HERPES

Talk About Herpes | HSV-1 on Breasts

Experience…
HSV-1 on Breasts and Nipples I found out I have HSV-1 after having a culture done at the doctor, from sores on my breast and both nipples. I have never had a cold sore in my life, nor did any of my past partners, or the current partner (which I believe is where I got it). He was kissing/sucking by nipples a LOT more rough than usual one day (we liked it, so it wasn`t a bad experience) and my nipples felt extremely sore after wards, so much so that I didn`t want anything to touch them, although he insisted he could use his tongue so lightly that it wouldn`t hurt, and that was actually true for a few moments. I had people be rough on my nipples in the past, so much that I wouldn`t want anything touching them, but just always brushed it off as "ooh, that was naughty, you were so rough with me", waited a day or so for the soreness to go away and was sexually active again. So neither of us really thought much of that, but I knew that my nipples were way more sore than any other previous "rough" times. A few days later, maybe like 3-5, I noticed a circular scab on my breast about an inch above the pink area of my nipple. It had almost a light green/pastel green to it, and I thought maybe it was a zit – boil thing. I would sometimes get white heads on my chest and actual nipples, just like the kind on my face, and would pop them without question since they were gross. I tried squeezing – popping this scab, but it was more flat, and didn`t really act like a zit at all when I started touching it. I ended up peeling the scab off and it left a red, shallow crater. I dismissed it and when on with the day, wondering what the heck it was. The next day, I noticed a dark burgundy, almost black circular scab on my nipple on the same breast as I was putting on my bra in the mirror. I was like "what the hell is that?" and noticed a 3rd scab on my other nipple as I started looking more carefully. I couldn`t believe I hadn`t noticed them before, they just seemed to show up. My nipples were very sore and zinged, almost constantly and I had times often throughout the day of painful "electric" zing-ache feelings in my actual breasts. My nipples were pretty much constantly tingling – zinging painfully. Thinking back I had a few minor flu-like symptoms like headache and icky feeling, but was still able to do everything and go out like normal for the most part. I asked my friend if she ever had anything like this, saying "scabs on your nipples" and she had no idea, thought I was crazy. I went to my mom`s a couple days later, after the scabs weren`t going away or changing, and the 1st scab (that I peeled off initially) was weeping fluid/not healing like I thought it would, and about 6 very small other circular sores started forming next to it. Those smaller sores were yellow – cream colored and looked more like they were filled with a pus that would come out, rather than a scab. All the sores were also very itchy. I showed her the one on my breast only, embarrassed to show the ones on my nipples, and she thought immediately that I better go to the doctor. We discussed what it might be and both concluded I was probably having a recurrent episode of shingles (herpes zoster – chicken pox) that I first got a year ago. It made sense, I was super stressed out, and had the same "electric – zinging" pain along with the same type of sores. Although, the sores I had with shingles were not as perfectly circular as the ones now, but were very irregular and all of them had their own look to them. Some were craters, some were bubbly – raised and filled with fluid, and the shapes varied from ovals to the suit of clubs to a huge blister filled with so much fluid it was the size of a raisin, and eventually turned into a dark red scab before falling off. I had the shingles on my forehead – eye area and scalp. Back to the HSV–I also noticed that there were sores on my bikini line, where the sides of my underwear are, that I originally thought were ingrown hairs from shaving, but had now started mirroring the same characteristics as the sores on my breast (swollen, dark crater-like scabs with a light green center, and the side of my groin where the sores are was very swollen)–I had tried to pop those and get any fluid out of those too (like the white heads) before I knew what was going on, and may have spread the infection there. I thought I might have had a staph infection too–that I could have spread it with my tweezers which I use on both around my nipples and my bikini line. I was freaking out in any case. When I went to the doctor, saying I think I have shingles, she said she didn`t think it was that, asked me if me or my boyfriend have Herpes Simplex or get cold sores, I said no, not to either of our knowledge. She did a culture by rubbing a q-tip on the sores themselves (which was not so bad on one of the sores, but very painful on the other ones). 3 days later the results came back positive for HSV-1. I had already started taking Valtrex per my doctor`s recommendation the next day, before I knew it was HSV-1. The doctor said it would be a good precaution because it probably was HSV, and if it was shingles, the Valtrex would help that too (I took that for my shingles also). I also went to my acupuncturist (my first choice for health care) and got herbs (in pill form) and a tea to make to apply to the sores themselves with a cotton ball to help heal them externally. The acupuncture session helped too, and was good for helping me relax, I felt better just by doing that–mentally it`s so good for relaxation. Right now I still have the sores, and am doing research on HSV. I can tell the sores are going away (it`s been about 8 days since I first noticed the first scab)–the 1st sore with the other small ones around it is seeming to dry up and the pink – redness of the area of skin around it (and the others) is starting to become less severe. My biggest problem right now is really the mental issues I`m having with myself, and the problems it`s caused with my boyfriend. I told him it might be HSV after seeing the doctor and basically implied that he`s the one who gave it to me (which seems the most likely, but technically can`t be proven [?] )and he got extremely upset, understandably so. He`s going to get tested for HSV to see if he has it, and I s`pose if he doesn`t then we`ll know either it`s not showing up on the test, or I got it from a previous partner. But if I got it from a previous partner, why would I have an outbreak on my nipples? I guess if it was the initial site of infection whenever it first happened, and I was infected with the virus, I may not have ever shown symptoms/had sores until now, a time when I`m incredibly stressed out (partly with my bf), but I guess I`m not sure, and that`s why I`m hoping to find out answers by reading others` experiences/talking to doctors. Although, doctors can be misinformed. After all, I`m living reality with HSV-1 on my nipples as I type this, and I`ve heard a couple different doctors say that HSV can`t be spread unless you have a sore at the time. But I knew that wasn`t true before, however, I never knew it could cause sores on other places than your mouth or genitals. I`m mostly upset because I`ve always made decisions to try to limit my exposure to HSV, and stay "clean", not drinking out of friend`s drinks, and asking people I was considering being physical with if they got cold sores before we even kissed. I also started requiring my sexual partners to get tested for STD`s before we were physical, which I also did with this bf. I do know though, that you always risk HSV and HPV viruses since they don`t usually show symptoms, and clinics don`t automatically test for them unless you have a sore or wart. So I think a lot of people think they`re getting tested "for everything" when they go in asking to "get tested for STD`", but you need to be specific about which ones you ask for, and ask for a blood test for HSV, even if the doctor is hesitant, which in my experience they have been if you don`t have a sore, which I never did until now. I admittedly have gotten drunk and drank out of people`s drinks without thinking a time or two, and have shared pipes with people. So it seems like when you are infected with HSV-1, it`s hard to know when you first got it since it`s so common and so easy to get. It just seems so strange that I get the sores on my nipples, if I didn`t initially get it from my current bf. But I don`t know for sure I guess, we can only go by what`s likely, and try to move on. I don`t know if this will ruin my relationship with my bf or not, we`ve been fighting/in conflict or upset every time we`ve talked since this happened, but also started having conflict I think the day I noticed the other sores, but before I told him about them. Maybe these things are all aligned for a reason, I know it`s a learning experience for me no matter what, I guess I`m learning things aren`t so bad, but I am still very angry that I got it, especially on my nipples, but maybe that`s a "better" place. I`m concerned if I lubricate my fingers with my own saliva and put them in my vagina, or in that area that I`ll get sores on my genitals. I`m also concerned if my bf has it that he`ll give me sores on my genitals when we have oral sex, and that I`ll do the same to him now that I have it. It makes it hard for me to want to be sexual with anyone, I don`t feel sexy or "available" anymore. I think that will go away ( I HOPE that will go away) once I deal with this and get more information. It helps on one hand to know it`s so common but on another hand it`s angering and frustrating that you have to worry about it so much in the world. I feel no longer pure in a way, and now feel like I have a bad thing, and something bad to offer in a relationship, like I don`t even want to try to be in a relationship because it`s an awful thing, gross, painful, irritating, puts you out of commission for a while in a sense, and risky and just bad. It`s like, it would be nice to have my current bf be the one I stay with for the rest of my life, so we can deal together, but the way things are going it doesn`t seem like we`ll stay together. Who knows, we`re still very upset about all this and dealing with it very freshly–not a long time has passed. I look forward to reading others` experiences and am thankful that as many negative things that happen with this, there are equally if not more good things that can come out of it. One thing is that I feel more connected to strangers, like I have something special in common with people and can relate–although it`s really not that &special" since it`s so common 🙂 Another positive is that it helps me really focus on me, and loving myself, showing that I am capable of loving myself and taking care of myself no matter what. And that I can depend on me when no one is around. My bf has not been very supportive lately, hasn`t offered to help me or take care of me or even ask if there is anything he can to do help me. That forebodes a break up to me since I recently (about a week ago) took care of him when he was sick and actually hospitalized for a tonsil infection. It seems if he creates this distance when things are bad, that`s not a good sign, despite the situation. But maybe that`s a common problem with relationships and STD`s. Maybe in time everything will be ok again. I hope my experience helps people and brings some sort of comfort or relief on some level. I find a little comfort knowing we aren`t alone, and that it`s ok not to know the answers to everything. Peace [46737]

Gender: F
Married: N
State: MN
Country: USA

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