herpes simplex virus 2

[BUDDHISTTB]

is there ever going to be a cure for  genital herpes ? if the normal medication doesn't work what are the other options ?

[gracefromHHP]

we don't have cures for any viruses at this point :(  

medication works for the vast majority of people who have genital herpes. are you having problems with ob's or anything else specific we can perhaps better help you with?

grace

[BUDDHISTTB]

unfortuanately im one of the few it doesnt work for and have been suffering for over two yrs with little or no relief, i still get anal blisters at least once a month which was up to four times a month about 7 months ago i normally get them now jus before my menstrual cycle which prevents me from going to the dr to get it checked and my nearest std clinic is over 20miles away{dont drive} so normally when i arrive after arranging time off work the blisters have burst and no sample for resistant testing can be done if that makes sense. i have had it twice this month before my cycle and after, i feel this is down to me missing a few days in the last couple of weeks on and off of my contraceptive pill, i dont find any of the creams or tablets help im wondering if there is any other relief that can help me get through my outbreaks i notice alot lately which i didnt at the start when i feel i have blisters i will then notice after being to the toilet tiny blood spots on the tissue is this a sign the blisters have burst ? p.s any help about being in a relationship and dealing with genital herpes would be very helpful. sorry for the long winded comment i know the most info i can give will probably be much helpful in your answering my question..


thanking you,
Tasjas
irish 25

[gracefromHHP]

actually long winded is what I needed to help you more :)

you can be seen when you have your period. it's not an issue.  Your regular doctor can deal with this for  you too.  Yes it's messy to be naked on the table when you are bleeding but it's not an issue for your health care provider - they are quite used to it!

how were you diagnosed as having hsv2?  have you had your anal symptoms cultured?

what herpes treatments have you tried so far?  are you on daily suppressive therapy?

grace

[BUDDHISTTB]

i sometimes get the odd near vaginal blister too i havent had the anal symptoms cultured as they always seem to burst before i get the chance to go even to my own dr as i suppose they will burst easier in the anal region i still have the symptoms since last posting this with maybe a feeling of a one day break unfortunately i feel when i have stinging when going to the toilet that they must have burst and there isnt much point in handing out money to my dr for her to tell me that it cant be cultured as the blisters have not fluid. i am on nothing at the moment i started on zirvirax tablets which didnt work at the start and acyclovir tablets which helped maybe the first few wks. i am taking nothing at the minute i was taking nettle oil which i heard helps purify the blood and echineacha for my immune system but i got two different drs to check my immune system and its perfect. ive also used sterile numbing gel which i got from my std clinic which had NO effect or relief at all and pure aloe vera gel i do find that GERMOLENE antiseptic cream is the best of the lot.


Thank you for your reply! :)

[gracefromHHP]

Actually herpes recurrences have little to do with your immune system. Recurrences are more because of your genes ( dang it mom and dad again! ) and also there are some chronic inflammatory issues that can cause herpes to be more active too. Infections can also cause herpes to be more active/recurrences - especially bv in us gals.  Also when our body is busy dealing with other illness, obvious lesions also sometimes occur.  

you don't need fluid filled blisters to culture. you can pcr anything - no need for any fluid - just you need to be seen as soon as you can when you have symptoms.  

If you want to prevent recurrences, you need to take acyclovir every single day ( 400mg 2x/day ) suppressively. Just treating ob's as they occur only helps to speed healing of those lesions and doesn't help prevent future ob's at all.  If you are having ob's frequently , are just bothered by the ob's you do have or want to help reduce transmission to a partner, suppressive therapy is usually a good choice to keep your herpes less active.  if you are still getting frequent symptoms while on suppressive therapy, odds are it's not herpes causing them.  

grace

[BUDDHISTTB]

yes i was on  the meds every day for 12 months and doubling when i felt i was getting signs/ symptoms of a break out and still got the blisters, i was told by the doctor in the std clinic the last time i went which was about 6months ago that i must have fluid filled blisters to cultivate the virus and by the time i got there it just seemed like irritated skin.. i am on eltroxin 200mg every day for an under active thyroid gland would/could this have an affect on how many re-occurring symptoms i have?  also if i miss my pill this seems to bring on a start of the symptoms burning of the leg and bum cheek which ive also strangely had at the* side of my breasts too?* is this common factor? Im thinking about coming off my contraceptive pill (yasmin) for a month as i feel it will bring on a heavy outbreak that i would be comfortable going to the dr with even though this really scares me as i get extremely depressed when i have a bad outbreak and its so hard to be at work and not been able to explain if someone notices i'm down as im normally a visually happy person. I work one to one with adults who have intellectual and physical disabilities and love my job so hate for them to think im cross or upset about something.

ok time to go to work :)


Thank you so much for your time and help its much appreciated!

Yours sincerely,
Tazjas

[BUDDHISTTB]

there was just burning at the side of my breasts and also in my arms i explained this to my GP but she didnt seem too concerned yes im going to go back to my GP and if needs be she has told me she will send me private to see a dr that specialises in genital herpes and std's i have been tested for all other std and sti's and all was clear.

thank you once again for your advice and support x

[Trefingers]

So it's confirmed you have genital herpes? I'm still waiting on results and I've had a recent pap smear and they consider it to be yeast infection but they failed to look at my anus and I have been experiencing painful bowel movements and light blood on toilet paper. I'm so worried that even though I didn't even take off my clothes and only performed oral sex that I still may have contracted genital herpes. Does it sound like I may have it too?

[BUDDHISTTB]

yes it was confirmed two yrs ago and i had tests done for yeast and bacterial infections and they came back clear. its very unlikely if you didn't have intercourse that you  have contacted the virus on your genitals, on the other hand preforming oral sex on male/female with genital herpes means you could get the virus in your mouth but not genitals. The painful bowel movements and blood could be down to you stressing about this, try to  relax  until youve heard from your dr. x

[Still_Worried_]

Sorry if I missed it, but *HOW* were you diagnosed with HSV?  Culture/PCR, blood, or visual exam?

[gracefromHHP]

you need to continue to be seen regularly when you have symptoms to get to the bottom of things.  folks who still have regular recurrences even while on daily suppressive therapy often have more than herpes going on. getting to the bottom of it all can take awhile and I recommend at this point you start following up regularly with your gyn to better figure out just what is all going on.  This is more than what your gp can handle from the sounds of things and you deserve answers and relief!

[BUDDHISTTB]

still worried: culture test was done on the virus

hi grace
i am no longer on the medication as it wasnt working for me at all :0( {aprox 5months ago} and both my gp and the doctors at the std clinic recommended i come off it if i wasn't finding any relief, there was times on the medication i felt my outbrakes were worse than better, i was tested for every other std/sti and was also checked for bacterial and yeast infections everything else is clear, i went back to the doctor on Tuesday with what felt like a bigish outbreak in the front region to be told i had one red lump under the skin { which she tought could be another blister under the skin} and what seemed to be the end of a blister also very red near this area i couldnt believe this as the pain i had felt was really bad i was findin it hard to walk,but the virus started saturday and it was monday before i could see the dr, she took swabs to check for the virus which i hope will be back in ten days my GP isnt very familiar with genital herpes so she has said that she will recommend a good private specialist to me, as i dont have health insurance im sure this will cost me alot but if i think it might help id find the money somewhere its so difficult to cope with this constantly its worth anything for a bit of relief!

also: this is the first time ive had blisters near the front in months! i also got some really deep pain before hand a the side which i now have the symptoms so bad that i had to take strong painkillers which i normally dont not even with the stinging as i hate to take any sort of medication if i can pull through the pain naturally.

THANK YOU FOR YOU REPLY X

[gracefromHHP]

when you were seen tuesday, did they do anything other than a lesion culture for herpes?  

you can try soaking in the bathtub with epsom salts thrown in. You can also try compresses with diluted vinegar to the area. You can also try steeping a tea bag , letting it cool some and using it as a compress on the symptoms too. all 3 things are helpful regardless of the cause of your symptoms.  

topical anesthetics are also useful. dermoplast spray ( the blue can, not the red can for the genital area ) can be found at most stores. it's under $10 usually. spray it on where it hurts several times a day.  

[BUDDHISTTB]

monday irish time :) yes she did tests again for bacterial and yeast infections and my first smear test i think that was all she didnt tell me anything else,  must have a look out for dermoplast spray havent heard of it in ireland. Have heard of the tea bags but havent tried it used normal salt in baths must try the epsom salts and also diluted vinegar.


i shall let you know of the results as soon as i hear back from them,

Thanks again Grace, x

[gracefromHHP]

look for any topical anesthetic. ask the pharmacist for a recommendation if you can't find one. check in the hemorrhoid section.

[BUDDHISTTB]

thanks for the advice x

[teec34]

tucks medicated pads (walmart generic brand is the same and cheaper)are awesome for herpes outbreaks.. the witch hazel in it soothes the blisters and cools your bottom at the same time.. try it

[BUDDHISTTB]

Thanks teec34 :) x


log to self : today feels like my first real break in a month !! rang dr on friday bacterial and yeast infection results came back clear still awaiting the HSV2 results, could take up to another ten days.
todays date : saturday 12 feb 2011

[Mistakeguy789]

There is a journal feature you can use.  When you login look to your left and you will see journal and then you can add there.

[BUDDHISTTB]

mistakeguy : o cool thanks im new to this thats real handy thanks for the tip :)


hi grace,
got a call from the dr today swab came back positive at least i know now im not going mad and the symptoms are still the herpes, but on the down side my dr tells me the lab that the swab was sent to didnt do a sensitivity test as im no longer on the herpes medication, my dr couldnt understand this ? shes going to refer me to an infectious diseases specialist and also put me on Valtrex for a month to see how i go on it, ive never heard of this med i was told in the clinic there was no other medication besides the Famvir and Zirvirax (which had no effect on me whatsoever}. im going to google it {valtrex} but if you can give me any other info on it that'd be great, Thank you,

i appreciate your advice   x

[gracefromHHP]

actually a dermatologist is probably better for this than the infectious disease doctor.

I'm not sure what you mean by they didn't do a sensitivity test. were they checking for tk deletion which would mean it doesn't respond well to acyclovir/famvir?

valtrex is an acyclovir prodrug. it gets you more active acyclovir in your body than just taking regular acyclovir does.

[BUDDHISTTB]

hi grace

yes i was a bit confused too but my dr called it a sensitivity test i presume she ment a resistance test like youve said that i dont respond to acyclovir/famvir, she said the man at the lab she spoke to said i needed to be taking the medication to do these tests?

i read up a bit on valtrex alright, it seems to be a better sounding drug for me than famvir or zirvirax, but im just not sure, why do you think a dermatologist is better for me than an infectious disease doctor ? i didnt know a dermatologist dealt with std's? the swab i got done on the lesion came back positive for herpes.


Thank you x

[gracefromHHP]

well certainly call and ask them to clarify what they meant by a sensitivity test. we usually refer to sensitivity testing for bacterial infections, not herpes so assume nothing and find out!

You don't need to be on acyclovir to do acyclovir resistance testing as far as I know. I will ask and find out. we all shed tk deleted versions of herpes periodically, just for some folks it's the predominant version and not just a random occurrence. If you have a predominantly tk deleted version of the virus then there is nothing for acyclovir/valtrex to work on to control it.  

valtrex is the same as acyclovir, you just take it less often. sometimes folks do better on 1 antiviral than the other but they all work similarly.

A dermatologist can help figure out if it's all herpes going on or if something else is going on which is also triggering your herpes to shed and be detected on the lesion cultures. make sense?