Hi! So i was diagnosed with an HSV-1 genital infection March 2018. Fast forward to last Tuesday 12/8 I got a itchy feeling down there thinking nothing of it and a few hours later that evening after taking a shower i notice bumps near the opening of my vagina. Mind you i have been VERY stressed because of school and that week i was definitely feeling the pressure mentally so that may have triggered the outbreak. I'm a bit confused because this is my first outbreak since my initial one and it did not come with any of the initial symptoms I felt the first time(ie flu like symptoms). It does not burn when i pee and i currently dont have any irritation or itchiness down there. I've been on valtrex since 12/11 and no signs of the bumps scabbing or going away. I would love to hear yall experience with recurrent genital hsv-1 outbreaks and whether a much milder outbreak is expected. I can post pics if that'll be more helpful. Thank you in advance!!
Your first outbreak will always be the worst and following our breaks will not really have the same symptoms ie flu.
Your probably stressed and run down from school. Keep taking the valtrex and add in some lysine and a multivitamin. Zinc and calcium can help too. For the valtrex to prevent a outbreak you would need to take it daily or if you wish not to take it as suppression then take it as soon as you notice a prodrome. You may need to up your dosage if you are taking a low amount like 250mg.
Try not drink alcohol or eat foods rich in arginine.
Make sure your getting lots of sleep and keeping the area clean and dry.
Dabbing on some tea tree or lavender oil mixed with coconut oil can dry things up.
Lastly try not add any more trauma to the area friction or hair removal ect.
My first HSV1 was awful and lasted about 2 weeks. I’m not on daily valtrex but have a prescription to fill if symptoms pop up. My 2 subsequent outbreaks were in times of severe stress and produced almost no symptoms. The only reason I noticed was because I felt like I was getting a yeast infection so I checked things out down there after a day or so and saw a couple of blisters forming so I called in my prescription, took the first two doses and the next day things were back to normal (I continued the prescription for its duration also). This definitely sounds typical. I’ve only ever had those 2 subsequent outbreaks thankfully because now if I feel like I might be getting a yeast infection I immediately take valtrex before blisters even pop up. I haven’t had an outbreak since May, my initial outbreak and diagnosis was at the end of March.
My outbreaks are pretty random but do tend to flare up when im mentally stressed out real bad. None of my outbreaks were as bad as my first but are still uncomfortable. I get a tingly feeling at the small of my back and down there and that’s when i can pretty much tell its fixing to happen. I just feel like crap whenever i have an outbreak and really depressed which probably makes it worse because i try to avoid being around people due to them asking why i feel bad and stuff and of course i say i just dont feel well but inside im utterly ashamed and really upset. It makes me feel really lonely and of course havent even tried to date because i dont want to hide it from someone then tell them later on down the line and then they get upset and leave me. I was hanging out with a girl one time and we started to kiss and she wanted to have sex and i stopped her and said hey i have hsv2 not oral and she totally freaked and gargled mouthwash infront of me and told me to get out of her house. Ive had it for a couple years now and i still dont know how to approach bringing it up to someone i am dating so i just dont even bother. It really really sucks