Constant recurrences after almost 2 years

[purpledog606]

I’m very confused and stressed what’s going on. I am a female diagnosed with ghsv1 by swab december 2021 so I’m coming up on two years. I have not been on antivirals due to so few recurrences. It was a horrific primary outbreak but only had 1-2 very mild recurrences from then up until recently august 2023. A few single lesions that cleared up in a week or two. 2 weeks go by. Another mild outbreak. 2-3 weeks go by. Another. They are all extremely mild and if I didn’t know I had this I probably wouldn’t realize they were there but I’m hyper aware of everything. By the 3rd I decided it was time for aciclovir. I’ve been taking 400mg aciclovir twice a day since October 10th. It cleared up my current outbreak and haven’t had one since until now. I’m still on them and felt an itch and sure enough there’s a small patch of red bumps. I’m so confused on why this is happening. Let me add that these outbreaks are EXTREMELY mild like usually 1 tiny lesion. They also are never fluid filled and seem to start as scabs if that makes sense. They are slightly tender and just itch in the beginning. I usually think they are just irritation from shaving until I see the little scabs. But never fluid filled, they begin as small scabs. They’re also only on the outside edges of my labia like where my underwear sits. Why am I suddenly getting outbreaks every 2 weeks after almost 2 years? This doesn’t make sense for ghsv1 either. And why didn’t aciclovir work? It makes me wonder if these are even outbreaks but they have to be because they look like the same small scab everytime. They look very similar to an ingrown and are never in a cluster up until this recent outbreak. I’m so frustrated that this is happening so randomly after it rarely being a problem for a year and a half. It’s like it’s getting worse? I have been very stressed but I’ve been more stressed in the past and hadn’t gotten outbreaks. Once I got on aciclovir i thought this would be over and it’s not. Please help im so confused

[Terri Warren]

I am not at all convinced that all of these symptoms are outbreaks. You could consider going off suppression and have any of these things you think are outbreaks swab tested to see if they are actually HSV 1. Your experience is NOT typical of how HSV 1 genital infection behaves. If you have three positive swab tests with what you think are outbreaks, then you can know your impression is correct. If they are negative, you are not correct and should try to figure out what is causing the red bumps.

Terri

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