success story, hope this helps!

Sorry this post is rather long, but I hope this helps!

 

I came on this site last December when I was first diagnosed with HPV. Like alot of people here, I was extremely upset and scared. In my panicked and fearful state, I read alot of posts here, but I never wrote anything. I told myself back then that if my HPV virus ever go away, then I will share my story here. Back when I first got diagnosed, the hopeful and encouraging stories here were the only thing that kept me going; it really was the only light that made me feel that getting HPV was not the end of the world. I hope my story will shed some light for everyone out there who was as scared as I was, and I hope my story will shed some hope; just like the encouraging stories I've read when I needed it the most last December.
I was in my 2nd year of University last year (2009), and life truely couldn't get any better. Although I was already 20 years old, I had just lost my virginity to my boyfriend back then (this might be corny, but even though I've done other 'stuff' with other guys before, I have always wanted to lose my virginity to someone 'special'). We were head over heels in love, and our relationship was one that was very sexual and passionate. I've always thought
that I was a really cautious person, and I made sure me and my boyfriend both got checked for STDs before we stopped using a condom. When the tests came back negative, the only thing I was ever worried about was getting pregnent. Never once did I thought that I would get HPV. A few months into our relationship, I felt a bump 'down there' when I was showering. I shrugged it off as nothing because it didn't itch or hurt. Although the bump remained, I never thought anything of it because the STD report had came out negative! Our relationship just got better and better as the days went by, and for the first time in my life, I loved a guy so much that if we got married, and if he was the only guy that I've ever had sex with in my life- I really wouldn't mind.
One night when I was showering, I felt more bumps 'down there', and I finally got worried. The first thought that came into my head was herpes, but when I looked it up on the internet, the bumps I had looked exactly like genital warts. I went to the doctor the very next morning, and after a few looks, she confirmed my fear and said they were genital warts. A million questions ran through my head. How could I have gotten an STD when our report came back negative? Back then I didn't know that they didn't check for HPVs in Canada. The doctor gave me Aldara, and I walked home in a dazed. It was so hard for me to comprehend the news, that a part of me kind of wished that a bus would just hit me so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Needless to say, I was so scared and upset. I don't think anyone would understand the intensity of fear and sadness of being diagnosed with STD unless they have been through it. I am sure you all will completely understand what I am talking about. I was scared because I feared that this virus will never go away, and that I will continue to have warts over and over again the rest of my life. I was upset because I couldn't help but feel that now that I have STD, I was 'dirty'. The stigma behind having an STD just seemed too great. I would look in the mirror, and all I see was a girl who has a virus. And most of all, I was angry. I'm no saint, but I didn't understand why I was so unlucky to have gotten STD with the first guy I have ever slept with. It kind of seemed like a cruel joke.
I finally muster up the courage to tell my mom because I was just too scared. Although my parents are very traditional, my mom was able to look pass everything and helped me. She took me to a doctor again, and it was there that they detected that I have HPV 6.
In the begining, my boyfriend was my rock. Maybe it was because he never got any physical symtoms, but he took it way better than I did. He told me we would get through this together, and I was grateful that in the misdt of everything, I still had him to turn to. But he didn't understand how traumatized I was. He was lucky enough to not have the
physical symptoms of warts, and he didn't understand how 'dirty' I felt everytime I see my warts. He doesn't know what it feels like to not be able to sleep because the side effects of Aldara was so painful and so itchy, and he didn't know what it was like to be constantly scared of finding a new wart every day when you showered. I told myself that I would do anything to make this virus go away. I turned to God more than I have ever in my life, and I decided to stop having sex until my virus go away. (This might sound really extreme to some people, but back then I seriously would do anything to make this virus go away). The doctor told me having a good immune system is key to recovery. Since I don't drink or smoke anyway, that wasn't my biggest concern. But the not having sex part was taking a toll on me and my boyfriend's relationship. Even though we still loved each other, we decided to break up in the end. Seeing each other and not being able to have sex was too hard for both of us (I know it was my choice, but it was still hard for me). Also he was freaking out at the idea of not having sex(a part of me understood how he felt, but a part of me couldn't help but feel hurt) and I knew he was running out of patience in 'being there for me', so I broke up with him and told myself that I could do this on my own.
Lets just say that the months afterwards were one of the darkest moments of my life. Dealing with a break up is hard enough, let along also dealing with the aftermath of a STD diagnosed. But like most things in life, things got better slowly as the days went by. To my surprised, my warts left in 2 weeks. The doctor was very surprised too (I guess even though it is painful, Aldera does work. I think the key is to not put so much cream on each wart. I used to put more than I should because psychologically I thought it would go away faster. Putting on the right amount will make it less painful). With the warts gone, I felt better psychologically, but I was still scared that it will come back. To my relief (and I am so grateful to say) that the warts never came back for the next 7 months. Last week, I went for another check up (the doctor had told me to go for a check up in half a year). And I am so happy to be able to say that my test report came out, and I am HPV negative!
I don't know how it went away. I don't know if its my no-sex-until-my-virus-goes-away promise to God, or that I tried my hardest to have a healthy lifestyle. Or maybe its just simply that the virus goes away through time (I've read in a book that the body can get rid of HPV through time). I wil never know what the reason is, but after getting my
all-clear report last week, I felt like all the pain I had to go through for the past few months was worth it.

So thats my story. Maybe some of you will know exacly how I felt, or some of you might think I over-reacted back then. Everyone has their own ways of thinking and I respect that.
I hope that everyone who has HPV will know that they are not alone, and have the hope that this virus  can really potentially go away. One advice I will give is that if you have questions or fears, you should consult your doctor (maybe even more than one). I know that in a panicked and worried state, a lot of people will go on the internet to look for 'answers'. But in my personal experience, looking for information on the internet on countless sites just make me felt more scared and hopeless. I hope that people who feels scared and are upset will know that time makes things easier. It might not be perfect, but it will be easier. I don't know if my story will help people who has HPV or not. But I really hope it does in one way or another, even if its only a little bit.