Aa
Confused and concerned about whitlow...
Okay, so I was diagnosed with herpetic whitlow when I was 23. The outbreaks have always come the same way and in the same place (middle finger of my left hand). About 1-2 days before the outbreak, I feel some tingling and swelling in my finger followed by it being really itchy and erupting into a blister that is quite painful. I have always been very careful about keeping it covered and have taken Acyclovir to help. It's always covered with a band aid or other dressing unless I'm washing my hand or putting ointment on. The last outbreak that I had was earlier this summer and it came and went in the same way. As the infection was clearing up, I noticed what appeared to be a small white pimple on the outside of the knuckle on my right hand. No pain or itching...it was just there and I didn't think much of it. It took longer to go away than a normal pimple would and as that one was clearing up, a second one appeared between my knuckle and where my finger joins my hand. It cleared up in about the same time. Nether instance itched, swelled, or became painful. Friday night I was sitting watching tv and I noticed my finger getting really itchy and I look down and there is a patch of read skin where the second pimple was. This area itched like a *******, I panicked and wrapped it up in a band aid. I never noticed a sore or anything like I experience when I'm having an outbreak in the primary infection site. The only thing was the itching.... I made a Dr.'s appointment, but he can't see me until Thursday, and I was wondering if it is possible that I may have infected my other finger. The only time my outbreaks on my left hand are uncovered are when I'm washing my hands and changing the dressing on it. I have been so careful over the last 5 years and this is the first time I'm had anything like this happen. I was just wondering if anyone had any answers/comments..... Also, it's only been a few days, but all that is left on my right finger is a small red spot....
I've been taking them for the 9 months since the last outbreak I've had. That is why the original question that started this post about the small pimple like things I had been getting were so perplexing. From all of my reading, antiviarals were supposed to make things better, not worse, and it seemed like every 3 weeks or so, a new pimple like thing would pop up. I'm still on the dermatologists waiting list for those things. I thought, where I was on them, that the virus would show up in different ways which was possibly causing these. There was never any swelling or itching, only the small little things on my skin. What I have now is every bit as typical an outbreak as I've ever had. It is a little less servere by means of overall pain, but it itched and burned just the same...there are even 3 small vesicles that I can see when I'm changing the band aid. I had always wondered if antivirals changed the way it would appear during an outbreak, but no...I've found out they do not. Looks the same...just a little less intense. Is there a limit to how long someone can be on antiviral therapy before taking a break from it and can you ever become immune to it? I did read that you should also never use cortizone cream ON a herpes blister, I guess my main concern would have had to have been IF there were stray viral particles on my hand that the cortizone cream would turn them into like, Incredible Hulk particles with an angry vengeance on their host. I'm not terrified of what's going on with me, I'm just trying to become more informed. this has been my 'go to' place for my random questions and I appreciate your patience. I know everyone is different and has outbreaks in different ways, but once someone has established outbreaks in a certain form, do they ever change and look different, or is once you have a certain thing going on, is it pretty much what to expect from here on out? Who knows....someone, somewhere may stumble on this thread and may have their whole views changed by reading through this whole thing.... It's helped me so far....
yes it's fine to use hand lotion on your hands even when you have a whitlow recurrence. Hopefully you can get a lesion culture done the next time you have symptoms to confirm that this is herpes because if it's not, better ways to treat it in general than what you've been so far. You don't have to worry that you've left virus on the keyboard for the next person to touch and contract.
do you have antivirals on hand to start at the very first sign of a recurrence ( but not until after the lesion culture is done of course! )?
do you have antivirals on hand to start at the very first sign of a recurrence ( but not until after the lesion culture is done of course! )?
I do understand the utmost importance of having a lesion culture done. Based on my history, aside from the last 9 months of worrying about something that seems silly now, I have always been confident in this diagnosis and have accepted it. I was just wondering if, based on my belief that the ER docter did diagnose it correctly and with the blood test showing antibodies for HSV1 (I do understand that without the lesion culture that this is still not 100%, but based on all of my symptoms I think I'm 98% sure), if I was putting myself in a possible danger of spreading it by using certain products to keep my hands from being dry and cracking. I know having dry and cracked skin can't be safe during an outbreak, but I was jsut wondering if certain things were safer than others.
the reason I did not answer those questions specifically is because I was waiting to hear if you had gotten a lesion culture to confirm that this is herpes or not. I wasn't ignoring them - I needed more information.
No... as I I had said very early on, I took the ER doc at the time's word for it because he sounded like he really knew what he was talking about and the acyclovir that he prescribed me has always worked when one popped up. I did, however, get the blood test done and it showed positive for the HSV1 antibodies. I'm assuming that this doesn't change my course of action either way. So, am I to assume your lack of response about the hand lotion/ cortaid cream question means it was probably a stupid question? I know you all have a bazillion questions and posts to read and respond too and I'm not trying to waste anyone's time, just trying to finally get answers to questions that I've had floating around in my mind. I realize some of them may sound dumb at the time, but I've never asked anything that wasn't a real concern for myself.
did you ever get a lesion culture to confirm that this was whitlow?
no, the virus isn't working its way out of the band aid and laying around to infect folks.
no, the virus isn't working its way out of the band aid and laying around to infect folks.
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
