1. < Autoimmune Diseases

Is what I'm experiencing a herpes outbreak?

Posted by AloneInTheCatskills @user_ch783e933, Feb 2 10:07am

I'm over 70, well over. Summer, 2023, I got what I thought was a yeast rash just above tailbone on one side of buttocks, very very hot stuck in traffic A/C in my jeep stopped working. PCP thought it was yeast also, took biopsy, did blood test, HSV2, high titer also! WHAT?????? Out of NOWHERE this came. Never in my whole life have I had a herpes outbreak!

So she gave me acyclovir which I'm not taking, and also cream. Last Fall I had an irritation of some sort near an anal skin tage, gastroenterologist didn't comment at all on it during colonoscopy so I have no idea what that was. It was also like a patch of scraped skin. Was that herpes? I have no idea.

Three mornings ago I woke up with a large red itchy BOIL on external labia. One single thing, had what looked like a center to it, almost resembled a really bad spider bite. But I don't think any spider did that. So WHAT IS THIS? Is THIS also herpes? Does herpes appear as a single swollen itchy and painful large pimple???? I put bacitracin on it about 5 times since then and it is drying up and going away but is still sensitive.

I bought colloidal silver, someone in a support group suggested it helped them. I put a little on this thing and it made it itch so I washed it off.

I need someone with herpes to tell me can it appear as a single boil-like thing? This is going away fairly quickly, the first two "yeast-like" scraped areas took like 2 weeks or more, the second one near the skin tag took a lot longer and I have no idea what that was.

HELP. Anyone over 65 who suddenly had this? My PCP says it's not uncommon for it to be appearing in the older population. WHAT? I need information and advice. Is it safe for my age to use acyclovir cream? There's no info online because no "elderly" people were tested. Not bad enough I am OCD health anxiety and terrified 24 hours a day lately now THIS!!! ADVICE please!!!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.

pm56 | @pm56 | Apr 21 10:50pm
In reply to @user_ch783e933 "I used acyclovir on the stupid thing and it seems to be going away but that..." + (show)
@user_ch783e933

I used acyclovir on the stupid thing and it seems to be going away but that was happening before I used that cream. It started as what looks and felt like a large spider bite, or a boil-like disgusting thing, with a visible dot in the center. it came out of nowhere. i've read that Herpes has syptoms of onset before developing into full blown rash. I had no symptoms. The acyclovir is now irritating it and making it itch. The thing appears to be going away by itself so at this point I'm just leaving it alone. It's hard to believe that no one who's lived with this stinking condition can't answer this question. You think this is bad, try the Facebook groups. I guess the only way to know for sure is to see a gynecologist during an "outbreak" which I've never had anything like this before and it's now Tuesday, the thing is going away, I don't think she'd really be able to tell even if I could get an appointment with such short notice. We like to think modern "medicine" knows so much but I have to tell you it's my observation that they really don't know very much at all.

Jump to this post

Yes - it is entirely possible to have a single sore or a cluster of them. Your gynecologist can swab the area and send it out to a lab to confirm, but I think that’s best done within the first 48 hours. I am married for 36 years, have never had a cold sore - EVER! - yet had one confirmed HSV-2 outbreak when we were in the middle of moving from a house we’d just sold to a new house. It was a very stressful process, and I started having pain and chills in the moving van of all places! The virus can lay dormant for decades, but if you find yourself run down, stressed and not sleeping well, the virus can reactivate. If you’re looking for more home remedy-type solutions, I’ve heard that zinc and vitamin c and help shorten the duration. The attached article has lots of information and suggestions:
https://lornahealth.com/conditions/herpes-virus-infection-simplex-genital/#:~:text=During%20an%20outbreak%20take%201000,hour%20until%20sores%20are%20gone.&text=Combats%20outbreaks.,to%20herpes%20simplex%20HSV%202.&text=Protects%20against%20the%20effects%20of%20stress.
The National Institutes of Health published a study that appears to conclude that the Covid vaccine can reactivate HSV -1 and 2. Since I’m immunocompromised I get Pemgarda infusions and avoid the Covid boosters altogether.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9915050/
Best of luck with this. Hopefully it’ll never be back!

REPLY
Joanne Narna | @mothermary1 | Apr 22 5:31am

Are we discussing the herpes simplex 1&2 virus? I’m a bit lost. If you have tested positive by a swab and labs once in your life I believe as I’ve been told you have it forever. It lays dormant and for me the herpes 1 which is mouth cold sores happens far too often. I get so many flare ups. I’m 70 and the doctor says stress can cause it but if I go to the dentist the next day it activates it which I think is because they are putting tools in my mouth and tugging on my lips. I get them severe inside my mouth even more.
I’m allergic to anti virals. My husband tested positive so he takes a daily low dose to see if it could help me. I get him every time we kiss, so it’s an issue. I’ve been married 51 years and we both could have got it on our own or one of us had it and gave it to the other. I wish I could take the anti viral Ed’s myself.
I get it cultured frequently and I always have a lot of antibodies when I get my labs, it’s scary. I suggest a culture and more labs for both herpes 1&2.

REPLY
ladysullivan22 | @ladysullivan22 | Apr 23 4:28pm
In reply to @samclembeau "Yes it is probably herpes. As we age we tend to sit longer so that may..." + (show)
@samclembeau

Yes it is probably herpes. As we age we tend to sit longer so that may be why it is on your tailbone. I am 76 and have had them on and off for 40 years. They start out itchy and pimply . Sometimes just one boil like pimple. Then break open an ooze making them itchier. Don’t spread them by actually rubbing them. Put on acyclovir cream and take oral acyclovir twice a day. Anti itch gels and tea tree oil (don’t get too close to private parts or it will sting) help a lot . If you get them often, which is what happened to me after radiation treatments on my tailbone, ask pcp for prescription for valacyclovir which you take daily as a preventative. Good luck.

Jump to this post

I've been troubled with them for the last 5 years. I have an incurable Autoimmune Disease called Myasthenia Gravis and it brought on Congestive Heart Failure.
When you have conditions that challenge your immune system, you can become totally Immune Compromised. Then you have to be careful going out among crowds for fear of catching something dangerous!
The ones you contract are called "Genital Herpes!"
At 82 yrs of age it's a real bummer! Good Luck! Use Exam gloves to gently clean and administer creams/ointments.
BEST wishes for a successful journey with this horrible condition! No matter what you do, the RASH is going to be hiding on the inside!
Sincerely,
Beverly R Sullivan
Myasthenia Gravis Patient

REPLY
diverdown1 | @diverdown1 | Apr 27 8:57am
In reply to @user_ch783e933 "I used acyclovir on the stupid thing and it seems to be going away but that..." + (show)
@user_ch783e933

I used acyclovir on the stupid thing and it seems to be going away but that was happening before I used that cream. It started as what looks and felt like a large spider bite, or a boil-like disgusting thing, with a visible dot in the center. it came out of nowhere. i've read that Herpes has syptoms of onset before developing into full blown rash. I had no symptoms. The acyclovir is now irritating it and making it itch. The thing appears to be going away by itself so at this point I'm just leaving it alone. It's hard to believe that no one who's lived with this stinking condition can't answer this question. You think this is bad, try the Facebook groups. I guess the only way to know for sure is to see a gynecologist during an "outbreak" which I've never had anything like this before and it's now Tuesday, the thing is going away, I don't think she'd really be able to tell even if I could get an appointment with such short notice. We like to think modern "medicine" knows so much but I have to tell you it's my observation that they really don't know very much at all.

Jump to this post

It could be HPV or it could just be a pimple. If your immune system is compromised, and you have HPV (Human Papillomavirus) it may symptoms may appear. Many people never have any symptoms, ever. Then again, it may just be a boil. Either way, I agree with you that modern medicine doesn't always know everything. I have Long COVID and have had it 3 years now. When I first got sick, the doctors were like deer in headlights. I saw a holistic doctor. She was great. Combining alternative and complimentary medicine is helpful, however they still really do not know how to treat long COVID, we just treat the symptoms. I did not get the vaccine. It came out too quickly and I have never trusted Big Pharma. Never had a flu shot, never got the flu. I never got sick until I got Covid, twice. Since that time, my life has been turned upside down. I hope you find out what is going on and I hope that it is nothing serious.

REPLY
diverdown1 | @diverdown1 | Apr 27 8:57am

Another thought...if you drink, have your liver checked.

REPLY
sarsarson | @sarsarson | Apr 28 9:31am

I have HSV-2. I do get outbreaks at both locations that you describe, especially under stress and with sleep deprivation. I usually get a warning sign before an outbreak - nerve pain down one or the other leg and itchy, painful feeling before the outbreak occurs. The outbreak is usually a group of very painful/itchy raised pimple type things arranged in a circle or cluster. I’ve had single boil types too though.

I find the best way to quickly resolve an outbreak is to take an antiviral like valacyclovir at double dose (1,000mg) from the time you notice it until it dies down. This can be quite quick if you notice the outbreak early in its cycle. Otherwise, because of my RA & associated drugs, I take a single dose (500mg) everyday for prevention.

Creams are not very effective for me and they can make outbreaks hurt more. I learned from a NP a long time ago that the best way to get outbreaks dry out and clear up is to wear no underwear or loose cotton underwear and loose clothing so that your skin stays as dry as possible.

Hoping this is helpful!

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.