Herpes or something else?

[Anon1234677]

I’ve had two sexual partners. One I was with for over 15 years. The other I’ve been with for 2. I’m heavily pregnant. I’ve noticed my vulva is swollen and putting that down to pregnancy. I’ve noticed what started as two large skin colour dents in my vulva. Over the past few days I’ve been observing them. I wouldn’t say they have blistered as they don’t seem to be full of air or liquid but they are starting to cover. I also had piles so I used Ansul HC down there and there is the potential when I’ve been scratching it’s gone onto my vulva. It does only seem after I’ve used Anusol this has happened. But I’ve read that herpes can come on after years. I’ve never had any symptoms before. Has anyone any experience of this? I’m of course going to book an appointment but I’m just terrified of having herpes one with my new partner and two after taking care of my sexual health.

Sorry to sound like a weirdo...but can you describe more what they look like?

As you’ve said, you can have it for years and for it lie dormant. Pregnancy changes things and it can now make it flare up. (This is what I was told by the doctor)

TMI but I thought I had something similar and panicked the only way to reassure you is to suggest you make a gp appointment and get checked. I did this and to my relief it wasn’t what I feared.

Hi everyone, need advice on Herpes. Does anyone ever suffer debilitating sciatica (debilitating to the point of ending up in a&e because I can’t even get out of bed , stand or walk)? I’ve had herpes for 2 years on 4th outbreak and I’ve noticed around a month before an outbreak the pain in my lower back, bum cheek and down my leg is a 10 on the pain scale and my mum and dad have to lift me out of bed and carry me to the toilet etc. then the pain gets better then I have an outbreak. I’ve read really scary stuff about it living in the nerves in the spine and am scared I will now have to go through this for the rest of my life x

@Wanderingstar16 this is called prodrome, it warns an outbreak is coming. As you’ve rightly noted, the virus lives in the nerve ganglia at base of the spine for genital cases.
The pain is the virus activating and travelling along the nerves.

I also get this down one butt cheek, leg, hips, foot etc.

If it helps, mine was appalling for the first 2 years or so and I medicated daily to prevent outbreaks.

You can be prescribed (either NHS or pay privately) for acyclovir / valacyclovir to prevent outbreaks and therefore stop this.

I paid privately for valacyclovir as I found it much more effective, but it can be costly.

A few years on its nowhere near as bad, far fewer outbreaks sometimes none for ages, and far more manageable. I no longer feel I need to take any medication, apart from some ibuprofen for the nerve pain as and when.

Your immune system should hopefully settle down a bit and get better at suppressing outbreaks.

if it continues to bother you there are specialists in this sort of thing that you can maybe enquire about with your GP?

Im sorry I know how miserable this can be x

Thank you so much for your reply. I had a feeling it was related. I did have antivirals during my initial outbreak but found these made me feel truly awful, like full blown flu. So I am wary the antivirals will make me feel really ill. But I will look into it as the sciatica pain renders me completely bed bound without my mum and dad x