couple questions..during outbreaks can you have lesions come and go in seperate area?say two little things on scrotum then 2 weeks of itching, then a lesion near head of penis? also once all lesions are gone can you still have itching?

also i heard from my doctor that 1/3 of people dont have any OB after their first one..any idea how long one would need to wait before concluding they are one of these?i'm assuming at least a year since some people have 1 OB a year right?

also has anyone tried red marine algae or anything else?do these supplements attempt to kill the virus off or merely limit OB/legnth of OB..because i'm much less concerned with having OB's than i am with killing the damn thing period...the only real problem with herpes as i can see (if you arent having painful OB's) is finding an understanding partner..so if you are having OB's once a month or once a year, its the same problem.

You're jumping the gun a bit here...you said you haven't even been dx'd yet.

I'm not sure about your theory on waiting a year either...unless I'm confused something I think you can know conclusively whether or not you've got herpes after 4 months based upon a blood test. I guess you can always hope you're part of the 1/3 if you're dx'd w/herpes but I'd probably get the dx first. Also, if you are dx'd you might want to just go on some Valtrex asap to minimize the symptoms and quell any outbreaks that may be brewing. I've heard the first year can be the worst so going on some meds might be the best strategy. That's my plan if I get the dx.

t.,

Just another thought here on your comment about finding another partner.

I've always felt that people basically knew at a gut level how they were going to match up with someone of the opposite sex in terms of compatibility. That's why you hear people say "oohhh...he or she is just out of my league". For example, I know that I'm pretty much an average guy and I'm not going to date girls who are 10's. (That is unless I somehow become ultra rich or famous. LOL) No, I'll date girls who are closer to my range (i.e., who are about 7's themselves).

I think the same is true with herpes. For example (again), to a potential mate, I may appear to be a 7 on a scale of 1-10. However, if I tell her I've got herpes I'll immediately slip down to a 5 or a 6 depending on the person. That's not always going to be the case, but it's probably pretty close to the truth. Then, they're going to have to decide what they're going to do. If they themselves are only a 5 or a 6 they could well decide to stay with me because they know about where their dates generally fall on the 1-10 Continuum and I'm in their range. Women probably wouldn't think of it in these terms but would tell themselves something like "well...even though he's got herpes he's a keeper."

I don't think people think of things in the manner I've described exactly, but I think it's a pretty fair analysis of how people generally assess things and how they behaive.

Also, just as a point of clarification, the mens' scale about where is woman falls on the Continuum will largely be driven by superficial things while the womens' scale will be driven somewhat less by the superficial and will also consider other factors (e.g., personality, sense of humor, etc.).

Hi TG,

It's true that a large percentage of people who have herpes don't get visible symptoms -- the numbers vary depending on what you're measuring and who you ask. So 30% sounds reasonably accurate from what I've read.

HOWEVER just because someone doesn't get symptoms doesn't mean they're never contagious. You can shed the virus in between obvious OBs (called asymptomatic viral shedding) and be just as contagious as someone who has a blister.

This is the tricky part of having herpes because there's no way to know for sure if you are or aren't shedding asymptomatically. The amount of time varies per person but averages to anywhere from 2-5% of the time, from what I've been able to read about it. In one study it was as high as 50% though, although that's rare.

I'm not trying to scare you or discourage you, but to clear up what sound like some misconceptions about the lack of symptoms.

To another question, yes it's possible to get OBs back to back like that. I've had them like that (just different anatomy http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif )

As for alternative treatments like red marine algea, I don't know if anyone knows for sure how or why they work, and they seem to work for some but not for others. I wouldn't go on the assumption that herbs or supplements are reducing your viral shedding though, the way Valtrex has been proven to do in recent research. It might but there are no studies to show if it does or not. Most alternative remedies work by boosting the immune system, I suspect, but I'm guessing.

Hope that helps!

TheOneInFour