Herpes outbreak symptoms, what are they like for you?

I know this can be a little personal but I would kust like to know If this is actually herpes.

about 7 days ago I had sores/lesions appear in the pants area and thought it may be a H outbreak! (so my doctor thinks, haven't got test results back yet... EEEK!) but there was no pain whatsoever. No itching, no buring, no pain while urinating, only discomfort when I wiped ater the toilet.

Is this normal for herpes symptoms? has anyone experienced symptoms like this and still found out it was herpes?

I am so scared to get these results back tomorrow, and even more scared that my partner is going to leave me :(

Any help will be much appreciated xx

I hope this isn't too graphic. My symptoms varied. Sometimes it would seem intensely itchy down there and there would be 2 fissures. I thought it was a yeast infection (maybe it was, I'm not sure if I had a yeast infection + herpes, or if it was just herpes). The overwhelming sensation was itching. Then sometimes, I'd get something painless, like a few pimples in the hair area down there. I though it was an ingrown hair. When I got it diagnosed in October, it appeared different and was in a different spot and was painful. It burned and was an ulcer (Just one ulcer). It looked like a cold sore but it was down there, on the vulva. The ulcer lasted about 7 days. The other symptoms, the pimples and yeast infection like symptoms would only last 3 or 4 days. I would also sometimes get this intense itching down there in the hair part also. I've also had flank pain and abdominal pain that may have been associated with herpes.

You will find out tomorrow and know for sure. Symptoms can be so many things. I was a little relieved at first because now I knew what was wrong. And it was non-fatal. Basically, you can't only go by symptoms because they can be many things. They did a culture of the ulcer I had and it was HSV -2 positive and that confirmed the diagnosis. They also told me it didn't look like a first outbreak. I am sure I've had this for over 9 years and did not even know until recently.

I get 2 cold sores right under my bikini area on my thigh. I believe somehow i transferred it to the side of one of my breasts during that first outbreak. I didnt have this site to look things up then and wasn't as knowledgable. perhaps after running water over myself and rinsing before washing i picked at a acne bump and transferred it this way. but it can transfer to other parts. i havnt medically got it tested but i get a cold sore there now too along with down there.

My herpes outbreaks happen on the shaft of my penis near the head. The prodrome symptoms I experience before my herpes outbreaks come on is a slight burning sensation and some tingliness. That doesn't always result in an outbreak, but I gotta imagine (since there's no way to know for sure) that those sensations are actually the asymptomatic viral shedding happening. I haven't seen this in any medical literature, but it's my hunch. So when I am feeling that kind of burning/tingling sensation, I just let my partner know that we're going to have some sexy non-intercourse playtime instead of having sex. :)

I am just getting over my first outbreak and actually just got positive results for herpes just last night.

This is really hard for me :'( it's all I can think about! Although my partner is really good about this, he said that if he catches it "tough shit".. I told him that's not fair on him and I ask if I was worth it and he said "shit yeah" haha. I know I always have him to talk to but he doesn't really understand what I'm going through and I really wish I could have someone going through the same thing that I can talk to :(

I can't concentrate on anything and can even cope at work, I don't know to deal with this :(

It's great that you have such a supportive boyfriend! I get that it might feel like a tornado of feelings swirling around, but what exactly are you asking for support in? Where is the worry and difficulty? Is it in taking care of the outbreaks themselves or worrying about passing herpes to your boyfriend? What are your fears swirling around? Can you let us into your head a bit more so we can support you more? :)

I am mostly afraid of passing this on to my boyfriend and also fear of rejection. I know he says he is okay with it, but what if he changes his mind? I couldn't stand losing him, he is my everything! What if he thinks "why am I with her when I could find someone who couldn't give me herpes". I am just so scared that he will leave and I will have no one... I don't have many friends as his friends have become mine too.

And I'm scared that if he leaves I will be alone forever and no one will want me. I really want to spend the rest of my life with my current boyfriend and have a family, this whole situation has thrown me and making me question everything. I'm a mess :(

Sorry for blabbering

What you are missing out on by worrying about him potentially rejecting you at some point in the future is that he is actually accepting and loving you right now. :) See how the mind can play these elaborate tricks on us when what we really want is right in front of our eyes? You're missing all of the love that he's putting in front of your face on a silver platter!

Have you read these handouts to get knowledgeable about how low the risks truly are to pass herpes from male to female? I want to make sure you're not blowing this out of proportion. It's important to be safe, yes, but don't be paranoid. Big difference.

http://bit.ly/h-opp-diagnosis-handout

http://bit.ly/h-opp-disclosure-handout

Sure, be careful about not passing herpes to him and get knowledgeable on how best to protect him from getting herpes. But being paranoid and worrying is taking you out of the moment where you are being loved by him NOW. This is where you aren't accepting yourself enough to let love in. It's a common phenomenon: You only accept the love you THINK you deserve. If you don't believe you deserve deep, nurturing love, no one will be able to even force it on you. :) So this is a process of allowing you to love you. Yes, so that he can love you, but that comes secondary for now. Once you get to the point where you love and accept yourself, you will allow yourself to be loved AND love him back that much more deeply, too. It's a beautiful cycle. So worry begets more worry. Now you get to focus on loving. :)

P.S. I linked to your discussion here on this following thread because what you're going through is running in direct parallel to simplyme's imagined future. Do you see how these two threads are similar in the way the worrying is occurring?

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/1782/new-here/p1

Thank you so much Adrial! Also my name is Paige, I feel comfortable enough here not to hide behind an alias anymore :)

I guess there could always be a chance of being rejected in the future even without herpes, this stigma has really got a hold on me and I know I'm being silly. Seeing as this is so new to me I'm getting upset about it all the time. Whenever I ask my partner if he is truly okay with being okay with me he gets annoyed because he says he doesn't mind and still loves me, it's so hard to believe! I know it shouldn't be because i deserve love and to be in a loving relationship. And that's what I have. You're right Adrial, I have it pretty good right now and I need to realise what I have.

We have talked about marriage and children and that makes me so happy to imagine the rest of my life with him. It just hard to imagine if he left me because I don't want to be with anyone else, it would crush me.

I really want to tell my mum because I know she would be understanding and I could talk to her about this, I love my mum so much and could really use her support right now too!

It's going to take me a while to come to terms with this, but I can overcome this.

Thanks again Adrial! :)

Adrials comment on accepting and loving oneself made me want to share the choice I made over self-loathing and failing to enjoy the moment...

I am fairly newly diagnosed and have made one very important decision for myself right now...absolutely no major changes without very careful consideration. Now, there are things that were already happening that likewise I haven't "stopped" because that would be a major change also. But all things are moving slower to protect my most valuable asset...ME. I've decided that if I don't care for and protect myself, I am really not helping ANYone else either! When I feel tempted to make a move to do or say something that has even a hint of moving too quickly, I pause and remind myself to take a few days or a week. If I still feel the same then, and usually I don't, THEN I will act on it. Most of the time, if I get that little prick that says "too fast", it's a good idea to listen to it. Only the most consistent and solid things survive the blender that's whirled my emotions since being diagnosed. I wanted to move to a new town, sleep w/my new friend, go back to school, tell the whole world, etc, and am now very glad I didn't!!!

Paige said:

" I couldn't stand losing him, he is my everything! "

Does your BF complete or complement you?

It sounds like you are relying in him for your self-worth, especially since your diagnosis. That is a heavy burden to put on anyone ... no-one can "complete" you. You are perfect and whole exactly how you are, Herpes and all. If he says he accepts the Herpes and plans to stay, then believe him! You don't know what the future holds but right here, right now, he is supporting and complementing you. That is a beautiful gift! Use this time to learn to love yourself as much as he loves you! That is the greatest gift that you can give him! We should all be so lucky to have someone like that at our side when we are diagnosed!

(((HUGS)))