God Fucking Dammit!

[branwyn]

Comments

[cajunfox]

To be fair,
I used to get cold sores as a kid, then after kissing someone who had a cold sore I've had then nearly every month for the past while. I figured it didnt matter becuase I got them as a kid..
The doctor told me I probably caught another strain then the one I had before..
it's a possibility that this is what happened, you can get medication for it that stops them before they break out, it's the same one you would use if you had other forms of herpes >.>

Luckily for me the sores are all inside my mouth and not visible, and there's only one person I'm kissing now so it's not an issue :P

[branwyn]

Interesting. Hmm.

I use an OTC med called "Abreva" which is supposedly the best - as soon as you feel the cold sore starting (the tingling itchiness) you start applying it, the sooner you do it the better - which is why I bothered to go home at lunch, since I only discovered it on my way to work. In retrospect I should have turned around as soon as I figured out what it was, I probably would have had time to do it and still get to my meeting on time. ;)

B.

[chem_explosion]

Um....mebbe your shardy dressing was making angry muzzles. o.O

[branwyn]

Nah, I doubt that. It might be the odd weather in Toronto, or stress, or some combination - or, as someone suggested, maybe I caught a new strain of it, and it's having it's way with me before settling down.

B.

[green_eyed_view]

I think there's a prescription you can get in pill form that works a lot better, and it's probably cheaper.

[branwyn]

Yeah? I shall have to ask about that.

B.

[bastett]

Odd, I used to get them too but, as with most people, they stopped appearing in my mid to late teens (same as warts, kids get em then get over em).

You might want to see a doctor, perhaps your immune system isn't doing as well as it should be?

[branwyn]

Hmm, I'd never heard that before, that they sorta "clear up" in adulthood. I'd always understood that it's something that you'll keep getting. The only thing I'd heard is that the first time you get them is the worst.

I'll definitely bring it up with my doctor.

B.

[bastett]

I think stress makes it worse and also an active cold sore can spread making more cold sores, so once you have one you need to be really careful not to touch it and to wash your hands often etc.

There are some really good cold sore treatments out there, but they work before the cold sore is exposed. I'm sure you're familiar with that odd, hot feeling on your lip before a cold sore appears? As soon as you feel even a hint of that, put on some cold sore cream and the bugger won't appear.

[branwyn]

Yeah, they can spread once you have one, I am careful about that too - I don't want anyone else to get them, and I don't want any more myself, either.

And yeah, I know the "I'm getting a cold sore feeling" all too well - even if I do catch it then, though, the medication I use doesn't stop it before it appears, it just significantly shortens its duration.

Someone told me this weekend that if you cut a raisin in half and press the cut half to the cold sore for about ten minutes, and do that every few hours (which ishow often I have to apply the medication I have anyways), that'll kill it in a day or two - which is way faster than anything else I've seen. I'm desperate enough to try it.

B.

[something_srice]

I used to get canker sores occaisionally as a kid, now I might get just one or two in a year, maybe. Since they are in my mouth, it makes them sting when you eat certain foods or accidently bite them.

I usually just bear through it, but if I can't, I use Ambersol to numb them. I don't know if that is helpful for you or not.

Also, cold sores are a form of herpes, and one's body is usually able to keep them at bay, but if your immune system is over-taxed (say, when you are fighting a virus, like a cold) your body tends to let that slip in pursuit of the bigger problem. It can also result from having too much stress I imagine. Just some thoughts.

[branwyn]

Yeah, I get canker sores too - totally different thing. Anbesol is a godsend for those, though - I always end up biting them and making them worse and it's a vicious cycle. They're not related to cold sores, though. I can handle canker sores - they're not contagious and they go away a lot faster. I usually only get them if I eat a lot of something very acidic (I'm a fiend for mandarin oranges, so I usually get them at Christmas).

There are a lot of things that can trigger a cold sore outbreak, including injuries (biting your lip for example), stress, etc. - but a few people have noted immune system depression, and so now I'm a little concerned.

Thanks!

B.