Oral herpes questions

[Mich86]

Hi

I woke up this morning with my first cold sore (sort of..I've had one on the inside portion of my lip..mostly on the inside of my mouth...so was never sure if this was a cold sore or canker sore. Have had it three times previous in the same spot) this time however, it is right smack in the middle of my lower lip...and spent the morning having a panic attack and searching online for information.

A couple of questions I have are:

1. Is this a new virus (assuming my other symptoms in past were cold sores). Can you catch either strand of virus more than once?

2. Can this outbreak spread to other areas on my lip. Now my top lip is feeling itchy...but not sure if that's me being paranoid. Or would it take time to spread to another area?

3. What is the likelyhood that I may also now get genital herpes? I'm assuming if its a new virus then it's from the last guy I was dating...and he performed oral on me. I stopped seeing him about 6 weeks ago. I have had no symptoms down there, but I've been reading that you don't always get symptoms right away. ( I had Std testing and didn't have anything, but it's my understanding they don't test for herpes and diagnose mainly on clinical symptoms)

4. Why in the past year have I had 3? (Two on the inside of my lip and now this) before that the first time I had it on the inside was 3 years prior.

 

Any information or help would be greatly appreciated! I feel sick to my stomach. I feel like other people will see me as a leper. I know it's so common, but no one in my family or my friends have had them before.

Thanks!!!

M

[WCSDancer2010]

@Mich86

 

First - welcome!

 

Odds are the original OB was canker sores...either way, it's very unlikely that you have HSV2... only 1% of all Oral Herpes is HSV2....

 

Canker sores can be caused by many things ... The Mayo clinic has a great explanation of it...I think pg 3 has the causes http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/canker-sore/basics/definition/con-20021262

 

The virus doesn't "spread" but it will come out at the places where it entered the body... so you may have got it in more than one spot on your mouth when you got it. It is possible to spread it to another area in the first few weeks/months of having the virus while your body makes the Antibodies... but it sounds like you've had it awhile so I doubt that his occurring now.

 

It's unlikely that you have HSV1 genitally at this point if you have it orally.... if you got it from the ex BF then unless he infected both areas at the same time, you will be building the antibodies to it.... either way - its very unlikely you will get HSV1 on your genitals now if you don't already have it there. Now, it IS possible to get HSV2 genitally .... so you still need to practice safe sex with new partners.

 

Odds are the STD test didn't show Herpes (if they tested for it) as you were recently exposed so you may not have had the antibodies for it.

 

I feel like other people will see me as a leper. I know it's so common, but no one in my family or my friends have had them before.

 

Honey - 80% of the population has Oral HSV1 ... 80% of them don't know they have it. 60% of young people have it by the time they are young adults because they got it from other young children. So there is nothing to be ashamed of or worry about. Promise :)

 

(((HUGS)))

[Mich86]

@WCSDancer2010

 

Thank you so much for the response and information! Sorry for the multiple posts. My computer said there was en error and so I thought it hadn't uploaded.

 

Is it common to also get multiple coldsores at one time? Not sure but I think I might have another starting beside it.

 

Thanks again!!

[WCSDancer2010]

Yes - sometimes they come in clusters..

 

Get some Abreva ... you can get it pretty much anywhere. I just tried some for the first time last week and it knocked it right down...