Primary Oral Herpes

[Thora126]

4 days ago I started developing a cold sore on my lower lip. This was my first outbreak. Over the course of the last four days I've also developed several sores in my mouth that look exactly like canker sores. They're on the roof of my mouth (hard palate), in the cheeks, upper and lower lips, and on the tongue. They're extremely painful, I've had trouble eating because of them, and they caused me to miss work today, as I could not even open my mouth to talk this morning. I also have gingivitis because of this infection, and it makes it dreadful to brush or floss. I have excellent oral hygiene so this is not a normal problem. At present I have two pea-sized ulcers on my upper lip, followed by several pin head sized ones. The lower lip is home to one large cluster about the size of a jellybean. (The othes: palate and cheek, are pea sized, and the sores on the tongue just look like swollen white tastebuds. All are painful).

I'm curious if anyone had similar symptoms upon their primary outbreak (which I understand happens most in children. My symptoms are the same as the cases you see in 2 year olds). Mostly what I'm wondering is if the ulcers IN my mouth and the gingivitis are related to the herpes outbreak, or if I just got lucky and happened to have two outbreaks at once. I was under the most stress I've been in in my life, plus I was menstruating, so I understand that those could trigger an outbreak as well.

I've seen the doctor but he just looked at my mouth, said 'Ew that's gross' and put me on antivirals. I'll be seeing someone else for tests in the next few days, if symptoms keep up. The coldsore is starting to heal, but the 'canker sores' (I hope) are appearing in full force. On top of all this, I have lymph nodes the size of walnuts that are preventing me from even turning my head. Thanks, immune system! Fever, chills, lack of appetite, muscle aches, and dizziness are also giving me a great time.

The chances of an STD (besides the herpes) are unlikely, and my symptoms don't match any STD's I've seen.

Thoughts?
Thanks!

[Thora126]

Lactose intolerant. Thanks though.
As for the painkiller, I'm taking ibuprofen. I'm allergic to all the good meds and really don't need anything stronger than that. The burning is coming from the scabs coming off, and the fresh skin underneat being exposed. I have a creme I'm using in addition to the antiviral medications. My coldsore case is kind of atypical. The symptoms are worse than most would experience, so I wouldn't look to find many similarities between mine and yours. Herpes gingivostomatitis is what I've had the pleasure of dealing with.
Glad to hear yours healed up nicely.
All the best
T

[greatgatsby]

Gosh, ants biting your lips.  Maybe you should try painkiller.

My coldsore didn't hurt, or tingle, or itch.  But it was a lesion, a pus-filled round patch.  It healed after 1 week with no scarring.  I put Zavorex cream on it a few times a day.  (Zavorex is a rough spelling).

Speaking of jello, I think I read somewhere that it has high arginine content.  You know the Lysine vs Arginine (spelling are not accurate).  I think jello is high on arginine.  Maybe yogurt is better, as it's dairy product and has high Lysine.

Good luck with the recovery.
Richard

[Thora126]

The cold sore on my lip is doing the whole crust-over-and-fall-off bit, but it HURTS more than anything I've experienced. Woke me up a few times in the night because it burned like hell. Feels like ants keep biting my lips, or something along those lines.

To answer your question, yes I've had a stiff neck, but that was on account of my gargantuan lymph nodes, dizziness, yes (possible side effect of the antivirals, though), and I feel like I have the flu. Reese Witherspoon movies and jello have been keeping me company.

As for the virus, it usually hangs out in the trigeminal ganglion, which is near the ear. While it CAN spread to the brain, this is rare, and I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

Thank you for your kind words and support. I also hope you start to feel better soon.
-T

[greatgatsby]

i hope you feel better soon!

how are things progressing?

I had my first coldsore 10 days ago.  i've been down and under WORSE than the DOW.

other than the sores, do you experience any stiff neck, dizziness, and general unease?
i believe the virus is burrowed inside nerve cells near the skull, so i hope there's no
neurological implications, which is what concerns me the most.

you are not alone, we must battle together against this thing and not let it affect our enjoyment of life!
Richard

[Thora126]

Thanks a lot. I'll be doing that later today!

[gracefromHHP]

Call your doctor and ask them to phone you in a prescription for magic mouthwash ( yes that's really what it's called ).  It'll help with the mouth sores a lot.

This could be oral herpes or it could be another viral illness going on. many out there that can cause symptoms like this.  If you started on antivirals for herpes then it's too late to get a culture of lesions to confirm hsv1.

grace