Cold Sore...

[itchychick]

About once a year, I seem to get a nasty old cold sore on my upper lip... quite out of the blue, but it does seem to reflect fatigue, illness, or not enough sleep.

Do any of you get these, and if so, have you found anything that helps to shorten the duration of the outbreak?  I know there is oral medication one can take at the very first inkling of a blister, but I'm beyond that now, and any tips would be great.

[anthropositor]

I have never had a cold sore.  Most often, the theory is, they are the result of Herpes Simplex, a virus.  They are quite infectious in the prodromal period (before there is a readily apparent sore).  They are also of significance for their spread to other moist and sensitive parts of the body.  Precautions are in order during amorous activities for instance.

The virus takes up residence in the nerve tissue, remaining there quietly, dormant but not dead, between outbreaks.  Fatigue, stress, and reduced resistance in the aftermath of other illnesses appear to play a role in the outbreaks.

Bell's Palsy, a rare form of facial paralysis is also generally considered to be a viral infection of a facial nerve.  Some believe that most cases may also be caused by herpes.  I don't know, maybe so.  But I have had Bell's Palsy on two occasions, with no history of cold sores at all.  The episodes were about ten years apart, following times of extreme stress. 

In both cases, the right half of my face became paralyzed and I was unable to blink my right eye or to smile symmetrically.  It looks alarmingly as if you have had a stroke. 

It is for this reason that I began to take some notice of viral infection of the nervous system.  Previously, my focus had been on viral respiratory infections, which had some life-threatening potential for me.  But I found it annoying not to be able to blink or smile.  So, during both of these episodes, I treated the Palsy much more aggressively than is (or was) standard medical practice.  I am glad I did so.  The residual effects of the first episode were gone in under two months.  The second episode took about a month.

For your cold sore, I cannot speak with authority about the plethora of over-the counter nostrums or the various prescription anti-virals that may be in use.  I doubt that they are of much value.

But these things will be helpful: Get adequate rest and sleep.  Eat a healthy diet including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Along with whatever other pills you might be taking, supplement with a strong B-Complex tablet or capsule.  Dissolve a B12 tablet in your mouth of 500 mcg or stronger, two or more times a day.  (Don't use the "timed-release" tablets for this.  They have a binder which becomes annoyingly pastey, discouraging you from keeping the B-12 in your mouth for as long as you can.)  The B-12 passes through your oral membranes without being denatured first when it is broken down by your stomach acid.   

Reduce stresses in your life where ever possible.  These measures will shorten the duration of the lesion and improve your health in general.

The other methods I would employ are experimental and have only been used on me and a close circle of people who do not have any problems of an unusual or chronic nature.

Get well soon.

[Wooley]

IC sorry you are suffering from this at the moment. Cold sores are really common and yes they are triggered by a lack of sleep, stress and similar situations.

Rest and de-stressing should help, as well as healthy eating.

You can use witch hazel to encourage the blisters to dry out quickly. It does sting when you first apply it but it wears off quickly.

Take care of yourself,

Wooley

[itchychick]

Thank you for the info guys.

I will definately try the B-complex anthro.  I was taking one quite regularly for some time, but I've been in such good health lately (other than this chronic itchiness!), that I've let some of those supplements slide.  It's probably time to add them back (but I've been diligent about swabbing!)  The suggestion to keep it in the mouth is interesting to me - I'm assuming that the idea is to have greater direct contact with the mucous memranes which are affected?  Interestingly (this has never happened before) on the morning I awoke with the tiniest blister on my lip, the gum directly underneath was swollen as well.

I've been trying really hard to eat well as of late.  Lots of fruit, lots of fibre in the form of freshly ground flax seeds, and trying to get in veg and fish as well.  At the moment, the main thing lacking has been sleep, and I'm slowly getting back on track.  As far as stress goes, I think it's been elevated, but I haven't been all that conscious of it... the kind of stress that builds when there are a lot of things going on and you try to keep all the balls in the air at once.

Wooley, I have a bottle of witch hazel in the cupboard and I will give it a go tonight!

Thanks again

[anthropositor]

...and a few grams of vitamin C or more, spaced throughout the day with good water intake.  The same guidelines you would use for a respiratory infection.

If you apply an astringent like witch hazel, it is generally a good idea to apply it first at the margin of the lesion with your cotton swab, spiraling in to the center.  The reason I mention this is there is some small possibility that the lesion could be due to an organism rather than a virus, and just smearing from one side to the other might spread the organism out, spreading the problem.  Alcohol too is good but it could sting some, particularly the lab alcohol I use, since it is 196proof.  In your case I would suggest a dash of ordinary rubbing alcohol, using a fresh swab for each application.

[Blue Bird]

 Aw, Itchy, I'm sorry to hear that you are suffering with a darn cold sore.
Wednesday morning with your little darlings comes to mind as a possible trigger.
 
 What comes to mind immediately is to suggest that you go out and get some
Carmex, it's a balm for cold sores, chapped lips and cracked skin. I use it on my chin and it feels really soothing. I would think they sell it in Canada. Have you ever tried it?
The container says it helps cold sores heal.
 
 I've never had one myself, but I understand they can happen at any time,
depending on what a person might have contact with, and if they happen to have a break in the skin at the time.
 
 I hope you will feel better soon, and let me know if you find the Carmex out there.

 

[itchychick]

Thank you Blue Sky!

Yes, I think I've used Carmex in the past... as I recall it was really soothing for chapped lips, but for some reason I seem to remember that I found the scent quite strong (am I remembering that right?)

In any case, it has at least stopped growing, and now appears to be in the healing phase.  The toughest part is to avoid splitting and reaggravating it.

[anthropositor]

You may well get a similar soothing effect from a little dab of coconut oil applied after the astringent or the alcohol.

[Bamawing]

I adore Carmex for my always-chapped lips. Dan, on the other hand, complains of the smell. So I've switched to Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm... it comes in a little tube like chapstick and has the nice tingly feeling carmex always gave me. It smells like mint. Dan doesn't mind the mint and Tamyra loves it... after I apply it she wants to get in my lap and lick my lips.

* Bamawing checks out the ingrediants.

Well, whadayaknow - the second ingrediant is coconut oil.

[Blue Bird]

Itchychick> Since Carmex is specifically meant for cold sores, it seems like it's exactly what you need.
I have no problem with the scent of the original Carmex. It doesn't smell bad to me. It smells slightly sweet, slightly like medicine, and not offensive at all, to me. I sort of like the scent of it. But there's good news, it is not only available in  the original scent, it now also comes in  mint, cherry, and strawberry. If you can find them, that is. I only saw those new "flavors" or scents on their website.

It's all a matter of what you feel about the original scent. It's the same with Avon's Skin So Soft bath oil.
Some people love the scent, and some people hate it. Some people absolutely hate Patchouli oil, and some people really like it.
 
Since it was developed for cold sores, I would think you would want to try it again, just to see if it works.

According to their website:
Carmex was developed in the 1930s when only natural ingredients were available. And it's naturally gluten free!

The ingredients of Carmex lip balm are no secret. They're listed on every package, jar, tube and Click Stick and are responsible for the tingling and cooling effect.
 Here's what is says: Carmex lip balm is made of three active ingredients -
 1 - Menthol (anti-itch) 2 - Camphor (pain reliever) 3 - Phenol (anesthetic)
 Also mixed in - fragrance in a base of petrolatum, natural lanolin, salicylic acid,
 cocoa butter and a wax base.



Carmex Wins U.K.'s COSMOGIRL!
2007 Kiss of Approval Beauty Award
Carmex was voted "Best Lip Balm" in the United Kingdom's CosmoGIRL! Magazine's annual "Kiss of Approval" Beauty Awards.

Carmex is the #1 Recommended Lip Balm!
A national survey ranked Carmex as the #1 recommended lip balm by pharmacists for the ninth year in a row. It was recommended more than twice as often as the next highest-ranked lip balm. To celebrate, they took out full page ads in Drug Store News and Pharmacy Times.

I don't get cold sores, but I use it from time to time for it's soothing anti-itch affect.
 
I hope you're feeling better, Itchychick and hope for your good fortune, good health and happiness

[itchychick]

Thanks Blue Sky.

It's pretty much completely gone now - just a tiny spot of dryness left.

I agree with you 100% on how some people perceive scents differently than others.  I have a girlfriend who loathed the scent of the perfume I used to wear occasionally, but my boyfriend absolutely loved it (can you guess who's opinion had more clout? ).  And while I love the scent that my husband wears in the evening, I feel like throwing up if he puts it on first thing in the morning!!!

I will keep my eyes open for the new Carmex flavours!

[Aquababe241]

Hi Itchy...

Here's another tip for cold sores... Paint with Pascalite clay made into a paste with water and olive oil...

Keep on painting it every time it dries and the cold sores should be gone in a week.

I had an army of cold sored in November and I did the above as they were travelling up my jawline towards my ear...They cleared up in a week.

I just cleaned it once a day, wiping the scabs and everything off, then repainting with the clay...Lovely smooth skin was left.

Hope this helps

[itchychick]

Ouch!  That sounds so painful, AB!  Actually, I now have a prescription for an anti-viral which I take at the very first tingling and the cold sore never even materializes!   It's two capsules over the course of 24 hours, and it stops the cold sore dead in its tracks. 

[Dapper]

Yeah, those prescription anti-herpes meds, like valtrex and acyclovir are extremely effective, if one of those is what you're taking.  Even if you don't catch it in time they will speed recovery time [a lot] and stop the virus from spreading any.  I took acyclovir continuously for like five years, good stuff made my life so much better.  Those of us with eczema have to be particularly careful, because it is easy for the virus to spread on us what with the scratching and compromised skin combination, if an active herpes infection gets mixed into a big eczema flare the result can be life threatening.  I got an infection of herpes on my ear right now, it sucks, and I got it around my eyes in the past which sucks and is dangerous because if it gets into your eyeball it can cause blindness.

Bah. 

A good over the counter product for it is Abreva, it's expensive for an otc but it does speed the remission and healing process and makes the cold sores feel a little better in the meantime.

[itchychick]

I didn't realize it could be that dangerous, Dapper, but of course if the skin is broken it will be far more susceptible to infection.

It's valtrex that I was prescribed...