Aibu to hide away until this clears?

[LampShadeHeid]

I’ve been having a rotten few weeks when I’ve felt like I’ve been coming down with something- rough throat every morning, feeling pretty congested.
It’s came to a head last week when the runny nose started, a dry tickly cough, headache, congestion. As what always happens whenever I get a cold, a cold sore appears not long after.

This time however, massive blisters have appeared on the tip of my nose, all around in a strange “bite mark” type pattern. My nose is now bright red and swollen With about 4 large blisters and about 3 more smaller ones clustered around. I’ve honestly cried about it, I know it’s silly, and I’m not at all a vain person, but it seriously looks so awful and I’m terribly self conscious about it.

Please tell me to get a grip and just get on with things! I’ve avoided going out at all this weekend because of it, and I actually have enough to do this week that I can’t stay hidden in until it’s clear. Has anyone been in the same boat and can offer any words of wisdom?

Is it good sores? If not loads of vitamins and berrocca and Vaseline all over the sore bits before bed.

*cold sores

Yep definitely cold sores. I’ve been dosing up on vitamins for weeks to help boost my immune system.

Oh no that’s so rotten for you, I can totally see why you feel the way you do. I’m not vain neither but I think I know I would feel the same way (and I have).

I haven’t had them for ages for used to get cold sores really badly and it made me want to hide away. But you know what? Whenever I see someone else with an outbreak of cold sores/exzema/acne I never think “ugh that looks disgusting”, I just see the person for who they are (lovely hair/nice smile/animated way of talking etc.) and yes I do notice their skin condition but it doesn’t affect the way I seem them at all. If that makes sense! I just wanted to say that you might think people think something when they look at you but in reality they really don’t. They just see “you”, cold sores or not. Hope you feel better soon x

Get Zovirax from the pharmacy or supermarket. There is also another brand which is like medicated plasters to put over cold sores.

I sometimes get a cold sore inside one nostril when I have a cold, and also often bordering the nostril entrance and they are much more painful than on the lips so you have my sympathy

If this happens often go to the doc and ask for acilivor in tablet form.

When I am run down I often get cold sores I my lip which causes the lip to swell and affects the nervea in my teeth so I have to drink through a straw and it often goes onto my nose. The tablets are the only thing that works.

Also if you can compeed patches will help to dry it out. I often stick them on my nose...

And macleans plain toothpaste left on over night... has to be macleans though

Also don't blame you. Have taken sick days for cold sores cause I can't eat, drink or talk and genrally feel hideous

Thank you for your kind words happy

Unfortunately cold sore treatments do not work for me, especially when they are already established. It’s like a constant tingling on my nose which I need to consciously need to remember not to touch. I have a 12 week old baby too, so I am being paranoid about hand hygiene to avoid passing anything onto her

I might need to look into getting the tablets from the gp, over the years I think I have tried everything and spent a small fortune on all the must haves to try. I’m waiting the next cream to try to come from amazon which I heard good things about, but we shall see.

Are you sure it's not hand, foot & mouth?

I caught that from DD/her friends in playgroups, twice. I have never felt so ill and the blisters were a cherry on top of an awful, awful cake.

L lysine supplements, get them from Holland and Barrett take four or five a day, it will heal quicker. If you keep a stock next time you have a cold take them two a day morning and night and you'll either avoid the cold sore or it will be minimal

@cycleasy
Wow, how mean and unhelpful.

I have no wise words or magic treatment. But I get them like that occasionally too so I understand how you feel. Whilst you think they’re really obvious, other people really won’t notice them in the same way!

And a story. My mum almost didn’t go on a second date with my dad because they’d arranged a date but she she erupted in cold sores all along her top lip and didn’t want to go out anywhere. She didn’t have a number or any way to contact him so couldn’t cancel. In the end she decided to go. They’ve been married over 50 years so I don’t think it put him off!

Definitely just cold sores, which just happen to appear on the tip of my nose. It’s happened before. I also had a lovely breakout under my nose once which made me look as though I was sporting a beautiful red, scabby hitler moustache.

Lysine has had no positive effect on me previously either. I had been taking then religiously a few years ago but they made no different.

Lemon balm supplements and lysine balm from Holland and Barrett, smother it on every where there’s a cold sore, it works like magic.

cycleasy as a cold sore sufferer....FUCK OFF!

Op, try Zovirax or Cymex Ultra, they are good but tbh, once the blisters are out there's not much you can do. I hate it when I get an outbreak, it feels like I've got three heads, but it always feels as though it looks worse than it actually does.

Agree about the lysine. And keep them soft and less prone to splitting with a beeswax based balm.

I'm prone to them on my nose but last year, when I was moving house, I was as stressed as hell by all the usual house move nightmares and also reacting badly to the cardboard packing cartons. The result was cold sores all over my bloody face and I had no choice but to brazen them out.

What a lovely story newmum
Thankfully I don’t have any hot dates, no big presentations, no special events coming up. Just afraid to show my big scabby nose in general public is scary enough! Hope I can camouflage it a little bit with make up so it’s not completely obvious.

I can sympathise. I used to have regular cold sores 20 odd years ago, but none since until one erupted yesterday. Zovirax is helping. I've been needing to go for a nap in the afternoon, obviously I am a bit run down. Thank goodness it is half term. Take life a bit easier LampShade.

I've had a Hitler moustache of cold sores too - high five, OP!
I read that a turmeric paste can help.

Yeah, don't try that. It's probably obvious to everyone else that it would just be like drawing round the Hitler moustache with with a yellow highlighter pen, but I was desperate.

I get horrible cold sores a few times a year and none of the usual treatments work for me - especially if they have already blistered etc but i have been using Bonjela cold sore cream and it is honestly amazing. I have went from the cold sores being there for 2 weeks + even when using cymex, blistex and now they are gone with 3-4 days!

Best thing I have ever used- give it a try! It also goes on clear rather than white so it is a bit less noticeable than other creams

Aww zebra! I too was desperate. I thought the more cold sore cream I applied the faster it would heal. It burned my skin! I had a red scar right at my hitler moustache area for years! It’s only just started to fade away in the past year or so.

I will try the bonjela cream if I see some. The one I’ve ordered is called bio propolis. Can’t comment on whether it’s good or not yet but it has got good reviews.

Ah I sympathise, cold sores are miserable. Often feel worse than they look though. I get them on my bottom lip from time to time - once the blisters are out there's not much that can be done but I like that savlon with lidocaine in it, really takes the pain away. I put it on a few times a day and also zap them with my biostick (light therapy). Hope you feel better soon OP.

You can buy acyclovir tablets over the counter now. I take valocylovir daily and have been two years without an outbreak (crosses fingers that I've not jinxed the efficacy). I don't know if they are safe for BF but I'd recommend them once you've stopped.