Hey everyone,
(You can skip this paragraph just background) I’m pretty certain I have herpes as I suddenly got the cold sore on my lip and urgent care gave me valtrex whatever. Anyways this was probably close to two years ago now. I’ve been recently out of a long term monogamous relationship, she had it as well.
Long story short, I find myself absolutely struggling with dating again, it’s been horrible. Every single woman (10-15 in the last 2 months at this point) I have disclosed to prior to anything happening like kissing or even sharing a drink has either kicked me out, cut me off, or ghosted me. I’m a firm believer that people deserve to have all the information made available to them so they can make informed decisions about their bodies, but fuck this is nearing unbearable. I don’t at all blame them for not wanting to risk contracting hsv-1 but it’s like getting kicked down and spit on. Maybe it’s cause of my dating age bracket being in the 20’s as a 23yo guy they’re just ill informed but not willing to learn. Just immediate rejection. Maybe I’m being dramatic but I’m just hurting from so much rejection and I guess I’m asking for stories of success or anything to give me some sort of hope.
Thanks for reading if you do.

I should preface this by saying I’ve only had type 2 genital herpes for 3 months.
I’ve had an outbreak on the same spot for 1.5 months now and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. I’ve been eating healthier, taking valtrex/vitamins/lysine, quit smoking weed, quit masturbating. I just cannot figure out why I keep getting new bumps every week. My symptoms are pretty mild, and overall are getting better. It’s just so frustrating that it doesn’t seem to be going away, and new bumps keep coming.
The only things I have left to improve on are my caffeine and vaping habits. I also drink 1-2 nights per week. But there’s so many things that contribute to outbreaks it’s difficult to pinpoint one.
I don’t know what else to do, please help a brother out.

This is my 2nd post. And when I tell you I’ve tried everything, I swear I have. Three new possible ways to speed up recovery:
1) Go to a reputable chiropractor as soon after your diagnosis as possible. The chiropractor should be able to test the back of your neck with the Nervoscope to measure abnormal heat readings which should narrow down which nerve is damaged. (C1/C2). He can then adjust you to relieve the “pinch” on that nerve. My chiropractor had me come a couple times a week until the head index went down. Once the heat went down, he said no more adjustments were needed. He stated to keep adjusting by me would be just like ripping off a scab that is healing.
2) I was super duper lucky to get Covid in November 2023 (BP onset was 09/02/2023 with no improvements until end of Novembeearly December). When I caught Covid I asked for Paxlovid. I asked for it because I was worried about more inflammation in my face from sinus pressure and other Covid symptoms hindering my BP recovery.
3) Red Light Therapy. Supposedly this increases blood flow, reduces inflammation and muscle recovery.
All 3 of these things I was trying at the end of November into December and January. This is/was when my recovery finally started. I’m interested to know if others have tried any of these 3 options and what your outcome is/was? Keep in mind, Paxlovid is another type of antiviral med but not one of the meds usually given for BP. So I’m wondering if this has better results than the usual Valtrex which to my knowledge is what’s usually prescribed.
Things tried with little to zero results: EStim, dry needling, acupuncture, EMU oil, heat and cold compresses on my face and neck, physical therapy, Chinese herbal tea specifically for BP, heated eye mask, yoga, Capsicum patches, every kind of eye ointment and gel you can think of, magnesium, zinc, CoQ10…….there’s probably more I’ve tried that I’m not remembering off the top of my head. But these are the major ones.
Please share what’s worked for you. I’d say I’m about 80% recovered. My right eye still is slower to blink when I try to close both eyes, but it does close. My resting mouth is no longer crooked and turned down on the right side when not trying to smile, my philtrum is almost completely straight and not cocked to the side. When I try to smile though my lower lip is still out to lunch, and doesn’t form a perfect smile. But it’s getting there. And I can sleep with my eye closed, no tape. And drink without dribbling it all down my face. Yay for small victories lol.

I only remembered this after blocking it out but I was at a party in 2018 and I was walking in the crowd enjoying the music or dancing with my friends this guy comes up to me I told him I was not interested, he follows me and leads me to the bar and asked me to have alcohal , he showed me the menu and said drinks was on him, I told him no.. He kep pressuring me. I walked away. I spoke to my coworkers in the crowd, I was enjoying the music and making videos and after a whilw sat down, the guy comes again and tries to pull me from my seat and he tells me to dance with him I told him No i dont want to dance.
Eventually he left me alone.
The next day at work I saw he had a girlfriend and he kept watching me. I felt disgusted and gross and I told my bosses and they got mad I didnt tell them ASAP , I didnt want to bother them and I thought I could have handled it myself.
I didnt go to the party again because I was scared this guy would be there and I missed out on enjoying another night and celebrating with them , I was scared this guy would be there.
This was the second party I went to in my life where something bad happened.
I was 17 and I never told anyone about it. I hate being touched , I dislike parties and the smell of alcohal because it brings it all back. One night of fun ruined and I shudder to think what could have happened if I did accept the drink.
Now...I have second thoughts about the field of work I want to go into. (Waitressing) I love the interacting with people but guys kept asking for my number and flirting when I wanted to get their order right and make the customer feel happy.

hi everyone. i (20f) was diagnosed with ghsv1 november after seeing this guy for a few months for casual hookups (he did not tell me he had it.) anyways, ive been on valtrex for months now and i still get pretty recourent outbreaks (like at least once a month). ive thought that it might have something to do with stress bc i go to a pretty intense university, but im now getting what i believe is an initial ob on my outer lips as well even though im on valtrex. has anyone else had this happen to them? how long did the ob last? my 21st birthday is in a week and i don’t want to be sporting cold sores when i have to see my family and friends. also- on a side note, my doctor said that if i didn’t have sores on my mouth i could still share food and drinks with people, but now w this ob idk what to do. ik ofc not to share when cold sores are present but for people w ohsv1 do you guys share food/drinks? i would absolutely hate to give this to someone over something like that but i love to cook so i often find myself sharing food with others. anyways, sorry for the long post. ig im just feeling dejected rn.

My boyfriend is dealing with a weeks long throat issue that is worrying me. He’s 45 years old, never smoked, does use Marijuana in vape or troche form for anxiety (started in the last 2 years), drinks socially about 1-2x a month, vegetarian for 20+ years. 5’11” 185 lbs. Currently on meds for HTN, vit D supp, an inhaler for chronic allergy issues (I can’t remember the exact BP and inhaler med). He just started taking B12 at my request. Has a decades long history of IBS or colitis type symptoms that have never been diagnosed or addressed (he has several loose BMs a day and has to plan around it but it doesn’t keep him from working or doing other things and doesn’t cause him pain).
He developed a huge quarter size ulcer in the back of his throat about 3 weeks ago that has not really been getting better. He has gotten them in the past but not frequently maybe less than once a year. This is why I asked him to start taking B12 because I wasn’t sure if his veg diet could be causing it. Then about 3 days ago his entire throat turned red and painful but no other ulcers yet. He finally went to his PCP yesterday, who swabbed him for strep (negative) and told him it was a virus that needed to run its course. They gave him a script for Valtrex and something for acid reflux (he’s never had other acid reflux symptoms, he does frequently enjoy spicy foods even with his lower GI issues, but has backed off of them with the throat issue). He has not had any other symptoms of a resp illness other than the sore throat, so I’m worried that it’s too coincidental to assume that he’s suffering from a cankor sore and an unrelated resp illness only affecting his throat simultaneously. I’m kinda worried that the ulcer has developed into some sort of infection that needs antibiotics now. I’m hoping someone can just tell me to chill the hell out about it and that the treatment fits the symptoms. Or if I’m right to be concerned what might this be?

My doctor prescribed me 500MG of Valtrex, twice a day for 7 days, for a cold sore that just popped up. I’m leaving for my bachelorette party in 5 days and getting married in 9 days. I wasn’t expecting the course of medication to last so long and don’t want to be on the meds while I am drinking at my bachelorette. Can I stop taking them after 5 days or can I double up on a dosage to clear the breakout faster? I’ve seen here that people are prescribed 2000mg in a single dose. Advice?

Hey all,
Throw away account like most people but just looking for confirmation or something. Here's the backstory:
Been talking to a chick for awhile and we went out for drinks on 6 April, ended coming back to my place and not using protection which I'm now regretting. Fast forward, Thursday 11 April, my pee started burning real bad to the point I didn't want to go but I had a massive urge to go a lot. I figured I had gotten a UTI or was passing a kidney stone (I drink an unhealthy amount of energy drinks) so I ignored it figuring it might go away on it's own but it lasted through the weekend.
Now here's where things get complicated, starting on Monday I was in a mood and was over-masturbating to the point I felt myself tear skin but pushed through it (unfortunately not my first time). Tuesday 16 April, I wake up to the tear scabbed and go to work and decide to go to urgent care after work because my pee still burns but not as much. When I get home from work, I looked at the scab and it had fallen off, likely from rubbing on my boxers all day but I had formed all these little yellow blisters around it. Not thinking it was herpes, I had popped a few (which didn't hurt) and that's the torn skin you see at the top (Picture 1). The giant lesion in the middle is the friction burn I had given myself.
I went to urgent care, they ran a UA for the UTI, Kidney stones, chlamydia, and gonorrhea to which all of them came back negative. She swabbed the open sore and where I had popped a few of them for a herpes test which hasn't come back yet and then pre-emptively put me on Valtrex. By the time I got home, my lymph nodes in my groin had become super swollen and I had a weird body ache that went from my lymph nodes to just my knees but the sores didn't hurt and the burn in my pee had started to subside. The pharmacy near me was closed for the day so I didn't pick the Valtrex up until the next afternoon. That night, I took 800mg of ibuprofen and threw some Neosporin on it before going to bed.
The next day, I woke up to the possible friction burn scabbed again, the ones that popped having the dead skin fall off and the others kind of disappearing (Picture 2). I continued my Ibuprofen and Neosporin until I got the Valtrex in the afternoon and took it with dinner. As of today 19 April, it currently looks like this (Picture 3) with still absolutely no pain.
I've looked at countless pictures on this subreddit and the internet and it typically seems like they're clustered tighter and scab over with like a dark yellow crust and also don't pop and scab in less than 2 days. I'm trying to be optimistic while I wait for my test results, that I just gave myself a really bad friction burn that got infected but maybe someone's had something similar to me and can confirm it for me.
Thanks in advance
Edit: photos in comments. Reddit didnt like the original image hosting site I was using I guess

I have been off Kratom over a year but in that time I have unfortunately starting drinking my bodyweight in alcohol a day. I'm in a horrible detox right now with the medication Librium and I have also been on 2-4mg of Suboxone every day for a year too. My question is my Librium is held up in post and I have run out. Will taking Kratom with my Suboxone in my system be a waist of time? I'm just trying to make the symptoms of alcohal withdrawal less painful until the mail runs in 2 days. Would I be putting myself into some kind of withdrawal by taking the krarom on top of my Suboxone or would it not effect me and be a waist of time?

So, I was just diagnosed with oral shingles yesterday (day 4 of having rash) and now I’m on the 7 day course for valtrex. Everything mouth-related is pretty painful right now (speaking, eating, drinking) since the rash is on my gum line and the roof of my mouth and I’m really not liking life right now. Haha
But what I was actually wondering for anyone whose had oral shingles (or any shingles for that matter) - did you have a pretty consistent headache the whole time too? I’ve just been chalking up my headache to feeling generally crappy since shingles can make you fevery and feel sick and fatigued, but now I’m wondering if I need to be concerned for encephalitis? Especially since my rash is on/in my head? 😳 The headaches are dull but mildly pounding and they come and go throughout the day (but mostly come and stick around for a while) and I was wondering if anyone has experience with this? Or should I be concerned?
Basically, is this something I should tell a doctor about? Or just push through it for however long I get to have the gift of oral shingles? TIA!!

I've had genital HSV for maybe 4 years now. When I first got it I was told I could take valtrex for a while preventatively, increase dose when I feel an outbreak coming on and that that would work so well I'd barely even experience symptoms, and that I might not even need it long term and so on.
Welp, I would always get like 1 sore on my period or randomly during times of high stress and then lately I've been having outbreaks all the time. One seems to roll into the next.
I've realized maybe my diet lately has relied too much on high arginine foods (like, I've been living on trail mix and peanut butter for convenience) which I've heard are bad, so I'm moving away from that and trying to make an effort to eat foods higher in lysine, as well as taking supplements (l-lysine, vitamin c, zinc. yeah I know the benefits are kinda over hyped but hey, valtrex isn't cutting it). I never drink, rarely use drugs, don't eat a ton of sugar, try to get good sleep, try to stay very hydrated. But my lifestyle and work can be chaotic and it can be hard to get good sleep, stay low in stress, and to have control over my nutrition.
I'm very HSV positive (pun unintended), like, I try not to be ashamed of it and I don't think it's a big deal in theory and I've disclosed to several people who have assured me it's no big deal, and I even have it listed in dating app bios bc I think the stigma is stupid. But it *is* kind of a big deal and it does suck when you're actually having outbreaks all the time and can't have a normal sex life. Envious of people who can just have sex whenever, and without going to the bathroom first to look at their genitals in a makeup mirror.

Hello, so I met this really nice girl and we have been hitting it off well. We just went on our 3rd date and grabbed dinner in her town then went back to her place to watch a movie. After the movie, she allowed me to stay over seeing it was late. We had a few drinks and were kissing in bed, then she mentioned it was her time of the "month" but she wanted to "do something for me". I had every intention of just kissing and spooning for the night but that instantly got me aroused.
She quickly went "downstairs" on me and I was too afraid to say anything as this is the first person I've seen since finding out back in December. I allowed it to happen.
I understand transmission rate is insanely low with HSV2 and oral, but now I'm in this weird situation on how to approach this going forward. I worry that if and when I disclose she's going to be mad.
Considering just throwing in the towel now before we get to "4th base". Can someone please give me some advice on how to go about this? Keep in mind I'm taking daily Valtrex and haven't had any signs of flares since December. Almost just want to get updated testing and go from there.

I had LPR from 2015 , until 2020 i was undiagnosed.
Mostly my Symptoms are:

• Brain fogs
• Fatigue
• Fever like feeling during wake up
• Acid on throat

In late 2020, after finding out its LPR, i did endoscopy,
results are - LAX LES 3 , type A reflux, H pylori.
I was given , PPI and H pylori kit. - didnt work
He gave me anti depressants - since i had brain fogs and mental fatigue. ( I ddnt take it tho )
After reading Jammie koufman took,

• Gaviscon,
• H2 blockers
• and some life style modfication.

Didnt work. However, H2 blockers increased my LPR to 100X.
At this point, i started to notice vagus neuropathy sympromps and IBS symptomps such as,

• Anxiety, Depression
• confusions ( couldn't even drive my car )
• Mental Issues
• Difficulty in urination and pain
• Dry Skin
• Numbness throughout the body
• cannot feel taste
• Agitation
• Panic attacks
• Diarrhea
• Pain In stomach sometimes
• Weight loss - 20kg
• heavy LPR - 24/7
• Throat irritation
• Burning skin - sometimes
• Runny nose

This continued for few months. These idiot doctors couldn't figure out. Simply they gave me anti depressants.
So i did my research for few months. and found out LPR can irritate the vagus nerve, that's why in initial states i had brain fogs, but long term LPR could potentially make the vagus nerve very week causing vagal neuropathy symptoms.
So medical solution are,

• Surgery for LAX LES
• surgery for VNS device

Since i couldnt afford them, i researched again came with these solutions, which i have been following for 3 months. now i am almost 80% cured.
Lpr is usually caused by poor lifestyle habits. so we have to Eliminate in order to be cured.
The Cure - Good Physical + Mental Habits

1. Food

• Low FODMAP
• No added Sugar
• Eating only a type of Rice called Nadu Rice
• No Trigger foods (Kept a Journal)
• Way less oily foods + 0 Junk foods
• Eat small and frequent meals (4-5) - ( do not ever eat big meals)
• Probiotic Supplements. ( No yogurt - High FODMAP )
• Prebiotic Supplements. or Aloe Vera
• 2 eggs per day. ( Good for mental health )
• Not rushing on food. eating slowly. More chewing + saliva means less work for the stomach. (saliva is a beast)
• Feeling and Enjoying the taste of the food in a relaxed manner with no distraction. ( shouldn't do other works during meal. this would give mental peace + makes the nutrition of the food to be absorbed correctly) - atleast for 20 minutes
• Controlling the food triggers -
  • Keeping a journal of the foods + issues encountered and remembering/reading those.
  • Drinking at least 1l of water to make the stomach full.
  • No emotional eating (Anxious , happy, sad, alone ).
  • If everything fails - one banana and 1/8 papaya in a enjoyable manner.
  • Treating myself with low FODMAP fruits, salad 2 days per week.

Breakfast -

• papaya(quarter)
• Green color big bananas(2) (do not eat heavily riped bananas) - Also some yellow bananas are bad for LPR

(Always eat papaya when you eat other fruits, papaya would slows down Natural Sugar Spikes and papaya helps with digestion too)

2. Sleep

• Sleeping 3-4 Hours after meal
• sleeping on left side
• Sleeping with a big pillow
• sometimes making a setup like chair with pillows on bed to sit and sleep, if i cant wait for 3 hours.

3. Good mental Health

• Less Stress - if you are prone take some anti depressants
• walking / Running at least 5 times a week (Good for mental health)

4 Healthy Vagus nerve ( Since vagus nerve also plays a role in digestion, esophagus; keeping this healthy means less LPR)

• All the above rules
• Meditation ( Deep Breath (4 seconds through nose) + Pause 2 seconds , Exhale 8 s Through mouth )

5. During Unintentional LPR

• Drinking Baking soda + water ( drink 1/2 teaspoon mixed into 4 ounces of water , note do not take baking soda more than recommended limit per day - this would cause other issues)
• Read Some good books, which would take you away from current scenario and teach you something beneficial. ( mostly i would read Quran - please do not opt for other activities like music/movies etc. Because inorder to maintain a proper mental health we should give proper dopamine shots )

6. Speaking Less in less volume

Speaking loud for long term causes me LPR 8/10. This may be a trigger for some and not for some.

7. Be careful with other medication.

such as Anti Bacterial . H2 blockers etc. ( note most of the time, every medication would cause LPR until it adjust to out body but some would cause LPR no matter how long its been )

8. Do not ever take drugs / alcohal no matter what and how small it is. ( If you dont follow this , then no use in following other things )

9. Enjoy what you can , There is always something "GOOD" you can swap with your "BAD" habit to give the proper dopamine shots. in my case, i swapped ,

• "fast foods" with "Tasty fruits",
• "movies/series, porn ,social media, music with running/reading books etc" [ specially Quran helped me, maybe for you something else can, but i am not saying this (quran) in a religious pov , its simply a best book that can mentally change your character. you have to read and ponder upon it. it made me strong, self disciplined ]

You may be wondering, what these have to do with acid reflux. The more unnecessary things/data that you insert in your brain means bad mental health. In short term "yes" those can help. but in long term it wont. Only changing your chracter and being mindful would help you.

10. Following these daily. No matter what.

Even though this may seem hard at first, just following it for a week is enough. If you brake any rule unintentionally, Take a bath + medication and resume the habits.
NOTE:

• At first, I didn't experience all those symptoms, but over time, they emerged one by one.
• I personally tried multiple medications (H2 , PPI, Sibo, H Pylori etc), acu Puncture , Homeopathy etc, nothing worked.

I had LPR from 2015 , until 2020 i was undiagnosed.
Mostly my Symptoms are:

• Brain fogs
• Fatigue
• Fever like feeling during wake up
• Acid on throat

In late 2020, after finding out its LPR, i did endoscopy,
results are - LAX LES 3 , type A reflux, H pylori.
I was given , PPI and H pylori kit. - didnt work
He gave me anti depressants - since i had brain fogs and mental fatigue. ( I ddnt take it tho )
After reading Jammie koufman took,

• Gaviscon,
• H2 blockers
• and some life style modfication.

Didnt work. However, H2 blockers increased my LPR to 100X.
At this point, i started to notice vagus neuropathy sympromps and IBS symptomps such as,

• Anxiety, Depression
• confusions ( couldn't even drive my car )
• Mental Issues
• Difficulty in urination and pain
• Dry Skin
• Numbness throughout the body
• cannot feel taste
• Agitation
• Panic attacks
• Diarrhea
• Pain In stomach sometimes
• Weight loss - 20kg
• heavy LPR - 24/7
• Throat irritation
• Burning skin - sometimes
• Runny nose

This continued for few months. These idiot doctors couldn't figure out. Simply they gave me anti depressants.
So i did my research for few months. and found out LPR can irritate the vagus nerve, that's why in initial states i had brain fogs, but long term LPR could potentially make the vagus nerve very week causing vagal neuropathy symptoms.
So medical solution are,

• Surgery for LAX LES
• surgery for VNS device

Since i couldnt afford them, i researched again came with these solutions, which i have been following for 3 months. now i am almost 80% cured.
Lpr is usually caused by poor lifestyle habits. so we have to Eliminate in order to be cured.
The Cure - Good Physical + Mental Habits

1. Food

• Low FODMAP
• No added Sugar
• Eating only a type of Rice called Nadu Rice
• No Trigger foods (Kept a Journal)
• Way less oily foods + 0 Junk foods
• Eat small and frequent meals (4-5) - ( do not ever eat big meals)
• Probiotic Supplements. ( No yogurt - High FODMAP )
• Prebiotic Supplements. or Aloe Vera
• 2 eggs per day. ( Good for mental health )
• Not rushing on food. eating slowly. More chewing + saliva means less work for the stomach. (saliva is a beast)
• Feeling and Enjoying the taste of the food in a relaxed manner with no distraction. ( shouldn't do other works during meal. this would give mental peace + makes the nutrition of the food to be absorbed correctly) - atleast for 20 minutes
• Controlling the food triggers -
  • Keeping a journal of the foods + issues encountered and remembering/reading those.
  • Drinking at least 1l of water to make the stomach full.
  • No emotional eating (Anxious , happy, sad, alone ).
  • If everything fails - one banana and 1/8 papaya in a enjoyable manner.
  • Treating myself with low FODMAP fruits, salad 2 days per week.

Breakfast -

• papaya(quarter)
• Green color big bananas(2) (do not eat heavily riped bananas) - Also some yellow bananas are bad for LPR

(Always eat papaya when you eat other fruits, papaya would slows down Natural Sugar Spikes and papaya helps with digestion too)

2. Sleep

• Sleeping 3-4 Hours after meal
• sleeping on left side
• Sleeping with a big pillow
• sometimes making a setup like chair with pillows on bed to sit and sleep, if i cant wait for 3 hours.

3. Good mental Health

• Less Stress - if you are prone take some anti depressants
• walking / Running at least 5 times a week (Good for mental health)

4 Healthy Vagus nerve ( Since vagus nerve also plays a role in digestion, esophagus; keeping this healthy means less LPR)

• All the above rules
• Meditation ( Deep Breath (4 seconds through nose) + Pause 2 seconds , Exhale 8 s Through mouth )

5. During Unintentional LPR

• Drinking Baking soda + water ( drink 1/2 teaspoon mixed into 4 ounces of water , note do not take baking soda more than recommended limit per day - this would cause other issues)
• Read Some good books, which would take you away from current scenario and teach you something beneficial. ( mostly i would read Quran - please do not opt for other activities like music/movies etc. Because inorder to maintain a proper mental health we should give proper dopamine shots )

6. Speaking Less in less volume

Speaking loud for long term causes me LPR 8/10. This may be a trigger for some and not for some.

7. Be careful with other medication.

such as Anti Bacterial . H2 blockers etc. ( note most of the time, every medication would cause LPR until it adjust to out body but some would cause LPR no matter how long its been )

8. Do not ever take drugs / alcohal no matter what and how small it is. ( If you dont follow this , then no use in following other things )

9. Enjoy what you can , There is always something "GOOD" you can swap with your "BAD" habit to give the proper dopamine shots. in my case, i swapped ,

• "fast foods" with "Tasty fruits",
• "movies/series, porn ,social media, music with running/reading books etc" [ specially Quran helped me, maybe for you something else can, but i am not saying this (quran) in a religious pov , its simply a best book that can mentally change your character. you have to read and ponder upon it. it made me strong, self disciplined ]

You may be wondering, what these have to do with acid reflux. The more unnecessary things/data that you insert in your brain means bad mental health. In short term "yes" those can help. but in long term it wont. Only changing your chracter and being mindful would help you.

10. Following these daily. No matter what.

Even though this may seem hard at first, just following it for a week is enough. If you brake any rule unintentionally, Take a bath + medication and resume the habits.
NOTE:

• At first, I didn't experience all those symptoms, but over time, they emerged one by one.
• I personally tried multiple medications (H2 , PPI, Sibo, H Pylori etc), acu Puncture , Homeopathy etc, nothing worked.

Hey guys!! So I think it’s time to cut back on my alcohal consumption.. so I’ve been on a routine where at 8pm I start drinking just so I knock out my responsibilities and stuff before hand. I’ll drink 1 beer(usually coors or bud light) 2 selzers and a shot of either the gas station vodka or absolut vodka. I drink those, I do a dab and eat then fall asleep, every night. I’ll wake up at 9-10am so groggy. I start my job next week and it’s 8-430 so I really need to cut down so I’m more alert and everything..
What’s a good way of cutting down?? I’ve been drinking since I turned 21 and i am 25M now. I do have non alcoholic beer that I’ve been saving and some Hiyo which is a drink with ashwagangda and nootropics. I feel like I still wanna drink some alcohol but im not sure where to begin, but would like to start today. Is there any input anyone would like to give to help??! I really appreciate it everyone😌thank you!!

UPDATE: PCR swab of lesion came back HSV1 and HSV2 negative. I certainly was having blusters form on my mouth, but it could have been that i contracted a yeast/bacterial infection and simultaneously that caused a cold sore outbreak. I want to thank those of you who advised me to get the test. I will be following up with a UW western blot to confirm the negative in a couple months.
I got oral HSV1 (cold sores) from a long term relationship about a decade ago. Had multiple outbreaks of decreasing severity for 3 months until it stopped, got a minor outbreak a year later, and haven't had a cold sore in years. Afterward, I was sexually monogamous with someone whom I mentioned in passing but didn't think to actively disclose my HSV1 status to prior to hooking-up; turns out she is also HSV1 +, just asymptomatic.
I recently hooked-up with someone and she told me in the moment that she recently contracted genital HSV2. She took valtrex a couple days prior, and I appreciated her disclosing to me. we did not have penis-in-vagina sex, but we did have reciprocal oral sex without obvious sores. Long story short, I got my first HSV outbreak in years - it is pretty dispersed across my face, with a small spot on my arm where I presumably wiped my face. This is too coincidental and the outbreak is in new spots, so I have to say I'm fairly confident I am oral HSV2 and oral HSV1 positive.
Herein is the problem: do I now disclose to prospective partners that I'm oral HSV2 positive - do I just tell them I get cold sores? Knowing my character, when push comes to shove prior to a hook-up/partner I will end up disclosing the specifics :/ My understanding is it will be much less transmissible from my face than oral HSV1, which people generally don't disclose, but people also generally protected because they already have HSV1. I feel like I'm going to irrationally scare people away when my chances of viral shedding after this year is 0.06% of days considering I'm dual HSV1, HSV2 positive. I haven't been sleeping at night, I've probably run 10,000,000 google searches on oral HSV2. I just feel terrible knowing the very real effect that a lot of people are going to be 0 risk and not want to do anything with me. I love performing oral sex on women, and now I feel like it's dangerous because it is not 0 risk. I guess I'm just looking for thoughts and support from people.
And also - let this be a lesson to 1) don't drink more than a drink/2 prior to hooking-up, I would have taken a step back to research more and evaluate; and 2) wash your face after - this may have saved my entire face. This whole experience highlighted the risk : reward ratio of hooking-up and I honestly have to say I don't see myself being interested in hooking-up for the foreseeable future.

I suffer with HSV1 ( I believe ) with cold sores on my face. I’ve always had it. They just come when I’m super stressed. I’ve been with my fiance for 7 years and I am always extremely careful with my cold sore outbreaks. There is no physical contact until it’s completely healed. ALWAYS.
well, we went out drinking last night and came home. We did have oral sex AND physical sex
I woke up this morning with a cold sore on the corner of my mouth and I was broken. I did not have ANY symptoms of a cold sore otherwise I never would have done anything.
What is the likelihood that it actually transferred when it didn’t break skin yet? I started my valtrex as soon as I woke up. I was in tears talking to my fiance and he is not mad at all but believes we are OK.. he said that if we have it, it doesn’t matter because we are a team and don’t plan on leaving eachother ❤️ but I just can’t help but feel.. “ dirty”. I never would have done anything physical if it was noticeable and when I woke up and saw it my heart dropped into my stomach. 😣

Hey there, quick introduction, I (M 20) last month got my first OB, and it was bad (one of the worst cases my doctor said), went to a doctor who gave antibiotics because he thought it was some bacteria that I forgot the name, I took it but it got worst, changed doctors and he gave me Valtrex 500mg, 2 pills a day for a week or so I believe, the medicine made all of the sores go away but some scars where left behind on the skin and on the tip there are little red spots were the sores where.
It's been a very turbulent month, emocional roller-coaster, self confidence went to the floor, thought it was the end of my social and sex life. Recently I've been better, thought a lot about it, researched information, talked to my doctor and a friend, after the first OB, the sores did come back, minimally, 1 or 2 spots. Been taking medicine whenever they show up, my doc wants to give it some time before considering a suppression treatment. Decided to get better mentally, started going to gym, focusing on other aspects of my life, it helps, but at the end of the day I still feel sad and wish I could go back in time.
Dating scene has not been approached at all, gonna give it some time until I feel confident and better about myself.
I came to this sub looking for support and tips on how to maintain this life now. I know it's not the end of the world and thing will get better, but I still feel bad sometimes, fell dirty and unlovable.
Some questions I had:

1. Is there a way to "cure" or reduce the scars on the skin and/or the red spots on the head of my penis?
   
2. Can I drink alcohol? I know OB can happend when your immunity is low, and alcohol reduces immunity, is it enough to cause an OB?
   
3. How is the dating life for someone with herpes, does it get better? How did you regain your confidence?
   

Thank you for reading it and thanks for listening to me ranting, sorry if the English is Incorrect, not my first language

21 year old female, 5’7, 135lbs Eat healthy, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, only drink on occasion
This may be a shot in the dark but I am desperate for some help. I’m currently experiencing super painful ulcers on my vulva area, and I have already been tested and ruled out any sexually transmitted infections.
Urinating is nearly unbearable and I haven’t been drinking much water because of it. I have a high pain tolerance, but the stinging is excruciating and has me in tears, sobbing. They’re extremely tender and sore, and the only time I really feel relief is when I’m sleeping. I’ve been laying around naked at the bottom half because it’s the only thing that’s comfortable.
I have two decent sized ulcers along with a couple much smaller ones. They started as bumps that were tender and irritated and within a day they got much larger and look like a canker sore you’d get in your mouth. If anyone can suggest anything I can get otc to relieve this mess please let me know.
This is my second experience with them, and I have not had any new sexual partners since. The first time, which was in august/September, I came down with a sore throat and fever before the ulcers started. This time, I came down with a stuffy nose, scratchy throat, and now I’m suffering these insanely painful ulcers again. I’ve already been to urgent care and they prescribed me an antiviral (Valtrex).

This may be a shot in the dark but I am desperate for some help. I’m currently experiencing super painful ulcers on my vulva area, and I have already been tested and ruled out any sexually transmitted infections.
Urinating is nearly unbearable and I haven’t been drinking much water because of it. I have a high pain tolerance, but the stinging is excruciating and has me in tears, sobbing. They’re extremely tender and sore, and the only time I really feel relief is when I’m sleeping. I’ve been laying around naked at the bottom half because it’s the only thing that’s comfortable.
I have two decent sized ulcers along with a couple much smaller ones. They started as bumps that were tender and irritated and within a day they got much larger and look like a canker sore you’d get in your mouth. If anyone can suggest anything I can get otc to relieve this mess please let me know.
This is my second experience with them, and I have not had any new sexual partners since. The first time, which was in august/September, I came down with a sore throat and fever before the ulcers started. This time, I came down with a stuffy nose, scratchy throat, and now I’m suffering these insanely painful ulcers again. I’ve already been to urgent care and they prescribed me an antiviral (Valtrex).