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Should I educate someone on what it's really like?!


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Went on Facebook today and saw that my cousin made a herpes joke. He doesn't know I have it and he is in med school!!!! I don't know whether to bite my tongue or to just use it as an opportunity to enlighten someone. He lives far away do I'm not worried about any backlash but it's just annoying!!! What do you all think I should do?!

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Coincidence that you and SingBlueSilver posted the same topic at exactly the same time?

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/288/posted-on-fb-i-have-a-cold-sore/p1 :)

 

Seems like there's an opportunity here for you to do SOMETHING. I've always felt for myself that moments like this of an intense charge hold something for me. Whether it's posting the actual message on Facebook where it makes it clear you have it OR taking it as an opportunity to educate people about herpes without explicitly calling yourself out OR if it means sending him a private message or a heart-to-heart phone call. There seems to be something rich to explore here. I trust you to make your own decision on what feels right to you. Whatever it is, follow your gut/heart with it.

This content is for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. I'm not a medical professional, so please take this as friendly peer support. 

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Wow that's quite loaded isn't it, being both your cousin and a future doctor. I agree with Adrial, it's certainly your call to follow your own sense of how to deal with it. You can certainly educate without disclosing, and if he's a thinking kind of guy, he would appreciate it given the effect on his future career and his future patients. Also he may not realise (as jokers often don't) how much it hurts a significant portion of the population, including some of his FB friends who he hasn't even thought might have H. It's just unthinking, and an opportunity for you both. If you tell him the statistics of how many people have it, he may see it as a big social faux pas, and appreciate the opportunity to take his foot out of his mouth. I'm sure you won't be the only one hurt or offended.

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I wish you luck with this. There's many factors in deciding how to handle it but if he's a medical student, he needs to be enlightened. If he's a good guy, I think you should talk to him privately. I think it would actually help him in his future career to know some reality instead of what they will teach him in medical school. But if he's just a jerk in general, let it go, he'll never get it. I guess it just depends on the quality of your relationship and if you think he's a considerate person who would benefit from your knowledge. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

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