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pretty nasty but..
I'm still a virgin, i'm pretty young, and i think i might have genital herpes.. I think i could've gotten it from my summer camping trip.. I don't know what to do? Do I NEED to see a doctor? I don't want my parents or anyone to know! D:
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Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Health?
It's okay if you think you have herpes. Herpes is very, very common now:
"...one in six adults have genital herpes. It is estimated that over 80 million Americans have herpes of one form or another. This means that 8 in 10 Americans are or will become infected."
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Symptoms of genital herpes:
Most people infected with HSV-2 are not aware of their infection. They mistaken it with insect bites sometimes, especially if the outbreak is not severe. However, if signs and symptoms occur they can be quite pronounced. Sores typically heal within two to four weeks. Signs and symptoms during the outbreak may include a crop of painful and itchy sores, flu-like symptoms, fever, and swollen glands. Many people experience much nerve pain throughout their bodies, specifically legs and back, before and during an outbreak. Urination can be uncomfortable to painful, especially for women.
The only way you can truly know if you have herpes is to visit a doctor while having a visible outbreak so they can test it. They may scrap the area and take your blood. The blood may show antibodies for the specific strain of herpes.
Genital herpes can lead to potentially fatal infections in babies so it's important to take care of your immune system to lessen outbreaks. Babies can contract it from their mothers and it can cause blindness and fatalities so it's important that, if you become pregnant at any point in your lifetime, you let your doctor know immediately that you have herpes. It is also said that HSV-2 helps to spread HIV/AIDs since there are open wounds on the genitals.
If you become sexually active please let your partner(s) know about your disease if it is confirmed you have contracted such illness. You need to let your future sexual partners know ahead of time about the dangers of engaging in sexual relations with you. If you do not let them know and they contract the virus from you, they actually can take you to court and sue you because a doctor has already made you aware of your condition.
You also need to make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching the area around the sore. You CAN spread it to other places on your body. It may spread on it's own, but it'd be a shame to see you back saying you touched your eye after you touched the sore and now have contracted ocular herpes. You should take every precaution you can to not spread it to other areas of your body or to other people.
You can actually control genital herpes (HSV-2 strain) on your mouth and oral herpes (HSV-1 strain) on your genitals! Now, that makes things very, very confusing but it is really common now. So, if someone has oral herpes and gives their partner oral sex, their partner may end up with herpes on their genitals. The same goes with genital herpes being contracted through oral sex onto the lips.
Note that the virus cannot mutate into other strains. This means that if you have oral herpes and you spread it to your genitals (by unwashed hands or something) then you still have oral herpes on your genitals--NOT genital herpes. Genital herpes is strain 2 while oral herpes is strain 1.
The virus for genital herpes lives in a different area of your body than oral herpes does. Genital herpes locates itself in your spinal cord (and is shed from wherever you contracted it) while oral herpes is located in your facial structure (and is shed from wherever you contracted it). Genital herpes is said to cause a lot of nerve pain through the back and legs.
Herpes is highly contagious so you have to wash thoroughly if you're experiencing an outbreak to lessen your chances of spreading it all over your body.
Herpes also can be spread even if there are not visible signs or symptoms! This means that if someone has the virus inside of them they can spread it to you even if you don't see it on their skin. See, your skin cells are constantly shedding and the virus likes to come to the surface randomly--so it can be shed out at any time and you not know it.
The only real way to find out if you have herpes if to make a doctor's appointment specifically to be STD checked (request for herpes in case they don't usually test for it). They may scrap a sore if you currently have one and do blood testing to find out if you have any strain of the virus.
There is no cure for herpes so one you contract it, you will have it for life. If you fear that you have put yourself at risk for herpes I hope that you will make a doctor's appointment soon to confirm. There are medications that can make the outbreaks less severe and more manageable.
Here is some more information relating to herpes (read my answers, of course):
"How do you know if you have herpes? What is herpes anyway?"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
"How did I get herpes? We used a condom and everything! Oh, and what helps calm the virus down so I don't have so many outbreaks?"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
"Can you get an STD from giving a hand job?"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
"My boyfriend got sperm in my eyes. Are there risks? (Ocular herpes information)"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Please see your doctor.
It may not be herpes.
You need to find out.
I hope all is well and once you are tested you find that you are healthy. If you have more questions about herpes please feel free to ask me and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. :)
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OK...um look you have three options...1st...health before shyness.....if you dont tell your parents it could get infected and be dangerous...2nd...save up a little money and set up an appointment...explain to the doctor why he cant tell your parents....and 3rd....if you have a regular checkup ask your mom if you can go in alone....when your in alone tell him....or you could even fake being sick....then when you go to the doctor tell him the truth...write back...
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Yes, you need to see a doctor. Period.
Unfortunately, it's pretty inevitable that your parents will find out.
--Jack
(16m)
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