AIBU to work from home because of a cold sore?

You’re being utterly ridiculous.

We don’t have prescribed office days, but I do get my team in once a month for a meeting. If one of them said they weren’t attending in person due to a cold sore I’d laugh and assume they were joking.

The heat method is the only thing that works for cold sores. I used to get them all the time until I heard about this method. Just heat a teaspoon in a cup of boiling water when you feel a coldsore coming and put it on your lip at the hottest you can bear. Dab it a few times. Repeat if necessary but then the Cold sore doesn't ever erupt. If you don't fancy that you can get a heat zapper pen from amazon which does work but I've had both and think the teaspoon actually works better. ( I think because it's probably a bit hotter).

I’ve never had a cold sore and I wouldn’t like to get one If I did get one I’d go to the chemist and get something for it I don’t think it needs a doctor.
I have many friends who have had them over the years and yes I do notice them but I’m careful to not snog them or let them give me oral so you should do the same with your colleagues

Dentist here. What am I reading? What a total overreaction?

as long as you aren’t planning on snogging your work colleagues you will be fine.

also anti virals etc really aren’t that helpful once the cold sore takes hold ( best to use in pro-dromal) the private GP saw you coming.

plus it’s likely some of your colleagues already have the herpes virus in their system.

practice good hygiene and just get on with it

I suffer from on and off cold sores that really swell up and make me look fucking dreadful. The thing is the size of my head. I wear a mask 😷. Covid made it more socially acceptable to wear one and most people don’t bat an eye. If they do ask I do say it’s just a cold sore but nobody can see it so it doesn’t make me feel ridiculous.

Omg it’s a cold sore, not leprosy !

Personally if it’s that bad I would wfh. I once got an eye infection - not an ordinary one but one where my entire eye went blood red and swelled up. It was before the days of wfh and so had to go in. I felt awful and everyone looked at me weirdly. I looked like i had been punched but I wasn’t ’unwell’ so didn’t feel I could call in sick. I would definitely wfh if anything like that happened again!

It depends how bad they are
I suffer from really bad cold sores and their placement means I am unable to speak properly or eat anything or smile etc without cracking and bleeding everywhere
I put multiple patches on per day and whilst still working have to change my tasks on really bad days

I’ve done it because of a spot before

If you can work from home anyway and this is needed due to a medical issue then it’s perfectly fine. The details are irrelevant, you have a right to medical privacy in your workplace. Go for it!

I'm just interested to know how much a private gp phone call costs.

Hi,

I get really bad cold sores and have done since I was very young, they are extremely painful and make me feel terrible, so I completely sympathise with you.

The best treatment I have found is called Urgo Filmogel, (Amazon) you paint it on and it completely seals the wound. I’ve used Compeed patches for years and sometimes had to use two at once. But this stuff is amazing, if you catch it quick enough it doesn’t make it past the small bump stage. It’s a French product and not always available so I sometimes used a different product called Herpatch, which is also very good.

Just thought this info might be helpful for any other sufferers.

Weeping? I thought the patch contained it? I'm really taken aback by the idea of WFH otherwise. I've worked with issues (including severe dental that made me incredibly self conscious but I had to go in) that I would've preferred not to, but...

Herpes is very common but can be very painful
if you don’t feel well, stay at home. If you feel ok don’t worry about what your colleagues think, they’ll likely have had some form of it themselves xx

DD unfortunately got them every time she was stressed. No way she could avoid going to school with them.

So either a patch, agree, get the branded ones, or the cream, carefully applied with a cotton swap a couple of times a day (she got them in the mouth corner).

Maybe do wfh tomorrow and see how they are but my work would be not supportive for something like that skipping the mandatory days in-office for it.

My point is that OP doesn’t want to be around anyone with cold sores either. So should those of us that get them be housebound until they heal?

you have my sympathy, they are horrible things to have and can be painful too. If you can WFH without causing any problems, then why not?

Btw I buy the tablets privately from independent pharmacy online (there are lots of options) and always have them on hand - if you take them at the first sign of a tingle then it won’t even develop. Don’t wait for one to emerge before going to the private GP.

Hope you feel better soon.

I caught cold sores from a boy at Uni, I don't wander around thinking I have herpes. I know it's the same virus but it's not on my genitals I just get cold sores. I keep a tube of zovirax and usually if I apply as soon as I feel a tingle then they are barely noticeable. No need for prescriptions or any drama. Dh has never caught them from me and neither have my children. I did have cold sores when bothered newborns because giving birth made me quite under the weather. I just washed my hands lots and didn't kiss them. I've certainly never taken time off work for them. I work with teenagers and they have never commented on them either.

Absolutely no need to contact the GP, but I would work from home if you could because if you do rub the cold sore without realising then you could put gunk from it where your colleagues touched.

This has to be a wind up mo one on the planet can be this vain. God help us if this is the working population attitude now a days

Maybe but embarrassment is hard to rationalise away.

I think there's a middle ground between 'you are being absolutely ridiculous' and 'poor you stay in forever'.

I'm taking the middle ground on this.

I appreciate nobody else may care but I hate them and they make me feel yucky.

Got one right now as it happens.

I find washing my hands a lot helps. Not just to be hygienic but it makes me feel better psychologically when I get them.

I'm not sure what's unreasonable about not wanting to be in public with contagious, objectively ugly, weeping sores on your face? Many people might not mind, but it's an unpleasant experience for others as they may want to look their best - not necessarily in an 'attractive' way, but in a 'healthy' way.

Private GP for a cold sore?
I've heard it all now