Been a few months now… It’s gonna be okay.
23F here, and checking in with an update from my first 3 months of having HSV2.
First and foremost, it is going to be okay. Life doesn’t end with your diagnosis.
My first and only outbreak was absolutely terrible. I had tearing and raw skin down there, (not so much “blisters”). I got a terrible fever, chills, aches, and felt like I had the flu with the added discomfort of the genital tearing.
But once that first initial outbreak ended, things really started to look up. I’m a flight attendant, so I often have a changing sleep schedule as well as inconsistent nutrition and exercise habits. It’s definitely not the most “stress-free” job, either. Prior to this, I was a Division I athlete and I had a very set schedule of workouts and classes. I try to keep as physically fit as possible, but with traveling so much, it’s hard to be consistent. Either way, my schedule would normally be HSV2’s best friend. But! With daily valcyclovir, I haven’t had an outbreak since my first. I’ve even caught a cold since my first outbreak and didn’t have any symptoms that would be cause for concern besides my pelvic nodes being a little swollen.
As far as my sex life goes, it’s fine lol. I told my only partner at the time and he literally didn’t care at all. He got tested and ended up being negative, but we’ve continued to have a normal sex life with me being medicated!
All I wanted to really say is if you’re new to this, get off this subreddit and go live your life. MANY people live with some form of herpes and manage it through medication and/or lifestyle changes. It will 100% be okay at the end of the day. To those struggling, I feel for you and hope that things get better. But to anyone else who needs a little bit of hope after their diagnosis, just keep your head up and don’t worry so much about what others will think. Even in general, that’s no way to live. The right people will understand and accept you for who you are. And proper symptom management comes with trial and error. I’m VERY lucky that daily valcyclovir works for me and my lifestyle, but if you’re in a position where you don’t know what to do, plenty of providers have lots and lots of experience helping others who are dealing with this too.
Full disclosure, when I was diagnosed, the doctor told me she’s had it for 20+ years now and forgets it’s even part of her life. And she has a husband and kids :)
Good luck to everyone navigating this ❤️ You’re the still same you, after all. Just an extra layer of perseverance now.