Annoyed about cold sore

[Floppityflop]

Just that really. Never had one before. I think it must be from glasses or cups at work that dishwasher doesn't properly wash. Not been kissing any strange men. Anything I can do to get rid or am I now stuck with the virus for life? Can I pass it to DH through, er, oral sex?

You have the virus for life, and yes it's contagious to genitals.

Bad luck!
Once you have it it will keep popping back at various, run down stages of your life I'm afraid. They're a real 'kick you when your down' curse. You can get some pretty good creams now though that will stop it in its tracks but only if you catch it early enough.

Go to any large Tesco (or similar), buy a tube of acyclovir (brand name Zovirax), the unbranded one is about a pound for a tube in supermarkets, Zovirax a bit more. Use it, and keep a spare tube for future use (use at the first tingle).

This may be a reactivation of the virus from long ago in your childhood, not necessarily a new infection (it lies dormant at the place you've had it before).

If your cold sore is resistant to the cream, acyclovir is available in tablet form from your GP. For most, the cream will work fast and well.

I would also say it's more likely you've had to virus lying dormant in your system for a long time more than glasses at work. Apparently taking l lysine (amino acid) daily can prevent an outbreak. When I was younger I'd get then yearly. Now I might get a massive fucker about once every five years so it doesn't upset my life particularly.

Have never found anything to stop them coming once you feel the tingle. Creams like Zovirax have been totally useless in my experience.

I suppose that's my come uppance for kissing too many unsuitable men in my early twenties? So no oral sex again then at all?

Just no oral while you currently have one (or can feel the tingle of one on its way).

No contact between the coldsore and any part of anyone else!

And when you have an outbreak be really strict about not sharing pillows/towels

Have you had the Chicken Pox? It's often an after effect of the illness which lies dormant in your system. I had CP at 23 followed by the worst attack of cold sores about 10 months later (entire mouth, nostrils).

Now it's about three a year on my lips. I use Zovirax, occasionally transparent coldsore plasters and a daily application of Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm which also seems to speed up the healing process.

Interesting story. I went to the dentist and had an almost healed coldsore. "Uh oh" he said. "WHAT? Am I going to infect the equipment? Should I have cancelled?" "No, we're going to be pulling at your mouth and that's likely to inflame your coldsore." Sure enough, it set me back about three days .

Sgtmajormummy I ended up going to the dentist with a coldsore (I had really bad toothache) and apologised for it, and the dentist said "I'll soon sort that out" blasted it with something very cold, and the thing dried up and vanished in a few hours. He told me that one of his colleagues in his office gets them and he blasts them with this cold stuff and it sorts them.

I was too fugged up on pain killers and pain to take it in properly and it wasn't my usual dentist (I was out of town) so sorry to be vague!

I now take a pill called Famvir which I can get at the chemists here in NZ - if I take it as soon as I feel the tingle it stops the sore coming up, and if i take it once the sore is there is rapidly speeds up healing. It is expensive (works out at about 20 pounds a time) but works. Not sure if it available over the counter in the UK but worth looking into.

Yes, delay dental treatment if you have a coldsore, it can be incredibly painful. My dentist is good and has just seen me and immediately postponed when he has seen it so they don't mind.

I have managed 20 odd years with DH and not yet infected him. I don't kiss him or the kids when I have one and definitely no oral when you have one. I imagine genital herpes would be very nasty. Also be very careful about washing hands before going to the toilet so you don't infect yourself when you wipe.

I get them a couple of times a year now when I am run down but had them almost constantly when I lived abroad until I realised that sun makes them worse and so use full lip block whenever it is sunny. That has decreased the frequency a lot.

I don't use Zovirax any more as I prefer the cold sore patches. They are transparent and prevent them from crusting up which I think makes them a lot more bearable. If you're a lipstick wearer you can wear it over the patch too. Only buy there compeed ones though, own brand are thicker and not as good at all.

Good luck!

Sgtmajor are you thinking of shingles? Cold sores are a totally different virus, nothing to do with chicken pox. They are a bugger though!

Please ignore my comment about the Chicken Pox (bloody school gate diagnosis, it all seemed so neat!).
I'll have to blame DH now as he had them before we met but doesn't suffer so much. Grr!

I caught mine from my Dad. He either kissed me when I was little or wasn't careful with a towel once. I am scrupulous when I have a cold sore. No one is allowed near me. I would never use a towel on my face during a flare up. You have to act like you are highly contagious from the tingle right up until the thing heals. It's the water in the blisters that has the contagion and that can seep for days and then as it heals it bleeds like a fucker.

Thank you all for this information. It's not what I wanted to hear, but it was informative and useful!

I swear by L-Lysine tablets. I take 3 x 1000mg as soon as I feel a tingle and it stops it in its tracks. Zovirax stopped working for me. Good luck.