Hi, I have been recently infected with herpes. I live in Dublin, Ireland and am having great difficulty finding information about it over here. I think like most things sexually related in Ireland there is a huge amount of stigma associated with STD's and very little interest by the powers that be to inform the masses. How do people cope with the problem? I know its not life threatening, but I can't help feeling a great deal of anxiety and depression about it. Who do people talk to about herpes? A problem shared = a problem halved, and all that. What treatments are available and what actually works. I supposed what I'm really pre-occupied with is the thought of trying to tell someone that I am romantically involved with that I have an STD.


Any help or info will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Just one more thing. I have had colesores (HSV-1) all my life. Does that better equip me to battle the HSV-2 virus??? Will my outbreaks be less severe??

Thanks.

Welcome to the board!
I dont' know the right answer to your last question but I too have suffered from cold sores all my life and I've never really had any outbreaks that were noticeable.
I just found out I've been carrying hsv 2 and don't exactly know if I got it 6 months ago or years ago because there was no significant ob in my body.
Anyhow, regarding your question on who do you talk to? Well, you talk to us!! And, any close friends you may have who can make you feel better and not worse. You can read as much as you can about it and in my case, I've confided in some older friends of mine in their 50's (I'm 34) and I've found out one of them has had it for 25 yrs, also... it seems that it hasn't made a dent in their love lives, instead, it serves as a screening test for those people who are only interested in you superficially.
Chin up!

Welcome, wideboy! You are not alone. Try spending some time reading various threads on this board. Not only will many of your questions be answered before you even ask them, but you will also find many good suggestions for treating outbreaks and for talking to potential sexual partners. You will also find some very cool people to talk to. I swear, I think the people with herpes are some of the best in the world...along with those who backpack.

Just to answer my own question!! I got this from a medical paper on www.********** (http://www.**********) and it regards the presence of HSV-1 in the body with regards to contracting HSV-2.


"just remember that a previous type 1 infection does offer a modest protection from acquiring a type 2 infection later"