Showing posts with label living with herpes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living with herpes. Show all posts

How to Live with Herpes?

The doctor informed you`ve got genital herpes, a virus for which there is no cure and which appears in a very sensitive area. This news may shock you but do not despair.

If you type “genital herpes” in Google research you`ll come to a conclusion that many people live with this virus. Chances are one of your friends, co-workers or even family member has it, too. Statistics shows that about one in five people in all major countries is infected. Knowing you're not the only one dealing with herpes should calm you down.

How to live with herpes
Despite the fact that herpes will not kill you or cause serious health problems later, you may get depressed thinking about a lifetime of symptoms and taking drugs to control them. Being angry with the person who infected you is a valid feeling, but you have to learn to overcome it. Look at the mirror and say: “ I`m not herpes, I just have herpes”. You're just as cute and funny as you always were; your eyes and smile are still beautiful and people are attracted to many things about you besides sex appeal.

 Sores may appear on your genitals from time to time and in that period you shouldn't have sex, and probably won't want to. But then you don't feel sexy when you have a cold, either. After a few days, you get over your cold and feel much better. Think back to a time when you were sick with a cold, your partner may have leaned in to kiss you, and you probably said something like, "No, I don't want to give you this bug". But did he or she kiss you anyway? Your girlfriend or boyfriend loves you no matter what. 

If you've just been diagnosed with genital herpes, you`ll have to make a few changes in your daily life, which will feel strange at first, but your life will not change dramatically. You can keep moving ahead in your career, have children, and have fun.

You may need to take pills, but they are a reality of modern life. Millions of people take pills every day to treat health problems and many more take vitamins. As much as you value a carefree lifestyle, you have always done some necessary chores every day. Like brushing your teeth, taking your medicine will become just another routine in your life.

You may not even have to take daily medication. You may need it only when you have a flare-up, and that's like taking antibiotics for a bout of bronchitis. Also, remember that symptoms tend to calm down in time. Your first outbreak may be the worst you'll ever have.


Dating, Sex and Herpes

Dating, Sex and Herpes

Some events have the potential of changing your life forever. If you have been diagnosed with Herpes, this would definitely be one such event. Herpes can be a frightening discovery for any individual. People with herpes are considered flawed by society and this is probably why such people feel embarrassed and prefer isolating themselves.

If you already have a partner, and he or she has herpes too, you can continue a healthy relationship as the Herpes Simplex Virus cannot be transmitted twice. However, if you have just begun dating and only had a few casual hookups, it can be extremely distressing. As a single you wouldn’t want to stay alone, would you? Besides, the hype surrounding this disease has resulted in various rumors pertaining to sex and relationships.

What Should You Do?


Herpes doesn’t necessarily spread through sexual intercourse. In fact, any sort of physical contact with the infected area of another individual would transmit the virus. The first thing that you will have to do on being diagnosed with herpes is do research about the topic. Many websites also have a support section where people with herpes can ask professionals for help on a particular issue. There are multitudinous forums that boast of a great deal of information pertaining to Herpes and dealing with the symptoms.

People are generally diagnosed as a result of outbreaks. Nonetheless, there is no need to panic as you are likely to witness quite a few outbreaks in the following months. In due course of time, the outbreaks become less frequent and painless as the body begins to develop some kind of immunity towards it. Over a period of time when the infection weakens, the chances of transmission also reduce.

It is often observed that most people don’t show symptoms of herpes in spite of being infected. In most of these cases, people know of herpes from their partners. As a trend, if you haven’t experienced any outbreak within a month of being infected, you might never witness it in the future too. However, this doesn’t give you an excuse to ignore the condition.

It is worth mentioning that HSV – 1 or HSV – 2 can be transmitted in the absence of visible symptoms too. This is probably how you got it in the first place.

Herpes and Sex

A majority of the population that has Herpes believe that their love life is over fearing that they might get rejected by another person on discovering the condition. However, scientifically speaking, this isn't the case.

Although safe sex techniques cannot be regarded 100 percent effective in preventing the virus from spreading, consistent use of condoms and other barriers have been known to be advantageous. In addition, a person with herpes should abstain from having sex in the event of an outbreak. Also, avoid engaging in any sort of sexual activity when your partner is feeling itchy. This marks the prodromal period prior to an outbreak.

Use of suppressants such as Valtrex can also reduce the risk of transmission of the virus as they act upon the symptoms. One thing that you should remember is that Herpes is spread through oral sex too. Furthermore, having oral herpes doesn’t give you immunity against genital herpes. As a matter of fact, genital herpes is more contagious compared to oral herpes.

Herpes and Dating

Dating with Herpes isn't easy and requires a great deal of courage and a positive attitude. If you have herpes, it would be best to have a conversation about the same with your partner so that adequate precautions can be taken. In addition, it isn't a great idea to tell him or her about your condition after having sex.

People with Herpes find it extremely difficult to find new partners. The best thing you can do is find a partner who already has herpes. This way, the chances of transmission of the Herpes Simplex Virus are eliminated. An individual cannot be infected by the same virus twice.

There are several websites on the internet that cater to herpes dating. These websites allow users to find their ideal partners in a particular region. In fact, herpes dating platforms have come as a boon for those who found it difficult to mingle with others, courtesy of their medical condition. If you have Herpes and are in search of a companion, all you have to do is log onto one of these websites, create a free account and you are good to go.

Herpes is tough to deal with but doesn’t make life impossible. You might have to follow several precautions in order to prevent Herpes Simplex Virus from spreading. On the other hand, if your partner has herpes, things might get a tad easier but it still isn't going to be anything like before.