I got my first cold sore recently. So, fine, someone gave it to me, and something like 80% of the population gets them. No big deal. But I decided to read up a little, just to find out what triggers them, how to prevent them, and how to get rid of them. That’s when I stumbled across this little gem: “In some cases type 1 can recur spontaneously in the eye, causing ocular herpes, a potentially serious infection which can lead to blindness.” Okay, that sounds unpleasant. And then I kept reading: “In very rare cases HSV- 1 can spread spontaneously to the brain, causing herpes encephalitis, a dangerous infection that can lead to death.”
FOR THE FUCK OF SHIT, INTERNET. Stop trying to give me a goddamn heart attack. Why couldn’t you stop at telling me that they are brought on by stress or times when your immune system is weak and that a, b, and c product help get rid of it? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND MENTION DEATH?
Sigh. I know I’m not gonna die from the herpes simplex on my lip. But they didn’t have to plant seeds of paranoia in my head. Fuck you, internet.
I'm Britni, a snarky bitch and generally awesome person. I write about sex, love, and bullshit. If sex-positivity, discussions about BDSM and kink, queer issues, and topics that are completely inappropriate by society's standards make you uncomfortable, then this blog is not for you.
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3 Comments
Working in the medical field, I sometimes curse the internet for some of the shit it has that people read up on and get all paranoid about. Not only that, but there's so much false information out there that it makes it hard to inform people of the right info.
I've had cold sores since I was a kid and I've tried every single thing recommended to treat them and prevent them from busting out when you first feel it coming on. Nothing has worked. Then last month I went to my dermatologist when I was starting to get one and asked what I can take to make it not get bad and he prescribed me Valtrex. You only take 4 pills. Two when you first feel it coming on and two 12 hours later. That shit worked like a charm! If you're able to do that, that's what I'd recommend.
I get cold sores too, and I hate reading about them, especially when sites say "You may be able to transport them from your mouth to genitals if you touch your cold sore and then your ladybits." Um, what? Something about that sounds off, that I can get the STD kind from the cold sore kind, but I don't know.
The Internet gives me hives sometimes.
lalaland13: I talk about STD's all day, so hopefully, I can explain…herpes is passed by skin-to-skin contact. The incrediby shitty thing about herpes is that you can have either anywhere on your body. Example: You give head to someone who has HSV2. You get a cold sore. That cold sore can actually be HSV2 and not HSV1. And vice-versa. Generally, we don't like to do a blood test for herpes because while it will tell you what strain you have, it doesn't tell us where on the body it is unless we see and culture the sore.
Herpes sucks big time. I really wish they could figure out a way to cure it.