The Fight Against Cold Sores

There were a few things my husband neglected to tell me before I agreed to marry him...one being that he is a carrier of the herpes simplex virus, i.e. COLD SORES! To be honest, I don't think I had ever encountered a cold sore before I got married. Then, one day, boom, a had a sore the size of California, was wondering what hit me, and feeling extremely betrayed by the one I agreed to spend the rest of my life with. Imagine my horror when my 11 month old daughter contracted this virus and was knocked flat for 2 weeks with cold sores covering her throat and mouth. No, I'm not bitter. I just think there should be some kind of form you fill out before you get married so you're not suddenly and shockingly one day lost under a giant yellow pussing scab.

So, over the years, I have tried just about everything in my fight of this unexpectedly shared virus. Home remedies include 1. Lysine 2. Garlic 3. Olive leaf extract. Some people swear by them. Personally, I think it depends on your body. Try them and see.

Here are the stages, just for your information.

COLD SORE STAGE: #1 - LATENT - Here the herpes simplex virus (also referred to as the cold sore virus) is hiding in the nerve ganglia near the back of the jaw on the same side as your sore usually appears.

Your cold sore virus may "sleep" for weeks or years without incident. Your body's defense "soldiers" keep them in check. When there is stress in another part of your body, the defenses may drop at this location. Then the virus may wake up and travel to the surface to replicate.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 2 - PRODROME - The cold sore virus reproductive cycle begins here. The cold sore virus travels down your nerve fibers to the surface. This movement causes your cold sore target area to itch or tingle. You may even notice a burning or dryness sensation. This stage could last a few hours to a few days before entering the more intense cold sore stages.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 3 - INFLAMMATION Your cold sore virus has now arrived at the surface and begins it's reproductive cycle by entering the cells at the end of the nerve. This causes a lot of swelling and redness at the cold sore site as your cells react to being invaded by the herpes cold sore virus .

COLD SORE STAGE: # 4 - PRE-SORE - Cold sores at this stage are defined by the appearance of cold sore vesicles. A full blown cold sore is not one big blister but a grouping of small blisters called vesicles. You will notice these vesicles as tiny, hard pimples or red bumps that are painfully sensitive to the touch.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 5 - OPEN SORE - Your most painful and contagious of the cold sore stages. All the vesicles break open and merge to create one big open, weeping sore. Depending on the severity, you may develop a fever and swollen lymph glands under the jaw.

The weeping fluid is teaming with newly born cold sore viruses. Touching this fluid, you could easily spread the cold sore virus to another part of your own body or to someone else - either by direct touch or shared objects such as hand towels, telephones, and faucets.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 6 - CRUSTING - A cold sore will develop a yellowish crust or scab as it begins to finally start the healing process. Your cold sore is still painful at this stage. More painful, however, is the constant cracking of your cold sore scab when you move or stretch your lips, as in smiling.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 7- HEALING - Cold sores, once scabbed over, begin healing from the inside out. As new skin forms under the crust, you will experience continued itching, irritation and some pain. Your cold sore virus is now retreating back to the nerve ganglia area where it will sleep until the next opportunity.

COLD SORE STAGE: # 8 - POST SCAB - Cold sores at this stage no longer have a visible cold sore scab and your skin has healed.

But use caution - under your new skin, healing is still taking place as the destroyed cells are regenerated. This produces a reddish area that may linger for another 2 to 14 days - depending on your personal healing speed.

You are still contagious until this red spot disappears. This waiting is the most frustrating of the cold sore stages.


Yeah....so here is my solution. Once you hit stage #4 and you can see all the little bumps that are full of viral crap (yes, I said crap)...take a needle and poke them. Poke 'em till they drain. Then wait a couple of hours and poke them again. This is a good point to put garlic or lysine or toothpaste or a big giant band-aid on it too :). Don't squeeze them, don't irritate them, just poke them to release the viral crap (yep, there I go again).

I have done this two or three times now and have successfully avoided stages #5 and #6--the worst part, which makes me a happier camper and a little less bitter towards my virus hoarding soul mate.

P.S. 89% of the bitterness in this post was for humor effect...please understand my need to over-exaggerate. My marriage is happy and no, Jason, I am not mad at you...anymore.