Aa
Herpes? Cellulitis? Worried :(
Hi All!
This is my first time actually posting a question to this site, though I have referred to it many times for references for different things...
Well I come to you all for some advice/knowledge/etc...
I am a Mom to my two girls, ages 5 and 1, and since 4th of July weekend, my family and I went to our local beach for swimming, bbqing, and to watch the fireworks that the park puts on every year for the 4th. Well I noticed on my left hand, ring finger it was sore on the side (not too bad, but just enough to bug me a lil) probably from picking my nails or an ingrown nail. Besides it annoying me a lil cause of the slight pain, I didnt think much of it since I tend to get those from time to time.
Well a day or 2 later, after the 4th of July weekend, I noticed my finger, on the rt side of the nail was hurting moreso, and it was becoming more red, swollen, and (sorry for the TMI)...pus-filled like..all about half the size of an eraser on a pencil...not too big. But you would think with that pain and symtoms I would of have called and made an appt with my dr....but nope I didnt. I, unfortunately (for me atleast) am one of these people who hate going to the dr's and wait til the very last minute to do so. Though when it comes to my girls and my family/friends, I do and say the exact opposite. I really need to listen to my own advice. But anyways, since I have yet to go to the dr's and its been almost 3 weeks, the symptoms and pain are still there and its actually becoming painful on the left side of my fingernail as well. All this time, I have been managing it by keeping clean Band-Aids on it, peroxide, alcohol and Neosporin. Not all at the same time, but you get what I'm saying.
Now about the actual "Cellulitus and Herpes" in my question..
Let me first start off by saying, back in Jan. 2006 (while 7 mths pregnant), I had my FIRST initial outbreak of herpes. Though I never knew I had it, hence since it was my first time experiencing the symptoms. I thought at first it was just an allergic reaction to this new body wash I tried or a yeast infection or something along the lines of having to do with being pregnant. But speaking of being pregnant, that is why I didnt wait weeks to seek medical help, I was much more proactive about getting it checked out. So i went to the hospital after having intense pain/burning/itchy down there for about 2 days, and thats when they laid the dreadful news that I tested positive for herpes. So that ofcourse was not any good news, but after a week of taking Valtrex and r/x ointment, it went away and never return...until a few days ago, I believe..
The other day or so ago, I noticed a bump (I thought it was an ingrown hair from shaving) on my (again TMI)....left labia (this was really the only time there was a bump in this spot).. I didnt think much of it as always, but then the next day, I started itching just slightly down there, but moreso on my bikini line area, and just shrugged it off as razor burn. Well yesterday and today, all above my vagina area, I guess on my pubic bone area, I have about 10 clusters of red, pus-filled bumps all over, and some on my bikini line, and like 2 on my inner thighs, close to my vagina area. They really dont itch that much...though a few days ago they did. They're really none actually on my "lip" area so-to-speak...just above, where the pubic bone/hair is and on the sides (bikini area)...
I RARELY get razor burn, and if I did...they're never filled with pus. Just wanted to put that out there. And for the Cellulitis, yesterday and today I been waking up with these tiny red bumps with like a whitehead (almost looks like a pimple, but it hurts alot if I touch it)...and as of now, I have a red bump, with a red diameter around it, the size of a half dollar coin above my rt elbow, another one on the side of my left knee, and another one above my rt knee. Now the 3 bumps I just mentioned are the worse looking and feeling.
Now please dont yell at me and say "why you asking us, get to the dr's" :)...I am going to go to my urg. care or hospital when my husband gets home from work. I tried to call my dr's, and they said they cant get me in til next week and just said go to the above mention.
But all in all, if it cellulitis or perhaps if any of you's can think if its something else, by all means, please any info would be great! Just curious too what the dr will do for these swollen bumps...drain em? And speaking of, I am pretty PETRIFIED of needles (though I have given birth, I never got an epidural for either of my two births...crazy, I know) and everything that goes with being at the dr's just gives my anxiety....perhaps thats why I have waited this long to seek help. Though with my pregnancies, I loved to go to my dr's...weird.
Boy, I really sound like a dirty, unclean person :( Geez, and I am one of these people who are I guess you could say somewhat of a germ-a-phobe. Not to the point where it consumes my life, but I try to stay clean and use common sense (ie: making sure my girls and I always wash our hands, squirt the antibacterial gel on the hands after being at the park or some other place of the public)...I even go to the bathroom to wash my hands after I have ordered my food at the restaurants, after touching the menus. I know I probably dont need to justify myself, but after proofreading, I thought to myself 'Ew, I sound so gross"....I know it can happend to anyone and I know NOW to take action right away after something isnt right with my body....again, Just need any input or advice...it would GREATLY appreciated :)
I tried to ask this question in another forum website, and the only response I got (which ofcourse didnt make me feel any better, but I wasnt so surprised since people can be ignorant)...he/she said: "Why did you find out at 7 mths pregnant above having herpes? You must of cheated on your husband, or he probably cheated on you".....ummm, yeah? So here I am to ask you guys...
Now, when I was at the hospital when I was diagnosed with it, they said really no dr can really actually "know" if you have herpes....only when they're are the tell-tale signs and symptoms. Isnt that true? But anyways, this is all besides the point, but just wanted to mention it incase someboby on here might think the same thing that person did. Who knows, maybe my husband did cheat on me....who freakin knows! I have faith in my husband (he has never had an outbreak) he didnt, I could of caught it from a previous boyfriend and it didnt show up til years later....right? Anyways, like i said this is all not the point here. Its there, nothing I can do about it now, and now I am focus on my two little girls who mean the WORLD to me! I cant go in the past and change anything...so why dread it up now. Just wanted to lay out everything for you all.....sorry so much for rambling! Again, thanks and God Bless :)
p.s. I checked out beds for "bedbugs" and they're not mosquito bites, and plus my husband nor girls have these bumps....sooo?? I dont know!
This is my first time actually posting a question to this site, though I have referred to it many times for references for different things...
Well I come to you all for some advice/knowledge/etc...
I am a Mom to my two girls, ages 5 and 1, and since 4th of July weekend, my family and I went to our local beach for swimming, bbqing, and to watch the fireworks that the park puts on every year for the 4th. Well I noticed on my left hand, ring finger it was sore on the side (not too bad, but just enough to bug me a lil) probably from picking my nails or an ingrown nail. Besides it annoying me a lil cause of the slight pain, I didnt think much of it since I tend to get those from time to time.
Well a day or 2 later, after the 4th of July weekend, I noticed my finger, on the rt side of the nail was hurting moreso, and it was becoming more red, swollen, and (sorry for the TMI)...pus-filled like..all about half the size of an eraser on a pencil...not too big. But you would think with that pain and symtoms I would of have called and made an appt with my dr....but nope I didnt. I, unfortunately (for me atleast) am one of these people who hate going to the dr's and wait til the very last minute to do so. Though when it comes to my girls and my family/friends, I do and say the exact opposite. I really need to listen to my own advice. But anyways, since I have yet to go to the dr's and its been almost 3 weeks, the symptoms and pain are still there and its actually becoming painful on the left side of my fingernail as well. All this time, I have been managing it by keeping clean Band-Aids on it, peroxide, alcohol and Neosporin. Not all at the same time, but you get what I'm saying.
Now about the actual "Cellulitus and Herpes" in my question..
Let me first start off by saying, back in Jan. 2006 (while 7 mths pregnant), I had my FIRST initial outbreak of herpes. Though I never knew I had it, hence since it was my first time experiencing the symptoms. I thought at first it was just an allergic reaction to this new body wash I tried or a yeast infection or something along the lines of having to do with being pregnant. But speaking of being pregnant, that is why I didnt wait weeks to seek medical help, I was much more proactive about getting it checked out. So i went to the hospital after having intense pain/burning/itchy down there for about 2 days, and thats when they laid the dreadful news that I tested positive for herpes. So that ofcourse was not any good news, but after a week of taking Valtrex and r/x ointment, it went away and never return...until a few days ago, I believe..
The other day or so ago, I noticed a bump (I thought it was an ingrown hair from shaving) on my (again TMI)....left labia (this was really the only time there was a bump in this spot).. I didnt think much of it as always, but then the next day, I started itching just slightly down there, but moreso on my bikini line area, and just shrugged it off as razor burn. Well yesterday and today, all above my vagina area, I guess on my pubic bone area, I have about 10 clusters of red, pus-filled bumps all over, and some on my bikini line, and like 2 on my inner thighs, close to my vagina area. They really dont itch that much...though a few days ago they did. They're really none actually on my "lip" area so-to-speak...just above, where the pubic bone/hair is and on the sides (bikini area)...
I RARELY get razor burn, and if I did...they're never filled with pus. Just wanted to put that out there. And for the Cellulitis, yesterday and today I been waking up with these tiny red bumps with like a whitehead (almost looks like a pimple, but it hurts alot if I touch it)...and as of now, I have a red bump, with a red diameter around it, the size of a half dollar coin above my rt elbow, another one on the side of my left knee, and another one above my rt knee. Now the 3 bumps I just mentioned are the worse looking and feeling.
Now please dont yell at me and say "why you asking us, get to the dr's" :)...I am going to go to my urg. care or hospital when my husband gets home from work. I tried to call my dr's, and they said they cant get me in til next week and just said go to the above mention.
But all in all, if it cellulitis or perhaps if any of you's can think if its something else, by all means, please any info would be great! Just curious too what the dr will do for these swollen bumps...drain em? And speaking of, I am pretty PETRIFIED of needles (though I have given birth, I never got an epidural for either of my two births...crazy, I know) and everything that goes with being at the dr's just gives my anxiety....perhaps thats why I have waited this long to seek help. Though with my pregnancies, I loved to go to my dr's...weird.
Boy, I really sound like a dirty, unclean person :( Geez, and I am one of these people who are I guess you could say somewhat of a germ-a-phobe. Not to the point where it consumes my life, but I try to stay clean and use common sense (ie: making sure my girls and I always wash our hands, squirt the antibacterial gel on the hands after being at the park or some other place of the public)...I even go to the bathroom to wash my hands after I have ordered my food at the restaurants, after touching the menus. I know I probably dont need to justify myself, but after proofreading, I thought to myself 'Ew, I sound so gross"....I know it can happend to anyone and I know NOW to take action right away after something isnt right with my body....again, Just need any input or advice...it would GREATLY appreciated :)
I tried to ask this question in another forum website, and the only response I got (which ofcourse didnt make me feel any better, but I wasnt so surprised since people can be ignorant)...he/she said: "Why did you find out at 7 mths pregnant above having herpes? You must of cheated on your husband, or he probably cheated on you".....ummm, yeah? So here I am to ask you guys...
Now, when I was at the hospital when I was diagnosed with it, they said really no dr can really actually "know" if you have herpes....only when they're are the tell-tale signs and symptoms. Isnt that true? But anyways, this is all besides the point, but just wanted to mention it incase someboby on here might think the same thing that person did. Who knows, maybe my husband did cheat on me....who freakin knows! I have faith in my husband (he has never had an outbreak) he didnt, I could of caught it from a previous boyfriend and it didnt show up til years later....right? Anyways, like i said this is all not the point here. Its there, nothing I can do about it now, and now I am focus on my two little girls who mean the WORLD to me! I cant go in the past and change anything...so why dread it up now. Just wanted to lay out everything for you all.....sorry so much for rambling! Again, thanks and God Bless :)
p.s. I checked out beds for "bedbugs" and they're not mosquito bites, and plus my husband nor girls have these bumps....sooo?? I dont know!
this doesn't sound like herpes whitlow going on. whitlow typically is not pus filled and by now it would've been healed, not spreading to the other side of your finger.
going to be seen is the best course of action.
grace
going to be seen is the best course of action.
grace
The advice here is: BE SEEN. This could be much more serious than herpes, especially if bacterial in nature. Never good to self-diagnose, nor can we do that for you.
The ER doctors were wrong about herpes. Blood testing can indeed tell if someone has herpes, and/or a swab culture of symptoms. If you did not have proper testing, you don't even know if you have it.
The ER doctors were wrong about herpes. Blood testing can indeed tell if someone has herpes, and/or a swab culture of symptoms. If you did not have proper testing, you don't even know if you have it.
Yes, a recurrent herpes outbreak would not usually involve other sites of your body outside the boxer area.
First things first: how were u diagnosed with herpes? Culture, blood test? What type do you have, HSV1 or HSV2? Was your husband tested?
A dermatologist will surely be able to tell u what is going on down there. It sounds a lot like folliculitis, but since you had a herpes diagnosis you cannot exclude that being an outbreak, since it sounds like it is a blistery rash of some sort. I don't think they usually stick needles/drain your skin, unless it's a severe case.
As for herpes being asymptomatic, yes, it does happen, but we believe most people are just not paying attention to their symptoms.
A dermatologist will surely be able to tell u what is going on down there. It sounds a lot like folliculitis, but since you had a herpes diagnosis you cannot exclude that being an outbreak, since it sounds like it is a blistery rash of some sort. I don't think they usually stick needles/drain your skin, unless it's a severe case.
As for herpes being asymptomatic, yes, it does happen, but we believe most people are just not paying attention to their symptoms.
ALSO:
I guess after this LONG novel, I didnt know if herpes spread throughout randon spots on your body like above the elbow, on the side of your knee, etc??/ I mentioned the Cellulitis, cause on WEBMD, it says it can be cause from bacteria. And I guess I figured thats what it could be and my finger being the source of the bacteria from swimming in the lake with ingrown nail/open wound?
I guess after this LONG novel, I didnt know if herpes spread throughout randon spots on your body like above the elbow, on the side of your knee, etc??/ I mentioned the Cellulitis, cause on WEBMD, it says it can be cause from bacteria. And I guess I figured thats what it could be and my finger being the source of the bacteria from swimming in the lake with ingrown nail/open wound?
Have an Answer?
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.
