Sores in mouth? Canker or something bad?

I've had quite a few issues with my mouth as of late. I went to the the doctor a few months ago because of welling and red dots inside my mouth. She did a swab and said I had a yeast infection in my mouth. The swelling on either side of my frenulum had been getting better but has now returned.

I chew my cheeks and get canker sores often, as they run in my family. Lately I've had more of them than usual. Could this be due to eating more salty food, yeast infection, smoking?

The sore areas do not get worse and typically get better or heal in about a week or sometimes sooner. They never look like blisters and rarely even look like canker sores. Typically they just appear as swollen reddish areas that are sensitive when I run my tongue over them. But if I don't touch them they don't hurt.

If this was herpes wouldn't it hurt even when I wasn't touching it? I haven't performed oral sex, or even kissed anyone in over 3 months. Is it too late to get an initial HSV-1 outbreak? Would I be able to tell if these were herpes sores? I inspect myself very closely.

Someone else posted on this site that in marriages where one person is positive for herpes and the other is not, even with unprotected sex 3-5 times a week only 1 in 20 uninfected persons became infected after a YEAR. Is this true?

[gracefromHHP]

it's most helpful when you keep posting in your original post instead of making new ones each time. thank you for your future cooperation with this.

no reason to think that your mouth issues are due to hsv1 from what you've described. If you want to know if you have herpes, just get a type specific herpes igg blood test to see what your status is.

you have had mouth infections so not surprising that you've had an increase in canker sores too.

grace

[Worried5662]

See that's the issue I keep having. Both my person gynecologist and Dr. Hook have said that I should not take a herpes blood test because the test is "more likely to be falsely positive than to indicate infection." But I can't stop worrying that I have it and it just doesn't present with any symptoms. Every bump and itch is a complete catastrophe.

How often are these tests falsely positive?

Also, I'm not sure if you saw my other question. I recently read that in marriages where one person is positive for herpes and the other is not, even with unprotected sex 3-5 times a week only 1 in 20 uninfected persons became infected after a YEAR. Is this true? If so, then I really have no reason for concern, yes? Considering the unprotected sex I have had has been brief and with people who had no lesions whatsoever and were clean to their knowledge.

PLEASE someone help me with my questions about the the blood tests and whether or not I have to be concerned. I'm 18 and I have a problem with anxiety and I don't know how I'm ever going to be free from worrying that I don't have herpes if everyone is insisting that most cases don't present with any symptoms, but then my doctors tell me not to have a blood test! Please help.

[gracefromHHP]

if you get a + result on the igg blood tests then you are infected. It doesn't mean that it's the cause of your symptoms but then you know your status so that you and your partner/future partners can make educated decisions about what precautions to take for sex/oral sex. since you have concerns about your herpes status, easiest way to know if you have herpes is to get tested.  1 out of every 3 people your age has hsv1. Only 1 out of every 10 has hsv2.

only 5% of couples where one partner has herpes and the other doesn't ( this only applies to hsv2 actually ) end up with both partners being positive by the end of the year and that's with minimal precautions. Knowing a partner is infected with hsv2, allows you to take precautions to lower the risk of transmission significantly.

[Worried5662]

My doctor also said that typically if you don't present with an initial outbreak it means your immune system suppressed it. She said this happens a lot with healthy people, but not so much with people who have deficiencies. I do not have HIV or anything like that, but I'm generally not a very healthy person. I smoke/drink and I don't eat very well. When I contracted HPV I presented with warts in the typical amount of time for initial outbreaks.

My doctor reasoned that because I got an initial outbreak of warts, it would not really make sense that my body could suppress herpes and not HPV. So, by her logic, the fact that I haven't had any symptoms is good evidence that I do not have it. Does this sound logical to you?

[gracefromHHP]

actually it's more about  your genes as to whether or not you'll show obvious cold sores or not. Whether or not you'll get obvious genital hsv2 lesions is based on your genes as well as your prior hsv1 status.

same goes with hpv. also smoking makes hpv harder to get rid of . one more reason to stop smoking ( along with all the money you'll save! ).

[Worried5662]

I agree with you about the smoking and i'm making a real effort. Also, sorry if this is a stupid, paranoid question. For the past 4 months or so, I've had these swollen bumps on either side of my frenulum (that thing under your tongue.) When it first showed up, it looked like there were little soft bubbles on my frenulum also. I was convinced these were herpes blisters since they looked like they had fluid in them. But they were soft and didn't hurt or itch or anything.

I went to the doctor and she took a swab and said it was a yeast infection. She gave me medicine ( a mouth rinse) that worked somewhat but never really completely resolved the problem, but got rid of the bubbles. But now it's back and I'm really concerned. There's no way she could have been mistaken right? And even if she was, it couldn't be herpes, because only the first outbreak is on the inside of the mouth and the rest are on the outside. Yes? Thank you so much for your patience. I'm just so terrified.

[gracefromHHP]

those are not herpes. google mucocele. I betcha that's what they are.

[Worried5662]

Okay. It's sort of smaller and looks more moveable than those. But I trust your opinion that I shouldn't worry until I see a doctor.

[gracefromHHP]

the ones under the tongue are fairly moveable. they usually go away on their own but when they don't, they can drain them. Your dentist is the right choice to see about them.

[Worried5662]

It's me again. Sorry to bother you. I just remembered a time about a year ago when i had a single episode of unprotected sex for no more than a few minutes. He had no signs of an outbreak. Shortly after, I developed what seemed to be a yeast infection. Complete with burning, itching, and clumpy discharge. Now, thinking back, I'm not sure if I ever looked down there to make sure I didn't have anything. I think I felt around and everything seemed smooth and bump/blister free. But I don't really remember. I am terrified this was herpes, since the timeline fits, but my doctor assured me that yeast infections after unprotected sex are common since they change the pH balance in your vagina? Is this true? If there was clumpy discharge than most likely it was yeast yes? Thanks for your help.

[gracefromHHP]

really no way to know what was going on a year ago now.

[Worried5662]

I guess my question is does herpes ever present with cottage cheese like discharge?

[gracefromHHP]

no it does not.