I'm 21 and from Australia. I woke up this morning with severe pain in my genital area and upon inspection discovered some lumps... Went straight to my GP who diagnosed me with Genital Herpes, she's done some swabs to confirm and given me antibiotics. I feel so ashamed and don't want to tell anyone. The pain is extreme and I can't even pee without crying. How long do the blisters usually last for in your first outbreak? I don't know if I can put up with the pain for much longer and am currently laying on my bed with an ice brick between my legs as there isn't much else I can do
I guess what I'm looking for is a little reassurance and support since I really don't want to confide in any of my family or friends.
Hi Rebecca. Hang in there in the meantime drink lots of water( it really helps with the burning) also grab a spray bottle and fill it with water. When you pee spray your vagina while peeing. I promise it will make it feel a little better.
I understand how you feel but there is nothing to feel ashamed about. Hang in there!!!
Hi Rebecca.. I'm just getting over my first out break I think. It's been a couple of weeks, but I noticed it getting better within a day or two of taking the antibiotics. A warm salty bath is quite soothing.. and it's less painful to pee in a shallow bath too. Or pour a jug of warm water over your genital area while you're peeing.
It is really painful But my friend who was diagnosed a few years ago assures me that he first outbreak is way way worse than any others.
I felt ashamed too, but honestly - it is not a big deal. I reccommend you choose one person at least to confide in, as everything is worse if you keep it bottled up and fret over it. My same friend I mentioned before told me she totally lost her sh*t when she was diagnosed and was freaking out crazy, she eventually rang her mum who basically told he to chill out as she'd had herpes herself for 30 years and never passed it on to either of her husbands!
So sorry you have to go through this, in due time I promise it will get better. I had a severe reaction to contracting it, to where doctors couldn't believe I had such severe neuropathy from it. 6 months later I continued to have symptoms every day and obs about twice a month, even taking valtrex daily at 1000mlgs. I did some research on making my immune system stronger and am now on day 6 no medication and ob free, w barely any symptoms. I used to have sptoms daily of to 20 tomes a day and I am down since starting my regime to 0-3, but still no obs. If I can get to this place, keep hope that you will be back to normal again too.
I don't want to give you a for sure timeline, as everyone is different, but I'd say based on posts on here... Your first ob is about 1-3 weeks and 3 weeks usually being the worst case scenario.
Hun, did your doctor give you antibiotics or antivirals? I certainly hope it was antivirals. Here are some things to do during your first ob.
- get as much rest as possible
- stay clear of sugars, caffeine and alcohol
- use an ice pack at night for itching, covered w paper towel- hydrocortisone for itching
- take as many hot baths w Epsom salt as possible. That is the only time I had relief during my obs, especially fr itching. Epsom salt sooths and reduces inflammation, while also drying put the sores.
- go to a drug store or holistic store and find natural clove oil and use a dropper to put on your sores. This will numb your sores.
Hang in there sweetie, it gets better. We've all been there and the first ob is the hardest and is the one that hurts the most. Also get a probiotic to take daily and take vitamin C and zinc, 3xs the daily dose. You need your digestive track as balanced as possible, as 70% of your immune system is held there
Wow that's a heck of a lot to go through, happy to hear you've finally found a way to gain relief from the horrid symptoms.
My GP gave me Valaciclovir 500mg, only taken two doses so far but I'm praying it works quickly! I have a few days off work so I'll definitely be resting and will try all your suggestions for relief.
Thank you so much for the positive words and advise and I really hope you continue to get better x
Thanks and hang in there. We are here if you need to talk w us. The first ob, is pretty mnich a suck kt up and grin and bear it situation. However, you have some things that can offer relief. I am surprised she only gave you 500mlgs for your primary ob... Per valtrex, it is to be 1000mlgs AT LEAST for a primary ob and 500 for daisy suppression. Always see an OB/GYN for stuff like this. GPs are pretty clueless on herpes.
Do you think I should double the amount of Valaciclovir since I was only prescribed 500mg? I'll do anything to get rid of this pain, today has been so much worse.
Is there a specific cream I could ask my GP to prescribe me when I go back for my results tomorrow? I noticed there are more ulcers around my vagina/anus today then there were yesterday, does this mean it's getting worse?
So yesterday was the first day you experienced symptoms correct? How many pills did she give you? If she gave you more than 10, go ahead and double up and then call in and say you read the pamphlet that came w the medication and it says for a primary ob 1000mlgs are to be prescribed and 500 is for daily suppression.
I'm not sure how they are in AU w pain killers, but it may behoove of you to ask if you could get some. If they say no, ask for tramadol at least or naproxen.. For the time being, take an anti-flammitory 800mlgs every 4hrs.
Follow all the advice I gave you above and get a hold of some clove oil. It will sting at first, but it really dies provide so much relief.
The antivirals will help to an extent on your first ob, for me I went through my ten days and still had sores and more popping up, so I had to get more. It really is one of those things unfortunately that you just have to ride out. I feel the medical community pays no mind to it and cares about the absolute h*ll we go through and are clueless to how bad it is for someone of us, since 85% or more of people don't have symptoms.
Hang in there sweetie, there is an end to this and it will be a distant memory before you know it I swear my life has been out on fast forward since this happened to me 6 months ago. Let me know what happens when you call.
I had symptoms on Monday but only noticed an ob Tuesday morning (its now very early hours Thursday morning). I'll ask her if she can prescribe me the stronger ones as she's only given me 10 days worth.
I'll try and find some clove oil in the morning after my GP appointment. Did you experience extremely broken sleep? I find that I can't get more than an hour at a time as long as I have an ice pack on the area to soothe. The pain is soooo much worse at night.
I'm beginning to notice this is a very dismissed subject in the medical world... Lucky we have people like you advocating for us. I just hope that someone gave you the same support you give everyone on here your first ob. It means the world.
You need to ask your go for more. You started meda pretty early w the onset, which usually makes the medication more effective. I would ask for tramadol, it will help ease pain and help you sleep. I didn't have problems w sleeping really, because the infection made me soooo exhuasted. I had problems sleeping when the itching was bad. It would wake me out of a dead sleep. I pretty much by the 5th day of my ob was itching so bad, that I spent probably 5-6hrs a night in a tub of water, because it was the only relief I got. Not long after that I developed severe neuropathy, which resulted in me having to go to the ER, where I was prescribed nerve pain meds and that knocked me out at night. Like I said, other than the recommendations I gave you to ease some discomfort, the rest is just riding it out miserably.
Do you have any support at home and anyone to help you out? How ate you handling this emotionally, as you've not said much about that part. Are you OK?
Yes, the medical world is very dismissive of it and they lack a great deal of empathy it seems towards anyone who gets it. They stare at you like you're a big baby. What a humiliating experience too!
I had one person who was very supportive of me. Initially I had a second person, but then they questioned me if my nerve pain was in my head, because why am I getting such a severe reaction and this usually isn't something that happens w genital heroes. I was furious and offended that she said that and didn't speak to her for two months this and she never apologized. My best friend doesn't live here, so she just would listen to me cry. That's the reason I try to be here for others, because the lack of compassion I had from others, including a friend who was a doctor. We are no longer friends now. I appreciate it though and I'm glad I can help. let me know how your appt goes.
Just got off the phone to my GP, had to get her to call me as I was in too much pain to go into the clinic my results came back as hsv-1 type herpes of the genitals.
Emotionally I've been ok, just a few little breakdowns but nothing serious. I feel a lot better knowing it's hsv-1 as apprently it's less likely to reoccur and even if it does it will be far less severe. Hopefully just have to ride this out and it doesn't last too much longer. As silly as it sounds i'd rather not speak to anyone I know about it, I'm happy to get through it by myself. The support you've shown has been incredible, I think without it id be in a much worse state emotionally.
Well, as lucky as you can be in this situation I guess, it's good news it is hsv 1 vs 2! Lol... This is what every single one if us hopes to hear when we know we have herpes and we are all disappointed it is not hsv 1. So as dysfunctional as this sounds, congratulations! Hahaha.. Gotta make fun!
Well I am glad that you are strong enough to handle this on your own. I definitely told more people than I should have. I just was so crushed and had a hard time keeping it to myself. I didn't start coming to this forum, until months after I got it and I was in a better place mentally at that point and wanted to be support for others.
Thank you for the compliment, it is my pleasure to be supportive of others. It really is therapeutic for me as well.
Did your doc prescribe you any more meds? Hang in there, you're really handling this like a gladiator. It's impressive! Lemme know I'd you need anything else or just need to chat about it. You can private message me if you need to.
But my friend who was diagnosed a few years ago assures me that he first outbreak is way way worse than any others. 
x