Would you judge someone negatively for having a giant cold sore?

[Intensiv14]

I really suffer with these, and got prescription acliclovir yesterday but the thing is still developing and is about 2 cm long travelling down my chin.

I need to go in the office tomorrow and genuinely dreading seeing people face to face with this awful thing. Can’t really wfh tomorrow.

Would you be disgusted at someone with an enormous cold sore or should I just front it out?

On this case I would take a
massive dose of three tablets of Acolvir now and again the morning. And just have so much cream in it’s a white blob, the cream virasorb is £1.50 in Poundland,
if you can find it.

also ask your doctor for fuscdic acid, it is a anti bacterial cream which stops the cold sore getting inflected, which sounds like yours is. Very useful stuff. Say to the dr you are getting impetigo and they’ll perscribe it

No bit I would feel so sorry for you. DH gets them and I know how painful he finds them.

Me too x

I wouldn't judge, I'd be sympathetic as I get them occasionally myself. I wouldn't be covering it with a mask either as I'd be worried it might stick to it!

I wouldn’t judge you at all as I get cold sores myself and used to get absolutely horrendous ones until I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and stopped eating gluten (which has reduced mine in frequency and severity by about 80%). However they are an open, weeping, highly contagious infection and I think people who get used to having cold sores can kind of forget this sometimes so personally I try to do the following when around other people in environments like the office:

• wash my hands regularly
• ensure I don’t touch the cold sore or area close to it at all
• use my own tea/coffee cup and cutlery rather than communal ones (yes I know the virus can’t stay on there after it’s been washed but people feel funny about sharing cups etc)
• don’t join in with any shared food/snacks if it involves you dipping your hand in multiple times eg I would take a wrapped sweet or chocolate but I wouldn’t have something unwrapped where you keep going back for more eg pretzels

maybe over the top but I really don’t want people feeling like I might have infected them and I’d rather be seen to be cautious

No i get them regularly so I'd just think that fucker looks painful and feel sorry for you. One time I had 4 on my mouth, 1 up my nose and various ones dotted about above and below my top and bottom lip. Pre Covid so I couldn't even shove a mask on to hide it.

No, as unless you never get kissed by relatives, you can't help getting the virus really.

It might distract me and I might pity you but it wouldn't disgust me.

Not at all. I get them occasionally but the last time it was basically my whole bottom lip caused by lax sun care on a particularly hot day. So painful & uncomfortable, I'd just feel sorry for you.

Use a Covid mask and take medications and use ointment to kill virus, soothe and relieve pain.

A mask will protect your privacy and people are very used to them now.

OP thank you for the info on the Herpatch, I've ordered some for my dd. Hope you feel better soon 😊

You poor thing! I get cold sores and zovirax just makes mine much worse and enormous (I get them in my nose too). The Herpatch sounds interesting - I use the Compeed patches, lysine supplements and in my nose witch hazel helps. I hope it heals up soon.

@quirkychick, I've always said that Zovirax feeds my cold sores rather than healing them as they look far worse when I use it!

@PinkSparklyPussyCat that's a great description! I haven't had a massive coldsore since I stopped using it.

My Ds got infected age 18m. He was very very ill. ExH then caught it & was also ill (& our ivf tx had to be stopped) Its amazing how nasty a wee virus it is.
Sympathy OP. I'd probably wear a mask if you'd feel better but no reason why you should. It's a different kind to the other kind of herpes (but I got dreadfully teased as a teenager).
Some good tips on here for minimising