My dad had the herpes virus in his eye and it affected his retina. He is now blind in that eye. So be careful about getting that checked out when it flares up.

He had previously had a form of the virus that caused him to have Encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. He lost his short term memory and it affected his speech and language.

The herpes virus is serious, not something to joke about or take lightly. It is also not anyone's fault if they have it.

You may know this already.

It can be passed on by so many things – kissing, sharing a straw… Hell, at one hotel I worked at, one girl had a cold sore and a habit of nibbling the end of her pencil. By the end of the week, both other receptionists had cold sores too (and they'd never had them before) because they'd been nibbling the same pencils.

So the stigma surrounding people who have cold sores is totally unfair. Yes, it's a form of Herpes – but so is chickenpox. Shingles. A whole host of shit. It's one of the most common viruses on the planet.

My wife occasionally has a cold sore and we make an effort not to go down on each other during an outbreak, but we still kiss (well, not like MAKE OUT) during that time. I have been married to her for almost six years (sleeping with her for seven) and never had a cold sore.

I wonder if that's because I was one of the last generation of kids to be routinely immunized against smallpox (which is, you guessed it, a form of herpes.)

Either way, I definitely don't judge ANYBODY who has cold sores. I'm really sorry they make you feel self concious, but anybody who criticizes or judges people for having cold sores is probably an ignorant twat.

Just want to second what Advizor said – around infants and newborns it pays to be careful. I read one VERY fucked up story of some poor orthodox Jewish kid who was circumcised in Brooklyn and the rabbi SUCKED the blood out of the wound (apparently that's why the hard core believers do)and gave the poor kid herpes. He died from it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2005/02/02/2005-02-02_fear_rabbi_gave_tots_herpes_.html

Added proof of just what a fucked up thing circumcision is – BUT I DIGRESS.

Thanks for having the guts to share this. As always, you're a fucking legend.

I do have to admit Ryan and I tell each other we hope we get herpes of the eye. It kind of became a joke between us (like how he calls me smelly tramp and I threaten to wipe my butt on his pillow) after we heard it on a commercial. Now I feel a little bad. lol

BUT, if you are pregnant and near your delivery date, PLEASE tell your doctor about ANY cold sore. A newborn is extremely susceptible to the herpes virus an any exposure can be devastating.

People are ignorant morons.

My little sister gets cold sores often but she isn't gross or infected or any of that crap. She's not even sexually active. Yet anyway. She's got the cold sores for years now and she's only 18. I always feel bad for her because people see them and often think she got them on her mouth from putting her mouth on a place that was infected with another person. Ignorance.

A little known fact: there is a disease most people have during their childhood (tried to look it up but failed, sorry) that if you had that childhood disease, you can develop herpes at some point in your life, just like that.

I just hate that I always get them when I'm especially nervous or excited, which often happens before event where a lot of pictures are being taken – weddings, birthday parties,… but yeah, the itching and the pain suck completely too!