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Will they ever go away? I'm so tired of this s**t, it's really ruining my life.

This is the first time I have sat down to write something about my journey with HPV. I've not told ANYONE in my life, the only people who know are the few doctors and nurses that have been helping me treat this. It's good to get this off my chest.  
I discovered my GW last August of 2010. I had been with a girl for awhile, and apparently she either didn't know she had them or hid them from me. We had both protected and unprotected sex over a course of about 6 months. The warts didn't show up until 2 months after we had broken up. When they showed up they just about killed me, I was devastated, a broken man... and to some extent am still. I haven't had so much as a date since coming down with GW out of fear that I will fall for someone, then get my heart broken when they run from me like I am some sort of leper. I've thought about joining those positive dating sites, but I just can't bring myself to do it.  

My treatment history has been long and sordid. I've had cryo about 4 times, have done the ACV thing 5 or more times, have tried using garlic, etc. So all in all I have had them treated approximately 10 times, usually with 10 or more warts on the base of my penis. Each time they have come back. NOTHING IS WORKING and I just feel like giving up. Has anyone had this problem, where they just don't go away? All the info online says they should clear themselves in 3-6 mos., with 9 months being the outset, but I'm going on 8 months now and everytime I think I'm clear because of the treatment, they come back.

I feel like I will never again have a relationship, am permanently tainted and have become a pariah. I'm just about 30 now, am doing well in other aspects of my life, but am not dating because of this. I've turned girls down, and this is the worst thing in the world... I want to love, to share my love and happiness with a partner... but I can't because I'm diseased. When will this just go away?
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Avatar universal
The most frustrating thing I find online are "the HPV is no big deal" posts. It's more than frustrating, it's simultaneously infuriating and utterly depressing. HPV has ruined my life. Someone needs to be saying this so the damn medical community will do more to address this epidemic. I mean there still isn't an FDA-approved HPV test for males?!? WTF, it's 2017!

I was diagnosed with genital warts over a year ago. After prescription creams and home remedies failed, I had them burned off with acid. That worked, however my partner of 8 years still contracted anal warts either from unprotected sex we had before I realized I had the warts or from unprotected sex we had after the warts were removed. Do you know how awful and painful it is to remove anal warts? Invasive surgery...it's bad. Because we now know that there is no way to know if the virus still lingers after the warts are gone, he has said he will never have unprotected sex with me again. That is devastating to me that I will never again be able to have that level of intimacy with him (or any future partner). For me, unprotected sex is one of the most intimate acts and greatest benefits of a long term committed relationship. This damn virus has robbed me of that forever. And before anyone comments and says yes you can have unprotected sex again, you are fooling yourself. There is no way to know if the virus still lingers regardless of how long you have been wart-free. And I am not putting my partner through that awful surgery again.

HPV keeps me up at night, it has driven a wedge in my relationship, it has cost me and my partner thousands of dollars in medical costs, and it all-around has significantly decreased my quality of life more than any other medical condition I've ever had. But the internet is clamoring to declare that "it's no big deal". Yes it definitely is...and no one seems to be doing anything about it.
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1 Comments
I'm 14 years old and I go to a school with judgy mean kids. I've had a wart on my elbow for the longest time. I've tried everything from freezing it off to apple cidar vinegar and everything in between. I agree that unless they have experienced it themselves, everyone just says warts are no big deal. And I'm completely fed up with people saying "It only takes a few applications" like no it doesnt. That may work for some  people but for me nothing has worked. My wart starts to cease sometimes but then it stays and it taunts me and it is so frustrating trying to live with this thing. I am currently using the apple cidar vinegar treatment and im on application #6 at least. And it hurts. It keeps me up every night tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable. It keeps me from sitting and relaxing every single day and every second of every day I pray for it to get tf off me but do you think anything ever works? No. Last year I had it and I was sick of trying so I just wore long sleeved shirts all year long. Even when it was hot outside. I just got sick of it again and I want to cut it off. I can't freaking handle this it's just no use.
1609501 tn?1299201602
I am so glad you posted, few women do and I am in a learning process with my own dealing with HPV.

I have not eaten pork in almost 20 years so yay for that. I am taking lots of vit's and really focused on my diet which was already very healthy. I need to get back to my normal exercise, it's been hard with being upset from this, the testing and treatment. I usually swim a lot and don't feel like it is good for my healing.

Please tell me more about what treatments you have done with warts.
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I was diagnosed of genital warts 2 months ago i visit a gyno clinic because of yeast infection and found out i have this warts my ex gave this to me and it was so devastating we've been in 5 years relationship on and off he was my first boyfriend and cheated on me multiple times. He didn't tell he have it he left me broken and gave a souvenir. When i found out about it i was so sad and depress like no man will accept me and i will be single forever and cannot have a child on my own because of this infection. I only shared this problem in one person my bestfriend and she was angry about my ex and very supportive to me. I'm now eating healthy and taking vitamins and probiotics. My only problem my gyno don't want to remove my wart in laser treatment or the other she said it was so small very few and may vanish through vaccine and cream. And i'm done being depress iwant to fight this infection and i hope this will be gone i'm only 23 yrs old this thing will not ruin my life. Being positive is the key and living healthy.
Avatar universal
1. Improve your diet. Do not consume pork (pork makes HPV come back over and over again from certain studies I've read).
2. Make sure you are getting enough vitamins for your immune system to fight it off.
3. Try tea tree oil and continue your treatment with the Doctors.

I found out I had warts 2 months into a relationship. I'm not sure who gave them to me. In any case, it was just a casual dating thing, but I was upfront, and it was a really hard thing to come out and say but I'm glad I did. We decided to stop having sex for a while, and only engage in sex acts that didn't put him at risk. This was humbling and sometimes frustrating. During this time he got vaccinated with Gardasil. After his second vaccination, doctors say he was about 98% protected. My warts were completely gone. We decided we would have sex again, with condoms. I can say it was worth the wait and it was totally worth it to be honest. It's been 6 months since I was infected and I still get very small outbreaks from time to time but I will beat it. My body has become incredibly resilient and strong after switching to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet and taking vitamins and beta-caroten daily.

You are *NOT* a leper. Genital warts are a SKIN condition that can be transmitted through sex. It is not known to cause any major damage. Many women these days have gardasil which means they are protected.

If you are sad because of the appearance of these warts, just keep trying. The will go away. Our bodies CAN beat HPV. Help your body out with an immune-boosting diet.

I think you can still date - and hold out on sex until you think you are ready physically. Also if you date someone in an emotional way, maybe you can reach a level of trust where you can tell them this happened and they will accept you and help you through this.

You are not alone. Over 80% of the sexually active population has HPV.
Helpful - 0
1609501 tn?1299201602
I think part of why you are having so such a hard time with your feelings about this is because you haven't talked to anyone and let it out. I am at the beginning of wart treatment, 2 acid  treatments in, 2 to go. No matter what my doc says about that being the usual and she thinks it will be enough I know better. I found my warts when they were missed by her and another doc during two prior exams, I see each week there are new ones. I hope 4 treatments does it but if not I know that for a period of time I am going to have to submit to this. Meaning, it is going to take how ever long it takes. I understand you have been through a lot and that is getting discouraging. I don't know how to advise you as far as care, only a doc can. HPV sucks! At least it is something that with time will stop being a problem. Then you can move forward and date LOTS!
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