Bump on my lip. Does not seem like herpes.

[kyledoogie85]

I have these recurring bumps on my lips that I have experiencing since August of last year.  I went to see a doctor and he told me that for sure that it was herpes.  I took a blood test for herpes 1 and 2 and it came back negative.  In February, I got retested again and it came back negative for both.  I went to a dermatologist and he prescribed me solodyn (minocycline) for folliculitis and said that most likely that is what it is.  Recently I experienced the same bumps on the same side of my lower lip where my lip meets my skin.  I went to get it tested today and the doctor did not test for herpes, but said that it most likely was herpes.  I told her about my frequent tests and that I have been taking solodyn and she said that it could be folliculitis.

I am confused because the doctors seem to think it is herpes when they look at it, but after the blood tests reveal that i don't have herpes.  They do not look like folliculits because there really isn't any hair around my lips and they do not look like herpes either because they usually only last a week are painful, but do not really weep and crust over.

[gracefromHHP]

You can also ask your provider to give you the supplies to have at home to do a home pcr swab on the rashes when you get them. Otherwise ask them to please let their receptionists know that you need to be seen within a day the next time you call for a culture. You don't even need to see a doctor for it -any of the nurses in the clinic can swab them for you :)

grace

[Curiousitykilledthecat1225]

If it's important to you to find out what's going on with your lips or surrounding skin, then you need to call the derm when you have this issue and tell the receptionist you have a "rash" and it's an emergency. This way you get in while it's actually just begun and get it cultured that day.  They just will need to squeeze you in between patients or perhaps give you a canceled appt. and you will get answers not guesses as to what is going on.

[kyledoogie85]

My problem is that the sores only last for a few days.  Once I get a sore.  I have to make an appointment that will be in a week and by that time the sore has popped and began to heal.  The ones on my lips are very infrequent probably the last one was in february and the ones on my lips were last Sunday and were pretty much gone by wednesday.  Right now there are scars, but it's not crusted like the descriptions of herpes

[gracefromHHP]

at this point I recommend a lesion culture of the symptoms, no more blood tests. A blood test only tells you what you have, not what is going on.  The providers you see have mixed feelings about what is going so lesion cultures would be the best bet at this point.

grace