Cure for Herpes – The Second Stage: Denial (Part Two)

Back to Laura’s Room, the cure for herpes is the last thing on my mind. The room is small and comfy, and air conditioned, an extravagance that I couldn’t afford at the time. The luminosity of the room is warm and soft as it’s 10 PM, and dark outside. Each of us makes his own cocktails out of vodka and apple juice, and as we all get a bit tipsy, we start playing a game…

-I have never been arrested, Laura says.

Per the rules of the game, I take a sip from my glass, because I have been arrested before.

-I have never been so drunk that I blacked out, I say.

Sam and Laura take a sip from their glasses.

-You don’t drink a lot do you, Laura asks.

-Not really, bad things happen when I drink, I answer.

I have never had, or thought I had an STD, Sam says.

I take a sip from my glass, Laura and Sam don’t.

-OMG Dave!! What was it? Laura says worriedly.

-I’m not telling you, I answer nonchalantly.

I was being honest. I didn’t care. I was happy (and drunk).

 

Cure For Herpes – Can I Get Genital Herpes From A Cold Sore?

As there is no cure for herpes, you should always wear a condom while having sex. But can you get genital herpes from a cold sore? The answer is yes.

There are two types of herpes: HSV-1 and HSV-2 (Herpes Simplex Virus). Although most of the time HSV-1 infects the lips and HSV-2 infects the genitals it is possible to transmit the two herpes viruses to their less preferred sites during oral sex. HSV-1 is responsible for 50% of all cases of genital herpes.

I would not worry too much about catching HSV-1 on the lips as 50 to 80% of people already have it. But nonetheless you should be careful while participating in oral sex, because yes, you can catch genital herpes from a cold sore. My suggestion is to refrain from oral sex if your partner or yourself is having an outbreak, any kind of pimple or rash. It doesn’t necessarily means herpes, but don’t take any chance.

 

Cure For Herpes – The Second Stage: Denial (Part One)

At first I didn’t care for a cure for herpes. It was February, the best time of the year for us teachers. The schools go on break for the hot season, and the teachers and students are set free for 2 months. I am sitting on my friend’s bed, reading one of her book that’s been exchanged way too much. Her name is Laura. She is American, vegetarian, skinny and short, and she has red hair. We have been working at the same school for 4 months now. She has become one of my dearest friends. She is putting on a newly bought dress and she tells me to look away. She looks cute in her new dress. I can’t help looking at her bare legs. I can almost see her underwear.

-I believe this dress is supposed to be worn with shorts, I tell her.

-You think so? she replies, spinning in front of the mirror.

Sam is singing in the shower. Sam is a teacher like us. He is English, meat-eating, averagely built and has brown hair. The three of us strive to the same thing tonight: to get drunk. Laura and I are leaving for the islands in the morning, while Sam has to get back to his town. This is our last night in Bangkok.

To be continued…

You can find the rest of this on going series on the right, under the “My Story” category.

 

Cure For Herpes – Woman With Herpes Interviewed

Susan Martin is not looking for a cure for herpes. Most people keep the fact that they have herpes private, but this brave woman tells the world, with hopes to inform and help people better understand what genital herpes is. She is open about it, and at peace with herself. “No one has ever wanted not to be with me because of it” she says.

 

Cure For Herpes – What Is Genital Herpes?

Before we talk about a cure for herpes, it is essential to understand what genital herpes is. The most simple and accurate description I found was from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak.  Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years.

What are the signs and symptoms of genital herpes?

Most people infected with HSV-2 are not aware of their infection. However, if signs and symptoms occur during the first outbreak, they can be quite pronounced. The first outbreak usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and the sores typically heal within two to four weeks. Other signs and symptoms during the primary episode may include a second crop of sores, and flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen glands. However, most individuals with HSV-2 infection never have sores, or they have very mild signs that they do not even notice or that they mistake for insect bites or another skin condition.

People diagnosed with a first episode of genital herpes can expect to have several (typically four or five) outbreaks (symptomatic recurrences) within a year. Over time these recurrences usually decrease in frequency.  It is possible that a person becomes aware of the “first episode” years after the infection is acquired.

Source : http://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/STDFact-herpes.htm

 

Cure For Herpes – The First Stage: Shock

Why would I want the cure for herpes? I was walking down the corridor of what looked like a luxurious hotel. Everything was new: nicely designed carpets, golden elevators, crystal clear windows – and the view: from the 22^nd floor Bangkok seemed tiny. In Canada health care is free, but you do not see deluxe hospitals like those. I was a Canadian teaching English in Thailand, a Canadian with herpes.

I had received the news from an Asian man in a white coat, minutes ago. Into his sterilized-looking cabinet, he told me to undress, and to lie down. I did without thinking, because thinking seemed like a bad idea at the time. He was done examining me before I could open my eyes. He was done diagnosing me before I could raise a finger. I was out of the cabinet, prescription in hand, before I could utter a word. I had a million questions. How could he be so sure? How did I get it? Will it ever go away? What will happen of me?

To be continued…

You can find the rest of this on going series on the right, under the “My Story” category.