Written by: Kiera Thomas (@kaytanaewroteit)
Los Angeles, CA–The day I did the interview on IG LIVE was the day I literally snatched my life back. I was on a high. I felt unstoppable. Now there was nothing anybody could say about me that I didn’t already put out there. That was really one of the best feelings.
I just want you all to know that it is very much possible to reclaim your life. Herpes ran my life from October 15, 2011 till January 2018. I literally hid from myself and others when it came to the virus.
The best thing I did was step out on faith and tell my story. With that being said, this is MY STORY. Every story differs, I just hope I sparked the mind of someone out there thinking it’s the end of the world.
It’s not baby, I promise. There is life and love after Herpes, believe me, I’ve experienced it. But one thing Herpes taught me was that if YOU DO NOT LOVE YOURSELF, YOU WILL FAIL.
Self-worth and self-love is very important. Your worth does not decrease when you infected with HSV, no matter what people say.
There are worst things out there but the stigma that HSV has is one that is very stubborn but I hope one day it goes away. With my help and advocacy of course.
Protection and Precaution
I wish I could tell you that using protection will stop you from getting HSV2 but I won’t even lie to you. Studies have shown that even with using protection, the virus is still transmitted through direct skin to skin contact with an infected area. For instance, if we’re dry humping and I have a sore on my inner thigh and you touch it, you can be infected. It’s that easy. It’s that complicated but you have to be that much more careful.
The only precautions I can give is for you to think before you leap. You will not be able to tell if someone has Herpes unless they are having an oral or genital outbreak, even then some genital outbreaks are mistaken for “hair bumps” so you really just never know. You are always taking a chance, no matter what. Just make sure the person is worth all of that. If you know for a fact you have the virus, PROTECT YOURSELF AND GIVE OTHERS AN OPTION! DISCLOSE!
Triggers, Outbreaks and the Emotions
A trigger is something that causes the outbreak to take place. Everybody is different so the triggers vary as well. My triggers are lack of sleep, excessive stress or anxiety, too much sex and chocolate. I might have other triggers that I haven’t figured out yet but those are the main ones. I also get the tingles, a lot of people do. My legs will begin to tingle and sometimes my skin becomes sensitive to touch and that’s how I know an outbreak is coming as well.
When I was diagnosed, I was given Acyclovir. It’s the generic Valtrex but it works the same. Here’s another tricky part. If you don’t catch your tingles or triggers right away and take the medication, it will not work. Which is why most people use their medication as suppressant therapy, taking it every day. Once an outbreak is active, there’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You literally have to allow it to run its course. You can use certain herbs and oils to soothe the discomfort but that’s about it. Some of my favs to use are the following:
Tea Tree Oil – DILUTE it or you will be in more pain from the burn. But I usually dilute it with another carrier oil and use a cotton ball to apply it to my sore.
Blow Dryer – I know it sounds crazy but when I have outbreaks down below, I air dry. I don’t like touching them with my dry off towel because it honestly hurts. It’s an open sore (ulcer). So I use a blow dryer on low on that area. It’s very helpful because it assists with drying out the sores. A dried out sore is a healed sore.
(HOWEVER EVEN WHEN YOUR OUTBREAK IS HEALED, I ADVISE YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM SEXUAL CONTACT BECA– USE THE VIRUS IS STILL ACTIVATED IN YOUR SYSTEM FOR UP A WEEK AFTER THE OUTBREAK).
Bath Teas/ Bath Soaks – NATURAL herbs in pouches with Epsom salt and Himalayan sea salt are very helpful as well. Just soak away your stress and watch your body do the rest.
Tea bags – YES you can use a tea bag. Act like you’re making tea and after you drink the tea (or throw it out) you can use the actual tea bag as relief to an outbreak sore.
Peppermint tea works best for me.
Lysine – OTC check at rite-aid etc.
Cotton underwear, Loose fitting clothes
The emotional effects of the virus are probably the hardest thing for me to deal with. Mainly because I am already an emotional being but HSV2 makes me super sensitive at times. When I have an outbreak I sometimes go into a dark place. It’s like the first day all over again. Those feelings of disgust and embarrassment resurface. I tend to stay to myself or sometimes that’s when I advocate the most. I’m more vocal with pain I guess.
People who don’t have the virus will probably never understand the full extent of the emotional and mental warfare. It’s like you’re sad because you have herpes, mad because you’re having an outbreak and disgusted that it’s even present in your body. THE MOTIONS.
One thing I can say that helps is FRESH AIR AND PRAYER (meditation). You really have to chill all the way out!
1 Comment
Thank you for creating positive content that’s helpful, It’s a lot of people who have the virus but are so afraid to speak on it and tell their story. My favorite part is when you said your worth doesn’t decrease when you have the virus . A lot of women feel like they are no longer worthy of love and that’s just not the case. Self love ? is one of hardest things I’ve had to learn along with dealing with rejection after disclosing. Thank you for this , God bless you !