As one infected with herpes, it is likely you know the illness is incurable. That, however, does not mean that you cannot continue to live a full life after being infected with the disease. After experiencing an initial outbreak or various accounts of symptom recurrence and seeing a doctor, you will want to weigh your treatment options so as to choose the most suitable method for your personal healing process. One of the options to manage a herpes infection is suppressive therapy.
Suppressive therapy refers to the mode of herpes treatment where an infected individual takes antiviral medication on a daily basis so as to reduce the manifestation of the herpes virus in their body. Through this treatment option, people can decrease the number of outbreaks they suffer over the period when they are under the medication. This enables them to undertake other activities such as working and school work under normal circumstances. As such, their productivity is not impaired, and they can consistently take on the same amounts of workload and relate with others in the same way as before their infections.
Managing herpes by taking antiviral medication has been proven to be one of the most efficient methods of handling the disease. Suppressive therapy has reduced the frequency of herpes outbreaks by over 70 to 80 percent. What’s more, some individuals on this treatment option have ceased to experience herpes outbreaks since they began the therapy. They have therefore been able to lead full lives after their infections.
Despite the apparent benefits of this method of treating herpes, it is not for everyone. Doctors advise that herpes infected individuals suffering from an average of six outbreaks a year or more should register themselves for suppressive therapy. Since this treatment option also decreases the severity and duration of outbreaks, it can also be applied to those who suffer from extreme outbreaks that cause them to sit out regular activity for long periods at a time. All in all, the sure way you can find out if you, your partner, friend or relative is suitable for this method of herpes management is by booking an appointment with a doctor and having them examine your illness’s intensity. From there, the medical practitioner will be able to make a conclusive decision on whether you are suitable for this form of treatment.
There have been very minimal side effects from the medication used for suppressive therapy. These include headaches, nausea, sore throat and abdominal pain. However, most individuals do not observe adverse effects when they take the medication.
There have been very minimal side effects from the medication used for suppressive therapy. These include headaches, nausea, sore throat and abdominal pain. However, most individuals do not observe adverse effects when they take the medication.
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection that occurs as a result of sexual contact with a carrier of the illness. It is caused by the HSV-2 virus. Since virus infections cannot be completely terminated, genital herpes has no cure. It can affect both men and women and is highly contagious. Once sexual contact has been initiated by a herpes carrier to another person, the virus spreads to the non-infected person’s body and could remain dormant for long periods. However, symptoms may appear several times a year or at even more frequent intervals depending on how well a person manages these outbreaks. You should be careful to note that even those without symptoms of genital herpes can still be infected with the disease and could, therefore, have it spread to you. It is important to know the symptoms of this illness so as to take particular care in your sexual encounters with others. Genital herpes symptoms include
• An itching or painful sensation around the genital area that begins in two to ten days after a sexual encounter
• The appearance of small red or white blisters around the genitals sometime after the onset of the itching
• Sores that tend to ooze fluid and could burst. They are also highly irritable and are prone to bleeding. They could also make urinating difficult
• Scabs formed after preliminary sores have undergone the healing process
• High degrees of sensitivity around the genital region
Apart from the genital region overall, the lesions can also appear in varying locations. These areas differ from gender. In men, the sores appear specifically on the penis, scrotum, urethra, and the thighs for the frontal region. On the back area, sores could appear on the buttocks or anus. The ulcers could also appear on the mouth. Women have lesions arising from genital herpes in or on the cervix, the vaginal area as well as on the external region of their privates.
Other possible symptoms resemble a flu infection and tend to appear before the primary symptoms manifest themselves. They include muscle aches, fever, swollen lymph nodes and headaches.
Oral herpes refers to an infection around the mouth area as a result of a sexual encounter. The illness could spread to regions including the lips, gums, and mouth. Small blisters, commonly known as cold sores, develop around these areas and are very painful. The illness is caused by the HSV-1 virus and also goes through a dormant stage just like genital herpes. This stage, however, varies from individual to individual. Once it manifests itself, the disease consistently causes painful sores around the mouth during its recurrences.
Apart from direct contact with an infected person’s mouth, one can be infected with the disease by sharing items that the infected person uses in direct contact with his or her skin. These could include razors, towels and uncleaned dishes.
Preliminary signs that you have this disease include the following:
• An itching sensation around the mouth region
• A sore throat
• Fever
• Difficulty in swallowing food or drink
Can one get genital herpes from oral herpes?
Yes, it is possible to get infected with genital herpes from a person who has oral herpes. This would occur from the direct contact of your genital region with an infected person’s mouth. You should be careful to note that the illness is transferable regardless of whether sores are visibly present or not.
Herpes comes in different variations. In one type of the infection, the virus could remain within your body without showing any signs of infection for months or even years at a time. When the symptoms as a result of the virus manifest themselves, it is regarded as a herpes outbreak. This manifestation occurs as a consequence of the virus being reactivated by certain factors. These factors are called triggers and could include fatigue, stress, menstruation or even injury.
he outbreak of this virus varies from individual to individual. Some people can even go on to live the rest of their lives without suffering from a single outbreak. Alternately, some people cannot go as far as a fortnight without experiencing the painful symptoms associated with the reactivation of the herpes virus in their systems. Fortunately, there are various ways you can deal with your herpes outbreak. We discuss these means in the tips that follow. Regardless of the frequency of your cases, these tips can help you to carefully manage your herpes outbreak and emerge from it successfully. With time, you will be able to handle your herpes outbreaks easier.
Take Medication to relieve pain
During your outbreaks, you are likely to experience pain as a result of the raw sores on your body. You could also have aches from other parts of your body. Taking medication such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin can go a long way in reducing the pain you experience which in turn decreases your overall discomfort. Additionally, with the lesser pain, you can continue with your daily activities with some ease.
Wash Your Hands Frequently
Maintaining proper hygiene is crucial in keeping your outbreak in check. Wash your hands from time to time, even when you think they are clean. This will reduce chances of infecting your sores with germs. Focus primarily on washing under your fingernails as this area harbors a lot of bacteria.
Cool off
To ease the feeling of discomfort, apply cool compressions over your sores. You can also use ice packs over your genital area. The cooling effect will reduce inflammation over the sores and ease your pain. As such, moving around will be easier, and you can carry on with your day’s activities to an extent.
Avoid Touching the Sores
Do not feel your herpes sores as this could further aggravate your herpes outbreak. Additionally, avoid all sexual contact until symptoms of your herpes outbreak have completely diminished. Sexual contact will not only cause you further discomfort but could also trigger the outbreak further through friction over various areas. Contact on sores also includes bandaging them, so avoid this altogether and let them heal in the open air.
Completely Avoid Stress
Stress is a prime factor in herpes outbreaks. In as much as having an outbreak is a high-pressure and consequently stressful situation, try and keep yourself calm. Do not dwell on any situations that could cause you stress during your outbreak. Additionally, avoid conflict all through your herpes outbreak so as to reduce the stress applied to your body. Adopting a regular fitness program and making healthier dietary choices could go a long way in alleviating your stress. As such, improve your overall lifestyle and your habits so as to eliminate most stressful situations.
From the above tips, you can realize that proper hygiene, avoiding stress and having the required pain-relieving medication close by are fundamental in managing your outbreaks. Practicing self-control, as is the case when it comes to handling sores as well as sexual contact, will ensure you can deal with your herpes outbreaks easier. By practicing these tips, herpes outbreaks become easier to go through. You are not alone.
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It’s not easy for some people to get along with herpes positives. But guess what? Being a herpes positive, you don’t need anyone’s acceptance for your happiness. If you have a partner who is absolutely fine with your medical condition, it’s great; but if not, it’s time you find yourself someone who wouldn’t make compromises with you, but accept you for who you are.
However, when you are initially diagnosed with herpes, it could take some time to acclimate to the changed behavior of the people around you. If they aren’t comfortable around you, you can’t blame them either. Rather, it’s a sign that you need to move on with your life and find people who won’t be appalled by you.
When it comes to dating with herpes, your best bet is to go for a dedicated herpes dating site. These are a few reasons why:
1. You don’t need to explain yourself
What could be better than this that you wouldn’t need to explain to the people that you have herpes. In fact, other users on a herpes dating site would either be herpes positive or fine with dating people who have it. With a herpes dating site, it couldn’t get any easier for you to date!
2. You can find a match faster
With general dating sites, it could take you a while to find people who would be fine with your herpes. With a herpes dating site like PositiveSingles, you can find millions of profiles of people with herpes and other STDs. And then finding a match is just as easy as swiping right on your mobile screen. The mobile app allows you to take your dating game on-the-go, allowing you to reply to your matches’ messages in real-time.
3. You might find your love life
By having a lot in common with other users on a herpes dating site, there are hefty chances that you will come across someone who will understand you and will be willing to spend the rest of their lives with you - it’s always a possibility with a herpes dating site!
4. You don’t need multiple dating sites
Being a herpes positive, you will never be able to find your matches from a single dating site/app. But with a herpes dating site, you will be free of the trouble of signing up on multiple sites. PositiveSingles.com offers not just a dating platform but an all-around portal where you can find experts to chat with and read success stories of people who found the love of their lives using this very site.
There is no reason why you shouldn’t sign up a herpes dating site as herpes positive and there is no better place for it than PositiveSingles.com. If you have started feeling left alone after being diagnosed with herpes, it’s a particular sign that you need to move on with your life, but this time with the right people!
The fact that both Herpes and HIV are STDs, a lot of people diagnosed with Herpes want to know the answer to the question: What are my chances of getting HIV if I have contracted Herpes?
Many studies have corroborated on the correlation between contracting HIV after a person is diagnosed with Herpes and the results do state an increase possibility of contracting HIV. In fact, the studies have revealed that a person becomes four to five times more vulnerable to HIV infection after having herpes IF they are exposed to HIV. It may sound too obvious but if someone is not exposed to HIV even if they have herpes, they have no risk of contracting HIV.
STDs or STIs like syphilis, herpes, or chancroid, can cause sores on the genitals which can make the transmission of HIV a lot of easier. This is why:
The open sores make it easy for the HIV to get into the body.
Also, when you have contracted Herpes, your body is producing disease-fighting cells called macrophages. The production of macrophages allows HIV to bind to them in the mucous membranes of the anus or vagina, getting a direct access to the bloodstream.
The infected area is concentrated with macrophages so there are more chances for HIV to enter the body.
People diagnosed with both herpes and HIV are more prone to transmitting them to their partners. The host body provides enough room for replication which helps HIV virus load to increase in the blood and sexual fluids. Then, if someone has HIV, their outbreak of herpes can last longer because of the aggravated body immunity.
Treating herpes and HIV is the only way to reduce the transmission.
Herpes or not, try considering these few options if you are sexually active:
• Don’t forget to use latex condoms during oral, vaginal or anal sex.
• Refraining from sex during herpes outbreak could decrease the chances of transmitting both herpes and HIV.
• Get tested regularly for herpes and HIV, and if any treatments are required, they shouldn’t be delayed under any circumstance.
• Avoid promiscuous behavior and if you are having sex with new partners, talk to them about any past or current infections first.
It’s true that there aren’t any cures for herpes and HIV, but it’s important that you realize how you can reduce the exposure to others by getting treated. Also, if you doubt that you might be exposed to the either infection, make sure to get yourself tested.
Avoid unprotected sex even when the herpes symptoms start to disappear. Many patients have contracted herpes even past their initial treatment. So it’s wise to stay away from sex for some time. We aren’t suggesting you stay sex-free all your life, but the first few months are really critical, so watch out for them.
