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Is Herpes Always Genital or Oral?
This is such a great question. I still get people who are shocked at the fact that both HSV 1 and 2 can go to either location.
If that came as a surprise to you let me then explain.
Traditionally we believed that HSV1 was only oral herpes and it could only be oral herpes and that was the good type of herpes. At the same time we believed that genital herpes was always HSV2 and it would only stay in the genital region and it was the bad kind. Firstly, there is no good or bad kind of herpes. An…
How I Spent My 4th of July with a Herpes Diagnosis - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt. 7
Everything feels so out of reach when you are first diagnosed. Everything comes crumbling down and you feel like you're never going to be able to come up for air. It's suffocating and terrifying at the same time. Would love to tell you after I was diagnosed I picked up and was able to straighten my life out right away. That wasn't the case and I did not have a rebound in one day or even the week later.
Back when I was diagnosed I was really struggling. So now it's the 4th of July. I had pla…
The Day I Got Diagnosed with Genital Herpes Was the Worst Day of My Life: Oh Sh*T Anniversary pt.5
It's Friday July 1st and this was the day that changed my everything. This was the day 11 years ago that I got diagnosed with genital herpes. I still have the dress that I was wearing when I was diagnosed with herpes so I thought I'd be fun to try it on.
If you can remember I had gone for my annual physical on Tuesday, so I was patiently awaiting my results. I was thinking that if I don't get a phone call by 3:00 then I'll have to call the doctors because otherwise it's a holiday weekend w…
What Life with Herpes Looks like for 11 Years - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt.5
In case you're just tuning in and haven't been following along this weeks series, let me bring you up to date. This is my "oh shit anniversary", aka the week I got diagnosed with genital herpes. So I'm bringing you along for the emotional ride and sharing what my diagnosis was like.
At this point in the week I still had not received my diagnosis and there was still so much up in the air. I remember feeling so unsettled and was in limbo wondering if I had herpes and if it was going to change…
You Have Herpes Questions, the Top FAQ's Answered - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt.4
One of the things I distinctly remember when I was in the waiting period and wondering if I had herpes I also began to ask myself questions about living with herpes. I mean, what if I had herpes? How would my life look differently? How would I ever date again? Would I have to marry this guy that I was dating? Would I just be having constant outbreaks all the time or would I never get another outbreak ever? Literally, there were so many questions.
So I can imagine that if you were just diagn…
What Doctor Said when I Went for My Physical: Oh Sh*T Anniversary pt.3
In case you missed it, we're in the middle of the Oh Shit Anniversary. It was 11 years ago I was diagnosed with herpes. This is the exact day 11 years ago....
Now it's Tuesday and I know something is wrong. This is the same day as it was eleven years ago. By now the blisters had fully shown up and I was in unbelievable pain. I felt so sick and could not imagine what was going on. Today was supposed to be just a regular physical but instead it turned into the day to go to the doctors and get…
What You Need to Know about Herpes in 2022 - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt.2
As I've mentioned before I've had herpes for a long time. I was diagnosed with HSV1 oral in 2003 and then with HSV2 genital in 2011. So it's safe to say I've had my ups and downs as well as I've dealt with lots of stigma over the decades.
I think back in 2003 and in the early 2000's herpes was something that really wasn't talked about. I mean if you go cold sores you most likely didn't know they were contagious and considered herpes. Back then, we for sure didn't associate the idea that ora…
Something Was Wrong but I Didn't Think It Was Herpes - Oh Sh*T Anniversary Pt.1
This week we're going to do something different.
Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with genital herpes.
This year in 2022 falls on the same days of the week as in 2011. I've shared things here and there but I've never walked you through exactly what I did and how I felt. Share what I can remember and the good, the bad and the ugly. My intention for this week is to bring awareness to herpes: your life moves on and you forget how big of a deal it is. Talk you through the exact week 11 years…
How Do You Get Pregnant without Transmitting Herpes to Your Partner?
When we hear about herpes or are diagnosed with herpes we automatically think we have to use a condom or some type of protection for the rest of our life.
I've had a lot of you ask me about my story and how did I get pregnant and was I worried about transmitting it to my husband.
OK so firstly my pregnancy story is a little different. I went through IVF, which stands for In-vitro Fertilization. In other words, Clinton was conceived in a lab and then he was implanted into my uterus. But b…
Afraid to Get Herpes: Here’s What to Do
Before getting herpes or a STD/STI I was terrified of getting one, especially herpes. I mean look at what the stigma says about people who have herpes. They are disgusting, they have slept around, they are whores that got this because they did something wrong and now they are paying for it and it can go on and on. Obviously I don’t beige this stigma and neither should you.
In case you didn’t know I was actually a sexual educator back in high school. I went through training organized by Plann…