my God the ITCHING!!!!! >:O

[Uppa]

Hey everyone - I'm having a very confusing, VERY itchy time trying to figure out what's going on here.  I just saw a doctor on Monday.  He checked out my first cold sore ever (or so it seemed) as well as VERY itchy red bumps on my genital area.  He said he "thought" it was herpes.  Took a blood sample and a culture from what he thought was an oozing blister.  It wasn't though - the night before I was in bed, and it was warm, and before I noticed the bumps I had severe itching going on  - so, being a guy, I scratched myself.  With the itching, the moisture, and the scratching I scratched a very small area a bit raw.  An area smaller than a pea.  So when he saw it the next day that's what he took the culture from.  I tried to explain it wasn't an oozing blister, but just a scratched raw area.

Then there's my eye.  The skin on the inside of my eye (closest to my nose), not my eyeball, just where the eyelids connect near your nose - was also very itchy.  I try not to touch it during the day, but I wake myself up scratching in the middle of the night.  About every two hours when I sleep I'll wake up in itching agony.  

Anyways - My lip - swelled up, looked like I was getting a cold sore over my entire upper lip.  Literally from one side to the other. But it never blistered really, never oozed anything, and never scabbed.  I did keep it very medicated with carmex, blistex, and one day of abreva.  Itched like hell.  He put me on Ayclovir which helped my lip, but nothing else.  The day after I started the medication, "downstairs" got worse.  It's been since last Sunday, and it's the Saturday (6 days) now, and it's only really gotten worse.  still, no bubbly blisters, no oozing, just VERY itchy red bumps that are now clustering together.  ITCHY!!!

I should hear back on the blood and culture results sometime next week...  but the itching is killing me.  Thank god I'm not working right now - I wouldn't be able to function.  

1. Got a coldsore on my entire upper lip, but no oozing or scabbing, just VERY itchy.
2. Swollen skin around my both eyes now (one noticable, the other one not really)  even a small itchy spot on my nose - no blistering, oozing, just red, swollen and ITCHY.
3. Clustered red bumps on my genitals, no blistering, no oozing, just ITCHY!!!
4. Recently - itchy ear.

What in the hell is going on??  Like I said - I'll at least have a herpes diagnosis by mid next week, but my god, no pain at all here, just the most incredible itching I've ever experienced in my entire life.  I almost with it was pain I was feeling not this damn itching...

[Uppa]

Sooo dooooo I.

I'm definitely going back Monday.  I'm on 1200mg's a day.  3x400mg pills.

I have 4 more days left on it including today.  My lip is almost completely healed.  Just a bit chapped is all.  No scabbing, no scars, nothing.  Looks totally normal now.

I'm off to buy out CVS Pharmacy's Benadryl supply ;)

I'll keep you posted on what happens Monday...  anyone else have any ideas??  Shingles maybe?

[gracefromHHP]

How much acyclovir and for how long did they prescribe?

This could be many, many things going on.  Returning to your provider monday for further work up is the best idea since this seems to be affecting more than just your lips and genital area at this point.

Meanwhile - warm soaks with a washcloth to the eye several times a day.

Benadryl at bedtime for itching to help you sleep too.

Soaking in the tubby with epsom salts thrown in or aveeno bath or corn starch for comfort and to help with the itching down there too.

Hope you get some answers and relief soon :)

grace