AIBU to work from home because of a cold sore?

Well I do have health anxiety so I’d be grateful if I worked with you that you stayed away but…

I think you’re confusing “valid” with “actual”.
Embarrassment might be OP’s genuine reaction to her cold sore but that doesn’t make it reasonable.

I get them too, and hate going out with them. If I could work from home I would.

I think compeed patches extend the length of the cold sore by keeping it damp. Maybe take it off at home

I don't have coldsores and have never been repulsed by seeing one on someone else, but I would probably want to work from home too

If you go in to work be prepared for b1thchy people to ask you faux concern, what happened and to tell you they are afraid of catching it. Have a stock answer and a hard stare ready to shut them down

To all the people saying 'go in to work' would you prefer someone to be miseranle and uncomfortable at work.

I always went in to work with head colds, where I felt dizzy and weak. I would take a day annual leave during the week. The whole place often had the cold by the time I had finished my week😁But I 'showed up and went to work' and 'it was only a cold'.

Ridiculous I started a new job and within a week I’d had a really bad accident during which I’d landed face first knocking out my teeth and causing extensive bruising and I turned in to work - get over yourself

You're being utterly ridiculous. It's a cold sore, not the bubonic plague. 🙄

Is it really acceptable to be in public with a weeping sore that’s contagious? Wouldn’t you be grossed out by it??!
As long as you're not in the habit of going around snogging randoms on street corners, or sharing a cup with someone else, you're fine.
I would barely even notice, or care. You're right, you are vain.
I'm on team get a bloody grip.

Vics vapour rub & i-lysine tablets from Holland & Barrett

Mine are gone within 2 days and I've suffered horrendously all my life

What are you going to do if you get them lots, if I have a cold they appear at the bottom of my nose. They is not much you can do but to put Zovirex or similar stuff on them and wait them out.

Op keep using the patches they are the best way for them to heal quickly and with the least amount of impact plus they help reduce it being passed on.

if you can wfh do it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

Why on earth would you need a prescription for a cold sore just use zovirax

Its a cold sore and not a big deal. People have them all the time.

You could just say that you have a contagious infection which means that whilst you are well enough to work, you don't want to inflict it on your colleagues, so you will be staying at home.

I’ve chosen to WFH before because of a cold sore, so I get you! Especially if it’s a bad one. Mine made my whole lower face swell up - no way was I going to the office when I didn’t really need to looking awful! Unless you have a job where you absolutely need to go in, I wouldn’t.

I totally understand OP. If you can work from home without major issue, why not? It's not nice to walk around with sores on your face, feeling gross.

I've got cold sores caught in childhood, which have thankfully only flared up a handful of times in my life, and I hate people seeing them. I'm not vain about anything else, really, but I don't like having skin issues, and I'd rather avoid everyone seeing me with a scabby, weepy, inflamed (contagious!) sore on my lip.

They are awful, though.
They're not pleasant.

She feels embarrassed by them. That's her valid reaction.

Of course I wouldn't say to somebody you can't come in if you've got one, but I can't pretend they're nice to look at.

I say this as somebody who gets them.

I can actually feel it get more tingly if I get stressed during an outbreak.
I've asked if anybody else does but no replies as yet.

The OP is not being unreasonable to feel as she does.

Bloody waste of time and daft to involve a GP, though.

There's eff all they can do!

I don’t think you even need to take Lysine - you have 1 cold sore in 10 years,the next one might be another 10 years. No need to take extra tablets.

By Tuesday the cold sore will look so much better and no one is looking that closely at your mouth or thinking that much about you.

You are being very overly dramatic for something that is self limiting, one private prescription and a GP appointment!

Unless you're in job where people would look down on you (I don't know, lipstick model?), I don't see a problem, but then, if you have a job where you can wfh just as well, then why not do that anyway?

Be honest, say you have an unsightly, uncomfortable skin problem and don't want to go out until it improves so you would like to work from home.

I would feel exactly the same as you OP!!

Seriously?! I agree with the husband, get to work!

I agree that you are overreacting. I get frequent cold sores and have 200mg aciclovir tablets on prescription which help them heal faster (I recommend keeping a box at home so you can take at the first tingle). I would always prefer people don't see me when the cold sore is at its worst, but I wouldn't miss work because of it.

However, all those people saying they have never passed on their cold sore to anyone - how would you know? I mean, obviously it's only passed on by contact, but if you kiss someone and they don't develop a cold sore that doesn't mean they haven't caught the virus. You can catch it and carry it without symptoms for years. Stress, illness or sunlight can trigger it.

I assume I caught it from my DH, but for years I thought I'd got away with it. Always avoided close contact with him when he had an active cold sore. Then I caught impetigo and that triggered my first cold sore attack.

If this is just a vanity issue then shame on you. It's a cold sore FGS. It will go when it's ready. Put the treatment on it, don't worry it and it will go when it's ready. Nobody will.give a rat's about it. If you are such a beauty then it will let people know you really are human. (Yes, that was sarcastic).

OK but OP also says that she thinks they are “awful” and “embarrassing” and would not want someone in her house who had one.
That feels like judgement to me.

Yeah it's not a public health issue.
I agree they can make you feel self-conscious.