Oral and genital

Hi, recently diagnosed with genital back in august. Been a tough ride. Having outbreaks twice a month, despite trying home remedies and taking my antivirals. Recently found lesions inside my oral cavity as well. Was wondering if you guys have any remedies for that? They're on my cheek, and maybe tongue. I'm not entirely sure yet. Very stressed out about it :( I think my outbreaks are being triggered by stressful life events, which I'm doing my best to keep stress levels under control. (It's so hard) and having more OBs just make me even more anxious and worried. Any tips, suggestions or inspiration would be absolutely appreciated. Thank you

Hi Nikki93.

Sorry to hear your outbreaks are so difficult!

You may be getting canker sores inside your mouth. So if the sores are still present, you could have a doctor look at them and confirm.

Stress seems to be a factor for most people, and trying to reduce it is worth while. You could also try to plan out your sleep schedule to get plenty of rest (if possible), and many people find adjusting their diet and getting exercise to be helpful, too.

I'm not sure what kind of home remedies you are using, but as far as the doctors I have spoken with tell me, there really isn't any home remedy for herpes. My doctor recommended that I be careful not to spread the infection by making sure I wash as normal in the shower, with the extra step of washing my hands immediately after touching effected areas.

The anti-viral I am on ( Valacyclovir ) worked pretty quickly, but it seems that some brands work better than others for some people. That might be worth talking to your doctor about.

If you are having trouble with things, you can certainly talk about it here, and request that someone private message you in the "herpes buddies" support thread. That helped me a ton when I first got diagnosed.

Another thing that helped me a lot was focusing on the future, and where I am steering my life. Keeping up with my daily tasks at work helped take my mind off the negative feelings, and gave me a sense of accomplishment that is very vital to my self-esteem. Making plans to take a short vacation to go to a concert also helped give me something shorter term to look forward to, and feel positive excitement about.

I hope you start feeling better soon, and that your struggles start easing up as well!