Why aren't Indian doctors and parents just honest about this?
I have HSV-1 and I don't remember when I contracted it because I was very young. What I do remember is having very frequent and painful outbreaks when I was a kid in primary school and middle school. My lips would bleed and scab it was just very painful. It made me self conscious too.
My mom took me to a couple of doctors in the middle east. For context, I was born and raised in the middle east but all of my doctors have been indian. They recognized what I had were cold sores and you know what they had to say?
"Don't bite your lips"
"Drink water, you're dehydrated"
"Use vaseline"
Not ONE of them gave me any actual medicine. Or was honest with me
When I turned 20 and started working (I moved back to india) I finally had the financial freedom to go to a doctor here who told me which antivirals to take. This is also when I realised what I had was herpes. I am now 25 and can manage them myself.
I don't understand. It was that easy, why didn't any of the doctors I went to help me before? I endured so much pain and weird looks for so long.
Is it because of the stigma that I suffered so much? I have so much anger in me towards both them and my parents for just not being honest with me. I mean, they were medical professionals and my guardians and I feel like they both failed to help me when I really did need it.