Oral herpes with no blisters??

My situation is a little strange and I am hoping someone will have some insight here. Two weeks ago, I noticed some swelling and pain on the left side of that V shaped thing under my tongue. When I looked in the mirror, it was more red than normal. I didnt think much of it, chalking it up to irritation from my toothbrush or tortilla chips or something. A couple days later, the right side swelled up just the same as the left. This is when I noticed little white spots that looked similar to what youd have on your throat when you have strep. So I started doing salt water rinses. The spots went away, but the swelling and redness remained.

Then last week, my top lip started to swell up on the left side and I had a bright red splotch on the inside of it that was tender/sore. I also noticed the white spots had come back under my tongue. A couple days ago, the right side of my top lip started swelling up as well, and this morning, my bottom lip was a little swollen. So all in all I look like someone had popped me in the mouth. But I must mention that the swelling is worse in the morning. It goes down significantly during the day. Inside my mouth, the red patch had spread across the top and down to the bottom lip.

Now, I never presented with any blisters, not inside or outside of my mouth, just the red splotch and those little white spots which never leaked or anything. My gums are swollen and sore - feels like tiny cuts all inside my mouth - and it hurts to brush my teeth. I have to be careful what I eat otherwise the inside of my mouth just hurts. And on top of that, I have some pain/pressure in my cheeks, my temples, and by my eyes. Because of the swelling, redness and feeling of tiny cuts, I decided to take a Diflucan yesterday in the event that it was oral thrush.

Today, at the behest of my mother, I went to the doctor and all she could come up with was oral herpes/cold sores. So she prescribed Zovirax for ten days. My question is could this really be oral herpes even though I do not have any blisters of any kind? I dont see how thats possible, especially since I have not been sexually active for almost a year and have never kissed anyone with the affliction. Im at a loss at this point because I think the prescription is going to be useless. But maybe Im wrong.

I look forward to any and all feedback because this is driving me nuts. Thank you!!

[Mistakeguy789]

Well it would be weird for herpes to appear in this way.  Did they swab the area or do any testing?  If not here is what I would do chances are I doubt this is herpes.  I would seek a dentisit out and have them give you their thoughts since the mouth is their area after all.  Also chances are you have never been tested for herpes.  If you have no history of cold sores I would say go get a type specific igg test done.  This should tell your HSV status.

[gracefromHHP]

I agree - it would've been helpful if they had did a  pcr swab of your mouth.

does this sound like oral herpes? No it does not and I'd seek out a 2nd opinion elsewhere.

grace

[JustLu79]

No, no swabs or anything were done. She just looked and asked about my symptoms. Said she didnt see any blisters or remnants of blisters but said the redness, swelling and pain were common with oral herpes. When I asked how I could go two weeks with worsening symptoms and still no blisters, she had no answer. After much research online, I am beginning to wonder if its a staph infection or deep rooted tooth/gum infection. I will be getting a 2nd opinion as soon as I can (no insurance, unemployed). My doctor visit yesterday was a free one since she is a friend of my mom's.

Another question, should I continue taking the Zovirax she prescribed? I hate the idea of taking a med I don't need...

Thanks!!

[Mistakeguy789]

I wouldn't take it.  Visual diagnosis is wrong 1/3 of the time.  Chances are this one is wrong and needs a second look.  I would work on the second opinion and cease medicines.  Though the challenge will be if this heals you won't know.

[gracefromHHP]

you already paid for it and no harm in taking it.  if this is actually oral herpes, it should help.

I'd be thinking infection or allergic reaction at this point.  are you using any plumping lip products or cinnamon flavored lip glosses?

[JustLu79]

I also thought of allergic reaction first thing, but could not think of anything that would cause it. I mean, I do have allergies so I take Zyrtec and use FloNase to help control them, but I've not been around anything new to cause this as far as I know.

I don't use any plumping products or anything. Actually, I use no cosmetics at all other than Carmex lip balm and Hawaiian Tropic lip balm.

[JustLu79]

Just thought Id give an update. Thanks to my moms paycheck, I was able to be seen at the urgent care clinic that I normally go to when Im sick. They cover a wide range of issues so I figured they were my best option since theres no way I can afford to see a dentist.

The doctor asked about my symptoms and I told him what the other doctor had said on Wednesday. After examining my mouth, and actually feeling around under my tongue, he said I have a bacterial infection and probably a blockage in my saliva gland since the gland is actually hard. He said the red/sore gums, inflammation and soreness under my tongue is very, very common with the infection. He said my lips may have been swelling due to going two weeks without proper treatment OR they are related to my allergies. He said the only way to know for sure is to see if they stop swelling once Ive been on antibiotics for a few days.

He also told me that the other doctor NEVER should have diagnosed me with oral herpes without doing at least a swab of my mouth since it was clear that A- I had no signs of an outbreak and B- I did not have the typical cold sore symptoms. So he advised that I stop taking the antivirals she gave me.

He told me eventually I will most likely have to go to an ENT doctor to have the gland probed and have the blockage removed, but thats only if doesnt dissolve on its own.

So thats that. And I just want to say thank you to those who replied!!

[gracefromHHP]

glad you got some better answers :)