Have I been infected with oral herpes by sharing a joint

[amit21374]

Hi doctor,

I am 45 years old person and in US right now.  A week back I met a very old friend here who is an Indian. He offered me a rolled joint of marijuana which we both smoked.  2 days i met him again and we smoked another joint. While we were smoking I saw some kind lesion or cut on the corner of his lip that was healing and I asked what it was and he said it was a cold sore because of the cold and was healing.  I asked him again if it was a cold sore or an angular Cheilitis but he did not answer me correctly.   I had a fight with him after this.

I had a few beers later on but kind of realized I have a burning sensation in my lip, not very bad but I could feel it slightly/. This happened a couple of hours after I had the joint, had food and when I came back home, it was still there.  Next day it was better but still slightly there.  I am really worried if I caught up HSV or oral herpes if he had a cold sore.  I have two young kids and a very loving wife  and I am really scared to tell them. I would really appreciate if any of the doctors here can answer them, I would appreciate if Dr. Heinsfield can answer them. It has been two days now, slight burning sensation on the left side of my top lip but nothing is swollen or any pimple or blister or  has emerged.

1. What are the chances I caught Oral Herpes?

2. Why did I have a burning sensation after smoking the joint?

3. Do I need to get any test done?

I would really appreciate if you can answer these concerns.

[auntiejessi]

At 45, there is a good chance you already have hav1 and don’t know it. 90% of those with it never get a cold sore. If you already have it, you can’t get it again..

I don’t know why your lip burned, but you wouldn’t have symptoms nearly that fast from any infection. The soonest you’d have symptoms from herpes is 2 days. Maybe it burned because you had a lit joint on your lip?  I don’t mean to sound mean. I’ve smoked in the past, and remember that sensation.

You can test to determine if you already have hav1, but really, if you do, what is going to change in your life? Don’t kiss your kids on their mouths if you have symptoms of anything (always a good rule), and same goes for your wife. If you have symptoms of anything, don’t give her oral sex.

Also, it’s cold and flu season. Don’t share joints, utensils, drinks, etc.

Dr. Handsfid is no longer answering questions on the site.

Just don’t panic. There’s no need to. Over half of the world lives normal lives with hsv1. If you have it, you can too.