Hello, again.....If you read my other post, I acquired genital HSV-1 about 6 months ago. For the past 3 AWFUL MONTHS I've had chronic pain, itching and burning in my genitals. I have not had any blisters, and the only noticeable abnormality on my vagina ONE SMALL FISSURE by my clitoris - which probably accounts for the fact that it is so sensitive. It's torture sitting at my dest every day. The fissure first appeared abt 3 months ago, at the beginning of this episode. My doctor cultured the fissure about a month ago and it came back NEGATIVE for Herpes. Despite this, my doc has kept me on Valtrex 500mg 2x/day for the past month and a half. I have also been taking Lysine and Garlic. NO CHANGE.

Now, she is thinking about other possibilities... I have another appointment on Thursday. She mentioned something abt vulvadynia as one option? Possibly something else?

Has ANY female out there experienced anything like this?? Was it herpes?? Was it something else -- and if so what was it?? And, regardless of what it was, HOW DID YOU GET BETTER??

I think most of all, I desperately need to hear from someone who has had chronic symptoms like mine for months on end and it GOT BETTER. I am so afraid and depressed that I am never going to be able to have sex again and that I am going to have to live with this chronic pain/itching/discomfort for the rest of my life. PLEASE, can someone offer me any hope?

Hi, I had the exact same symptoms as you, and suffered through them for over 3 months before getting a diagnosis and help. I, too, had contracted genital HSV1 about 8 months prior to my symptoms, so I assumed it was herpes, but when I would go to my doctor (which I went to about 10 times within 3 months), the swab test always came back negative for herpes, and I was taking valtrex like crazy, with no relief. As it turned out, the horribly irritated skin and fissures I was getting was the result of 2 things. I was diagnosed (after 3 months of missing what was really wrong) with a vaginal group B strep infection, and a yeast infection of the vulva (just on the outer skin, not actually inside the vagina). I was given a round of antibiotics for the vaginal strep infection, and 3 diflucan pills that I took once a day for three days, and I put cream, like when you buy monistat now, it comes with the "outer vulvar cream", on the outside of my vagina and perineum twice a day. My symptoms completely disapeared within about 1 week, and it has been about 4 months now, with no return of the symptoms. I hope this information might help you. :)

I, too, have heard of paper cut like fissures on the genitals (resembling herpes), but turning out to be group b strep!

Hi, I had the exact same symptoms as you, and suffered through them for over 3 months before getting a diagnosis and help. I, too, had contracted genital HSV1 about 8 months prior to my symptoms, so I assumed it was herpes, but when I would go to my doctor (which I went to about 10 times within 3 months), the swab test always came back negative for herpes, and I was taking valtrex like crazy, with no relief. As it turned out, the horribly irritated skin and fissures I was getting was the result of 2 things. I was diagnosed (after 3 months of missing what was really wrong) with a vaginal group B strep infection, and a yeast infection of the vulva (just on the outer skin, not actually inside the vagina). I was given a round of antibiotics for the vaginal strep infection, and 3 diflucan pills that I took once a day for three days, and I put cream, like when you buy monistat now, it comes with the "outer vulvar cream", on the outside of my vagina and perineum twice a day. My symptoms completely disapeared within about 1 week, and it has been about 4 months now, with no return of the symptoms. I hope this information might help you. :)
Hello its me bugging you again.... I was reading up on vaginal group B strep and everything I am reading is saying you only get this during pregnancy and that it can be passed to a newborn... Is this info correct?

devastated: Thank you SO much for sharing that with me. I have noticed white discharge only on my outer vulva in the folds near the clitoris (not internally where the discharge usually is for yeast infection). Did you have this symptom as well? I wonder if it is a yeast infection!!!

I have an appointment with the doc on Thursday. I will bring up the possibility of Strep and Yeast with the doctor.

I will let you know how it goes.

I still welcome anyone else's experiences that are similar to mine. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have found this board! I haven't spoken to anyone, besides the doctors, about the agony I've been in. I've been carrying it around, crying when I'm alone, and praying A LOT. The only comfort I have found is on this website. I hope to one day be in the position where I can render suggestions and advice on this board and "pay it forward." FIRST, I have to find the answers to the questions before I can start passing them on!

many thanks.

I have my diagnosis.....FINALLY.......... I have a non-albicans yeast infection!! Apparently, this type of yeast causes all the symptoms (pain, burning, fissures) I have been suffering with for the past few months. And non-albicans doesn't necessarily cause the discharge associated with common yeast infections, so it was tricky to diagnose.

I now have to go through a LOT of treatment to get rid of it, because it is apparently very hard to kill and doesn't respond to the regular monistat/diflucan treatment. I have to go through a 30 day regimine of suppositories, creams, and even oral treatment.

:angel: I finally have hope after all these months of suffering!!!

I have been trying to do some research on this strep b you guys have been talking about. You see, i was diagnosed with herpes about 2 months ago, but the doctor never did any actual tests, he just told me that he was positive that was what it was, and that it was my first ob.....it was quite bad. He presribed me zovirax and it cleared up!!
I had open sores, the paper cut looking ones, and redness and pain. From some of the research i've found on the strep b i am curious though, as to whether or not i was misdiagnosed. Do you think the two could be confused. I can't seem to find any physical information about what strep b can actually look like in adult females.
I have also had previous problems with kidney infections, and urinary tract infections for the past 2 years. Also about 9 months ago i had a serious blood stream infection (cystitis) and they never really found the cause. From what i have read strep be can cause both of these things.

I guess what i am wondering, is if anyone has any good info on this strep b, and its physical appearance in women, and can it resemble herpes at times?

Thanks for responding in advance
I don't want to get my hopes up......i'm aware i most likely have herpes, but seeing as i've never been truly tested, perhaps i was misdiagnosed, which would quite frankly be a welcome thing right now, as i'm not dealing so well with the idea of having H

Hi scared...if I were you, I definately wouldn't take the word of a doctor on just a visual diagnosis. I would recommend that you definately get a type specific blood test done. I am not sure about Streb B causing blisters...on me, it only caused insane burning, redness, and those fissure things, and UTI type urinary symptoms, no actual blisters.....whereas my first herpes outbreak was definately sores.....actually after they broke open, they looked just like those canker sores you get inside your mouth sometimes. I just got my second herpes outbreak since my initial infection (I am convinced all the symtpoms I thought was herpes in the previous 8 months was the streb b), and I was sooooo relieved! I only got 1 bump, then 1 day later, one more bump right beside it, then in about 4 days, they were gone. They weren't even that painful, but I know it was an oubreak because the bumps looked the same as in the first outbreak, and felt sort of the same, only about 1000 times less severe. My first outbreak rendered me bed-ridden....it was too painful to even walk. So, I just wanted to share that with you just in case you do have herpes, the subsequent outbreaks are usually MUCH less severe than the first. :)

[Hey girl- I feel your pain. I have had something going on like that for the last few years-- it comes and goes-- I have been tested for every VD numerous times but always negative. I will develop a "cut" at the top of where my (vaginal) lips split-- it burns like crazy and is usually accompanied by a small sore or two near or on my clitoris. I did get vaginal warts in college years ago and keep asking docs if that is what this is, they all say no but have no diagnosis for me. Frustrating! They have told me I am just very sensitive-- I now use very little only all natural soaps, not a lot of scrubbing-- always wipe from top to bottom-- it does help but sometimes still reappears. Also related? unrelated? a sore will develop on my tailbone every three -four months-- no one seems to know what that is either. I hate pharmies, so I won't consider valtrex, especially when I don't know what it is. I wish someone could tell me something too. I too stress, pray, ignore, obsess, try to treat, try to let it alone-- it's a crap shoot. Sorry.