HERPES

Talk About Herpes | Fear of Telling People

Experience…
I contracted Herpes less than six months ago. Since I had my first outbreak I have only had one more, though the first was pretty horrifying. Contracting herpes has been a major life changing experience, forcing me to re-evaluate my relationships and actions. The biggest challenge has been finding someone who will be open to and understanding of the disease.When I told the person whom I contracted it from their reaction was "That`s gross", which only compounded on my fear of telling people, not the mention my ability to be honest and open. I started dating someone and was not honest with them at first. After about a month it ate away at me to where I couldn`t take not telling them anymore, and when I did it completely destroyed the chance of the relationship furthering. After that I was pretty positive that any potential partner was going to react in the same way. I recently met someone, but instead of letting time pass before telling them I chose to them right away. It was an odd moment of liberation, being honest from the very begining, and it was definitely one the hardest things I`ve had to do, but my honesty paid off. They listened to my explanations of the virus, did research on their own, and have decided that they want to date me, regardless of the herpes. My advice to anyone who contracts it is to just be honest, it doesn`t change who you are, and if people aren`t willing to work with you and see past it, then they aren`t worth your time. [46906]

Gender: F
Age: 22
Married: N
State: IL
Country: United States

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