Living with Genital Herpes the Smart Way!

I’ve been living with Genital Herpes for awhile now. It started after graduating from college with a girl I was dating for a few months. 

Like most of you, I was in complete shock with my diagnosis. I had flu-like symptoms about a week before the sores began appearing on my genital area. That's when I went to see a doctor and got tested.

I got the dreaded news a few days after that. I remember feeling very horrible. I couldn't believe what was happening. I broke up with the girl I was dating soon after because I was too embarrassed and scared.

Life took a turn after that. I spent years and years hiding in “a cave” of my own doubts and insecurities. I was isolating myself from the rest of the world which made my health spiral downwards.

Until one day, I snapped out of it! I realized that enough was enough and that I had to do something to get better. I was no longer going to allow this silly little virus to take over my life!

And that’s when I started my healing process... now I've been living happy and healthy with herpes and paying it forward to others in the same situation. This website is a testimony of that.

Tips on How to Live with Genital Herpes

Here are a few tips I would like to share with you from the years of experience with living with genital herpes:

1. Educate Yourself. I truly believe that one of the first priorities after a diagnosis is to research about herpes. Learning everything about this virus is essential in making informed decisions about your health. Reading articles in this website is a good start; also browsing through herpes-related forums can give you an idea of how others in the same boat are coping up. You can also purchase books about herpes written by credible authors to heighten your knowledge.
2. Join Herpes Support Groups. It takes awhile to accept that you have the virus, let alone forgive the person that gave it to you (if you were unaware). So it’s only natural that we might feel depressed and angry. I find that talking to people in the same boat can help with the healing process. They’ll offer you some personal advice on living with genital herpes. Myself, I have continued to stay friends with those from my local herpes support group. You’ll be surprised that herpes is actually a very common infection and that tons of people all over the world have it. It’s just not being talked about openly.
3. Take Your Herpes Medicine. The next thing that you must do is to focus on treating your outbreaks. There are a number of ways to do this. Most people prefer the powerful action of antiviral herpes medication while some favour other natural alternative options. Antiviral drugs can effectively lessen the severity and frequency of your herpes outbreaks, which can reduce the risk of passing on the virus to a non positive partner. But remember, everyone is different. What may work for others may not necessarily work for you. So it may take a few tries and experiments to find the suitable regimen that will suit your needs best.
4. Live Healthily. The reason why some people get to experience more frequent outbreaks in a year is because of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Now that you've been diagnosed, it’s best to play an active role and start taking care of your body. Stay away from outbreak triggers such as stress, smoking, and alcohol. Take up an exercise routine or a spiritual hobby. Maintain a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. You may have to make these minor adjustments in your life now that you’re living with genital herpes. However, this could also be a blessing in disguise because you now have a deeper respect and value for the body that you have.
5. Genital Herpes and Dating. It’s a struggle for most people living with genital herpes to go back into the world of dating. There’s that constant fear of being rejected or judged. You can hide in a cave like I did before... or you can go on dating and loving. We all deserve to be happy and no virus can stop us from loving and being loved in return. If you really care about your partner/s, then you definitely need to tell them about herpes. You wouldn’t wish for them to go through the same situation you did. If you feel uncomfortable discussing about herpes with future partners, consider signing up for a Herpes Dating Site. Lots of people have good luck finding someone special there.

Personally, I've given “The Talk” so many times now which I make sure to do BEFORE I become intimate with a non positive girlfriend.

There are, in fact, a lot more people who are open-minded about dating someone with herpes than we would think. So being this honest early on in the relationship is vital to establish trust.

From here on you can tell those who truly care for you from those who are just looking to have a good time. The ones who care for you will appreciate your bravery and honesty... but remember, they have to be given a choice.

Final Advice On Living With Genital Herpes

While there is no cure for genital herpes yet, it can definitely be managed.

Start by having a proactive stance in treating yourself, especially when you feel like an outbreak is coming. Antiviral drugs are extremely effective when taken within the first 12-24 hours of an outbreak. You can get them very cheap at off-shore pharmacies!

In living with genital herpes, understand your body and know which triggers can cause outbreaks. Then stay away from those. Over time, your outbreaks will become less frequent as your body has had the chance to produce antibodies against the herpes virus.

Consider suppressive antiviral therapy when you’re actively dating. This helps keep outbreaks at bay and limit the chances of transmitting the infection. Safe sex is always recommended because the absence of sores does not mean you aren’t contagious. 

With all that precaution, it doesn’t mean that you’re sex life is over! You can still have a rich, fulfilling life in and out of the bedroom. In fact, lots of us go on to date, get married, and even have healthy babies (for the women). 

Being diagnosed with genital herpes is not a death sentence. You might experience some inconveniences living with genital herpes from time to time, but do know that herpes is NOT FATAL.

In other words, it won’t kill you. 

In a nutshell, herpes really is just a minor skin condition that can be easily dealt with. Slowly, you can learn to accept it as a part of your life... just like I did. It really doesn't happen overnight.

But once you overcome the initial emotions of anger, upset, sadness, or embarrassment, only then can you start on the road to recovery in every sense of the word.

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