hello all, i've been living with herpes hsv2 for about 18mo now, and
am getting desperate for some answers. sorry this is going to be a
long message but i am hoping there are some real people who also have
hsv2 on this group and will be able to offer their personal opinions
and advice.

some background: as i said, had hsv2 for a while during which time my
health has steadily detoriated. initially it was just the 'textbook'
herpes outbreaks - blisters which healed over a few days. despite my
initial shock and horror at having herpes, i soon realized it was
possible to live a very normal life with these periodic outbreaks.

however, my whole genital region (penis, thighs, bum) then started to
get very sensitive and i had a constant burning sensation in my skin,
to the extent that it is uncomfortable to sit or wear long pants for
long periods of time. i figured this was due to herpes affecting the
nerves in that region (much like i think shingles does) and waited for
it to improve, but i have now had these symntoms for more than a year.

i then started to get rashes (not blisters) on my inner thighs. the
rash starts with a small red dot, which would rapidly expand into a
bigger circle. the outer edge of these circles have red bumps which
dry out, only to be replaced by more bumps in a wider circle (does
that make sense?). these rashes are initially very itchy, then get
sore especially if friction occurs (such as when walking in jeans).
they typically last for a few weeks altho recently i seem to have them
all the time. has anyone else experienced this, and if so, is it due
to the herpes virus?

about 6months ago i also started to have periodic fever flushes
throughout the day, which progressed to the stage where my body now
constantly feels it is overheating. i sweat constantly, even in
freezing weather, and find it very difficult to function in hot
conditions. not only is this uncomfortable but is also seriously
starting to affect my career as i cannot wear suits w/o sweating
intensely. to makes matters worse, the constant flushes have caused me
to develop bad acne, which is doing nothing to improve my
self-confidence.

i've read herpes is a 'heat-casuing' disease - anyone else experience
this?

the point being, everything i've read and every doctor i've spoken to
(and there have been MANY), says herpes is a periodic disease with
outbreaks every now and then, and periods of feeling fine inbetween.
in my case, i feel sick all the time, whether it's my skin burning or
my rash or my body feeling very hot. i've been to an allergist
(results = allergic to nothing), dermatologists (said my symptons
aren't due to herpes), urologists (said similar thing), an infectious
diseases specialist (had no idea what was wrong), even a neurologist
(since herpes affects the nerves) - all to no avail. doctors seem to
understand the textbook case but nothing further.

in terms of treatment, i am taking 500mg valtrex daily and have tried
just about every other suggested 'treatment' out there. i've applied
various essential oils (tea tree, lavender, thyme, h balm, melissa
balm), tried antifungal and cortisone creams, taken various supplments
(melissa again, st johns wort, echinacea for immune support, lysine,
etc), tried acupuncture, cut out all red meat, caffine, alcohol,
candy, etc - none of which help much. i exercise daily & besides the
above symptoms, am perfectly healthy. i've had blood tests for all the
major diseases (aids, lupus, autoimmunity, etc) and all thankfully
negative.

so now i am at a loss. the last few weeks my symptons have been
particularly bad and i'm not sure how to stop the steady progression
of the disease (assuming herpes is causing my symptoms). my theory is
that (a) my nerve endings are extremely sensitive due to the virus and
that is causing the skin problems (burning, rash) and (b) my body is
constantly fighting the virus which is causing the excess internal
heat (much like you get a fever when fighthing the flu).

i would love to know whether anybody out has herpes and is
experiencing similar symptons, and if so, please please do you have
any suggestions.

obviously, any advice whatsoever would be most appreciated.