Ok...so I got diagnosed 3 days ago as having genital herpes.

I am kind of freaking out about it...everything's running through my head like how would I ever tell a new partner (let alone when to tell them), how my job which has high levels of stress is going to influence it, how often will I really feel as **** as I do now, how this will impact my love life, how this influences a preganancy...it goes on.

I know I need time to let it sink in and accept it...but it just feels so daunting at the moment that I don't really know where to start.

I'd really appreciate some pointers in learning how to accept this...

It does take a bit of time to accept. First of all i'd not be worrying about babies and other matters which aren't necessary right now. I'd only be attempting to deal with what is necessary right now at this point in time eg: work stress and getting used to the o/b's themselves. Once you learn how to deal with stress and deal with your o/b's you can then consider future partners, how/when to tell them and even later how to deal with herpes and pregnancy.

There is a thread on this board called "Happy Couples" and it is advisable reading. It's likely on page 2 or 3 on here by now. There is a lot of info on there on people's experiences.

The other thing about herpes is that what works for one person might not work the best for another so you basically have to start experimenting with products, doing research, asking questions etc.

As this virus is new to your body it will likely knock you about a bit at first so you might want to take a quality multivitamin, perhaps one specifically designed for women. You should also eat foods which are good for your immune system, give you energy and are healthy, get quality sleep, learn relaxation techniques (even sitting someplace quiet for 5 mins and doing breathing exercises).

At the start i used to make the mistake of keeping track in a diary of every single o/b, duration and type of o/b. It drove me crazy. I soon learnt that i've got this virus for good and rather than wasting energy on keeping a diary it would be better to look at my lifestyle and general health and looking for natural products to either lessen the frequency of o/b's or duration of o/b's or lessen the symptoms (eg: i use tea tree oil on the o/b to get rid of that stinging, itching sensation, then i feel as though i dont have it).

Feel free to ask questions and read up on other people's threads. There is a lot of valuable info on here as it's from people who are experiencing what you are. I've always gotten much better info off here rather than those websites which drug companies write themselves. If i had found this site first i may not have gotten the herpes when i did or not at all.

Thanks!

Yep one step at a time...and I have to agree with you that if I'd seen this forum a few weeks ago I doubt I'ld be in the position I am in now.