To think this could be hsv1?

[Sleepbabysh]

I have been very ill the last few days, vomiting, high fever and sweating whilst feeling cold and aching bones as well as huge swollen glands. I went to the Dr today who said they are positive it's tonsilitis and have given me antibiotics but also taken a swab to be 100%. Since then a strange spot has appeared on my lip and my cheek beside it has been tingling. When I was googling the causes of tonsillitis it said that one of the ways could be hsv1. I have never had a coldsore in my life but my 12 year old stepson gets them. He was feeling ill for a couple of days last week but it was mainly a cough (he's was constantly coughing round the house without covering his mouth which was driving me nuts). I realised this morning that he has been using my toothbrush. Getting him to brush his teeth can be a nightmare and apparently he didn't brush them for a while so when we got on at him and he started brushing them again he didn't realise he was using a different one to his own (his is all black, mine is black and white with a different coloured head). This hasn't just been once but he couldn't tell us how often he'd been using my toothbrush. I'm really worried that I've now got hsv1 from him and it's caused a huge argument between my partner and I because I said I would be annoyed if I did. I feel like at 12, almost 13, years old he's old enough to have decent dental hygiene without going so long without using a toothbrush that he doesn't know which one is his (and we tell him regularly to brush his teeth but he says he has when he hasn't).

I'm really hoping the the swab will come back saying that it's not but curious as to whether other mumsnetters think that it's likely (probably also hoping for some reassurance that it's not).

Just to add, because I know often assumptions can be made, DSS lives with us full time, me being pissed off if I've got herpes from him using my toothbrush doesn't mean that I hate or dislike him, we actually have a pretty good relationship, but I would rather not have it and have to be careful about how and when I kiss my children and so yes, I would be pissed off to have caught it as a result of that.

12, 13 is most definitely well old enough to manage own toothbrushing twice a day. Disgusting to go so long without having brushed his teeth. Put yours in a toothbrush tube in a separate place incase he doesn’t forget again 🙄 Kid needs some serious education on reasons for maintaining personal hygiene (AND covering mouth when coughing!! ) He’ll be getting teeth pulled by 16 otherwise.

I had actually been keeping it on top of the cabinet away from all the others (because the kids have a tendency to knock them onto the floor and leave them there) but we are selling our house and had a bunch of viewings so I put it in there for a few weeks to keep it out of sight. Wishing I'd just left it there now.

Ahh fuck. Never had one but the tingling doesn’t sound good.

Before I got to that part of your OP I was going to say Strep throat was really bad earlier this year. It took me 3 swabs for it to show up and 5 sets of antibiotics!! I don’t even think I cleared it. I think I just became a carrier who became asymptomatic.

My skin also was affected with breakouts, acne type red spots, raised bumps, whiteheads. Complete nightmare!

I felt like it colonised everywhere. Incredibly nasty bacteria. So trust your gut. If you do think it’s bacterial keep going back.

Ahh fuck. Never had one but the tingling doesn’t sound good.

Before I got to that part of your OP I was going to say Strep throat was really bad earlier this year. It took me 3 swabs for it to show up and 5 sets of antibiotics!! I don’t even think I cleared it. I think I just became a carrier who became asymptomatic.

My skin also was affected with breakouts, acne type red spots, raised bumps, whiteheads. Complete nightmare!

I felt like it colonised everywhere. Incredibly nasty bacteria. So trust your gut. If you do think it’s bacterial keep going back.

Primary hsv1 causes all your symptoms but in addition you would be suffering from multiple painful mouth ulcers all over the inside of your mouth. I was 10 when I had it and I’m now 60 and still remember the pain.
Most people ( 75% of the population) pick it up during childhood. A small number will suffer secondary infection, cold sores, because it lies dormant in the original nerve ganglion. But you can experience a secondary infection years after the primary when your immune system is compromised by another infection. If you develop a cold sore it is more than likely you have had hsp1 as a child and it is a coincidence.

Covid, however is now spreading rapidly through the population with the return to school after the summer holidays and mass international travel. I’m recovering from it having caught it of DS who was gatecrashing the freshers events at our local uni.
I have had swollen glands, fever, aching limbs, dodgy gut since Saturday. I’ve had it every September/October since 2021, I’m lucky that it is a short lived severe cold. I wouldn’t classify it as flu, just 3 days of feeling shit with very rapid recovery.
I know it is Covid because I still get free tests because of the job I do. The one I did on Sat was very positive.

Your DSS cough is classic post covid.

Funnily enough I read online that strep can cause blisters and sores on lips so I'm almost hoping it's that so that at least it's not permanent. Although saying that it sounds like you had it pretty awful and I don't fancy the sound of that much either.

That does sound exactly how I've been. I've not had any mouth ulcers so fingers crossed on that front.

Sorry to hear you've been having a tough time. I think that living with someone long-term that has HSV1 means being exposed the virus one way or the other. I reckon you would have been exposed to it long before now (likely before living with your DSS).

I'm just coming out the other side of a really nasty bout of tonsilitis. I reckon it was the Epstein-Barr Virus, which is part of the herpes family and really common or it was Strep A. If it had lasted longer then I would have thought it was mono, but it started on Saturday and my tonsils were much less tender today. My symptoms were:

• Fever (with crazy fever dreams and night sweats)

• Intense body aches that woke me at night and kept me up for hours

• Very swollen, tender tonsils completely covered (not just spotty) in white pus. It hurt to open my mouth, talk or even move my neck.

• Swollen glands

• No apetite/nausea when eating

I also got a spot on my cheek, which I thought was just random but my DS (who also had whatever it was) also ended up with a spot. Tingling/nerve sensations can happen with mono.

I hope you feel better soon OP.

You can’t catch herpes from a toothbrush, the virus can lie dormant in your spinal fluid for years without symptoms, so you could have carried it for years and never known about it until now. Around 80% of the U.K. population carry HSV-1, and that’s only a rough estimate, it’s likely to be higher.

The virus has a tendency to break out when someone is run down or stressed, so the fact you’ve been feeling unwell might not be because of herpes, but more that the illness, whatever it is, has caused the outbreak because your immune system is compromised at the moment.

Also, although herpes is most associated with tingling followed by sores, the sores don’t always appear when the virus is active. This is why herpes can be passed on when there are no visible sores, because people don’t realise they are still contagious.

It’s quite possible that being unwell has left your immune system susceptible to opportunistic viruses including cold sores.

I’ve been unwell for over 2 weeks with a vile cold virus that was negative for Covid, GP said was unlikely to be a chest infection (despite coughing up green gunk for at least 10 days) and is probably because of DCs starting school - we all caught something the same week, the rest of the family is better but it has left me feeling rotten!! And, on top of that, I’ve now got a UTI so have antibiotics.

Okay, so I stand corrected. According to one or two sources online it is possible to be passed through objects that have had contact with infected saliva, but it’s very unlikely as herpes doesn’t survive very long away from the skin so unless you’ve been using your toothbrush immediately after him, I think you can rule that out. It’s much more plausible that you’ve been a silent carrier until now, and your illness has caused the virus to activate.

It's more likely you've had it a long time OP, there's no way of telling if this is new. As PPs said most of the population carries the virus. I had my first cold sore about 19, never had a major super painful outbreak, just one sore pops up now and again. The sore is painful if not caught early, but it's otherwise a non event for many people. It's never had any real impact on my life. If you know for sure you've got it and use one of the creams when the tingling starts you can often stop the sores appearing. I've been very sick and run-down and still not had them. It's more likely to occur when you are run-down or sick, but that doesn't mean it happens everytime youre sick. My immune systems pretty messed up and the last time I can remember having one was 15 years ago. I may have had one more recently but pretty sure it's been over a decade at least.