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Avatar universal

Need some clarification

I have been living with hsv2 for about 7 years now. I contracted the virus from a boyfriend I was with for 4 1/2 years. He knew he had the virus but never told me and was a master at hiding it from me. I first got symptoms as cold sores. Really really really bad cold sores. I battled against it continuously, every month I would have an outbreak. Over the next few years I lived with it but was very embarrassed. Then I spread it. I had an outbreak on my hand, one on my foot, and then several on my buttock. I have always been incredibly carefully. I don't use a towel twice,I watch what I eat (nuts and wheat products high in arginine triggers it), I don't touch or pick it. I wash very carefully and even put bandages over the sore on my buttocks. How is it that I am spreading it to various other parts of my body? Once it appeared on my buttock my doctor has put me on valtrex daily. It has been great. I will continue to take it long term.
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101028 tn?1419603004
keep asking questions as you have them :)
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the info! It's nice to be able to talk to someone about this.
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101028 tn?1419603004
most folks who have hsv2 orally, also have it genitally.  Not too surprising that you do too.

your foot lesions could be hsv2 related but they also could be other things. it's not spreading the virus when you get lesions on the foot. it's the same nerve group that supplies your genital area so the virus can travel down there to cause obvious lesions.

the hand, could be herpes but if you can, never time you have symptoms there, get them cultured to confirm.  it would be spreading it to your hand if you got lesions there.

daily suppressive therapy should keep recurrences few and far between.  If you continue to get cold sores frequently, I'd follow up with a dermatology exam just to make sure it's not also something else going on in that area ( like impetigo or something ).

no need to watch your diet either. the vast majority of folks who have herpes, don't have dietary triggers ( sunlight and acidic foods do sometimes trigger cold sores though ). The lysine /arginine theory didn't pan out at all and in fact some of the newer studies are using arginine to treat herpes ob's.  

no need to be obsessive about cleaning and towel use or anything either. neither of them are an issue. Like I said, the only part of your body that would be considered spreading the virus to was your hands. that can happen from wiping especially if you have cracked skin on the hands, bitten cuticles, open cuts etc.

grace
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Avatar universal
I have had my lip and my buttock scraped and tested.I was told both came back positive for HSV2. That is all the testing I have done so far.
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101028 tn?1419603004
what testing have you had done so far?  

have you had your lesions on your hands, feet and buttocks tested for herpes?

have you had your cold sores tested to know that they are hsv2?

grace
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