Has anyone ever heard of this? I'm flabbergasted (medical content)

[Barb_]

I took one of my girls to the doc today for what I thought was a particularly nasty yeast infection. Turns out she had given herself cold sores in her nether-regions. She had been complaining of a sore throat earlier in the week that turned out to be cold sores. She had one on her gum that she kept picking at because she thought she was cutting a tooth. Apparently, she cross-contaminated herself. We were assured that it was possible to do this without sexual activity, but that it was highly uncommon. She had been so sick all weekend...I feel so bad for her.

 

I'm really curious to know if anyone else has ever heard of a case like hers.

 

Barb

[Mesa]

Wow I had no clue you could get cold sores there..... are you positive thats what it is? I wonder if the dr was wrong.

[missplacedalaskan]

I've never heard of this either.

[Barb_]

Wow I had no clue you could get cold sores there..... are you positive thats what it is? I wonder if the dr was wrong.

 

Yes, we're positive. She took a culture. It's basically Herpes, but the simplex I virus that usually causes canker sores rather than simplex II which is always an STD. Although simplex I can be also be transmitted as an STD (I'll leave that one to the imagination), I was pretty stunned to find out it could be transmitted otherwise.

 

Barb

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Herpes simplex I can be transferred to any moist part of the body. My neice has gets it on her thumb because she used to suck her thumb.

 

Dh gets it under his nostrils when he has a head cold, talk about painful nose blowing.

[Parabola]

I just did a quick google (I'm bored), and yes apparently this is entirely possible. Cold sores transfer easily. Its a herpes simplex virus, they can spread fast.

 

ETA: nevermind I see you've got your results. :)

[Zelda]

Yes, I've heard of it. I started getting cold sores as a kid and was told it could happen. I'm fortunate that it hasn't. I'm sorry to hear she has them but its usually very manageable.

 

The first outbreak is the worst, typically. I can even go years w/o one (even though it makes me nervous to say that). My friend has a son who gets them one after another (VERY UNUSUAL...don't worry). They started him on a pro-biotic which seems to have helped a lot.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I kid you not! I heard this one at a scrapbooking party. Two women at the table next to mine were talking about how one of the women got it there from her husband who suffers from cold sores. I won't disgust you further but I will mention that the conversation involved a "long-handled mirror."

 

That whole night . . . sheesh!

 

I would in no way consider that reliable information.

[Barb_]

Cold Sores are just the Herpes virus so I don't see any reason why that isn't possible. The real question is probably why it doesn't happen more often considering that most of the population has oral herpes. Are oral herpes and genital herpes the same virus in different locations, or different viruses? If different, which does your dd have and is it transmittable? What are treatment options? I would want to know those things.

 

I was told that it usually takes direct contact (as in oral/genital) to spread simplex I. That's why you usually don't see it showing up in the genital region unless there has been sexual activity. But in her case, she thought she was cutting a tooth and continually poked at the sore in her mouth trying to feel for a tooth bud because...well...that's what some kids do :) All it took was a little saliva on her hand when she wiped to transfer them to the genital region. The moral of the story is, if your kids have cold sores, make them wear mittens.

 

Barb

 

PS...she has been prescribed an antiviral med that she'll be on for 10 days, but unfortunately will always be susceptible to breakouts in times of stress. Pretty ugly.

[Guest]

Poor girl! :grouphug:

[kalanamak]

Oh yes, this can happen. I'll never forget the mortified, celibate 50 year old woman who came in with this. The tears, the misery.

[Remudamom]

Sounds entirely feasible to me.

[Aggie]

Herpes simplex I can be transferred to any moist part of the body. My neice has gets it on her thumb because she used to suck her thumb.

 

Dh gets it under his nostrils when he has a head cold, talk about painful nose blowing.

 

It can be spread to the eyes, too.

 

I hope she feels better soon.

Aggie

[Danestress]

I am the canker sore queen, and I regularly get them in my throat, which, let me tell you, is misery.

 

But nether regions? Yikes.

 

So with canker type sores, do you just spread them when they are breaking out? Or anytime?

 

I will tell you this, and she can see if it's true for her, but my father and I both get canker sores if we chew mint gum or eat nuts (particularly any nuts with paper skins, walnuts being the worst). If I am getting sick anyway, you can almost guarantee I will get a canker sore too. But the ones down the throat just really remind me to pray for people who endure physical suffering.

[GraceinMD]

Oh yes, this can happen. I'll never forget the mortified, celibate 50 year old woman who came in with this. The tears, the misery.

 

Very similar story here, in a patient I saw as a third-year med student.

 

Barb F., it's a really common virus, is spread via secretions, and your guess as to how it happened is, no doubt, accurate.

 

I hope your daughter feels better soon!

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I took one of my girls to the doc today for what I thought was a particularly nasty yeast infection. Turns out she had given herself cold sores in her nether-regions. She had been complaining of a sore throat earlier in the week that turned out to be cold sores. She had one on her gum that she kept picking at because she thought she was cutting a tooth. Apparently, she cross-contaminated herself. We were assured that it was possible to do this without sexual activity, but that it was highly uncommon. She had been so sick all weekend...I feel so bad for her.

 

I'm really curious to know if anyone else has ever heard of a case like hers.

 

Barb

 

Yep, yep, yep. I am sooo glad you took her in. Poor kiddo.

[mcconnellboys]

I didn't think it was at all highly uncommon anymore. I thought that the Herpes I and II type viruses had combined a number of years ago and could be cross-contaminated easily.

[Barb_]

Yep, yep, yep. I am sooo glad you took her in. Poor kiddo.

 

Very similar story here, in a patient I saw as a third-year med student.

 

Barb F., it's a really common virus, is spread via secretions, and your guess as to how it happened is, no doubt, accurate.

 

I hope your daughter feels better soon!

 

Oh yes, this can happen. I'll never forget the mortified, celibate 50 year old woman who came in with this. The tears, the misery.

 

Thank you, I was hoping you medical types would chime in. At the office, the first thing they did was ask about sexual activity. While I expected the questions I have to admit they made me squirm a little. The daughter was mortified. We are both feeling better now :blushing:

 

Barb

[Ottakee]

My girls were on long term meds for this---think YEARS of oral acyclovir. They didn't get them in that area but had them in their mouths, down the throat, on their finger (teething child), etc.

 

I would not be overly worried. Next time though, at the FIRST hint of a cold sore, ask the doctor about starting the meds right away. They are most effective if started in the first 24 hours.

 

I would also look into some probiotics. Interestingly (or maybe not) since my girls have started the Supremadophillus from http://www.houstonni.net they have not had any major outbreaks---no need for the oral meds. We can just use the cream at the first twinge and that takes care of it before it becomes a real outbreak.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

I'm really curious to know if anyone else has ever heard of a case like hers.

 

Barb

 

Sounds painful! I hope your daughter gets better soon!

 

I notice in your sig line that you are due any day with a baby. Please keep your daughter (or anyone else in the family with active cold sores) away from the baby--cold sores/HSV can be very dangerous for a newborn.:grouphug:

[Heather in the Kootenays]

My dd gets cold sores on her eyelid.

[Lolly]

never heard of it before. Poor kid, must be miserable.

[CLHCO]

I have heard of this and I second the pro-biotics at even the first hint. They do not work once a break-out is under way but they certainly head it off! I've even found yogurt held in the mouth helps if done early and since I've heard of women doing yogurt directly in other areas for yeast infections... You get my point.

 

Make yogurt part of her diet and have some pro-biotics on hand for any time she fears she may need them. You'll want the type that are refrigerated and are shipped to the store refrigerated. If they are on the shelf, chances are the good critters are all dead and useless. Most health food stores have a refrigerated section in their supplement area and Lactinex can be found often behind the counter, in the refrigerator, at many pharmacies. Our local one doesn't carry it regularly but can order it.

 

Poor thing. I hope she's handling it okay with a bit of encouragement. Just a side note: I have found for surface flesh-type pain, old fashioned aspirin is far more effective than Tylenol. If they won't allow a minor to take aspirin, ibuprofen is also better than Tylenol at that particular type of pain, though not as effective as aspirin. I read an article once about different pain medication and how they effect different types of pain. I have found the aspirin advice particularly helpful.

 

HTH!