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The story of a 22 year old girl infected PART I

My life with Human Papilloma. And the story of a 22 year old girl infected with the virus. Since she discovered that she had genital warts, her routine took a radical turn down. The student recalls the pain that the STD treatment has caused her. As well as the loss of STI self esteem.

See yourself in front of the mirror.

Dying had never crossed my mind until days after starting treatment against the Human papillomavirus. I wanted to disappear from the world. I no longer found any reason to live.”

This is how a typical young beautiful Costa Rican girl, age 22 years, told us what went through her mind in this moment of her life.

And that about three months before, she discovered she had been infected by the HPV virus and underwent some chemical treatment.

The woman considered herself a young woman like any other. And she divided her time between working and studying at the University of Costa Rica. She has chosen to major in History. For this article, we will call Mariana to protect her identity. She never imagined that at her age, she would receive this HPV diagnosis since she states that she had always been “a very sexually healthy person.”

Furthermore, Mariana thought she would not get infected because she was so young. However, the virus came to change her life.

How it started

It all started one day when she returned from work in San José. She also felt something troubling her in her genital area. So when she arrived home, she realised that she had some lesions. And some warts. And she did not understand what was happening. This had never happened to her before.

She then called her friend a gynaecologist for some emergency care. And she took some photos of the injuries so she could show them to the specialist, and in the office, the doctor her friend confirmed her diagnosis that she was infected.

Viruses are the origin of cervical disease.

And at that moment the very first thing I thought was, that I was going to die. And I wanted to cry, there was a lot of emotion.

So, I cried out why is this happening to me? Who infected me? What is going to happen to my life? Wow, I felt so guilty that maybe I didn’t care for myself enough. People with this virus can develop cancer. That was my concern, she entrusted us with her thoughts.

Immediate Intervention

While dealing with what she defines as a shock, the STD specialist told her that he had to intervene immediately. She agreed, wanting an immediate cure.

Minutes after receiving the medical warning, she experienced physical pain unlike anything she had felt before. She discovered that they were applying a chemical used to remove genital warts.

Just picture it – one day, everything was normal. Then, I’m told I have HPV, and it’s very important to treat it and get rid of it. And them next, they apply a chemical that burns the warts and damages the skin permanently. It’s such a painful process that lasts until the skin heals, she said.

The coming Challenges and Uncomfortable Recovery

This marked the beginning of what Mariana termed her new life. She had to frequently undergo the chemical application, preferring not to wait too long between sessions to expedite recovery.

However, this led to intense STD burning across her entire genital area.

There was a week where it practically felt like my skin was on fire, she recalled. And the skin healed relatively quickly after each session. But she experienced alot of discomfort and often had to walk with the legs wide apart. And it also meant often sleep without any underwear for comfort and to let the cream dry.

Unfortunately, her skin didn’t fully recover, and she began developing sores. This experience was entirely new to her. Despite the pain, Mariana felt compelled to hide it during conversations. “People see you looking fine, but they can’t imagine what you’re going through,” she explained.

As a result, Mariana had to change her clothing choices. And she started on loose fitting clothes like dresses and avoiding pants altogether to minimise the discomfort.

A culprit

All those changes that occurred in a matter of days made her first blame herself and then look for someone to blame. However, later, she realized that this made no sense.

However, on the recommendation of her gynaecologist, she spoke to the people with whom he had been sexually involved so that they could be tested for HPV. She mainly did it for an issue of responsibility with them and for other people who could get involved with them in the future.

It was very difficult because we are still in an extremely sexist society.

A society where they believe that women are to blame for STDs and that is perhaps one of the hardest steps. It happened to me because of a person who did not take it well. But he understood me and was precisely the only person who was infected, and he was the one who infected me.

And I assure you that I have no resentment towards him, but I see him now, and he continues to date many women. Then it made me think that what I had told him. The healing and treatment had been a very hard and painful time, he didn’t say anything.

And the truth is that I don’t care that he never cared about me. It was just some fun. But because I no longer have any feelings or any relationship with that person. But what does hurt me is what many other women can suffer diseases because he is still not tested and not aware of how serious and dangerous it can be to others.