Multiple herpes outbreaks in a short period of time

[JJ5888]

I had my first cold sore ever in August, inside my nose. It was painful and I felt sick for several days with a fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, etc. I thought, “great I got the first one over with, now when the next one comes it’ll be less severe”. I even posted on this forum to ask if cold sores inside the nose were common, and another user informed me that I most likely would not get cold sores in my nose again.
 

Guess what y’all? 

As of December I have had 3 cold sores. All in my nose. And ALL of them were just as severe as the first, including the fever and swollen lymph nodes. I’m at the end of my rope here, 3 cold sores in 4 months?? They are painful and exhausting. I ended up taking Valtrex for the second one which helped cut back on the length of time I had it, but the most recent one I took Valtrex too late to help. 
 

I'm beginning to think I have some underlying immune deficiency that is causing me to get these. To have never gotten it (was infected a few years ago) up until this point and then, BAM! 3 back to back is suspect at best. I also have gotten 15-20 warts on my hands during the last six months, when up until this point (30+ years) I have NEVER gotten one. I freeze them off but they just keep popping up in different spots. Plus I’m always tired now, so I’m beginning to think I have a thyroid issue or am immunocompromised somehow, which is a wonderful thing to be during a freaking PANDEMIC. 

I’m going to get bloodwork tomorrow to see if something is wrong with me. This is getting ridiculously embarrassing. Any suggestions of what could be causing the sudden outbreaks? 

[mr_hopp]

Sorry you're going through it! That person was right that for the majority of folks their first herpes outbreak is the worst; but during the first 6 months to a year, your body is still working to build up immunity to the virus, so especially during periods of stress (yes, PANDEMIC anyone?), your body can't mount a good enough defense to keep the virus at bay. It's good to check in to see if there are any other underlying things going on, but my hunch would be the intersection of it being less than a year for you and living through an incredibly stressful and disconcerting time for us all. Let us know what you find out from your visit!