tammy
jeanne, i have lived with herpes for 11 yrs now. i was very young when i got them. i contracted them from someone i loved and thought felt the same about me but found out that he was not monogomous. i was really hard on myself for a long time, but i found someone that loves me in spite of this and has never once berated me because of me or my past choices. we have been together for over 10 yrs. i watch my stress levels because this only makes my herpes flare up. i understand not wanting to lose a friend, but a friend accepts you no matter what. what this person is doing is destroying your self-esteem and causing you unnecessary stress. his standards are just that, he should measure himself by them and would probably find that he comes very short of them. no one should impose their standards on someone else. jeanne hang in there we have all made some poor choices in our life. we learn from those and do not continue to make those same mistakes. do not dwell on the past it is gone and we have gone on from that time in our lives. learning that you have herpes is humiliating enough but to constantly have it rubbed in your face by someone who knows nothing of that shame is maddening. personally the experience made me stronger and realize that i can be in control of my life.