So I was just diagnosed and given Valtrex 2 days ago 9 days into my initial outbreak aka the most painful/uncomfortable thing I have ever encountered aside from child birth lol.
I've mostly come to terms with the fact I will have this for the rest of my life so I'm trying not to panick or overthink and keep in good spirits instead of causing myself more stress. I'm just trying to get some facts straight. Sorry in advance for the million questions, my brain is spinning out of control trying to figure out how to deal with this!
I'm currently talking to someone (a potential future partner) and I'm not too sure when/if the time comes how to tell him without causing him to panick. What are the stats on hsv-1? How easily is it transmitted from female to male genitally and orally ? Is it possible to have a normal sex life with this strain of virus aside from avoiding sex during an outbreak? Any suggestions on any links or websites for him to read to understand if it gets that far without him running away scared
And lastly what changes should I be making to my daily routine in terms of diet and supplements/vitamins to boost my immune system?
I work out regularly (5 days a week for 2 hours) and take preworkout (Cellucor C4) which I've read contains l-arganine, being a known cause for outbreaks. I started taking lysine supplements, will this be sufficient enough to counter the l-arganine? Or does anyone have any suggestions on another type of preworkout that wouldn't cause any ob risk.
Is alcohol (even just a glass of wine every once in a while) an absolute no-no?
Sorry again for all the questions even if just one could be answered I would be forever thankful!
Say this guy I'm talking to decides to stick around. If he were to get blood tested to see if he were a carrier already what tests would he ask for.?And if he is in fact a carrier of the same virus strain but has never had and ob or symptoms does that mean he wouldn't contract anything from me or have an ob caused by me? Could we have unprotected sex both genitally and orally if the relationship got to that stage without risks?
The questions you are asking are exactly what I used to ask and this is completely natural to wonder all those things. So over the time of me having HSV-1 (over 2 years) I have gathered lots of information and facts. One thing I have learnt is that if you search for something negative, you’ll get a negative result. So rather than asking google for example, ‘is there a cure for herpes?’ Ask ‘facts on hsv-1’. I’ve found that https://herpes.org.uk is probably the best website I have come across. If you want to ask a member of the website a question you can even send a personal email. But all the facts on there are the most accurate I have found. Some websites I have come across (including NHS) don’t fully explain and actually make you feel ‘different’ but this is actually so common. I hope this helps!
Also, I personally workout often too but don’t take pre-workout due to personal preference. I don’t currently take any vitamins etc but that’s purely because I’m a big believer in letting your body deal with everything itself, rather than relying on supplements and medication. This is something that would vary person to person but I rarely have outbreaks anyway. I have found that the 3/4 I have had since July 2015 have eased off in terms of severity and how often it occurs. I think my last one may have been a year ago but I have forgot it’s been that long. It can only get easier. One thing I can’t help much with experience wise is telling your partner. That’s just something I am still yet to experience myself but I just think positively and recently learnt that focusing on yourself is way more important first. So when the time is right and I’m with someone I trust I’m hopeful that it will just feel right!
Just going to end this message with a fact: By age 25, about six out of ten people in the UK carry type 1 and about one in ten carries type 2.