u/flexiflip

I've been getting a lot of herpes related posts on my feed recently (not surprising) and every time the comments are so fucked. Anyone defending or educating on herpes is met with countless 'keep that to yourself' 'thats nasty' comments, and the notion that STDs (even the treatable ones) are dirty or shameful is insane.

Its so silly, I feel completely normal and have next to no symptoms. If I didn't disclose (which I do) no one would ever have any idea I had this. I genuinely don't think people would care if I went to them and said 'I get cold sores' or 'hey so did you know some people get cold sores genitally?' then they actually wouldn't care, it's just the word 'herpes', but people are SOOO averse to it.

It's making me feel kinda depressed and quite nervous to bring it up even though I don't really care about it. Any advice for not being discouraged about everyones attitudes in comment sections online?

3 months into having HSV2 and taking suppressive antivirals but I've still had outbreaks nearly constantly. As one heals another pops up. I've been tested for other things and seem to be all okay. I'm wondering if I should just stop the antivirals altogether and hope my body builds immunity better that way.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Or are my outbreaks guaranteed to be way worse and way more painful if I stop?

I got hsv2 3 months ago, I'm taking suppressive acyclovir but have still been having very frequent outbreaks. They look like tiny little cuts and aren't painful more itchy.

After an outbreaks settles it usually looks normal, but if I scratch then the skin will immediately look exactly like it does during an outbreak (little red spot or cut in the exact same place as lesions form). A few minutes later it'll settle again.

Is this a prolonged outbreak that's never fully healing?? Or is it more likely that the skin is just weak in those spots?

Has anyone else had it act like this in the first few months? Does it get better? Any advice would be appreciated

Does anyone have advice for how to not get overwhelmed by lots of manic 'wants' when manifesting?

I'm aware I can be the type who's never satisfied. I'll try to focus on one broad area that I want to see change in (like health for example) but then something happens and I start thinking about something immediate I feel I need to solve. Like I lose sight of any long term goals because everything short term feels so urgent and immediate.

Often I get super stressed about a specific thing that I need to fix that I can never actually dedicate myself to growth long term. It's all very manic. Does anyone who gets stressed easily suffer from this? And what helped?

2 months post initial outbreak and it just feels never ending down there. Tingling has finally stopped but I just got another sore patch down there. Feels like I'm just constantly having some kind of sensation. If its not a lesion then its tingling, if its not tingling its a spot. I know its still early but it just feels so noisy all the time I'm worried it'll never end.

Since my hsv2 diagnosis in March I've had a couple of actual outbreaks and went on suppressive aciclovir. I haven't had any actual sores in several weeks, but the only thing is I seem to be constantly red with tight skin and slight intermittent tingles down there 24/7, often there'll be a flat red spot that itches and fades in a day or so. The symptoms are so mild it doesn't effect my daily life, but I don't currently feel like a safe partner and it's really messing with me.

Has anyone had this? Did it get better?

I know I'm lucky I'm not in pain but it makes it near impossible to tell if I'm outbreaking or not, and I feel like I'm just constantly contagious despite being on antivirals.

Sometimes I'll get an itch, scratch, and notice a couple flat red spots where I've itched. After I stop scratching they seem to completely fade/disappear in a few minutes and only appear if I scratch it again (I've tried scratching the area even if it's not itchy and it still happens, although it tends to start to feel itchy once I've scratched)

It happens in an area I've had an outbreak before and nearby, but im only recently diagnosed so am not yet familiar with my patterns. I sometimes get a tingle there, but tbh I've been getting light intermittent tingles here and there since diagnosis anyway that usually don't mean anything.

Does anyone get this? Is it HSV or just skin reacting?

Sometimes this is a great forum but the one thing that constantly baffles me is how everyone talks about the people who gave it to them like they're the worst person in the world.

While it is absolutely true that some people will have been lied to and as a result have contracted herpes (which is genuinely fucked up), I think most transmissions are accidental/unknown and I feel like it increases stigma to have that level of hatred towards people who transmit.

Im not happy I got herpes, but also I dont think the guy I got it from had any idea he had it. How can I be angry at him for that?

So many people have it and don't know they do, we know that those who are diagnosed generally are safer partners because they can recognise symptoms.

Herpes is unfortunately part and parcel of being sexually active. We drew the short straw, but that doesn't mean it's anyone's fault.

I thought I'd been handling diagnosis kind of well, I've got all the logical facts and way of disclosing into my head, I was feeling positive, but today I just feel right back at square one.

I really like myself as a person when I'm alone, and sometimes I feel quite confident, but when I'm spending time with people - even friends - I go down a spiral of comparison. I feel really inferior, and in these times I find it very hard to get out of feeling like I'm never going to be chosen by anyone. I know the right person won't care, but I don't really feel like there's a right person that exists.

Herpes aside I feel like a trainwreck sometimes, and herpes just is in the back of my mind making me feel like I can't interact with anyone romantically because it's leading them on and I can't be normal. I don't even get outbreaks that severely but it feels like a giant secret I'm hiding, and I'm scared to reveal it.

How did you come to terms with it, and not feel guilty about having it, or at least not feel like its a big thing looming in your social life?