Hey all ~

Once again, I'm losing it..... :eek: Seems I've warded off an Ob, before my period and now that it's over another one is starting! Plus, I've been taking Valtrex - suppressively for about a month. I'm still taking my vitamins, garlic oil, and daily "handful", but nothing seems to be working! And of course the neurlgia (sp?) is coming on in my lower back....Guess, I'm just frustrated and the stress of it all isn't helping anything, but I can't figure out how not to stress...This will be my 9th. ob in 9mo, great, huh???? Any suggestions, anyone????? Please help......Insanity strikes here, -Ornament

P.S. Read the threads on Valtrex and hair loss....Now, more worries!!!!

I'm so sorry, Orn. I also have trouble with lots of stress. It seems to go with this culture. Meditation is supposed to be very effective in reducing stress, but right now I can't get time for that without taking away from my sleeping time, and I gett little enough of that. I know that Dr. Andrew Weil always has suggestions for reducing stress in his books and on his website. He has some breathing exercises which take less time than meditating, so I try to do those sometimes. He also suggests weaning yourself from watching or listening to the news.

Other books I've read have suggested simplifying your life by examining what you do out of habit that adds very little to your life. For that reason I cut out TV a while ago, and watch very few movies, only the ones I think will be really great. I'm not saying these are the right moves for you, but just giving you examples.

I've accepted that I will be stressed until some of my children are out of school. Homeschooling is rewarding, but, like college was for me, it is time-consuming; in fact, it is all-consuming, and strains us financially, since I work much more than full time on the schooling and so can't have a paying job.

But I think the biggest stressors come from disharmonious relationships. The best we can do is try to be among kind, loving people who know how to communicate well. I know you have trouble in your marriage. Do you think it is a source of great stress? If so, is there any alternative?

Thanx, BP ~
I knew it would be you, who would respond. I appreciate your advice. You always seem so kind & enduring and I appreciate that. My stress level is going down, I think I do it to myself. I need to learn to "chill". Which is something, I've always had a hard time with. But, I'm gonna check into Dr. Weil's info. Hopefully, that will be helpful. I also, agree with you as far as eliminating tv viewing. And I'm trying to read more, that seems like it's helping. I guess I just get so frustrated, that I need to vent. I don't think, that the double-life, that I choose to lead is causing the stress, actually I like "both lives" (got lots of energy, go figure), but it's more the pressure, that I put on myself. So again, thanks for being there for me and I truly value your support and compassion. Hopefully, I can return the favor. Take care, -Ornament

you could also try like cleaning up your favorite room ( mine is the bath room) or reorganizing your own room. Then take a nice long hot relaxing bath with some of your favorite music on light some candles, have a drink of what ever relaxes you. make sure that you change the sheets before you get in the tub so that when you come out you can smell that clean sheet smell, snuggle up watch a few good movies or read a book. The main thing is that you want to treat you for the accomplishments that you have so far, don't worry about any thing else during this time think positive thoughts. I know that this sounds corney, but it relaxes me. You may even want to plan a shopping spree out of it go to wal-mart pick out some scented candles ( the glade ones in the concave shape are pretty good at holding a smell) nice caress body spray, shampoo, whatever you have wanted to do for your self but have not had the time, manicure what evre and go home kick back and have some fun.

Thanks, Orn. Believe me, you have always helped me--you always have a kind word for or about me; and many of your posts make me smile. And if I need to take a break with the garlic ever, I'm going to take your ingenious suggestion of aloe vera gel.

My soulmate gets easily stressed. It helps him if I put on some very soft classical music like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I've taken to buying collections of classical music called "Classics for Relaxation" or "Classical Music for Readers." One of the best was designed for infants, to be played while they are going to sleep, called "Good Night, Mozart."

And Anna's suggestions sound great, too!

Ornament, you may be my twin!! Now I understand why YOU were the first one to respond to my query about suppressive Acyclovir not working - you're going through it too, but with Valtrex! Backpacker and anna, you two gave some great suggestions for relaxing & de-stressing. I, too, got rid of my TV - it's been several months now, and although I do miss it at times, I certainly do not miss feeling like I've zoned out for hours at a stretch just to get into bed at night feeling lazy & discombobulated. I love classical music and I love reading, and I'm definitely getting more into both without the TV constantly blaring. Tried meditation, but couldn't sit that long in one place without getting a crick in my neck. Now I'm looking around at the clutter in my apartment and thinking "simplify, simplify..." The junk has got to go!

Even in the past two days since I joined, this board has become a blessing to me. :angel: Thanks everyone, and Ornament, just as you told me, know that you're not alone in this life with H. You'll get through this latest ob mess, too!

Hey that's funny cause I ended up taking the advice that I gave you yesterday, I went to walmart and got something to eat and a very nice poolside candel and took a nice long hot bath. Did not get any work done but I really did not do want to do any, but hey that's how it is sometimes, any way tell me more about the Aloe vera.

Thanxs to: BP, Anna and Fedup,
I once again appreciate your time, compassion, advice and concern. This H-crap, would really suck, without each and everyone of you. The advice is great, the examples are wonderful and I value your abilities to listen & respond. Thank-you all for being there for me, I appreciate it. I consider you-all friends, it's kind of funny, because if I were to pass you on the street, I would have no clue who you are. Guess, that's a product of this day and age! Oh well, I have you here and hopefully, you-all will continue to be there for me as I would be there for you. Ok, now.....Fed-up.....we "sound" so much alike.....You're right - your posts sound exactly like me....maybe, we were separated @ birth (LOL)....They say you get along best with people "like youself" and I think we're both singing from the same sheet of music....And it's a really cool band! (what zodiac sign, are you and the rest of you-all???, for that matter, just curious) Now, on the part of simplifying things, I agree. Life is too short, to worry about the little things. I've learned the most important things in life are "time & relationships", because once you lose them you can never get them back! Yes, I'm feeling better and in a gracious mood. Thank-you all for letting me babble. I'm here for you....Take Good Care, Psychological-Ornament

Cool yeah sometimes you do get down on your self but then you start to think then who is on my side then it all falls back in to place. I am a SCORPIO HOPE i SPELLED THAT RIGHT????

Gee, Anna, we're not supposed to get along; I'm Scorpio, too.

And I'm an Aries, so I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to get along with ANYONE!

Hey that's funny cause I ended up taking the advice that I gave you yesterday, I went to walmart and got something to eat and a very nice poolside candel and took a nice long hot bath. Did not get any work done but I really did not do want to do any, but hey that's how it is sometimes, any way tell me more about the Aloe vera.
Anna-Bananna ~

Aloe vera gel comes in a spray bottle from your local drug store. I found mine @ CVS, it's a 12oz. bottle, that I use to spray "down there" during an ob, and then I wear a pantiliner w/it. It just soothes the stinging/pinching feeling that I get @ the beginning of an ob. I think, I paid $3.00 & some change for it. It stings when first applied about 3-5 seconds and then feels soooooo much better. It's green, so I end up looking "slimed" (LOL) but oh well, it's worth the relief. I keep a bottle @ home and one @ work. If anyone asks, I say it's for dry skin. Really, none of their business. But it's cheap and makes me feel better, so it's a "good thing". Hope this helps. -Orn
P.S. I spray it a couple times a day, you'll know when you need to use it.

Hmmmmm,

Scorpio and Aries....makes sense, I'm a Libra and 2 of my best friends are Aries and Scorpio....That really doesn't surprise me....No wonder we "harmonize" the way we do.....Good!, thanx, -Orn

Ornament,
I can relate to your troubles with stress. I'm getting ready to move to a state that is 2000 miles away from where I'm currently living my life is nothing but stress at the moment!

Stress is a normal part of life, however, it shouldn't control us. I noticed a couple people mentioned giving up TV and I have to say, that's the best thing I've ever done. I haven't owned a television for over a year and its great. I also don't read most magazines because they are negative. I do listen to the news on NPR, but I don't listen to the news on mainstream, over-hyped stations.

I started reading a book by Dale Carnegie called "How to stop worring and start living" and it has helped a lot. It's just practicle advice from several people he had interviewed about dealing with stress.

Exercise and yoga are the best! I belong to a health club and its so nice to go there and forget about everything else for a while and just concentrate on me! Deep breathing when you feel stress is also good. I use this technique when I encounter turbulance on plane rides and it helps soooo much!

Cut out caffiene and anything else that over stimulates your system. Drink some de-caf or herbal tea at least once a day. I started drinking de-caf green tea to boost my immune system. Its nice to indulge in a few minutes to myself each morning and afternoon while sipping tea.

As for the hair loss and Valtrex, it is something that concerns me too, but if it hasn't happened to you yet, then no need to worry about it. If you do start noticing hair loss then stop the medication. There are lots of people that take these drugs and don't have this side-effect. Plus, from what I've read, if this happens to a woman her hair will grow back.

Be good to yourself and take care.

bout the only thing i can think of Orn is it's time to flex some muscle and pump some iron, work out, get your blood flowing and your immune system a giant kick in the butt.
At first i thought lifting weights and working out was a contributor to Ob's but the more i do it the healthier i feel and the stronger my immune system seems to be getting. Also back when i was stressing really hard t's was 1000mg of Valtrex suppresively. My X girlfriend was actually on double that amount. have you tried Echinachea ?? Flex that muscle Baby ...lol

I second that Serial! Working out is great for stress relief, and immune system support. The body loves to move, when we become idle, that's usually when that downward spiral called aging starts to accelerate.

I've also fooled around with meditation in the past, and it's something I feel I need to be doing regularly, but I don't. You need to practice for a while in order to really get the hang of it. I've reached states where I was fully conscious, yet could not feel my body, it was just so relaxed. There was nothing but blackness, with very little of the colors and shapes you see when you usually close your eyes. I felt like I wasn't a person, just a non-material presence with consciousness and that the blackness was the entire universe, the only "thing" that existed. So, basically.....nothing existed.....Nonexist, lol!

I started meditating in order to alleviate my Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My doctor wanted to get me on the antidepressant Celexa (an SSRI similar to Paxil), but I really didn't like the thought of having "artificial moods". Meditation relaxes your mind, which is essential because your mind is going 24/7, no matter how deeply and frequently you sleep. I feel that meditation really put me in touch with my body and mind. It is our mind that creates and controls every cell. If mankind survives long enough, I believe that this control can be brought into the conscious mind through evolution, where we can "know" when and where those herpes infected cells are and purposefully destroy them at will.

Sound too crazy? Not when you consider that what we and all life today, came from nothing but "primordial ooze". It took billions of years, but these cells found out how to re-organize and create life that was more adaptable to the environment. What was the driver behind that? There must have been some sort of consciousness involved. Some people call it God, others call it subconsciousness. I call it nature, but the label doesn't matter. Meditation can bridge the gap between this "life force" and our conscious mind.

Food for thought, indeed!

Nonexist

bout the only thing i can think of Orn is it's time to flex some muscle and pump some iron, work out, get your blood flowing and your immune system a giant kick in the butt.
At first i thought lifting weights and working out was a contributor to Ob's but the more i do it the healthier i feel and the stronger my immune system seems to be getting. Also back when i was stressing really hard t's was 1000mg of Valtrex suppresively. My X girlfriend was actually on double that amount. have you tried Echinachea ?? Flex that muscle Baby ...lol
Thanks Serial ~

I was hoping you would chime in....and you made me smile....Tried the enchinachea, along with my daily "handful" and can't really tell if it's making a difference.(I did what BP said, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off)...I'm surprised that you take 1000mg, - supressively. I thought 500mg was the supressive dose. So how much do you take during an OB??? Maybe, I'm just not taking enough....My dr. said I would "find" the right dose amount that I need. So, I guess I'm on my own.....Thanks for typing and I'm here if you need me.....-Orn
P.S. Exercise, huh??? Never gave it much thought, never was an issue, may check into though...Need something to do with all this extra energy, good idea!

Hmmmmm,

Scorpio and Aries....makes sense, I'm a Libra and 2 of my best friends are Aries and Scorpio....That really doesn't surprise me....No wonder we "harmonize" the way we do.....Good!, thanx, -Orn


my best friend :angel: is an aries also...go figure :wave:

I second that Serial! Working out is great for stress relief, and immune system support. The body loves to move, when we become idle, that's usually when that downward spiral called aging starts to accelerate.

I've also fooled around with meditation in the past, and it's something I feel I need to be doing regularly, but I don't. You need to practice for a while in order to really get the hang of it. I've reached states where I was fully conscious, yet could not feel my body, it was just so relaxed. There was nothing but blackness, with very little of the colors and shapes you see when you usually close your eyes. I felt like I wasn't a person, just a non-material presence with consciousness and that the blackness was the entire universe, the only "thing" that existed. So, basically.....nothing existed.....Nonexist, lol!

I started meditating in order to alleviate my Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My doctor wanted to get me on the antidepressant Celexa (an SSRI similar to Paxil), but I really didn't like the thought of having "artificial moods". Meditation relaxes your mind, which is essential because your mind is going 24/7, no matter how deeply and frequently you sleep. I feel that meditation really put me in touch with my body and mind. It is our mind that creates and controls every cell. If mankind survives long enough, I believe that this control can be brought into the conscious mind through evolution, where we can "know" when and where those herpes infected cells are and purposefully destroy them at will.

Sound too crazy? Not when you consider that what we and all life today, came from nothing but "primordial ooze". It took billions of years, but these cells found out how to re-organize and create life that was more adaptable to the environment. What was the driver behind that? There must have been some sort of consciousness involved. Some people call it God, others call it subconsciousness. I call it nature, but the label doesn't matter. Meditation can bridge the gap between this "life force" and our conscious mind.

Food for thought, indeed!

Nonexist
Nonexist ~

Thanx....I checked into meditation/yoga once before. But, in my area, there is no set place to go and practice it. It was very expensive and they wanted to come to my house for instruction. And honestly, I would do better "going somewhere else" to practice. Too much noise, @ home. I obviously need some type of exercise to promote, good health. If I can't find anyone to do it with me....I may just go at it alone....Thanks for your thoughts....Smiles -Ornament
P.S. The "nonexist", is cool how you came up with that....I've wondered how everyone developed their boarder names....some are obvious, some aren't

Thanks Serial ~

I was hoping you would chime in....and you made me smile....I'm surprised that you take 1000mg, - supressively. I thought 500mg was the supressive dose. So how much do you take during an OB???
P.S. Exercise, huh??? Never gave it much thought, never was an issue, may check into though...Need something to do with all this extra energy, good idea!

I'm taking 500mg once a day and haven't had an outbreak since April or May.
I Lift weights 4 to 5 days a week. You can work off your stress and you get this great high while your lifting, like a runner's high and you feel goooood.
and then when your done and that wears off you ge this other high that's like being on valium or something and it's all natural, your just MELLOW, it usually hit about an hour after. course looking in the mirror every few weeks and seeing a difference doesn't hurt either :p as for the actual outbreaks i take two pills a day, every one in awhile if i'm feeling something funny down there i'll take two a day for 48 hours just incase i'm on the verge of an outbreak, but so far....no outbreaks... i feel for ya Orn have ya tried the peroxide thing yet, dam does that ever get rid of an outbreak quick. not only that seems to prevent them when used as a preventative..

Orn, you have a guy who doens't have H right ? you should share in my outercourse thread about what he's allowed and not allowed to do and so forth. safety precautions yanno ??

I'm taking 500mg once a day and haven't had an outbreak since April or May.
I Lift weights 4 to 5 days a week. You can work off your stress and you get this great high while your lifting, like a runner's high and you feel goooood.
and then when your done and that wears off you ge this other high that's like being on valium or something and it's all natural, your just MELLOW, it usually hit about an hour after. course looking in the mirror every few weeks and seeing a difference doesn't hurt either :p as for the actual outbreaks i take two pills a day, every one in awhile if i'm feeling something funny down there i'll take two a day for 48 hours just incase i'm on the verge of an outbreak, but so far....no outbreaks... i feel for ya Orn have ya tried the peroxide thing yet, dam does that ever get rid of an outbreak quick. not only that seems to prevent them when used as a preventative..

Orn, you have a guy who doens't have H right ? you should share in my outercourse thread about what he's allowed and not allowed to do and so forth. safety precautions yanno ??
Serial ~
Thanks for the info., I am gonna check into the exercise thing. Probably, would be good for my mind and my body. I'm tried of this baby-gut thing, that I got anyway. Everywhere else, is ok. Now, as far as my non h-guy goes....We aren't intimate....at all. No desire/interest, etc. Hasn't been an issue for about 1.5 yrs. He's older than me, and lost desire and won't seek medical help. I tried to talk him into it and GAVE UP. I decided it was his problem, not mine. So, I just let it go. That's where thrill-guy, came into play....He's more like me, closer to my age, we share so many interests and we're both thrill-seekers. Therefore, the relationship just developed (We knew each other, about 1 yr - prior) and he handles (very well, I might add) the intimacy aspect part for/with me. But, on the flip side, this is where the h came from.
So, therefore, I can't respond to the outercouse thread, I don't have any experience with it.....Well, that's my story, hopefully, it makes sense....If not, let me know.... :D -Orn
P.S. When you do move, you're taking your computer, right?

P.S. When you do move, you're taking your computer, right?

Thank for the info Orn, now i understand why you can't reply to the other thread, thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm moving just slightly after the beginning of July, right after my birthday WoooooHooo GO ME lol the old 32 on july 1st LOL

Yes i'm taking the computer but they don't have cable or DSL so don't know how long it's gonna take to get the satellite service hooked up and going..but maybe i can use dial up at first.

Good just keep us updated, and don't abandon us, if you can help it....

Any Newbie's got any ideas to add to this thread??????????? Curious and still slightly stressed, but not as bad as before....Thanks to you-all, -Ornament

my sister is an aries. I remember I was discussing some astrology book with her and how the aries body part is the head, and I was like "it means you may be more likely to get headaches or facial acne than someone else" and shes like "whats your signs body part?" and I was like "the genitals" and shes like "so that means you're more prone to getting herpes?"

she called it. That was like three years ago.