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Cold Sores turn into Whitlow & More

i got oral herpes about 6 years ago from my highschool boyfriend.  when i first got it, it was a massive attack.  i went to my dermatologist, he prescribed valtrex and life went on.  years have past, and of course - i get the occasional cold sore.

in the past year, i have gotten herpes whitlow (on my fingers) and herpetetic lesions on the inside of my nose septum.  how did that happen?  the spots that these new lesions have came about, are spots that would be really akward and unlikely for me to self-transfer, especially because once i became educated on HSV, I made sure to wash my hands if i ever touched.  

can this virus make its way through different nerve-ending passageways?  how else would random, tiny, hidden spots on my fingers be taken over? i'm very confident that i did not touch my sores in the spots that they are coming up on.  and does having herpes whitlow indicate whether my herpes infections are more likely to be HSV1 or HSV2?  which brings me to my next question...

i'm interested in getting tested to see if i have HSV1 or HSV2, just out of my own curiosity.  do i have to have an active sore for the test, or can i get a blood test?  also, is the blood test accurate?  i've researched a bit, and am still left confused on whether or not i'd get an accurate lab result.  

and for fyi, i do not have genital herpes - which is what i am trying to prevent, therefore attempting to soak up as much information as possible.  
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101028 tn?1419603004
I'd confirm this is whitlow. it could be but you also could have a bacterial infection going on that is also in the nose so it's well worth following up on with a dermatologist.

grace
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Avatar universal
the whitlow was not even visually diagnosed by a doctor, i have self-diagnosed myself.  however, i know that it is definitely herpes, after my experiences with the way my body shows this virus - im 100% confident they are little baby herps, extremely small individually but overall cover atleast an inch of a finger when flared up in a patch.
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
the lesions in the nose is a natural place for herpes to reoccur in.  

did you have the whitlow on your hands cultured to know it's whitlow or was it just a visual diagnosis?

grace
Helpful - 0
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