All these shared experiences about living with STDs were contributed by real people. We hope to help you gain the confidence you need to manage STDs in your daily life.
Many people find comfort learning that others have similar experiences, especially when newly diagnosed. Inspire and help others by sharing your story! You can do it anonymously.
I just learned I had contracted HIV last week. I Know exactly where it comes from .
I was living a party life in Toronto, hanging around with hookers and addicts. One night I meet the dealer somewhere where he presents me to two friendly trans friends. One was very nice to me and paying drinks and coke ... so I stayed a bite, I remember we were having some pretty decent down to earth convos ...
SUDDENLY ITS ALL BLACK
I remember only coming back and forth... in and out of conscienceness.... screaming in pain ....while getting raped and begging to stop ..... I was way to druged (probably ghb) to defend .
When i woke up it was morning, I was kicked out in a hurry ....
They druged me so bad I couldnt even remember my adress to give to the taxi driver .
Being a heterosexual man I never said anything by shame . Getting raped by a trans is not something usual . So who would of believed me anyway. We were getting along . I told myself that people would of though its an excuse for regretting a sexual experience . SO I KEPT SILENT ....
now that I know I got HIV from it idk how to feel . This is the first time I even take it out . So this being said I just want everyone to know that whatever pain you feel . There is steps to it . And maybe hearing this will help you express yourself in some way that you may start a healing process for yourself .... one step at a time.
NEVER GIVE UP
Recently got diagnosed with HIV When I first seen my diagnosis, I was so scared I couldn’t even come to terms of it. The shock of it just shattered me. I trusted a person Who didn’t know their status But after being on Medication im starting to feel like myself again I can honestly say it will get better
sou mais um caso de quem nao aprendeu nada sobre educação sexual antes de tem um grande motivo pra isso
minha mãe é separada do meu pai desde quando eu tinha 4 anos com 16 fui morar com ele e la perto tinha uma menina de 15 como eu ainda nao tinha namorado nem tido relação e nem instruções e meu pai não perde oportunidade de se relacionar
me falou que ela tava chamando ele de sogro , e ela era muito atraente tava querendo então comecei a namorar durou alguns meses depois mudei de cidade
fui ter outra relação so 4 anos depois e ja comecei a perceber algo estranho ai foi pesquisar descobrir que é hpv ,pra mim foi um choque
mais mesmo assim tento ver o lado bom disso tudo agradeço por nao ter tive muitos relacionamentos poderia ser muito pior e agora posso ensinar meus futuros filhos sobre esse e outros assuntos que estudei nos últimos anos
I grew up in a home where I was taught not to have sex before marriage. I was not taught about birth control and contraception. I had to figure these things out the hard way. The guy who gave me herpes convinced me not to use a condom and assured me he did not have any STDs when I asked him. Not long after we had unprotected sex, I discovered I have herpes.
I found out I have herpes at age 28 when I got the first and only genital outbreak of my life. I take Acyclovir and Lysine to prevent genital and oral outbreaks. I cannot believe the stigma of herpes. That has been 100 times worse than the disease itself.
I met what i thought was my forever mate. We had dated for months and what felt like forever we decided to take our relationship to the next level, we both introduced each other to our children and family and finally moved in together. After 6 months of dating, he got ill, as to where i had to take him to the ER. as the nurse verified his medication list, she stated a medicine i knew was for Herpes. ( i work in the nursing field). I waited until he was feeling better and asked him why he had to take the medication, he insisted it was for a rash, until I told him that I had scheduled my yearly exam earlier than usual and if anything came back, he would most definitely have a problem. He then told me the truth. I share that story because as much as i want to be mad or dislike him, God is a God of forgiveness! I learned the hard way that if i wanted to live a life free on bondage to this virus, i first had to forgive him for what he had done! I say that to say, don't let the virus define who you are, allow your heart of love and forgiveness be your motivation to reassure someone else that LIFE is still so precious. Even though we all had to deal with a dishonest person or yet maybe we were the dishonest person, THERE IS FORGIVENESS for us all!! forgive and live a life free of naysayers and those that look down upon you! God loves you and forgives you, PAY IT FORWARD!
God said to share my testimony and as His servant, I must be
obidient. I've been in this category that we have in common for over 20 years. It's been life changing, but life goes on. Furthermore on March 19, 2004 I remember this day so clearly. This day I had a car accident which changed my life dramatically. I suffered many injuries in which I'm so fortunate to still be here to tell my story. I hit an SUV head on with no seat belt. My injuries included, a cut lip, cut ear, two cuts in the back of my head, gash in my right bicep, bruised ribs, bruised lungs, liver laceration, torn aorta, broken left ankle and shattered right ankle. I was placed in a semi-induced coma for about 4 weeks. A week after I came out of my coma I was going home. Back and forth weekly to the doctor I ended up getting the 1st infection in my lower right leg (the crushed ankle) and I had to be hospitalized. I was placed in a sterile room in which there were two doors to enter before you came in. Anyone visiting had to wear a sterile gown, mask and gloves, it was that serious. Two weeks later I went home and I continued to be seen weekly. In August, a month later after being hospitalized for the 1st infection I was told I had a bone infection. They gave me two options and after making a few phone calls I made the choice to go through with the amputation the other choice didn't sound to realistic, anyhow...By October I was up and walking with a prosthesis and back to work. Aint God good...They took one leg away but God gave someone the knowledge to invent prosthetics so I can still walk. Life has been no crystal stair, yet challenging I've remained to have a positive outlook on life. God has been there for me through my trials and tribulations. The many times I cried and had no shoulder to cry on and the times it seem like I was all cried out many times asking God why me? But I never gave up. I understand that God has a purpose for every moment of my life, and for that I'm grateful & blessed
I think I got infected on December last year and just recently diagnosed 3 weeks ago. I have no idea how I will deal with dating in the future but what Im focusing rn is to fight my battle against the virus one day at a time. I find inspiring that I will prob need to be extra sharp in order to get through this. By that I meant to put more focus in my diet, supplementation, recovery and also start doing again some yoga and meditations. Tomorrow, I will start working on my diet then moving into the meds and vitamins I should be taking so if someone has any recommendations about it, I would appreciate it. I usually go the gym or do crossfit so Im doing well in there. What I have learnt so far is that the mental side of the disease is gonna affect me the most so hope some mediations + reading some books + therapy + social acitvities will help deal with this. I can tell this is gonna be a tough fight, GL for everyone !
Alright guys and gals. Gather around the bonfire, pull up your favorite, coziest chair and blanket. Grab a mug of hot chocolate and enjoy the cool breeze. This story is about a young and naive girl who received both her gifts in the worst way possible but managed to come out on top.
You see, I was given herpes from a rape at 19 when off at college for the first time - I now have 2 degrees. I was raped by a man I trusted and thought was a friend. Medically dropped out after a severe stint with depression and almost died from blood clots due to extracurricular activities in order to deal with the emotional pain and mental trauma. Believe it or not, I went on to go back to school for my first degree while knee deep in addiction. I was completely lost in my life - the guilt, the shame, feeling like an outcast, scarred, damaged - while still successful. I did everything I could to run away from the feeling of being “dirty”. On the outside, I was well put together, inside i was a wreck.
Fortunately, August 2017 I got clean (still am). Went back to school to get my second degree and found my career. since then, I also found out I contracted HPV from the man I thought was my forever. It turned into Stage 1 cervical cancer - which im now free from. I was lucky to have caught it early.
After all of the above and with a good therapist, I dont feel like a wadded up piece of trash that was trampled and left to disintergrate in the rain anymore. Ive learned that things happen and some of those things are uncontrollable. At the end of the day, I can only control me - my actions, where i put my effort, and my outlook on life. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD do not get to run my life. In the most recent years, I genuinely feel like I’m in the driver seat and have healed emotionally and mentaly. You see, things get easier as time goes on and you are not defined by the disease. Life is still out there for those who want it. It’s a garden after all 😉…
I met a wonderful woman on another website and she was unbelievably amazing in bed. Although I was in my early 40's, she was the first woman ever to get me to orgasm during a BJ. Although I had a great deal of sexual background she was freakishly experienced and actually schooled me in the bedroom. She found perversions in me I did not even know I had, and then encouraged them. After about a month or so, I found out she was a 'retired" escort. No surprise here, and no problem. Her past is her past, I don't judge now and I did not then. After about six months, I found out she was, well, not entirely retired. Heartbroken, I broke up with her. Six months later she called to notify me I should get tested. I was HIV+.
I met a man online. we had been talking for a few weeks before we decided to meet in person. After the second time we were together he immediately ghosted me. I thought we had hit it off so I was left feeling confused and hurt. A couple months later, the gift showed up. i hadnt been with anyone else so i confronted him and of course he denied it. To make matters worse i discovered that i had unknowingly passed it to my severely disabled son as he requires help with everything (feeding, toileting, grooming, etc). The man kept insisting he was negative because he had never had any symptoms 🙄and that he would show me his results when they came in. He then ghosted again and i havent heard from him in over a month. I’m trying hard to let this go but when it involved my child, i was devastated. Angry that I will have this forever but saddened that an innocent child was affected and this man has no remorse for what he did.
I was 18/19 I fell in love with a guy who I won't name but I thought he was my dream guy boy was I wrong long story short it turned toxic QUICK found out he was a cheater liar psycho a lil slow ( no offense ) but I was abused and basically used . I found out by word of mouth that he had had sex with a female who had " something" and wasn't taking her meds for it . Never found out what that something was until next year when I birthed our child that shorty passed away because I gave birth via vagina & I had an outbreak , yepp hsv-2 . I found out after I birthed him that I had a whole host of bodily issues . Gallbladder stones , liver going wrong kidneys pancreatitis. When I tell you I have went through ALOT and I hadn't even reached adult life yet I was numb . It's eight years later and I still grieve what my body use to be . It's literally just now hitting me but I know I need this to grow from it . To love myself and get better . I'm at a point in life where I just wanna açcept me for me . Accept what comes with me and not live life in fear . I've gone through fake friends spreading my business too yea fake azz btchs man watch out for those snakes in the grass that is another reason why you gotta come to terms and rest your nerves . No not everyone deserves to know your business but man once one person knows it's over from there so here I am out and open hoping to find better friendships and love ...Thank you
I first found out I had hepatitis b in 2011, when I first lost my virginity from some abusive and manipulate guy I've met on a dating website. We were off and on for a year, then I blocked him in all communication and moved on. Moving on was a tough part, in my mind "Who will want me now since I have an incurable STD that is also a liver virus?" Granted, I had my share of one night stands and friends with benefits as long as I told them that I have hepatitis b and they are vaccinated. Simply because I thought in my mind, if I had sex with them they would love me. I've cried. I've felt sorry for myself. I've had suicidal tendencies. For this mindset that caused me to have more STD consequences: HPV and herpes. Now, I've came in terms of all what happened and what I have gotten from it. I went to therapy. I've talked about it. I've talked about it a lot. to my therapist. To my friends. To my family. They were for me every step of the way. As far as reminding me to take my meds so my viral load won't be high. I don't feel sorry for myself. I accepted that is it what is it. I've been single and started focusing on myself and trying to get my life together. Although dating again is not what I'm hoping for, I won't be against if someone fancy me.
When I was diagnosed in December of 2021. I was devastated, I couldn't breathe,I cried for a week. The shame and disguste that I felt toward myself. I still haven't told anyone in my family or any of my friends. I have no ideal of who I got it from but this one female that I should have never dated comes to mind but I can't prove so o well life must go on. I really want a good female in my life to share things with and that will accept me so that I don't have to hide what I have. I don't wanna be alone but I have decided that if that's what's gonna happen then I'm strong enough to be ok with it. I'm from a small town and it's so hard to meet anyone. 2yrs is a long time. I have noticed that people in bigger cities are not as judgemental about herpes as small town people are. So if anyone out there that is reading this that know of any groups or lesbian women that don't mind reaching out and talking,mingle,or just hanging out please share south carolina. North Carolina or Georgia.
I contracted HIV in 2016 when I was 22 due to unsafe sex influenced as of a result of my substance abuse addiction. I was broken. Not only because of the weight the stigma carries but because the irreversible damage I've done to myself. Looking back in hindsight, contracting HIV probably saved my life; it was the beginning of the reality check that I needed. Before becoming infected, I thought I was invincible. Living in South Florida, "partying" was the lifestyle I was submerged into. After losing everything I've worked so hard to gain in life - the career, the house, the loving/accepting partner, the lifestyle finally turned on me. I couldn't stop using. I used when I was happy, I used when I was sad. I couldn't separate myself from the substances. Although it hasn't been an easy journey to get where I am today in my sobriety, my HIV status has been with me thru it all. From 3 drug rehabilitation stays and 72 days in county jail with a 4 month sentence on a house arrest ankle monitoring to the rebuilding of my life today - I am grateful to say that I am HIV+ a few weeks shy of celebrating 18 months of continuous sobriety and working a solid program of recovery.
I was 25 met a younger guy who promised me the world. He quickly swept me and my entire family of our feets. We got engaged less than 3 months later, got a home together, and then he began to reveal his abusive ways. I found out I was pregnant, and things got worse. I found out he gave me herpes so I terminated the pregnancy and left. I confronted him, and he nonchalantly said his new girlfriend also alerted him of it as if it wasn't a big deal! I suffered for years because I was afraid of spreading it, but I'm ready to find my husband.
Was diagnosed end of 2022. Believe I may have contracted during the pandemic. I was already under alot of stress before everything got hectic and my drinking got out of hand. I wasnt making the best choices to cope. Anyways I had a feeling of regret and so wasn’t entirely surprised when I found out. At first the news did flip my world upside down I had a tough time adjusting. After a few months of taking medication I now feel alot better with hope of a normal life. My perception of the virus was totally different from what my Dr. explained. I improved mentally day by day and actually feel more mature. Im now eating healthier, making more responsible decisions, and focusing on bettering myself every day.
God said to share my testimony and as His servant, I must be obedient.
This day March 19th, 19 years ago I remember so clearly. This is the day I had my car accident which changed my life dramatically. I suffered many injuries in which I'm so fortunate to still be here to tell my story. I hit an SUV head-on ⁹: no seat belt. My injuries included, a cut lip, cut ear, two cuts in the back of my head, a gash in my right bicep, bruised ribs, bruised lungs, liver laceration, torn aorta, broken left ankle, and shattered right ankle. I was placed in a semi-induced coma for about 4 weeks. A week after I came out of my coma I was going home.
Back and forth weekly to the doctor I ended up getting the 1st infection in my lower right leg (the crushed ankle) and I had to be hospitalized. I was placed in a sterile room in which there were two doors to enter before you came in. Anyone visiting had to wear a sterile gown, mask, and gloves, it was that serious. Two weeks later I went home and I continued to be seen weekly. In August, a month later after being hospitalized for the 1st infection, I was told I had a bone infection. They gave me two options and after making a few phone calls I chose to go through with the amputation the other choice didn't sound too realistic, anyhow.....
By October I was up and walking with a prosthesis and back to work. Ain't God good...They took one leg away but God gave someone the knowledge to invent prosthetics so I can still walk.
Life has been no crystal stair, yet challenging I've remained to have a positive outlook on life. God has been there for me through my trials and tribulations. The many times I cried and had no shoulder to cry on and the times it seem like I was all cried out many times asking God why me? But I never gave up. I understand that God has a purpose for every moment of my life, and for that, I'm grateful & blessed beyond measure.
I don’t know your past, path or destiny, but if you read this in it’s entirety I hope you leave with an understanding that it’s about your safety, well-being and happiness!!!
I like most on this site if you’ve been on long enough have experienced let downs and disappointments. If you haven’t you wouldn’t be on now.😊
We all have expectations, desires, standards and goals that are seldom met but that doesn’t mean we should label all men or women on this site or otherwise the same.
Also that’s not a reason to give up and not seek the life you desires and deserve with your soulmate if that’s what you are really looking for.
You can not be thin-skin, short-sighted or fearful of rejection while on these types of social media sites.
However, you must always be safety conscious ‘cause your well-being in paramount to finding a date or partner.
I’ve met some who detest rejection and become very disrespectful ,vengeful and in some instances belligerent. These people are very selfish, egotistical, pretentious and narcissistic to say the least.
They will lure you in with their embellished profiles, pseudo kindness , generosity, understanding ,compassion and sincerity and once you let them know you are not that compatible after all and you wish them luck they sometimes become very irate.
Therefore, never give them your home address, invite them into your home, always meet them in a safe place of your choosing and please let someone close know your intentions and whereabouts.
Nevertheless, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some very intelligent, classy, respectful, stylish , understanding, compassionate ladies who rejected me and that’s okay, but still I feel confident to say I’m going to find one who accepts me!🤣
mi vida era algo que podia disfrutar salir y conocer personas todos los dias siempre fui responsable, hasta un viaje a Uruguay emocionado con el viaje el cansancio y unos tragos fueron la peor combinacion de mi vida,,,
en ese momento estaba soltero pero tenia una amiga con beneficios a la cual no veia hace un par de mese atras,,
en mi viaje tuve relaciones con una chica extremadamente sexy y lamentablemente nunca me dijo que estaba infectada de hep c y herpes... yo regrese a mexico feliz por mi nuevo viaje sin saber que era el comienzo de una pesadilla..
asi pasaron un par de meses y yo no tenia ni una sola huella o sintomas de alguna enfermedad de transmision sexual,,.
y mi amiga con beneficios y ypasamos juntos el 14 de febrero juntos sin proteccion y ahi fue cuando la pesadilla comenzo, a la siguiente semana me marca y me dice que tengo que ir a verla por qe tiene una gran infeccion y al verla nos pusimos a llorar pues su piel estaba destrozada y llena de pus como si fuera una maldicion..
hasta el momento no dejo de llorar y de arrepentirme deseando jamas haber viajado a ese pais, contraje una enfermedad y ahora la persona que mas quiero en este mundo tambien lo tiene y eso me tiene devastado, casi no puedo dormir siempre tengo esa pesadilla en mi cabeza,,
fuimos al medico y nos hicimos todos los ananlisis y diagnosticos necesarios,, estamos peleando dia a dia con este y cuando tenemos una pelea es horrible, el sentimiento es demasiado triste y desalientador..
mis metas mi idea de formar una familia y vida sexual se fueron a la basura, cabe mencionar que la diferencia de edad entre ella y yo es de casi 30 anos...
hemos llorado y sufrido bastante.. a tal grado de querer quitarnos la vida.. ella se fue a su pais canada y yo estoy en pto vallarta,,
terminamos como amigos pero es imposible olvidar todo el dolor y trauma ocasionado
...
espero algun dia poder ser la misma persona y poder sonreir