The Martlet

NANAIMO (CUP) — “Jane” still remembers the day, many years ago: she had been feeling a strange, prickly, stinging sensation around her genitals, the source of which seemed to be a strange bump. She visited the doctor, expressing a concern that she might have herpes. The doctor said it sounded more like an ingrown hair, but he took a swab of the area and sent the test off to a lab.

Jane never got a call, so she assumed everything was fine. But every so often since then, she has been plagued by this familiar stinging sensation. In the last few years, Jane noticed a sharp increase in the frequency of her mysterious outbreaks.

“It was just last year, over eleven years after that first visit, that I finally went to another doctor about this again,” says Jane. “‘Looks like herpes to me,’ said my doctor. I was stunned. I mean, I knew all along it wasn’t just ingrown hairs, but I couldn’t believe it was really herpes after all.”

Like many people, Jane had been misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all, and had been living with herpes, a lifelong viral infection.

It isn’t uncommon for swab tests to come back negative for the herpes simplex virus. That’s because the virus doesn’t always linger on the surface of the skin. In fact, a more recent swab from Jane also came back negative, but a blood test confirmed that she had anti-bodies to the herpes virus — it just didn’t show which type.

“My doctor explained that the virus lives in my central nervous system, and comes to the surface of my skin at the place where it originally entered,” said Jane. “During that time, it is contagious, but the thing is, it is impossible to know for sure when that is... I might get an outbreak, but by the time I make it in to the doctor for the swab test, the virus has retreated back to its hiding place.”

The herpes simplex virus is passed through contact with an affected area, though it dies quickly off the body. The virus has two types: herpes simplex one and two. Although herpes simplex two is most often associated with genital herpes, either one can infect the mouth or the genital region. In fact, any mucous membrane, such as the eyes, inside the nose and even cuts can act as infection sites. You can also get herpes on your genitals from receiving oral sex from someone with herpes on their mouth and vice versa.

“There is a huge stigma around genital herpes,” says Jane. “I remember right after I first found out that was what I had, a friend was making fun of people with herpes. I felt so humiliated, but angry at his ignorance. It wasn’t like I was a slut. Anyone could get this. Yet I was still too new to it, too ashamed, and I didn’t speak up to defend myself.”

Because herpes can remain dormant for many years after exposure, the source can be hard to determine. Often, though, initial outbreaks show up anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks after infection.

None of Jane’s boyfriends ever had visible symptoms of herpes, and none ever mentioned it.

“I was always monogamous, and I would use a condom, at least at first in a relationship. But I would usually end up having unprotected sex with boyfriends. I think most people do, once they get to know someone and feel safe.”

One of the mysteries around herpes is the way it behaves differently with each case. There are reports of couples where one has the virus and the other never gets it. Other times, just one sexual encounter can result in transmission. Similarly, some people have one or two outbreaks in their lifetime, while others get them all the time. Jane considers herself extremely lucky. She is now married, and her husband has never shown any symptoms.

“We’ve obviously had unprotected sex, lots of times before I had any idea that I had herpes. I don’t know why he’s never had any outbreaks.”

Jane has also had kids, something she feels like she may not have done had she known she had herpes. Many people with herpes have successful vaginal births, but it can be dangerous if they have an active outbreak. The virus can get into the infant’s eyes, causing more serious problems than it does in adults. In cases where an active outbreak is present, doctors perform caesarean sections.

“I didn’t know I had herpes,” says Jane, “so I never took any precautions. But I was just lucky to not have had any outbreaks during my pregnancies.”

Jane says if she got pregnant now, worrying about getting an outbreak would likely cause one — it’s commonly believed that stress increases the frequency of outbreaks, though scientific studies on the topic are inconclusive.

“My outbreaks increased after a death in my family,” said Jane. “For a long time, I barely remember even having outbreaks, but it was this sudden increase in outbreaks that sent me to the doctor about it again.”

Jane now treats her herpes with herbal remedies and tries to maintain a positive attitude.

“When I was first diagnosed, I felt so dirty and disgusting,” says Jane, “but I realized I didn’t do anything wrong. I was still the same person. If I stay healthy, I am fine, but if I let my immune system get run down, sure enough, I get a sore.”

Jane has noticed that things like coffee, lack of sleep and poor diet seem to contribute to her herpes outbreaks. Coffee is often a culprit in frequent outbreaks because of its effect on the central nervous system, where herpes lives in the body. The other major influences are anxiety and anger.

“One time, I had a minor little sore. I remember getting really angry that day. I was yelling at my kids and feeling super stressed out about some things in my life. When I got home, the sore was really raw and bleeding. It sounds gross, I know, but it was telling me something. Getting freaked out about stress isn’t worth it.”

Jane takes herbs like St. John’s Wort and Lemon Balm, both of which are known for easing depression and calming moods, as well as for being anti-viral. Nothing will ever take away the virus, but by taking care of herself Jane has managed to reduce the frequency of outbreaks.

Christopher Scipio, a Vancouver-based Herbalist, Naturopath and carrier of the herpes virus estimates that 60 per cent of the sexually active population has herpes. He has developed a number of herbal treatments for herpes, and even a seaweed-based gel that when used with a condom or dental dam, is very effective at preventing the virus from infecting sexual partners.

He has a holistic view of the disease, and writes about it in his blog, HerpesNation.blogspot.com.

“Having herpes taught me how to be humble for the first time in my life,” says Scipio. “Struggling with my own outbreaks during the early years of my infection taught me that I am not the dominant life-form on this planet. A simple virus — which is not even technically a living organism — can kick my ass any day of the week.”

Scipio encourages anyone with herpes to take treatment into his or her own hands. He acknowledges that there are some very affective drug therapies. However, he maintains that a better understanding of your body is most important, and popping a pill will never get you that.

He also cautions against so-called natural cures for herpes, like lysine and di-methyl-sulfoxide, which he says can do more harm than good with long-term use.

“Real management of herpes means strengthening your immune system so that it can keep the virus in check, which is what your body is designed to do,” writes Scipio in one of his articles on the topic. “Real management of herpes also means making the effort to eat an appropriate diet, stress management, and working on your emotional and mental relationship with the disease.”

It is important for anyone with herpes, be it on their mouth or genitals, to tell their partners that they are at risk of getting herpes, and to take precautions to lower that risk. Condoms alone don’t prevent it, as sores can occur in areas around the genitals, areas a condom doesn’t cover. It’s also a myth that herpes is only contagious when there is an active sore present.

“Most people with herpes, maybe up to 70 percent, don’t get noticeable outbreaks,” says Scipio. “You may be having sub-clinical (subtle) outbreaks or may be shedding the virus asymptomatically (without symptoms). You could be infecting others with herpes without knowing it.”

As Jane said, none of her partners ever exhibited symptoms, though she caught it somehow. Using an anti-viral gel with a condom, abstaining from sex during outbreaks and taking measures to prevent outbreaks all reduce the risk of transmitting the virus.

Jane says the biggest challenge for people is figuring out how to be sexually active once they know they have herpes.

“For me, I’m already married. My husband isn’t scared because he figures he’s already got it, or else will never get it. But I can’t imagine being single and having this. Imagine having to tell a potential partner before having sex.”

Scipio says some of his clients are so shaken by rejection that they stop dating for years or “ghettoize” themselves to only dating others with herpes.

“Herpes is a great litmus test to let you know who really cares about you and desires you,” says Scipio. “No one who really wants a person, and I do mean want the person, the whole person and the package that comes with them, will reject them just because they have herpes. Who would want that kind of superficial love anyway?”

Jane says that after getting over the emotional shock of it, life with herpes is pretty much normal. But she urges people to be aware of its commonality.

“When I was sexually active, I mean, other than with my husband, I used to worry a lot about AIDS, but I never gave herpes a second thought. If I’d known how common it is, I might have been more careful.”