of days now, 200 mg 4 times a day.  I've noticed that urination without passing out from pain is now possible, but I'm still incredibly uncomfortable.  Is there anything else I can do to make it go away?

Also, I forgot to mention in the main body of my post that my first sexual partner was a virgin as well, so my current boyfriend is really the only person I could've gotten this from.

[waringblender]

Well, "swollen labia" isn't a symptom of herpes that I know of, and the other symptoms you mention could be due to a residual of the UTI. It's possible there's something else going on with you.

Your doc is wrong that herpes can't be transmitted if people don't know they have it. Most of the people (90%) walking around with genital herpes are totally clueless about having it. Meaning many of them are passing it around without knowing it.

None of this means the boyfriend was cheating on you. It just means he might have had it before knowing you and unknowingly passed it to you. He needs to be tested for herpes, though. If he refuses, consider finding another boyfriend.

[gracefromHHP]

- How common is the spread of herpes to the fingers, mouth, or eyes?  
- How can I prevent that?

It could happen but usually only during the first week or two of being infected ( or that's how you were infected in the first place ).  The basic hygeine we were all taught to use as children is all you need - wash your hands after using the toilet or touching your genitals.

- Is there any way that my future children could contract herpes if I were to deliver them by c-section?

If you have hsv2 before becoming pregnant and don't have any obvious lesions at the time of delivery then the risk of transmitting the virus to the baby during delivery is less than 1%.  If you have a planned c section it's 0% risk.  no reason to have a c section though just because you have genital herpes.

- My insurance company wouldn't cover Valtrex, only Acyclovir.  Is there any way I can get them to pay for Valtrex so I won't have to take a pill every 4 hours?

Your doctor needs to learn the newer doses of acyclovir!  The 200mg 5x/day dose is pure torture and unnecessary :(  It's almost impossible to get the doses all in.  Ask your doctor about the 400mg 3x/day dose instead - it's far easier to take and works as well.  

The only advantage of valtrex over acyclovir is convenience- you just have to take it less often.  

- Is oral sex completely out of the question now that we know about this?

Heck no!!!  Be sure to read the herpes handbook at www.westoverheights.com and watch the patient counseling video there too to learn more :)

- Is there anything that I maybe haven't thought of but should after having been diagnosed?

The handbook should answer a lot of your questions :)


So could your bf have herpes and not know it? Not only could that be the truth - it's actually the most commonest scenerio out there. Various studies have confirmed time and time again that over 90% of folks who have hsv2 - have no idea until tested.  You also can transmit hsv1 from the oral area to the genital area thru oral sex too.  Once you find out which type of herpes you have and your bf finds out his status too you can together better figure out where to go from here.  It sounds like you both probably have the same type but it's best to get testing and confirm it.

grace

[childnumber4]

I think I'll call my doctor on Monday and ask for a more reasonable dosage if nothing else.  Thanks for the info and advice!