Is this a cold sore?

[erinnyes]

A few days ago I woke up and found a few bumps on my lip that looked like little pimples or blisters. They did not hurt, they only itched a little bit, and not all the time. The itching is not severe, in fact it might just be my imagination.

The night before my lips had been very chapped and dry, but I forgot to put vaseline on them before I went to bed. In the morning I accidentally scraped one of the bumps with my nail, and that's how I discovered they were there. It leaked a tiny bit of clear fluid and "throbbed" but did not hurt. There are about 5-6 bumps, all spread out (some are kind of near one another, but none are clustered). None seem inflamed, and there is no swelling, redness or pain. They're only on my upper lip area, but not where the skin meets the lip. The bumps are tiny, like pinhead sized.

Could these be a cold sore outbreak? I have never had one before, and I am sure I would remember it if I had. I am a bit of a hypochondriac and am very, very careful to never drink after people or kiss someone with sores. I did kiss someone about a month ago (27 days), but wouldn't that be outside the normal incubation period for cold sores?  Also, I did have a blood test done about 1 1/2 years ago for HSV1 and 2, both were negative at that time.

I am very worried I might have cold sores. It's been 3 days now and the blisters have not changed. I want to believe that's not what they are, but I don't know of anything else that causes blister-like bumps on your lip area! I have not been to the doctor because I do not have insurance and am afraid to waste the money on a swab if it ends up I am just being silly. My only reasons for believing this is not a cold sore is the fact that they don't hurt, I had no prodrome symptoms, and they're not clustered like the typical cold sore presentation. Also, the fact that I've never had one.

Please advise? Should I get this checked out or stop worrying about it? I am very upset over this and am losing sleep, not eating well, etc. Thank you for reading, sorry this was long.

[silverfox67]

Wondering if you are allergic to the ingredients in your chap stick.

[Lacedabeat]

It lessens it absolutely!  I hope everything worked out for you :)

[erinnyes]

Thank you for the feedback! It's day 4 of blisters and they're still present and unchanged. Sometimes they seem to flatten (break?) but they just puff right back up again later, especially when I use chapstick. They are no bigger than before.

I broke down and went to planned parenthood to get a swab done today. The clinician and nurse who examined me couldn't see the bumps until I pointed them out, and the clinician told me it didn't look like cold sores to her. She actually wasn't going to do the swab at all until I asked her if she would anyway, to ease my mind.

Now I'm just waiting for the results. On the one hand, she did say it didn't look to her like cold sores, but I don't know what else could cause it, and that's what makes me so darn nervous. Also to clarify, I haven't done any recent sexual activity. My only chance of exposure was making out with someone about a month ago, and when I asked him if he might have had a cold sore then, he said he didn't. I realize I could still get it anyway, but it lessens the odds, right?

[Lacedabeat]

I cannot see your lip, and I do not know what you have been doing in regards of intimate behavior, but as a sufferer of HSV, it sounds like you have it.  Here is the good news, you can go and get it checked pretty quickly.  If it isn't HSV great!  If it is, you are now apart of a one in four people in the world statistic.  HSV is very hush hush, what I learned is it isn't that bad.  My boyfriend who does not have it, forgets I have it because outbreaks aren't that frequent.  There is medication to help with outbreaks.  It really isn't bad at all.  It's just, inconvenient, like a menstrual cycle.  I hope this helps.  I don't mean to scare you.  Remember, one in four, you'd be amazed who you know has the same thing.

[silverfox67]

If you are worried about these little bumps, buy some xylitol.  It is a sweetner that is also an antibiotic.  I just used a little in my coffee a couple of days ago and the blisters that normally get big - went away. I do have herpes simplex as cold sores are called. (Yeah, got them from kissing).  These don't sound like Herpes Simplex, but having Xylitol on hand can't hurt.  Available at health food stores and the Farmer's Markets.