Just diagnosed with genital herpes...

[CElizabeth93]

Hi, I was just diagnosed with genital herpes today. I had gone to the ER twice this week complaining of what I thought was a yeast infection. They confirmed and sent me on my way with diflucan and cream. It hasn't gotten better and this morning it was so painful I was bawling from the moment I got up until I packed up and web to Urgent Care where they took one look at me and said it was herpes.
I am a 19 year old female with extremely uncontrolled diabetes. (Yes, I know. Not good. I'm working on it.) My symptoms are extremely severe. I have constant yellow discharge and probably thirty ulcers everywhere. My vagina is swollen nearly three times its size to where I can hardly walk, sit, anything and its started to make my rectum raw. I haven't urinated today because the pain is so extreme it's like my body won't allow me to urinate. I've been drinking water and I know I have to pee but I cannot bring myself to do so.
My question is, what can help the pain when I urinate? Also, what can help the rawness of my rectum? I have been given all of the antibiotics needed and have taken them.
If anyone has any advice that would be great too. I'm extremely depressed that this has happened and would love to know more than just medical facts, so if anyone has personal experience please feel free to tell me.

[gracefromHHP]

you need to go to the ER immediately to be catheterized. they will probably leave in the catheter for a few days.   this is a health risk at this point so don't delay!

what med and what dose? you should make sure you have a full 10 days of an antiviral and you should have a refill too. when you have urinary retention from herpes - it often takes more medication for longer.

usually when you have urinary retention from herpes, you also then get bowel issues too. You should also start a stool softener so you can have a bowel movement daily. the added pressure on the nerves in that area from stool adds to pain as well as can make urinary retention worse too :(

[CElizabeth93]

They swabbed me yesterday but the results will not come back until about Wednesday due to the weekend. I still have not urinated but I have to badly. I filled up the bath tub and tried to pee but its too painful so I got out and took my prescription pain meds hoping that it will hurt less when they kick in. I'm in so much pain trying to urinate I'm screaming just trying to. Does the deem polar spray numb the area or just help with the pain?

[gracefromHHP]

you can also use a barrier cream like desitin, aquaphor etc on the anal area too.

[gracefromHHP]

did they do any actual testing for herpes? A visual diagnosis is fine for treating but you also need testing to confirm herpes as well as to confirm type.  

did they also test you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally when you were seen?

what herpes antiviral and dose were you given?

put some water in the bathtub and sit in it and pee into that. it will dilute your urine so it stings less so you can urinate. If you can't urinate at least 4x/day, go back to be seen to be catherized. herpes can cause you to not be able to urinate and you can't just hold your urine without health risks.  you can also pick up a sitz bath set up for the toilet too to urinate into without having to squat in the tubby each time you have to go.

dermoplast spray ( the blue can for the genital area , not the red can ) is under $10 at most drug stores.  you can spray that on several times a day too for pain relief.

alternate tylenol and advil unless you have a medical reason not to. for instance take 1 gm tylenol at 6 a.m, 600mg advil at 9 a.m , tylenol at noon, advil at 3 pm etc.  it gives you pain relief comparable to some narcotics without the side effects.

if you haven't read the free herpes handbook we recommend in our read before posting post, check it out when you have time too :)

keep your glucoses under control too!!  your body isn't going to heal in a timely manner if you aren't.  count your carbs and cover them properly.  also you should probably follow up with your gyn in 2 weeks to retest for vaginitis too.

this will get better - just will seem like it isn't for a few more days yet :)

grace