Is herpes the worst STD to have, besides AIDS, HIV, and syphillis?

[luey941]

Im really getting depressed about the situation of having herpes. I just want to know if it is really the worst STD to have. Like in comparison to gonarrhea and chlamydia. Please post your opinions thank you!

[Onlytime]

Its not the worst STD.. Its not going to kill us, just inconvenience us... though unfortunately its with us for life. The reality is though, its really not that big of a deal. When the body is stressed out, we have outbreaks. Some uninfected people get pimples or a cold when they stress out, however, we get herpes. Herpes is just a few sores here and there and flu like symptoms its NOT some flesh rotting disease that will take over your body and turn you into a Shrek look alike. Herpes is all about reputation, people don't understand it and assume the worst, remember its just an inconvenience. Don't let it get you down!

[bettyboo622]

my boyfriend has just found out he has herpes and he told me women are the carries and he caught it from me ive never had it and had regualr check ups after my ex and he says it takes two months to show i have no sins of anything wrong... is it most definate that now he has it i have it too???

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

Are you kidding?  This is so common that we don't even test for it in my country.  You probably had HSV1 since childhood right?  How much grief has that caused you?  Why should HSV2 cause you any more grief than this?  Chin up girl. 1 in 5 sexually active adults has this.  Get your Google out and type in Celebrities with genital herpes.  You will see quite a few familiar faces.  Get yourself a cup of tea and google it and you will see what I mean.  Strewth!

[bettyboo622]

my boyfriend has just found out he has herpes and he told me women are the carries and he caught it from me ive never had it and had regualr check ups after my ex and he says it takes two months to show i have no sins of anything wrong... is it most definate that now he has it i have it too??? please help as im loosing my mind with worry right now!!! please

[petal130]

Your BF is full of crap basically. Men and women both can get herpes; neither sex is the designated "carrier". How was he diagnosed as having herpes? Indeed, you both should know your herpes status - an IgG type specific blood test is what you'd both want.

Read here to become educated about herpes:
http://www.ashastd.org/herpes/herpes_learn.cfm

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

No - actually.  Good question.  It doesn't necessarily follow that you have HSV2 yet but you might have.  It can take a while for herpes to be passed on.  

[bettyboo622]

he went to a doctor because he had a white mark on his penis which has been there for  months he first said it was a cut  on a scar from a previous operation! he didnt have a blood test he says he has to have it cut off tommorrow i have no signs of anything is it posotive that i have it too??? thanku for ur reply

[bettyboo622]

we have been together for over a year and it appeared on him in march he lives in england and im currently abroad so i havent seen him since march im so scared!

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

If you have caught herpes and it is symptomatic then the lesions can show up anything from 2 days after you contracted it up to about the 3 months mark.  Many have asymptomatic herpes though.

[bettyboo622]

and whats hsv2?? i thought it was hpv

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

If it is HPV you should go to the HPV forum.  HPV is also very common though.  

You need to check that it has actually been diagnosed as that.

Have you been using condoms?  If so, this reduces risk of transmission for most STDs.

But you should get over to the HPV forum.

[bettyboo622]

i dont know the difference and we did use condoms to start but now we dont i have the implant  im so terriefied havent got a clue

[petal130]

bettyboo622, you're on the wrong forum. HPV is not herpes. It's Human papillomavirus, otherwise known as genital warts, of which your BF clearly has based on your description.

[bettyboo622]

how do i get onto this page then

[stupiddumbgirlwhoshouldaknewbetter]

England is so backward that half of us don't even know the difference between HSV and HPV.

You should know that most of us have HPV and that visible genital warts are not uncommon.   They do not even test for HPV at most GUM clinics in the UK either for this reason.   Any obvious external warts can be treated very effectively and Dr Handsfield believes that they work their way out of your system just like other warts in anything from 8 months to 2 years.  The warts that are visible and the benign ones.  In a very small number of cases there are strains of HPV which can cause problems.  These can be avoided if you get a Gardasil vaccination.  If you are worried you should think about this.  You should also have regular PAP smears if you are sexually active.

[luey941]

Thank you for all of your help! I really do appreciate your time! I'm currently waiting on my blood tests to see if it is HSV 1 or HSV 2

[gracefromHHP]

Obviously herpes can't hold a candle to hiv and hepatitis. Not even close.  Unfortunately any time you have 1 std, it makes you more likely to get another if you don't properly treat it. to me, finding out you have hsv2 is a wake up call more than anything that real people do get std's!  You can control your herpes for the  most part to keep it down to a dull roar. it does increase your risk for hiv though so if you have hsv2, it's important to use condoms until you know your partner's hiv status.  

did you have a lesion culture done luey?  how long has it been since you last had sex? has your partner been tested too?

grace

[luey941]

I did get a lesion culture done about a month ago and it came back as hsv 2. My doctor told me that I should get a type specific blood test in order to detect if it was hsv 1 or 2. The last time I had sex was a month ago when I found out...I really dont plan to have sex anymore just because I find this really embarrassing even though I haven't had anymore problems. I just dont want to spread it to anybody. My partner is still in denial and says that there is no way he has it, but he said once my blood test results come in then he will go get tested as well.

luey

[gracefromHHP]

if the lesion culture was typed as hsv2, then no reason for a blood test to detect its type. make sense?  Clarify this with your provider to make sure that indeed your lesion culture was typed to know it's hsv2 and not just that it came back as hsv+ and wasn't typed.

definitely your partner needs tested to know his status! assume nothing!

herpes is not a reason to give up sex!  That I'll never have sex again feeling will go away :)

grace

[luey941]

Thank you that makes sense! I'll check back up on that! Appreciate your help! :)

[miserable_1975]

I'm so scared. I think I may have it and experiencing my first out break. It's more embarrassing than anything. I haven't even told my husband. Doctor says that I could have had it since high-school and could just be having my 1st out break. But normally after 2 weeks of getting herpes that when u have your 1st outbreak. I feel that it's gonna be a rough road. And I don't know how to break the news to my husband. He is so tempered already about anything and everything. I just want my vagina to clear up, its so hurting :(

[TraumatizedGirl416]

I recently found out I was "slightly positive" for HSV2, and was absolutely terrified to tell my boyfriend.  Boyfriend....not husband.  I was so sure he was going to break up with me, as he's got a bit of a temper too.  I really didn't want to tell him, but it was eating at me, so I told him.

But, really, after I explained in detail what it was/risk of transmission, etc, he just said, "Okay, this sounds like something we can work around then!"  I was majorly surprised and viewed the experience as 1)  A wake-up call for my sex life and decisions and 2)  A statement to the strength of our relationship.  I don't know if my story helps you or not, but I thought I'd share.  I know you're scared to tell him, but I think you'll feel better knowing what his reaction would be, rather than always guessing or feeling guilty in not telling him.

[josh1usa]

I messed around with a woman that was from slovakia.  I have oral herpes now.  I want to know how careful do I have to be when I touch my eye areas.

I heard having the oral herpes condition could effect the eyes.  and something about if you see a pimple on the tip of the nose that could be a bad sign.  and  i noticed my face is unusually oily.  I also noticed what I thought were herpes bumps on the back of my tounge, but my primary care doctor says those bumps are normal.  and how careful should I be with what I eat?