raycheezi wrote:
so i have known that i have genital herpes for about 6 months. since then, i have probably had 4-5 outbreaks. i am very hygenic, and probably more so now than ever. the thing is, i don't take the best care of myself in other ways.
i work two jobs, so eating is basically whatever i can grab the fastest. fast foods, or prepackaged **bleep**, usually nothing fresh or green. i am also stressed to the maximum, which has always been the case. stress is not something i have ever been able to manage. at this point, i am feeling very frustrated and upset at the prospect of an outbreak every 1 to 2 months... does anything help control outbreaks?
Outbreaks of HSV-1 are not necessarily something you have complete control over and it will manifest differently from person to person. Some people will outbreak once and not have an issue after that, but more likely, you'll experience outbreaks multiple times.
Stress is probably the biggest cause of an outbreak with HSV. Since HSV is something that you'll always have, stress will be something you'll have to learn to get control of in order to try to prevent outbreaks in the future. When you're healthy and not stressed, your body is better able to keep the virus in check, but when you're stressed and your immune system is struggling as a result, you'll find that the virus is able to wreck havoc on your body much easier.
Herpes isn't like a yeast infection, where being clean is important. I mean, good hygeine can't hurt, but it isn't going to target the virus. There are also antiviral medications that you can take (acyclovir) that should also help to keep the infection under control. However, the biggest thing you can do to help yourself is to start taking better care of yourself. A good immune system is your best defense. If you find that you are struggling to find time to eat better, you can help manage the deficit by taking a daily multivitamin to make up for the fact that you're basically not eating any of the vitamins and minerals you should be.
You should also look for ways to reduce your stress. Yoga and meditation are great choices, and they're things you can do at home for free! You can find just about anything you need on youtube lol. Stress is tough to get control of. I don't FEEL stressed about a lot of things, but my body definitely disagrees, and I'll start feeling the effects--more tired, poor sleep, more headaches, generally feeling like crap. It's important to at least be aware of the things that stress you out, and work on being able to control them better.
Boards
