Do Herpes Symptoms Fluctuate?

Dear Dr. Tom:

I have read that the symptoms of herpes (headaches, etc.) are the worst during the first occurrence, but my recurrences sometimes are barely noticeable, and then some of them I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck (aches, fatigue, headache, etc.). Are they supposed to fluctuate like that? Feeling like a hypochondriac.

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Dr. Tom’s Response:

Dear Feeling Like a Hypochondriac:

For many years I have known of a humorous expression passed around among my microbiologist colleagues: "The bugs haven’t read the books". Yours obviously haven’t, because otherwise they should know you expect them to behave consistently and more gently. You are experiencing the vagaries of a most peculiar infectious agent. None of us have any explanation for this, only to expect it to happen. Do not feel like a hypochondriac; it is the nature of the critter.

Part of our Herpes Guide guide.

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