Cold Sore

[Curious79]

Yesterday, I was eating my lunch and the corner of my lip felt sore.  I thought maybe I had cut it slightly.  For the rest of the day, it was a bit sore and felt funny.  I have woken up this morning and there are little either blisters or spots in the area and my lips is swollen.  You can't notice too much as it is the corner of my mouth slightly inside and is only a small area.  I am thinking that it may be a cold sore.  I have just been and brought some cold sore gel.  In people's opinion is this a cold sore??  Obviously I will go to the doctors if it doesn't go or gets worse but I don't want to waste their time if it is a simple cold sore.  Also, any ideas how I could have caught it??  My boyfriend understandbly doesn't want to kiss me and catch it.  I think he is being selfish (Joke!).  Seriously though any advice and ideas would be much appreciated.  Thanks x

[Chillum]

Coldsores usually start as a tingle on the lip. It then appears as a cluster of tiny raised blisters (whitish/transparentish). These then seem to join up into a single red sore. This will eventually scab over and fall (or be picked off), the whole process takes 2-3 weeks. There are some wonderful, wonderful cures available. Zovirax is fantastic. Applied at the first tingle it'll ward off the coldsore almost completely.

I believe that the sore itself is a form of the herpes virus and is transferable from person to person, so avoid kissing, and any other intimate activities involving your lips.

[fairy!]

I think either you get them or you don't... if you do, you probably got it as a baby from a relative kissing you or something... the virus is always in you & lays dormant until you get ill or rundown & your defences pack up & you get a coldsore.

I am one of the unlucky ones that gets them too... if I don't get it with zovirax at the tingle stage, there's not a lot I can do & it usually lasts 7-10 days :-(

[medico]

Chillum and Fairy are quite right. Most people get herpes cold sores in childhood. Some people seem immune. Others get a cold sore every time they are laid low by stress or infection. Personally, I don't find zovirax any use. If you use it the cold sore lasts 10 days, if not it lasts a week and a half!

[FP]

Dry dabbing the sore with alcohol every few hours.  I always use a dab of whiskey or vodka.  It's a very old fashioned remedy but it works for me and dries the cold sores quite quickly.  (And you can drink some as well, which will make you feel better about the sore!). 

[keys]

a person that has a cold sore might of transfered it on to a towel or cup. this is how you got it. maybe :)

[FUZZY DUCK]

You r really lucky compared to me. I don't just get 1 I get 10 it's a night mare. I don't even get a tingle. I wake up in the morning and there they all r. My kids call me Jackie Stallone Junior(cheeky little beggers) although i hope i don't look like her much. My lips swell up really big and i have them 4 at least a month. But good luck and i have found that alcohol works the best.:)

[HaroldAndJoe]

I don't really have an answer, more of a comment and question of my own...I ate something the other day (tried it while it was still cooking rather) and burned my lip. It blistered in normal burning fashion. However, I continued to play with it and bite it, etc. Now it's this nasty gross infection and I'm not too sure what to do. It hurts. It's gross. Is there anything that can be done? It looks like a herpes sore, but it's not.

[Yo Eddie]

Hello everyone

There is a permanent cure for cold sores. It is called "olive leaf extract". A french scientist discovered that there is a substance in olive leaves called "Oleuropine" which kills the cold sore virus. You can get hold of Olive leaf extract capsules from most heral remedie stores and you want some with at least a 20% Oleuropine content because otherwise it won't be that effective. Now listen carefully, you want to take a couple each day for about a week just to make sure its gone. During this time you may feel a little drowsy but this is just because your body is getting rid of the dead virus. The reason the pharmicutical industry is dening there are cures for cold sores is because there is no money to be made in cures. Give this a go, I hope it helps.