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Herpes veterans: When will the constant irritation go away between herpes outbreaks?


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Some of us newbs are wondering when the constant irritation will go away. Sometimes it feels like I've been sandpapered and I'm just raw, other times it feels like cactus needles are poking me everywhere down there. And then there's ob times which are the god awful papercut lesions and itchy burny awfulness. So when does it get better? I know everyone's different but I need some sense of hope that one day I'll feel "normal" again with no invisible needles poking me, no sandpaper, etc. I feel like I've tried every thing under the sun in the short time I've had it. Any advice or stories welcome. It's hard to find info out there on the between ob irritation, even though i know it exists because I have it and so do others on this forum...

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I felt normal fairly quickly. My first OB was the worst and each one after that seemed like nothing in comparison. When I have an OB now, it's irritating for the first day, generally just itching and some discomfort. After that first day, I usually forget about it. I don't even think my blisters rupture anymore. They appear but seem to just fade away within a couple of days.

 

I've wondered lately (from reading some the posts on this forum) if your frame of mind makes it worse than it is? Most of the newly diagnosed people seem to be frantic about every symptom that shows up whether or not it is H related. I really believe that focusing on something so much can make it seem to be more intense that it is, if that makes any sense?

 

This is just my opinion. I know that things vary between people and maybe I just fall into the category of mild outbreaks. I just know that for me, each one was lesser and that in itself made me grateful. Less pain, less itching, and soon it became just a minor issue that really doesn't bother me anymore. Hang in there, and one day you will be telling someone else that it really is nothing!

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I don't remember having constant irritation all the time. I did have frquent outbreaks, but once they cleared up I was ok. Went thru a period when I had a red spot on my shaft. I had outbreaks there but it never bothered me between outbreaks. After about a year or 18 months it went away. As much as it sucks you may have to ride it out for awhile longer.

 

Have you tried suppressive therapy with antivirals? I had a suppressive prescription of Acyclovir for three months once and that seemed to help. Have you been back to the doctor to see if anything else may be going on? If you haven't already check out WCSDancer2010 blog Support Truth & Dialog. Great info on how to deal with this. I would post a link but my tucking fablet is not cooperating tonight.

 

Good luck I hope you can find some relief.

 

 

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@MMissouri , my bf said the same thing. He thinks that I think about it too much. He continues to be symptomless since his last (and first) ob in jan. He doesn't think about it because it doesn't cause problems for him. Honestly I wouldn't either if I were in that boat. He's not even on meds. He even has a raging sinus infection right now, and doesn't even have an itch or tingle. He takes no supplements either, and doesn't eat the best. I've cut out chocolate, nuts, alcohol, (sex because I'm constantly irritated), and even birth control because I heard they can cause irritation. Well apparently it wasn't that unfortunately. But thanks for the glimmer of hope, I too had pretty mild obs but they were/are frequent.

@ihaveittoo , I'm on valtrex again. I've been on and off meds because of the side effects. I'm sticking with it this time. Acyclovir made me feel awful all over. Valtrex makes my kidneys hurt but that's the only down side so far, besides fatigue. Also taking lots of supplements and vitamins that are supposed to help. Used lemon balm extract again last night and felt better for awhile but woke up irritated again. I haven't called my dr about the irritation yet but I've called every wk about the meds reactions. I guess I will call on this too if it persists. I'm sure she is sick of me, but I'm at a loss. And thanks, I will check out her blog. I keep hoping to wake up feeling like my old self again. As long as I know it's possible, I feel like I can cope better with this.

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@sadpanda

I echo the sentiment that you need to relax a bit and ride out this phase. Learning to adjust to the OB's and not stressing about them may be your best treatment. Over time they should get less severe. How much of the meds were you on? 500mg is what has worked for me. I have been with an H+ man who almost never got OB's too.....its frustrating as hell for sure. I was getting OB's for over 15yrs and they were every three months or so with varying degrees of severity and he had nothing!!! We had sex many times while I had an OB and still he was fine!!! Ah well, I wore loose clothing, ate well, stayed rested and learned to roll with it. Sometimes the OB's would last a few days, sometimes a few weeks. I have done everything I am "suppose" to do to minimize the ob's but I am one of the one's who just happens to get them more often. It's often around the time of my period. The lifestyle choices may or may not make a difference, some get away with bad lifestyle habits and never get ob's others aren't so lucky. That just the luck of the draw. So.....my point is, you can continue on with your life and manage the symptoms the best way you can (keep trying things) it will improve over time I am sure but most importantly don't let this consume you and get in the way of your relationship. Your inability to move forward will get old fast :). It's not to say the process doesn't take time, it does. And it's way harder when you have a constant physical reminder (I have been there) but start climbing out of the hole and see that you have a great man waiting for you patiently at the top.....you can do it!

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@fitgirl , thanks, you're right. I do have a great man and I'm lucky to have him. He asks how my area is doing every day, like it's the norm now. Haha. Hopefully soon I can say great! My v is doing great today! Lol.

I'm on 500 mg of valtrex. I cut them in half though and take one in the morning and one at night. This helped a lot with the back pain and overall fatigue. And I'm doing better since starting vitamins. Totally have more energy now. I just caved and ate half a bag of m&ms (yes they were peanut), so we'll see what happens. It had been way too long with no chocolate. Or nuts.

That's amazing that you can handle sex during an ob, I don't even want to shower or pee when I have one. It's good to know though, because he's a newb too and we didn't know how likely it would be to trigger outbreaks in the other.

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Sex can trigger OB's for sure but if you have one already then it's not an issue :). If he doesn't get them regularly, that will likely be the case no matter what he does and doesn't do! For you.... in time you will find a groove.... everyone is different but you will find a balance and it won't be so bad, trust me :) I know that most advice is to NOT have sex when you have an OB... if your partner is H- that is absolute. If your partner is H+ and doesn't trigger easily it becomes a personal choice. I spent 10yrs with an H+ man who never got OB's regardless so it didn't deter us. You just have to figure out what works for you guys. BOTH of you are in this together, remember that ;)

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If the pain never went away, 15-20% of the folks around you would be miserable all the time .... thing is, *some* people never get one single (recognizable) OB/symptom, *some* people get a mild OB, then nothing. *Some* people get a raging OB, then nothing. *Some* people get varying symptoms for months before it settles down. And a small population gets ongoing nerve pain/neuropathy etc that takes years to clear up. The good news is that it a very small part of the population. The reason you see it a lot on here is that the ones who have minimal/no OB's rarely post much on here once the OB's stop except to get moral support. And we mostly get those who are struggling physically or emotionally.

 

I DO agree that the more one focuses on ANY pain, the worse it is. As a Massage Therapist I am fascinated with how different people approach pain. For *me* pain is my bodies way of telling me I need to look after it better and that perhaps I need to slow my life down, or do something differently. For many of my clients, pain is a "BAD" thing ... something to make it just go away ... the more "hyper-aware" they are of their pain, the harder they are for me to work with ... I have to switch to a very different approach with them then I do with someone who almost "welcomes' pain .... who accepts it as part of the treatment process to get their body to release the trigger points and spasms. So yes - learning how to get out of the fear of pain and to take it as part of the process of life can make a HUGE difference for many :)

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I was diagnosed over 2 years ago and I also have this constant irritation (during and in between OB's, even on suppression therapy!) I have been using Melissa (Lemon Balm) essential oil and it seems to have cut down on this quite a bit. I just started using it so hopefully my success with it continues!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I commented on this yesterday, but I guess it got deleted. I know EXACTLY what you mean by the "cactus needle" feeling. I always thought it felt like someone was pulling hairs out one by one. I was diagnosed at the end of December and had that prickly feeling almost daily, except for only 2 weeks where I felt completely normal. I believe I've only had one sore since my initial OB, but that damn prickly feeling was never-ending. I was trying to avoid being on suppression meds but a few weeks ago I finally gave in. I've been taking acyclovir 400 mg/2x daily and haven't had any issues since (thank god).

 

They do say that the first year is the worst. I plan on coming off the meds in ~6 months and seeing if things have calmed down by then. I hope that holds true for you!

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Thanks! Yeah I don't know where the rest of the comments went that were on this thread. I ended up going to the dr again, and it turns out I had a yeast infection. I was given diflucan, which has helped, but I still feel the weird prickly needle feelings. I was told that Gabapentin could be prescribed to help with that, since herpes can fry your nerve endings esp the first year. In my comments that got deleted I talked about how I've tried everything for relief, Epsom baths, tea tree oil, lemon balm salve, lemon balm extract, coconut oil, all kinds of supplements and teas. Going commando in a mumu on my days off. And valtrex daily. I'm hoping that once this current infection is gone, my days of normal again will begin. My birthday is Monday and really all I want is that, lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey @sadpanda/ all :)

 

I got a biopsy as I was irritated and they found I have Lichen Simplex - yay me ha, I'm collecting simplex's like Pokemon ha!

 

Its part of the itch/ scratch cycle.. Look it up. I got prescriptions to sort it out, some creams and a body wash.

 

Maybe that's what's going with you? Worth looking into, hope you are feeling better in any case :) x

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My first outbreak was in January. Had a bad bv infection at the same time. Treated with oral metro.

 

Since then I had red streaks (clit to vag on both sides of labia minora) couple spots looked like large paper cuts. Went to the gp end of January, culture no infections but I was burning bad. Told me to see a gyno. Not having insurance i decided to use metro gel which I had at home. Helped with the burning but came right back. Finally I got state insurance so went to the hospital womens clinic end of Feb. Again the doctor tested for yeast and bv. Negative. Said there is a little irratation (same streaks as before) and gave me a steriod creme. Which made it worse. Stopped after one application. This whole time I was not taking any antivirals and had constant burning. Finally get bcbs insurance April 1st. I go to a private practicing gyno. He takes one look and says its herpes outbreak. Are you kidding me? A 4 month outbreak. He prescribed valtrex, 1000 mg a day. Frustrated, I take 2 1000 mg daily. Guess what, the rash is disappearing. I go back on the seventh day, he tells not to take the 2000 only take 1000 for next 5 days. Well within 2 days I'm right back where I started. So I go back he again gives me exactly 10 valtrex 500mg take twice daily. Did nothing. So now we are approaching 5 months. I go back today. Mentioned how the 2000mg worked and I'm just so stressed out also depressed my body's immunity is low. He finally agrees to the higher dosage. Again only prescribing the exact amount of pills. Which I know I'm gonna need a longer treatment. Why is he only prescribing the exact amount of pills? Pain in the ass. Summer is approaching. I want to go in the hot tub or pool but am afraid until this clears up.

 

My point is perhaps this is happening to you. I had to go to 3 different doctors to realize what's going on. Meanwhile it just adds to the stress. Keep pushing for answers. Good luck.

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@StillMeButWiser, wow that's awful! Yeah for some reason the Drs are stingy with the Valtrex. I don't get it. After asking for mths, my boyfriends dr finally consented to putting him on suppressive therapy after his 3rd ob in 3 mths. And I'm on suppressive now with Valtrex but I notice there are only 3 refills. I will try upping my dosage and see if that helps. Still no lesions or blisters right now, just the burning ring of irritation.

Last night I took another long espsom bath with tea tree oil and lavender oil. Then I swabbed with tea tree and lemon balm. When that calmed down, I swabbed with pure aloe Vera. Went to bed commando and feeling somewhat better. Then I woke up to the same irritated feeling. Think I'll start adding more Valtrex today and see if that helps. Thanks so much for the info. Hope you can find some long term relief also.

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@sadpanda, it is very frustrating. Fire crotch is annoying. I stopped everything, epson bath (it stung), the lemon balm actually made it worse with only one application. What I used and found to help a tiny bit is aquaphor which my son got when he was in the hospital. It has a Vaseline consistency. Also aveeno oatmeal seemed calming for it. But don't do it now.Yes commando is good. All honestly, I stopped wearing undies all together. Unless jeans. Since I'm not working I don't need to dress up.

 

Such a sensitive area to begin with, do you think you are doing to much and possible irritating it more?

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@StillMeButWiser, possibly. That's what my bf thinks. But not doing anything has the same effect also. So it's hard to say. I'm also wondering if possibly the antiviral might cause symptoms while suppressing the virus. The reason I think this is because before I was diagnosed, I went for 7 mths without ever knowing I had it. I was symptom free most days except for the wk of my period, in which i would usually get a small paper cut that I thought was from sex. Was misdiagnosed several times before a swab confirmed h2 in February. Have been on meds ever since and have had these symptoms almost the entire time. That's why I'm wondering if it might be that. I'm scared to go off of them though, for fear of another ob..

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. Why is he only prescribing the exact amount of pills? Pain in the ass. Summer is approaching. I want to go in the hot tub or pool but am afraid until this clears up.

 

Well, the H diagnosis explains why the steroid cream didn't work - because steroids are for inflammation and they lower your immune system. And the reason they are only giving you what you need in the high dose is that at the higher doses there's more risk of kidney/liver issues so they likely want to keep an eye on that... AND ... some are just wanting to make you come back in to get another office visit out of the insurance companies ... :/

 

AND - you CAN go into the pool/hottub - there's no way you will pass it on there ... the chlorine will kill anything ... if it didn't, EVERYONE would have herpes because you can bet your bottom dollar there are tons of people in those places who are (probably unwittingly) shedding the virus at any time..... :p

 

 

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@wcsdancer2010, thank you for putting a smile on my face. Yay! I can dive in. Lol. My concern wasn't transmitting but getting an infection on my part with having paper cuts. I want so badly to feel normal. Knowing this rash is there really stops me dead in my tracks to the point I'm willing to take the risk for higher dosage for as long as it takes. The whole month of April I have been to the gyno every single week like clock work. Since I have state insurance thank god I pay no copays or for prescriptions. Stress definitely keeping this active. So I'm working w another doctor to lower my stress and going to see a neurologist to make sure the concussion I sustained from hitting head on tile floor didnt damaged the brain and influencing stuff. Nothing can be easy for me.

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I can't remember if I gave you the links for the Home Remedies that people have used that work, so I'll post them below again ... this is, you really have to try to attack the virus on many fronts - internally with the meds, L-Lysine, improved diet, etc - externally with Epsom Salts baths and whatever topical things may work for YOU - AND mentally which includes reducing stress, learning acceptance, AND finding out what YOU can do to control the virus (because that takes away the feeling of helplessness)....

 

And BTW - Nothing can be easy for me. - We call that Stinkin Thinkin around here. I strongly suggest that you take that kind of talk out of your vocabulary because what you speak you WILL bring into reality ... one way or the other. Pledge every day to take at least ONE step forward... even if you get knocked back that day ... and try for just one day to not complain about ANYTHING ... working on that kind of thing can really help you to see how it's easy to live in a world of complaints (because it takes the responsibility for our unhappiness our of our own hands) ... I'm going to add one more link for you about attachment .... I think it may help you a bit ... and perhaps one "attachment" you work on "letting go" of would be the belief that nothing is "easy" for you... ;)

 

(((HUGS)))

 

http://zenhabits.net/zen-attachment/

 

Treatments/medications

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/6024/dealing-with-outbreaks#latest includes links below

http://supporttruthanddialog.com/easy-simple-self-help-tips-for-relief-from-herpes-outbreaks/

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/4810/bactine-for-oral-and-even-genital-herpes

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-treatment/

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-medication/

 

Links to some of the items suggested in the links

http://amzn.to/1CHUzZE Link to Alum

http://tinyurl.com/Aloecream

http://amzn.to/1F10r3V Fractionated Coconut Oil

http://bit.ly/zincsoap Zinc Soap with coconut oil

http://bit.ly/Zinccream

http://tinyurl.com/bactine

http://tinyurl.com/Oragelsgldose

http://tinyurl.com/DMSO4HSV

 

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