alineechelard,
Do you mean long haul COVID?
You say you don't know what it is, what makes you feel it is a virus?
I am 65, 5 years ago, near the time of new dentist, filling cavities, no big issues; the corners of my mouth started alternating sides, cracking, sore, red. I was told by dentist, doctor, and endodontist that I had angular chelitis. Again, no biggie. Until 3 months ago, one side was bad..painful to open mouth,talk, chew, crack was an open wound. I finally got a PCR test (Q-tip) stuck in wound (wow, it was painful). 1 week later I got the shock of learning I had HSV-1, herpes simplex virus-oral type. I then got my blood tested, my HSV-1 specific IgG level was 50.4 index...this is 50x higher than the greater than 1.09 to be positive. No one can tell me how, when I contacted it. Did the dental work trigger it? I am a boring old married 35 years grandma. The doctors won't even talk about it with me. The literature says this is not uncommon and usually not a big problem, yet why then won't the doctors help me understand it?..ShelleyW
alineechelard,
Do you mean long haul COVID?
You say you don't know what it is, what makes you feel it is a virus?
I am 65, 5 years ago, near the time of new dentist, filling cavities, no big issues; the corners of my mouth started alternating sides, cracking, sore, red. I was told by dentist, doctor, and endodontist that I had angular chelitis. Again, no biggie. Until 3 months ago, one side was bad..painful to open mouth,talk, chew, crack was an open wound. I finally got a PCR test (Q-tip) stuck in wound (wow, it was painful). 1 week later I got the shock of learning I had HSV-1, herpes simplex virus-oral type. I then got my blood tested, my HSV-1 specific IgG level was 50.4 index...this is 50x higher than the greater than 1.09 to be positive. No one can tell me how, when I contacted it. Did the dental work trigger it? I am a boring old married 35 years grandma. The doctors won't even talk about it with me. The literature says this is not uncommon and usually not a big problem, yet why then won't the doctors help me understand it?..ShelleyW
alineechelard,
Do you mean long haul COVID?
You say you don't know what it is, what makes you feel it is a virus?
I am 65, 5 years ago, near the time of new dentist, filling cavities, no big issues; the corners of my mouth started alternating sides, cracking, sore, red. I was told by dentist, doctor, and endodontist that I had angular chelitis. Again, no biggie. Until 3 months ago, one side was bad..painful to open mouth,talk, chew, crack was an open wound. I finally got a PCR test (Q-tip) stuck in wound (wow, it was painful). 1 week later I got the shock of learning I had HSV-1, herpes simplex virus-oral type. I then got my blood tested, my HSV-1 specific IgG level was 50.4 index...this is 50x higher than the greater than 1.09 to be positive. No one can tell me how, when I contacted it. Did the dental work trigger it? I am a boring old married 35 years grandma. The doctors won't even talk about it with me. The literature says this is not uncommon and usually not a big problem, yet why then won't the doctors help me understand it?..ShelleyW
Shelley - You may very well have had herpes simplex in your body for many years, but it took a stressor to cause the breakout. Ouch, I sympathize - it can be so painful! Probably the reason doctors don't talk about it is because it is so common, and except for severely immuno-compromised people, it is only a minor inconvenience.
I have had herpes simplex and cold sores since childhood and can go years between serious outbreaks, but once started it often takes a course of antiviral medication to stop it. My brother breaks out from exposure to the sun, my daughter from eating ANY pineapple. I had a particularly bad outbreak when my body equilibrium was disrupted by long term antibiotic therapy and my IgG was high, but after the therapy ended it fell to normal again.
If it happens to you again, you can ask your provider for a course of antiviral medication - a typical one is acyclovir.
Shelley - You may very well have had herpes simplex in your body for many years, but it took a stressor to cause the breakout. Ouch, I sympathize - it can be so painful! Probably the reason doctors don't talk about it is because it is so common, and except for severely immuno-compromised people, it is only a minor inconvenience.
I have had herpes simplex and cold sores since childhood and can go years between serious outbreaks, but once started it often takes a course of antiviral medication to stop it. My brother breaks out from exposure to the sun, my daughter from eating ANY pineapple. I had a particularly bad outbreak when my body equilibrium was disrupted by long term antibiotic therapy and my IgG was high, but after the therapy ended it fell to normal again.
If it happens to you again, you can ask your provider for a course of antiviral medication - a typical one is acyclovir.
tfancydancer,
Is there any way to find out the origins of this? It's just the oddest problem I have. On top of that, I had blood tests done, in the ER(part of a larger problem) for a UTI and retention. Why? I am female so I have had my share of these, never had blood tests. The results were staphylococcus epidermis and positive for meA and meC. The ER doctor said "obviously it was contaminated by the lab." 4 doctors told me, no biggie, we all have it on our skin. But the lab tested it twice. The infection was caused by my 10 days of indwelling catheter. This is not all that uncommon. But the positive results for the meA and meC is a big deal. So 2 bizarre results in about two weeks and the doctors won't talk about them. Why? ShelleyW
You probably will not ever know the origin. But that is true for MANY infections in our lives. How do we ever know where we got shingles, strep throat, even the flu? Or where I got Mycobacteria Avium Complex or Pseudomonas in my lungs?
What matters is that we now have it and we have to figure out how best to manage it.
Do you have a plan of action if you get severe cold sores again?
You probably will not ever know the origin. But that is true for MANY infections in our lives. How do we ever know where we got shingles, strep throat, even the flu? Or where I got Mycobacteria Avium Complex or Pseudomonas in my lungs?
What matters is that we now have it and we have to figure out how best to manage it.
Do you have a plan of action if you get severe cold sores again?
sueinmn,
I have aclyvir and clometrin, I spelled it wrong, I am too tired to fix it. But why won't my doctors talk about it, inform me? I would not have known if I didn't call them. Then a blood test showed IgG at 50x higher than needed for a positive diagnosis. My doctor said " I can't change your results, if it is 50.4, then that's what it is " My research led me to believe that the super high levels mean I have an active infection, is this correct. Thanx, ShelleyW
sueinmn,
I have aclyvir and clometrin, I spelled it wrong, I am too tired to fix it. But why won't my doctors talk about it, inform me? I would not have known if I didn't call them. Then a blood test showed IgG at 50x higher than needed for a positive diagnosis. My doctor said " I can't change your results, if it is 50.4, then that's what it is " My research led me to believe that the super high levels mean I have an active infection, is this correct. Thanx, ShelleyW
Whether you have an active or dormant case of herpes, the blood markers may be the same according to the CDC, ..."Both type-specific and type-common antibodies to HSV develop during the first weeks after infection and persist indefinitely. The majority of ,available, accurate type-specific HSV serologic assays are based on the HSV-specific glycoprotein G2 (gG2) (HSV-2) and glycoprotein G1 (gG1) (HSV-1)..." https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm
So no, the higher factor doesn't necessarily mean an active infection. Symptoms are the sign of an active infection, and treatment suppresses the virus but does not "cure" it completely, it will always be there. Again, from the CDC, "...Systemic antiviral drugs can partially control the signs and symptoms of genital herpes when used to treat first clinical and recurrent episodes or when used as daily suppressive therapy. However, these drugs neither eradicate latent virus nor affect the risk, frequency, or severity of recurrences after the drug is discontinued. Randomized trials have indicated that three FDA-approved antiviral medications provide clinical benefit for genital herpes: acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir..."
So I will stress again, the herpes virus, once in your body, can lie dormant for MANY years before manifesting itself - and over 60% of people have it in their bodies. Doctors do not necessarily "talk about it" because in the realm of ailments they treat daily, this is the equivalent of a pimple or a bruise, not a serious disease unless you are severely immunocompromised - they just treat it and move on.
I'm sorry you didn't feel heard and respected by your doctor, but given the overwhelming workloads of most practitioners these days, I'm not surprised. At least they did the right thing by prescribing acyclovir.
Whether you have an active or dormant case of herpes, the blood markers may be the same according to the CDC, ..."Both type-specific and type-common antibodies to HSV develop during the first weeks after infection and persist indefinitely. The majority of ,available, accurate type-specific HSV serologic assays are based on the HSV-specific glycoprotein G2 (gG2) (HSV-2) and glycoprotein G1 (gG1) (HSV-1)..." https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm
So no, the higher factor doesn't necessarily mean an active infection. Symptoms are the sign of an active infection, and treatment suppresses the virus but does not "cure" it completely, it will always be there. Again, from the CDC, "...Systemic antiviral drugs can partially control the signs and symptoms of genital herpes when used to treat first clinical and recurrent episodes or when used as daily suppressive therapy. However, these drugs neither eradicate latent virus nor affect the risk, frequency, or severity of recurrences after the drug is discontinued. Randomized trials have indicated that three FDA-approved antiviral medications provide clinical benefit for genital herpes: acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir..."
So I will stress again, the herpes virus, once in your body, can lie dormant for MANY years before manifesting itself - and over 60% of people have it in their bodies. Doctors do not necessarily "talk about it" because in the realm of ailments they treat daily, this is the equivalent of a pimple or a bruise, not a serious disease unless you are severely immunocompromised - they just treat it and move on.
I'm sorry you didn't feel heard and respected by your doctor, but given the overwhelming workloads of most practitioners these days, I'm not surprised. At least they did the right thing by prescribing acyclovir.
sueinmn,
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your time and knowledge. I had to ask for the medication from one doctor and get told how to use it, from another doctor, on a virus that does what, when, how it wants.
I respectfully disagree that it's like a pimple or a bruise... I had to cancel a, hopefully, life changing surgery 2x due to maybe I was headed into an episode. Not one doctor checked my chart to see that I have 3 autoimmune diseases, with the possibility of 2 more. I am not on meds yet, I will resist them as long as possible, so I'm not formally immunocompromised.
Again, respectfully, please don't make excuses for doctors being overwhelmed. it is demeaning to me as a person/patient. In my life, before my health decline into hell, I was an Enrolled Agent and owned an accounting and tax company. I was forced to sell cuz of my cognitive impairment has made me stupid. I don't know anyone that would have said, "she is overwhelmed and busy ", if an IRS audit letter showed up in a client's mailbox. Neither the IRS nor the client, nor myself would have cut me any slack.
We are all fortunate that the internet gives us access to such valuable information and groups like this one.... but if we tell our doctors where we got our information, in my experience, I am totally dismissed by all doctors.
I am not venting on you at all, I am respectfully expressing my real life concerns. Please don't denigrate the patient, while excusing the doctor. We need the truth of course, but we need you as a mentor to be on our side, desperately.
ShelleyW
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alineechelard,
Do you mean long haul COVID?
You say you don't know what it is, what makes you feel it is a virus?
I am 65, 5 years ago, near the time of new dentist, filling cavities, no big issues; the corners of my mouth started alternating sides, cracking, sore, red. I was told by dentist, doctor, and endodontist that I had angular chelitis. Again, no biggie. Until 3 months ago, one side was bad..painful to open mouth,talk, chew, crack was an open wound. I finally got a PCR test (Q-tip) stuck in wound (wow, it was painful). 1 week later I got the shock of learning I had HSV-1, herpes simplex virus-oral type. I then got my blood tested, my HSV-1 specific IgG level was 50.4 index...this is 50x higher than the greater than 1.09 to be positive. No one can tell me how, when I contacted it. Did the dental work trigger it? I am a boring old married 35 years grandma. The doctors won't even talk about it with me. The literature says this is not uncommon and usually not a big problem, yet why then won't the doctors help me understand it?..ShelleyW
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2 ReactionsI also have oral herpes virus. I got it from my husbands fever blisters. It seems as if fever blisters are contagious even before they appear.
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1 ReactionShelley - You may very well have had herpes simplex in your body for many years, but it took a stressor to cause the breakout. Ouch, I sympathize - it can be so painful! Probably the reason doctors don't talk about it is because it is so common, and except for severely immuno-compromised people, it is only a minor inconvenience.
I have had herpes simplex and cold sores since childhood and can go years between serious outbreaks, but once started it often takes a course of antiviral medication to stop it. My brother breaks out from exposure to the sun, my daughter from eating ANY pineapple. I had a particularly bad outbreak when my body equilibrium was disrupted by long term antibiotic therapy and my IgG was high, but after the therapy ended it fell to normal again.
If it happens to you again, you can ask your provider for a course of antiviral medication - a typical one is acyclovir.
It wasn’t that virus.I talked to my functional med doc and now I think I did figure out what it was.Thanks though !
sueinmn,
I have had far worse stressors in my life, no breakouts.
Are you saying that I will never know the origin? ShelleyW
tfancydancer,
Is there any way to find out the origins of this? It's just the oddest problem I have. On top of that, I had blood tests done, in the ER(part of a larger problem) for a UTI and retention. Why? I am female so I have had my share of these, never had blood tests. The results were staphylococcus epidermis and positive for meA and meC. The ER doctor said "obviously it was contaminated by the lab." 4 doctors told me, no biggie, we all have it on our skin. But the lab tested it twice. The infection was caused by my 10 days of indwelling catheter. This is not all that uncommon. But the positive results for the meA and meC is a big deal. So 2 bizarre results in about two weeks and the doctors won't talk about them. Why? ShelleyW
You probably will not ever know the origin. But that is true for MANY infections in our lives. How do we ever know where we got shingles, strep throat, even the flu? Or where I got Mycobacteria Avium Complex or Pseudomonas in my lungs?
What matters is that we now have it and we have to figure out how best to manage it.
Do you have a plan of action if you get severe cold sores again?
sueinmn,
I have aclyvir and clometrin, I spelled it wrong, I am too tired to fix it. But why won't my doctors talk about it, inform me? I would not have known if I didn't call them. Then a blood test showed IgG at 50x higher than needed for a positive diagnosis. My doctor said " I can't change your results, if it is 50.4, then that's what it is " My research led me to believe that the super high levels mean I have an active infection, is this correct. Thanx, ShelleyW
Whether you have an active or dormant case of herpes, the blood markers may be the same according to the CDC, ..."Both type-specific and type-common antibodies to HSV develop during the first weeks after infection and persist indefinitely. The majority of ,available, accurate type-specific HSV serologic assays are based on the HSV-specific glycoprotein G2 (gG2) (HSV-2) and glycoprotein G1 (gG1) (HSV-1)..."
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm
So no, the higher factor doesn't necessarily mean an active infection. Symptoms are the sign of an active infection, and treatment suppresses the virus but does not "cure" it completely, it will always be there. Again, from the CDC, "...Systemic antiviral drugs can partially control the signs and symptoms of genital herpes when used to treat first clinical and recurrent episodes or when used as daily suppressive therapy. However, these drugs neither eradicate latent virus nor affect the risk, frequency, or severity of recurrences after the drug is discontinued. Randomized trials have indicated that three FDA-approved antiviral medications provide clinical benefit for genital herpes: acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir..."
So I will stress again, the herpes virus, once in your body, can lie dormant for MANY years before manifesting itself - and over 60% of people have it in their bodies. Doctors do not necessarily "talk about it" because in the realm of ailments they treat daily, this is the equivalent of a pimple or a bruise, not a serious disease unless you are severely immunocompromised - they just treat it and move on.
I'm sorry you didn't feel heard and respected by your doctor, but given the overwhelming workloads of most practitioners these days, I'm not surprised. At least they did the right thing by prescribing acyclovir.
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1 Reactionsueinmn,
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your time and knowledge. I had to ask for the medication from one doctor and get told how to use it, from another doctor, on a virus that does what, when, how it wants.
I respectfully disagree that it's like a pimple or a bruise... I had to cancel a, hopefully, life changing surgery 2x due to maybe I was headed into an episode. Not one doctor checked my chart to see that I have 3 autoimmune diseases, with the possibility of 2 more. I am not on meds yet, I will resist them as long as possible, so I'm not formally immunocompromised.
Again, respectfully, please don't make excuses for doctors being overwhelmed. it is demeaning to me as a person/patient. In my life, before my health decline into hell, I was an Enrolled Agent and owned an accounting and tax company. I was forced to sell cuz of my cognitive impairment has made me stupid. I don't know anyone that would have said, "she is overwhelmed and busy ", if an IRS audit letter showed up in a client's mailbox. Neither the IRS nor the client, nor myself would have cut me any slack.
We are all fortunate that the internet gives us access to such valuable information and groups like this one.... but if we tell our doctors where we got our information, in my experience, I am totally dismissed by all doctors.
I am not venting on you at all, I am respectfully expressing my real life concerns. Please don't denigrate the patient, while excusing the doctor. We need the truth of course, but we need you as a mentor to be on our side, desperately.
ShelleyW
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Helpful -
Hug
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