One word, 3 letters, STD. A word you probably don’t want to be associated with anytime soon. It may be a word that everyone dreads hearing, but most people will be affected by a sexually transmitted disease at least once in their lifetime.
Some places ( Ireland and the U.S) are experiencing a rise in the word that shall not be named. Since it’s so easy to get one these days, you need to be careful who you swipe left to on Tinder! But what happens when you actually catch something? As its STD awareness month in the U.S, we’re exploring what it feels like when you’ve just discovered your sexual partner gave you a nice leaving gift.
So, you’ve woken up from the night before with a tingling sensation, but you ignore it.
A few days have passed and that tingling sensation still won’t go away. You tell yourself it’s not a big deal and you’ll be okay but you get the text from the clinic, and it came back positive. You have a dreaded STD. You’re probably a bit shocked and a bit disappointed, even a bit disgusted. However, you feel it’s not the end of the world.
The worst thing you can do is focus on the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. You’ve got it now you can’t turn back time. The only thing you can do is to make sure you don’t get yourself in this situation again. Next time remember to bring your rubbers or abort the mission.
For some, the news of having an STD might be a complete shock and in that case, you should take time to process the news. For others, they’ve been experiencing symptoms and aren’t surprised by the news. However, you feel don’t be too frustrated with yourself. Dwelling on it won’t make the STD’s go away.
You are not riding solo on the STD train.
When the news has finally sunk in the first thing you should realise is that you are not alone. There are so many people who have been treated with the same thing as you including your mates and the person who gave it to you. So you’re not riding solo on the STD train.
If you’re confused as to who gave you the sexually transmitted disease that’s probably the first call you should make. Then try and work out who you could of have possibly given it to. Should you have an STD announcement party? No.
Most people who have contracted something will tell you the most awkward thing about having an STD is having to tell people about it. Sending that risky text to your partner/lover/one-night stand person will be daunting but it’s better to get it over and done with.
The best thing to do isn’t to text them but maybe a cheeky coffee or a call would work better. “Hey wanna meet up and go to the clinic together, I think you need to get checked’ could work too.
No, but seriously the worst thing you can is to make a joke out of this situation. The best thing to do is to be honest and don’t delay it.
After the news has finally sunk in you should think about how you’re going to treat your new-found infection. Different STDs have different ways of treating them and it’s essential you find out how to treat yours as soon as possible. After that, life post-STD should go back to normal, just remember to wrap it up next time!