to ask for your help re dh facial herpes

[Soleurmange]

Hi all, sorry i am posting for traffic - dh has multiple cold sores (which i can never see because he treats them with zovirax and he is on medication from the doctors) which means that he often doesnt want to kiss me and is worried about our new born daughter lying on his pillows, in case we catch it.

i presonally would be a lot more relaxed about it, but he caugth it from his father has a child when given a kiss with a cold sore.

the medication from the dr doesent seem to be working and he is coming to the end of a 3 month prescription. it has been a rather taboo subject for a ong time as he is very embarrassed about it, but we have agreed to tackle it head on properly in the new year and look at changing his diet/ try alternative medicines/ pay for a trip to a dermatologist. the trouble is, i have no idea where to start. any advice gratefully received.

i just wondered if anyone was stll on this thread - dh only 'thinks' what he is getting are cold sores, i have reaslied. apparetnly, zovirax is the only thing that kills them and the gp said that if only zovirax works, they can only be cold sores. is that true?

I don't know! Do they look like cold sores?

Coldsores are very distinctive, surely you must have noticed them on your DH? They start out small and blistery and then get great big yellowy scabs. Sometimes there's a tingly feeling before one comes on.

Just wanted to say thanks to all the posters on this thread for their advice, I'm going to try the L-lysene.

My outbreaks are much less frequent now (currently got a huge one, first one in about a year) but I tend to get them when I'm run down.

I kiss my DH and my DC (obvs not when I have an active coldsore) and none of them have ever had an outbreak.

Cold sores are very visible?!

Aloe Vera Vaseline lip balm seems to make them disappear in 2 to 3 days instead of a week or longer in my case. First hint of a tingle, on with the balm and keep on keeping that area covered in the balm. Also up the Vitamin C, i get them when i am run down and havent been eating well. I can usually head them off this way now and they no longer develop into a full blown sore. I'ver heard Lysine is great but lip balm is cheapo solution!

Ruperta

'2. Although they can be uncomfortable they are not going to progress to any bad illness which will cause ill health or long term physical consequences'

Coldsores on my face often make me feel extremely ill. In addition, the ones in my eyebrows, if spread, risk my eyesight. For those who suffer enough to be on oral medication it can actually be fairly serious a condition.

'3. Neonatal herpes can be fatal but is only caught by the baby if the mother has a case of primary genital herpes (her first ever infection) during delivery - this is extremely rare.'

It's even rarer to experience a fatality from a facial cold-sore but it is possible. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287767/Two-month-old-baby-boy-killed-cold-sore-virus-loving-kiss-father.html

I get a bit cross when the potential effects of coldsores are underplayed as there are some people who suffer quite considerably. After my first ds was born I had constant sores and was unable to give him his first kiss until after he was a year old. Add to that breastfeeding was stressful as his little arms would reach for my face and I was terrified he would pass my virus to his own eyes. Because of misinformation like above my GP didn't take me seriously until I had collected evidence of 70 coldsores over a 8 months period, -dated pictures.