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Hi all. Sorry if this is long, but I’m just going to put it all out here in my first post! I’m 59 years old and have been living with HSV1 for many years. My husband gave me it to me, probably prior to our marriage in 1995. He did not disclose that he got cold sores on his lips (which were easily hidden by his beard/mustache). By the time I actually saw one on him and we had a discussion about it, I’m sure the damage had already been done. He claimed not to realize it was a big deal, since the outbreaks didn’t really bother HIM that much. I was pretty irritated but was 25 at the time and a busy, newly divorced young mother of 2 and guess I just didn’t dwell on it. Fast forward several years, after we were married, and I started to occasionally get “cold sores” on the end of my nose. In the beginning, it only happened once or twice a year and was easy to live with. But as time has gone by, they started to appear more frequently and with more intensity (on both sides of ends of nose), so several years ago I finally went to a doctor and asked for medication. I’d been taking valcyclovir as-needed a couple-few times a year. The pills make me very sick to my stomach and I feel like I’ve had a pot of coffee but they seem to work really well.
Fast forward again to the last couple-few years, and it’s only gotten worse and more intense. Meanwhile, my husband only rarely gets cold sores on his lips anymore, and they are easily hidden. So not fair. Anyway, during my yearly gyno exam last month, my doctor found signs of active HSV2, and after lab work confirmed with me that I do in fact have that also. My husband has never had symptoms of HSV2. I had noticed a small irritation but thought it was brought on by bad fitting pants/excercise, etc. I have had that same irritated feeling a few times over the last many years but it was never enough to concern me. For some reason it just didn’t dawn on me that it could be HSV2. I was also just starting to get a cold sore on my nose when I saw my doctor. Within a couple of days, I had the worst outbreak I ever have. Many other symptoms with it, etc.
So now my doctor has suggested that I start taking my med daily as a preventative measure. I would be fine with that except that I’m sure I would end up with an ulcer. I have an extremely sensitive stomach and can’t deal with most pills. She mentioned that one concern with having bad outbreaks in the nose is that it can lead to the eyes, brain, etc. I was just in shock. By the time I got home, I had thought of more questions for her, and will be having a follow up appt. tomorrow. Questions like: could my eye problems in the last few years be related? Are other symptoms related? Should I see a specialist? I’ve already searched for a local virologist in my med network and found nothing. Should I have my husband take the same med daily too, so we don’t keep passing this back and forth to each other? What are the side effects of taking the med every day? Is there anything besides pills I can take (like a shot, patch, etc.)? Anyway, thanks for making it this far if you have. I’d love to hear from anyone else that may have found themselves in a similar situation. Hugs to all!
Hi Jonni,
Thank you for sharing your story. I personally take preventative vacyvlovir daily to prevent breakouts. It has worked well for me.
Maybe you could find some stomach medecine to help with any side effects?
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