Name: Lightbeing
Age: 33
Sex: F
Occupation: Mom
Type: HSV2
Yr Infected: 1991
OB's per yr: I really don t like to count but I have way too many! Probably at least one per month when I am not on suppressives.

Prodromes: Tingling and itching in my genitals. The glands in my groin also get swollen and sore when a really bad one is coming on!

Method of control: When I can afford it I take Acyclovir suppressively 400 mg two times a day. Other than that I have not found much that stops this virus for me and believe me I have tried everything. My big time triggers are stress, sunshine and rice. I do my best to avoid them but some times I just don't care. Many times it is worth it for me to just indulge and deal!

My Story: I believe that I caught herpes from someone that either didn't know that they had it or they knew and did not tell me. I was very promiscuous when I around the time that I had my primary which happened two days after my 24th birthday. I thought initially that I had a spider bite but went to Planned Parenthood had it checked out. They thought it was herpes and told me that if blisters popped up to come in and have them cultured.

Blisters were there the next morning and the culture came back positive for HSV2. I was crushed! I cried off and on for days! I ended up at my mom's apartment for almost a week. I felt so dirty and like I never wanted anyone to touch me again.

Fortunately I happen to be a very resilient person. I get really upset about something and then somehow find my way past it and then usually find something extremely positive about it. I found my way to a wonderful man. And yes, he is HSV negative! We have two beautiful kids and a wonderful life.

Medical Experiences: Both of my pregnancies and deliveries were very different because of my HSV status. My son was born at a time when they were not recommending suppressive therapies for pregnant women. I was having what I recognized as prodromes when I went into labor and insisted on a c-section. With my second pregnancy I was determined to have a vaginal delivery. I really educated myself the second time around and chose a doctor that had similar beliefs as my own. I went on suppressive Acyclovir 10 weeks prior to my due date and viola! Baby girl came out the way the she was meant to!

Telling: Telling has never been difficult for me except with my current partner. I had no problem in the past telling whatever sexual partners I had prior to intimacy that I had herpes. I would usually tell at a time when intimacy was inevitable. I only remember being rejected once. Pretty good for as many times as I told. With my current partner I was a little more nervous. I knew that he was the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and he had a very limited sexual past so I was concerned that he would react negatively. It was really funny when I told him. We were sitting on my balcony and I told him that I had something important to tell him. You should have seen the relief in his eyes when I said, I have genital herpes. He said, Is that all! I thought that you were going to tell me that we couldn't have sex!

Herpes has actually brought far more positive things to my life then negative. It has become so familiar to me that it has become a part of me. I try to talk with others about it as much as I can. I really want to do my part to help those that are suffering with this. Talking, sharing my status and my experiences, giving genital herpes a human face, is my way of doing my part.