Just found out not to long ago. - Herpes Message Board

MissMomma83 · 01-18-2005, 09:27 PM

I am hovering out of deppression, apathy, anger when it comes to me having herpes. I have type 2. I am at the point where I know that placing blame isn't going to make matters any better. I just want to make sure that the person gets treatment.
I am going through my first outbreak and I tell you what I'd go through natural child birth with my two children again (oldest was ten pounds and labor for her was 72hrs, second was 8lbs both where no pain meds)! This pain is unreal and constant.
So far my med list is this:
Zovirax Ointment
Valtrex 1gm 2xs daily
Vicodin ES
Neurontin 300mg
Tylenol w/codeine #3
I have a bunch of questions that my doc couldn't really answer...
Are there alt treatments and could I have links please?
What are triggers of an OB?
Tips and suggestions?
Thanks so much for reading and answering this if you can!

justnotfair · 01-18-2005, 10:35 PM

I think one of the first things you will learn about H is, everyone has their individual experience. When I say experience, I mean as far as how often they get OBs, how their body reacts, what may trigger OBs, what helps to facilitate the healing process, and their idea of living with H.

With that being said. I was diagnosed a few years ago; I am unsure whether or not I carried it for longer or was infected just prior to my primary OB. During my initial treatment, I was put on acyclovair and given a solution to pour over the OB to ease the physical pain.

After about a year of so of medical treatment, I went to alternative methods AS A PERSONAL decision. Into that second year, my OBs were mainly caused by stress or would occur during mentrual cycles. At that point, I mainly used regular hydrogen peroxide after cleansing myself to ease the pain. I took a multivitamin and began to get physically fit.

Into the third year, I learned more about the virus and joined help groups. At that point I cited again, stress brought on my OBs; although, they became LESS frequent and in restricted areas (two). I noticed changes in my body from eating EXCESS amounts of chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut.

Into the fourth year, the amount of OBs again were reduced; I'd guess that I suffer from one OB every three to four months. I became really strict on my intake of "trigger" foods and I did my best to minimize bouts of stress. I also began taking daily doses of garlic and oil of oregano. When taken by directions, both can aide in providing an healthier immune system and help with H.

Now I am looking for other natural supplements that will have the best results; the goal is to take no more than four supplements per day. I am also considering getting medication strictly to take during an OB.

Mentally, I did not become comfortable into the middle of the third year. I think coming to forums such as this one help me move forwards on the personal and social level. My words of advice is to never stop learning about what you can do to continue to live an healthy life; this includes, keeping your immune system in top shape, staying fit, eliminating stress, and constantly keeping your self esteem up.

Hope this helps!

Audrey-B · 01-19-2005, 03:50 AM

Hi MissMomma83 and welcome to the boards. This is an excellent place to find out almost anything about herpes as it comes from people's personal experiences. I think justnotfair has described things well in the above post. After reading through all the various posts you will find that even though alot of us suffer from type 2 genitally, we all suffer in totally different ways.

It is bad enough to be told you have herpes b/c if we are all honest, we'd rather not have to bother with ob's and all the other stuff which goes hand in hand with having this virus. Once you learn what triggers your ob's and to read the signs of an up and coming ob you will feel a heap better. I'm still trying to learn what my initial signs are as i don't seem to get that tingling sensation that others speak of. I only found out i was positive to type 2 in November last year.

After i was found to be positive, my doctor referred me to a counsellor at my clinic and she informed me of a number of options when in pain eg: she said that their are numbing gels you can buy to use on the sores; sitting in a bath of water to pee takes a lot of the stinging pain away or try pouring luke warm water over the painful area as you urinate; try lying in a bath that has 2 - 3 tablespoons of salt in it; Use a hairdryer set on low to carefully dry the sores after bathing; wear cotton underwear or no underwear along with loose clothing over the top, no tight jeans etc; try mild painkillers such as aspirin or paracetamol.

My personal experience is that my ob's go through a stinging and an itching phase and i tend to experience more tiredness. I take a multivitamin per day, a lysine tablet per day, 2 garlic capsules per day, try to drink plenty water, get enough sleep, stay occupied and do things which will keep my mind off my ob's when i have them. Last weekend i felt definite itching and i opened up one of the garlic gel capsules and with a q-tip i swabbed the itching area with the garlic oil and it was instantly soothing. I've done this about 4 times since last weekend and i've had no itching and no ob (fingers crossed!!). There is a good post on these boards about chopping up a clove of garlic and mixing it in olive oil and using the oil to swab onto sores. I also find tea tree oil to be an excellent product. I use tea tree oil to help with the itching and stinging, but i had to use that twice per day. Some people find tea tree to be helpful and others dont so much, but if you have never used it before, be careful where you intend to use it as it can burn a bit if it's not diluted.

That's about all i can think of right now, but have a good read through out the posts and i'm certain you will find loads of helpful advice. Remember you aren't alone and take care