I want to tell you about my HPV journey so that I can hopefully help others understand this depressing virus. It is a long post but it is my story and it may help you.

I am a 45 year old female. I have had 3 sexual partners in the last 3 years. I didn’t get my first genital wart outbreak until I was 45.

I hadn’t had sex for 2 months and noticed that I had an uncomfortable feeling down below, I had been sleeping in Pj’s and it felt like they had ridden up and made me sore. I stopped wearing them but the feeling stayed. I decided to have a look and I was mortified to discover that I had a patch of white skin on my perineum. Now trying to look at this area on your own with a mirror is not easy! I tried taking photos with my camera and then googled what I saw. I suspected that it might be Genital warts, but it also looked like some cancers or skin problems. Of course by this point I was very worried but I couldn’t get a doctors appointment for 4 weeks! In between this time I had the flu, so I think my immune system was low allowing the virus to break out.

By the time I got to the day of my doctors appointment, I was fairly sure that I had genital warts. I had been applying tea tree oil mixed in oil (never apply it neat, it’ll burn!!) and I had been having baths with tea tree and lavender added.  The area felt uncomfortable, itchy and raised and the tea tree didn’t seem to have made any difference. The Dr examined me and told me that it defiantly wasn’t an STD and that she wasn’t sure what it was, hinting at skin problems and cancer and gave me some steroid cream that I was to apply for 2 weeks and if there was no improvement to go back to see her.

I’d already made an appointment at the Sexual Health Clinic whilst waiting for my Dr’s appointment, so 1 week after my Dr’s appointment I turned up for my sexual health appointment. A full sexual history was taken and my genitals were examined. I was told that I had HPV (genital warts). (Thanks, useless Doctor!) The steroid cream that I had been applying would have made it worse too ☹

I had a cryotherapy treatment, (which is basically dry ice) where you lay back in a reclining chair with your legs open in stirrups and the warts are sprayed with a very cold spray, which is bearable and didn’t really hurt, it just felt very cold. It basically freezes the warts and over a few days they die and drop off. I was told to make another appointment for two weeks time.  I felt a bit uncomfortable for a day afterwards, but I could see that the warts had turned white and bits of skin were coming off. DO NOT touch the area at all and pat dry with some toilet paper when showering and toileting. I felt so much happier and relieved that I could see them disappearing and knew what was wrong with me.

Two weeks later the warts had reduced but were still there so I went back for another treatment. In all I had 5 treatments, each time I would see them reduce, but often I would look a few hours after the treatment and see that new ones had sprung up in different areas. This was very depressing. During this time I felt very low and dirty, and imagined never being able to have a sexual relationship again. I had been married for 19 years and had only had 1 sexual partner, as had my husband. Three years after my husband left I had my second sexual relationship, then a third. I felt very angry that I had most likely been HPV free for all of these years. Neither of my recent partners showed any signs of having HPV and I always used a condom. They had had many sexual partners.

During the time of being diagnosed with HPV I did a lot of internet research and decided to try Echinacea tablets for a few weeks to try and boost my immune system. I also tried Green Tea tablets and Turmeric tablets. The virus persisted. The tablets seemed to make no difference and it was costing me a fortune. I tried Reiki and crystal therapy. I then decided to try manuka honey (also cost a fortune, but luckily it was half price) and Apple Cider Vinegar (make sure it says ‘With Mother’ on the bottle – cost me under £3 for a big bottle). I ate a teaspoon of honey three times a day and I drank one tablespoon of the vinegar diluted before breakfast and before my tea. It tasted absolutely foul. I tried mixing it with all sorts to try and make it taste better. The only thing that could make it so that I could drink it was Dandelion and Burdock! A whole glass of dandy and vinegar and drank it through a straw (important so that you don’t melt off your tooth enamel!) I would then rinse my mouth with water in case any was left on my teeth.

After the fifth freezing session and then getting a new outbreak straight after the session, I had had enough, I didn’t have time to waste on these visits twice a month when it didn’t seem to be working. I decided to try Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother) directly on my warts. ALWAYS wash your hands before and after. So, I soaked some cotton wool in the vinegar and applied the cotton wool to the warts and left it for 10-20 mins. Do not wipe the cotton wool or you will spread the warts, just put it on and leave it.  I wouldn’t leave it any longer than 10-20 mins as I don’t think it makes much difference and you could risk making yourself very sore. Some areas were awkward to appy, so I laid on my side on the sofa with my legs bent, and held it in place whilst I watched TV with my hands between my legs, holding the cotton wool in place! After 10-20 mins remove the cotton wool. You will find that wherever you have warts they will have turned white. If it’s not white then it isn’t a wart. I did not wash off the vinegar afterwards. Do this a couple of times a day for a day, but stop if it gets unbearable (it stings and burns)

Over the next day the warts will die and the skin will peel. This can be a bit sore. Amazingly the skin here seems to recover quite quickly and you will have nice new skin in no time. If you had a lot of soreness you can always apply some honey or some Aloe Vera gel (if you’ve got an Aloe Vera plant just break a leaf in half and squeeze the gel onto the sore bit) Now for the good news. I did this twice a day, then had a days break, then did it again, then a days break then did it again and I found that they had all gone! I was so happy, so relieved after all of these appointments. I still went for my last appointment, for peace of mind and the nurse examined me and told me that I didn’t need any treatment as the warts had gone. She told me to keep checking as they would most likely re-appear.

I managed to stay wart free for 5 weeks (still drinking the yukky vinegar!). I was sad to discover that I had quite a large outbreak overnight ☹ I know that I am going to have to live with this for a long time, so I am trying to stay positive and manage my symptoms, I don’t know how I will feel if I get with another man, as I feel so diseased ☹ and I wont be able to have sex if I have visible warts (sometimes they are that tiny that you can’t see them, so you could easily pass it on unintentionally) I suppose I will just have to be upfront about this virus and let him decide if he wants to risk it or not.

I have now had genital warts for 4 months with a 5 week clear period in this time. All I will say is, it isn’t your fault that you have them. Learn how to live with it and try not to let it bring you down. Try the different methods, I would not recommend using peroxide on your nether regions as you will not do your skin any good at all, just vinegar is fine.  I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a sexual health clinic rather than a doctor as they see these things all of the time and are very experienced in diagnosing correctly. Then you know what you are dealing with. Just in case it isn’t genital warts. There is no need to be embarrassed, they see STD’s all of the time. If you can get naked with someone then you can let someone examine you!

 I found that the pictures on the internet did not match what mine looked like, and the information was sketchy or contradictory.  There are lots of different strains of HPV and if you do not always have visible symptoms. I read somewhere that the body usually fights each HPV strain in 2 years. But of course, in that time you could be infected with a different strain. Skin to skin contact is how it is transmitted so you don’t even have to have sex to get it, and condoms don’t cover the entire genital area so don’t give much protection as I found out. I also read that lots of people have the virus, I was amazed at how many and that made me feel slightly better. Good luck with your journey. Don’t give up.